PATIENT LOSES 60 POUNDS IN 20 DAYS WHILE IN THE HOSPITAL

Nurse Tells Patient’s Wife that if They Resuscitate Him, He Will Continue to Code Until He Passes

Ronnie and I met in October 2020. He was a dad, grandad, son and just and all-around wonderful person with a heart of gold. He met my daughter and her family after just a week and became known as Papa Ronnie to them immediately, and he embraced that too with everything he had. He gave everything and everyone 110 percent always. We got engaged on February 3, 2021, and were married on March 30, 2021.

My husband and I both came down with Covid on August 16, 2021. My symptoms were very minimal on August 17, but Ronnie was immediately a lot worse. Ronnie was very sick to his stomach while carrying a low-grade fever and having severe body aches. I phoned his doctor’s office but he was refused treatment. They told me to give him Pepto Bismol and Tylenol, as I did. I received my positive test on August 18.

On August 21, I took Ronnie to Urgent Care for the Covid test. Ronnie was still super weak and unable to eat without severe stomach issues. Ronnie was sent home and I continued to treat him at home. He was daily unable to hold anything down but Gatorade and a sip of water here and there. On August 24, we received Ronnie’s positive test and we continued treating him at home.

On August 26, Ronnie’s oxygen dropped to 76% and I called rescue. He was struggling to breathe. He was rushed to Baptist North. Around 11:00 p.m. that evening he was transferred to Baptist Downtown.

On August 27, Ronnie was diagnosed with Covid pneumonia. On August 28, all numbers were reported as good when I called. On August 29, no one ever returned my calls. On August 30, Ronnie was up sitting in a chair on high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC). On August 31, he was taken off the nose cannula and placed on a rebreather mask and using a spirometer. During this time Ronnie was being treated with antibiotics, oxygen therapy and cough medications. On September 3, I video chatted with Ronnie and he was doing very well. His oxygen levels had improved and they were fitting him for masks to go home with oxygen. On September 5, Ronnie was still on HFNC getting 50 liters of oxygen, and he began to struggle that night. He was moved to the Intensive Care Unit on September 6 on Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP) as his levels were not stable. The same day he was given Baricitinib without his consent or being told it was an experimental drug with a Black Box Warning.

On September 6, Ronnie wasn’t doing well and his levels were dropping consistently. He was found to have air leaking in his chest from subcutaneous pneumonia. I received a phone call and was told that Ronnie was no longer responding to the CPAP.  I was also told he had no chance to survive other than with a ventilator. I went to the hospital and talked to Ronnie on the phone through the glass. The doctor said the ventilator was Ronnie’s only chance to live. Ronnie agreed to go on the ventilator at that point.

On September 8, Ronnie’s left lung collapsed; however, I was told they had fixed it and his levels were all good. Ronnie was taken off Baricitinib on this date as well. However, per the documentation, there was still air leaking in his chest. On September 9, I was unable to see Ronnie so I called for an update and was told that all levels are good and they had added steroids. On September 10, Ronnie’s oxygen dropped and he had to be placed on his stomach, again, all levels returned to good. On September 11, all levels were reported as good. On September 13, Ronnie’s heart rate went up and he tried to wake up but was re-sedated three to four times.

I received a call on September 16 that his levels were dropping and they were unable to maintain or stabilize. His heart rate was very low and they could not maintain his blood pressure.

I arrived at the hospital and met Ronnie’s mom there. We sat outside his room, not allowed in. The nurse said Ronnie’s vitals were not stable and he would go into cardiac arrest any minute and it would continue. At that point we were asked if he coded, did we want him resuscitated? She said, if so, it  would continue until he passes. I signed the Do Not Resuscitate and a few minutes later Ronnie went into cardiac arrest and passed.

I was never told I had the option to take him out of the hospital on palliative care. I would have done anything to get him the help he needed and if he did not make it, at least he would have died at home with the people who loved him and whom he loved.

Ronnie was deprived of any human interaction from his wife. He was not fed for the entire time and lost 60 pounds in 20 days in the hospital. There was duct tape on his ventilator, he was given no fluids and was not informed of any of the treatments they were using on him, which made him very confused.

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