Hell on Earth 

 I find it rather ironic that today is Easter Sunday, but a day that will be now known in my family as the 'Day SHE has risen'.  Now that we are out of the critical stages of Covid-19, I wanted to share our story with friends and family that have been both supporting us through this terribly difficult time.

There is no other way to describe the pain, anxiety and fear we have been living through the past 3 weeks. We are afraid to admit that we all may have contracted Covid from Pranvera’s 50th bday celebration with family and friends who had all mostly been infected. Regardless, this new UK variation has been ripping thru Kosovo and killing many more than the first couple waves. And thank God we will not be one of these statics...but it was close and we are not out of the woods yet. 

Somehow I only had extreme fatigue and brain fog for about the first 3 days (but still lingering bouts of needing a serious nap) and the kids had small colds and body aches as well. Makes no sense as I have terrible allergies but Pranvera has been the one who has been critically ill despite being the runner in the family.

We both started on an oral antibiotic for 6 days but 4 days into it she kept getting worse with enormous body aches fatigue fever and coughing (none of us lost taste or smell but everything thing was heightened for Pranvera to the point she couldn't stand regular cooking odors). So we saw a pulmonologist who put her on an antibiotic IV drip for 3 days but since no clinics or hospitals are treating Covid except the public one, we had to buy all the meds and find a nurse to come to the house and give her the injection and mixture each morning. After day 3 she got worse and was on non stop paracetamols and her oxygen was registering close to 90 on the home finger tester we bought (below is ER and ventilator). The Dr mistakenly said to add another 3 days but after 1 more day she had no energy since unable to eat so we went to a new Dr and clinic. After all the new rounds of blood tests and a ultrasound he said she was in critical shape with pneumonia in both lungs. Either the hospital (death sentence) or buying a pharmacy worth of meds and to have x4/day IV for 7 days.

We opted for #2 and had the nurse come 3-4 times to inject these poisons in her body plus a stomach shot for anti-clotting (I learned how to administer the late night 11pm treatment that painfully forced up to stay up well past our desired bedtime). She slept most the time which was good since she started to get debilitating headaches and a burining skin sensation she described as being cooked from the inside, so it was the only way for her to not be screaming in pain. So thank God after day 3 her fever broke (mind u it is now day 10) and she started to get an appetite back and be able to walk. Happiest day of my life. 

Behind this hell I just about lost it. Still being sick myself I had the kids online school as we were in isolation for 2 weeks. I needed to make all the meals, clean house and laundry, get food, work my new job as best I could and take care of PV. For 3 nights I ‘slept’ by her side to make sure she did not stop breathing and after every injection after the nurse left I had to pray she did not have an adverse reaction and have to rush her to the hospital. The fear and anxiety (even with my meditation) was paralyzing and the past 3 weeks have passed in a fog for both of us. 

Each day she has gotten better and after the 7 days, we had to run the tests to find she still had bad pneumonia and is now using a nebulizor x2/day plus oral antibiotics to get steroids into her lungs. This appears to be working and we are finally on the path to recovery as she does not have Covid anymore. The doctor said most of the pneumonia is gone but she cannot exercise for 1 month and needs another 2 for hopefully full recovery (but no sense of what long hauler affects this virus has caused). He also said she was one of the more critical patients he saw and he was very happy she has recovered this strongly, especially not being hospitalized).  She has now developed uncomfortable night sweats but headaches are going away and the collapses arm veins are healing after so many days of injections. So each step is a blessing!!!

And to boot we don’t have insurance but thankfully all the medical stuff out here is very cheap and a fraction of what I imagine this would have cost us in the US. 

Sorry I did not inform you all sooner but I have not had a second to think beyond the next crisis. Kids are back in school and Spring is here. We land in DC June 26 and will hope to get the vaccines immediately. So I hope this proves this thing is no joke and no questions whether any of u will take the shot. I am blessed to not have lost my wife but this has undoubtedly been the toughest time ever. Can't thank you all enough for your prayers and well wishes.