Bearing witness to a pandemic BUPA | SANITAS
I wouldn’t change what I went through
constanza núñez Nurse Bupa Reñaca Hospital
On 10 June I woke up with no sense of taste or smell, which we call anosmia and ageusia. I couldn’t taste anything. I called my boss, Carol, and said: I don’t have any taste or smell, I am scared. She said: come to the hospital straight away and we will do the pcr test. Then I went into quarantine. My first pcr test was negative but a second one, fifteen days later, was positive. I was infected by a patient who had Covid and had an anxiety disorder that was not well-controlled. I was coming off my break and he was having a crisis in the corridor and I had to put cold compresses on him. He came in walking and an hour later he was confused, aggressive and needed a ventilator. He was 58 years old and had no underlying illnesses. This happens with hypoxia: the lack of oxygen in the brain makes them confused and overwhelmed. It was really difficult to keep a distance from my family. I knew I had Covid, even though the first PCR test was negative, because the symptoms were obvious. I am the oldest daughter. I have a sister of 21 years old and my parents are still young, so we have a great relationship. Telling my parents I was ill and they couldn’t come over but not to worry was hard. They left me food at the door. I would just put the rubbish out.
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