Georgia Public Broadcasting’s new series What You Need To Know: Coronavirus provides succinct, fact-based information to help you get through the coronavirus pandemic with your health and sanity intact.

GPB's All Things Considered host Rickey Bevington spoke to Chip Burger about his recovery from COVID-19 and how his life changed since his release from Wellstar North Fulton Hospital.

 

 

How are you feeling right now? 

I feel great. All my symptoms from COVID-19 have resolved and my stamina is getting back up into the 90s. So I'm feeling very good. 

We're so glad that you are out of the hospital and you're chatting with me. And thank you for sharing your experience with others. Take me back and tell me the first symptoms that you had. 

[The] first symptom that I recognized was a dry cough on Wednesday, March 11 and out of courtesy to my coworkers, I left work that day and went and worked remotely the rest of that week.

And then also that evening my wife said, "You're going to keep me up all night so go find another bedroom to sleep in." And I did. But you know, at that point, I just thought it was like an allergy reaction and nothing serious. 

And what was the point at which you realized that something's a lot worse here than allergies?

Over the course of the next week, probably starting Sunday the 15, I started to sort of deteriorate each day and feel worse to the point where some weird symptoms started to appear. One was loss of appetite, which, for me, is very strange. The second one was my sense of taste changed where everything tasted contaminated, like sawdust and black mold. And then I started having a sound in my chest that was sort of a dry, crackly sound. 

That must have been terrifying. Did you go to the doctor at that point?

It was. And that's sort of what prompted going to the Wellstar Urgent Care in Roswell. 

When you got there, what did they say? Did they recognize it right away? What happened?

They recognized the pneumonia right away. They said — because they told me right away "You got pneumonia," they hadn't really even done any much evaluation. I said, "Well, how do you know that?" They said, "That's that dry, crackly sound you're hearing in your chest." I said,"Oh, that's what that is. Mystery solved."

And then they put a device on the end of my finger that measured my blood oxygenation level. And that's when they started freaking out and said, "You know, that's just way too low. So you can either — we'll call you an ambulance or you can drive. But you're going across the street to the Wellstar North Fulton Hospital Emergency Room." 

So you were admitted to the emergency room. Was your wife able to come with you? 

Unfortunately not. She dropped me off at the emergency room, the WellStar Urgent Care called the WellStar Hospital. They had somebody waiting there for me and that was the last I saw of my wife for about nine days.

That must have been really difficult when you realized “I'm being wheeled into an emergency room and there is my wife, disappearing in the distance.” Talk about your emotions at that point. 

It's funny because I was so weak from the pneumonia that I sort of went into this slow-mo casual observer mode. And even as the staff started to evaluate me — my temperature, my blood pressure and all that, and then they put the oxygenation thing on my finger again — I could just see all the concern in their faces.

I was just so tired. I was just like, "Oh, you know what, I think I'm kind of circling the drain here. I think I'm going out." But I was just so tired. I wasn't scared or alarmed. 

Did you think you're going to die?

I did. I did at that point.

And what did the doctor say? Did they reassure you? 

They were very professional, very efficient. And really what snapped me out of it were the emergency room doctors [who] said, you know, "This is a very serious condition. We've got you on oxygen."

And they had me wear those clear plastic non-rebreather masks. They had the oxygen flowing. And they said, "If the oxygen doesn't start to alleviate your symptoms, we're gonna have to intubate you and put you on a ventilator." And that's when I got scared because I don't know where I'd developed a ventilator fear, but that was just scary to me. 

So you were never intubated? 

I was never intubated. I asked the doctor. I said, "Doc, give me a really good chance at this oxygen." And I just focused on breathing as much as my crackly little lungs would let me breathe in as fast as I could. So that's what I did. And fortunately, they had it running in like 15 liters a minute, which is fairly rippin'. And so fortunately, I got enough oxygen to start to recover.

The doctors and nurses must have been very worried about you coming in and out. How did they help you manage your symptoms over these nine days?

