COVID Compartment Syndrome
Hello fellow survivors and anyone else reading this — My heart is so full to be thought a survivor. I am in awe reading so many stories, I am proud to be part of this group of warriors – many blessings and well wishes to everyone who is fighting off demons of trauma. Preface, I am a 33 year old full time working mother of 2 boys, 4 and 6. My husband and I are active and both working in public education. Fall 2020, my husband suffered a seizure end up being diagnosed with a brain tumor. He was 33 years old and was fortunately able to get it all removed, with no complications. It was the size of a golf ball and everything played in his favor – the time we caught it, the location, his age. Recovery was smooth, and minus some occasional minor word-confusion, he is back to himself. Shortly after his recovery, we did a life assessment and decided to not let anything hold us back. I enrolled in a master’s degree program and that week found out I was pregnant with our third child. We were ecstatic and my husband said “don’t change gears, we’ll get through it”. Unfortunately, I suffered a miscarriage about 6-weeks into my pregnancy. This was summer 2021. At the end of Summer, my first semester of master’s degree completed with a 4.0, we hit ‘back to school time’. My husband was diagnosed with COVID, despite having been vaccinated. He suffered mild symptoms, simple cold type, and received a antibody transfusion which helped him feel better. I caught COVID, too, despite having been vaccinated. While resting, my legs started to hurt. I had this issue before and was usually diagnosed with shin splits, given muscle relaxers after checking for blood clots. I went to the ER one night, they did the usual – all my charts were normal, no blood clots and everything looked fine. That night, the pain in my legs became worse. I was dehydrated and unable to keep anything down. I could hardly walk. I remember sweating profusely but feeling so cold. My husband called an ambulance and I was taken to the hospital. I don’t remember much while I was there except asking for water and telling the nurse that I was so scared. I remember her telling me that I was in the best possible place and that she would be there to take care of me. I remember falling in and out of consciousness and throwing up occasionally. I woke up, what was days later, screaming for my husband. I had unimaginable visions, and my throat felt like sandpaper as I yelled for him. I remember being told I was in the hospital, and that my husband had just left because visiting hours were done. I had no idea why I was there, but I remember the friendliest nurse telling me that my husband was with me all day everyday, and that she would get him on the phone. I heard him and my boys tell me “hi” and that they loved me, but I don’t remember much else. I fell asleep again. I woke up the next day, and was in and out of coming off anesthesia again. I was told I was having surgery on my legs – still no idea why. Eventually, once medicines had worn off I found out that the first time I had woken up was because I had self-extubated myself. But that the reason for my initial intubation was because I had such poor blood pressure presumably due to lower extremity compartment syndrome that I was on 4 different types of blood pressure medicine, as well as paralytics and other medication to keep me comfortable. I was on the verge of multiorgan failure and minutes away from needing to be put on dialysis. I had to have bed side emergency fasciotomies to relieve the pressures in my leg. Is this what saved me? Perhaps. My famliy was called to come say good bye to me, as things were not looking good. While unconscious, I had undergone multiple wound and muscle debridement as some of the tissue and muscles in my calves died as result of the lack of blood flow. After I woke up, I went in for what was my second to last debridement, and they were discussing amputation because of how far the dead tissue went. I was able to have a consult with an orthopedic surgeon who did a thorough and final muscle cleaning and essentially saved my legs. There was fear that I was not going to be able to have function in my lower legs at all, or that I would not have the ability to flatten my foot – I’d need to walk on my tip toes. I ended up with permanent bilateral footdrop as a result. I was in the hospital for the entire month of September, and ‘asleep’ for half of that. I was transferred to an equally fantastic rehab facility where I received occupational and physical therapy regularly to learn how to walk again. I require braces to walk anywhere, and had to have hand controls installed in my car. I was released from rehab in middle of october. Fortunately, my home recovery went quicker than expected. I was back to work by Thanksgiving, at least part time, and full time by start of the new year. I was able to reenroll in my masters program and completed two more classes (4.0) in the spring. My new normal is no where near what it was. Things are slower, more tiring, and challenging but I never lost hope. I kept going, my mantra has been “O for Onward” as I progress. While not the same trauma as other people, it was definitely a rollercoaster that I will forever carry with me – the good and bad. The amazing medical team who saved my life, and my family and friends who stood by myside cheering me on. I have found many support groups that have helped me through this, and am hoping my story will give someone some light to keep going, too. It’s hard, but hold your head up. Better days are ahead.
