Neonatologist from Denver, Colorado, Anna Zimmerman, 44, shared a video of her four-year-old son, Lincoln. He had tubes hooked up on his nose because he has difficulty breathing after contracting the coronavirus.
Zimmerman wrote on her blog that her son was saying in the video that the oxygen is not worth it and asking her when it will stop because it is hurting him. Her son even said that it is no use because it will not make him go home. Thankfully, Lincoln has already recovered from the virus.
Zimmerman Practiced Self-Isolation Before the Lockdown
The 44-year-old mother explained in her blog Mighty Littles that she followed the news in China and Italy about COVID-19. Thus, even though there was no state or federal mandate yet, she and her husband decided to pull out their three children - Lincoln, Emmeline, and Elizabeth - from their jiu-jitsu and swimming lessons. They knew that the virus is dangerous even before people took it seriously.
She added that her kids continued with their preschool and kindergarten until the last day of schooling, which was on March 12. Schools in Colorado state were closed on March 16.
Zimmerman's children did not go on playdates, and she would not allow them to walk across the street to talk nor play with their neighborhood friends. She shared on her blog that they did everything to protect their kids from the coronavirus by staying at home just like in China and Italy.
Lincoln Started Showing Symptoms
On March 21, Lincoln showed some symptoms. He sneezed a few times, and his mom thought that he had allergies. The next day, he had a slight cough and stuffy nose but no fever, so Dr. Zimmerman was not super worried because she thought that her son only got a little cold.
The four-year-old son got a fever of 104.5 degrees Fahrenheit on March 27. His mom started to worry because her son looked miserable and pathetic. They went to his pediatrician on March 28 and got diagnosed with pneumonia after his viral illness, which, according to Zimmerman, is "totally unreasonable." For the next 48 hours, Lincoln was prescribed oral antibiotics and oxygen at home.
Lincoln was Sent to the Hospital
Two days later, her son's condition worsened, so they sent him to the Rocky Mountain Hospital; however, she was still unconvinced that her son got COVID-19 because only she and her husband, Chris, went out once to Costo and Target after March 12. The mother knew that they would be staying in the hospital for three or four days, but she wanted to believe that soon, a negative result will come out.
Her son was working all muscles in his abdomen, chest, and neck to breathe, and his need for oxygen increased from 2 liters to 9 liters. Even though Lincoln's labs and X-Ray did not meet the criteria of having coronavirus, his doctor confirmed that he was positive on his second night.
The neonatologist cried upon hearing the news and did not understand how it happened because they were so careful to keep their children safe. She was also worried that her other family members might also get infected and did not want to leave Lincoln's side because he even had lost his appetite.
The mother said that Lincoln's need for oxygen dropped to 4 liters on his fifth day, but he still had the "WORST" cough ever. Her son would cough up slime and be gasping for air, and his saturations dropped with a spike in his heart rate. Lincoln would sleep 16 hours a day with a burst of 30 minutes of upbeat.
Lincoln's Recovery
On his sixth day, Lincoln was doing so much better. He was off IV fluids, and his oxygen was down to 1 liter. He was discharged on April 6 but was ordered to be on oxygen for two to three weeks at home.
Dr. Anna Zimmerman's advice to everyone is to stay safe and healthy. Finally, she wants everyone to take coronavirus seriously.