Well, they were very attentive. And the hospital had set up my room, for starters, to be like a negative pressure room. So they had taken the windows out, put in this heavy cardboard and set up blowers in the room that blew air out of the room so that when the door opened, air came into the room instead of blowing the virus out to the hall. So was one of their safety measures.

But also they were very meticulous about their safety protocols. And I could see them because the windows were in the door and I could see I'm putting on all this personal protective equipment every time they came in. 

Was it really hard not to be able to see your family? 

Oh, absolutely. But what was nice was I had my phone and so I could text and call. Initially, I was so tired that for every little bit of effort I did, it cost me in sleep. So a lot of times I would wake up and I would have my phone still in my hand and like, half a text written. And I have to kind of pick it back up again. But, you know, on towards Monday and Tuesday, it started to feel a lot better with the oxygen and starting to recover. 

So there must have been a point where you're in the hospital there where you realized, "I got to fight." What did you do to fight? 

So it was obvious to me, sitting there in the ICU early on that my life, for the foreseeable future, was going to really suck. And so I decided just to embrace that suck and just do whatever the staff needed me to do. So it helped me get better. So if that meant, you know, an early morning blood draw, at 5 p.m., they would come in to do a shot in my stomach to help thin my blood. And so anything that they needed to do, I tried to be an enthusiastic participant in it because the sucky part is what was going to save me. And if anyone and your viewers get into this situation, you're not there at a spa, you're not there for a retreat. You're there to get better. And so the quicker you get on the staff's team and embrace that suck, the quicker you're to get better.

What was it like to realize that you were gonna make it? 

That was probably about the third day I knew I was gonna make it. I just didn't know how long I was gonna be in the ICU. And so that was a big relief. And that's when I started transitioning from kind of worrying about me to interacting more with the nurses and the doctors that were coming in and out because they were so professional and such a great team. And I wanted to join their team. So I did. 

And I started working with them on trying to reduce the amount of times they had to come in to see me. So I started working with them on, you know, "Every time you come, just bring me a couple big Styrofoam cups of water and I'll be good for four hours." And, you know, I got them to teach me if the IV went off and started beeping, "How do I turn it off so you don't have to come in here and turn it off?" and things like that so that they could be where they were needed more than with me because, by Tuesday, I was getting pretty self sufficient and just trying to recover and rest.

So there came a day when you were let out. What was that like? 

So my first sort of release was from the ICU going to a regular medical room that had been set up for COVID-19 patients. And so a nurse, Katie, came to get me to move me. And she also brought an assistant with a wheelchair.

And she asked, "Do you want to walk to your room?" And I said, "I would. I would love to stretch my legs." So we started walking out. And as we were walking out of the ICU, one of the key ICU doctors came by and started talking to us. And he said, "You know, this is a win for us because we've lost some patients in the ICU. And some have left, but they haven't walked out of here. So to have a patient walking out of here is a win. And we need to recognize that and we need to celebrate it." And so that walk from the ICU to the medical room was one of the best of my life. It's just down the hall and up the elevator, but it was perfect. 

I actually just got chills, as you were describing that. Were you able to talk to any other COVID-19 patients while you were there? 

I was not. We were all very isolated. I wasn't allowed any visitors, even in the medical room. And they followed very strict protocols to make sure there's no cross-contamination. So I started asking if there were other COVID-19 [patients] and there were and not a lot of them, of course, survived.

And there was a lot at the Wellstar North Fulton Hospital that got better that never actually had to go into the ICU. They weren't that serious and were released. So they've had a good record of people surviving, but they have lost some patients despite their best efforts and great skill and technology. And so that's part of what I wanted to do, too, while I was there— sort of talk them up and tell them how much I appreciate what they're doing and how important their work is, because, you know, they saved my life. So I was just totally grateful for them and just aware that they were going through a lot of tough, tough things themselves.

What do you want to say to the doctors and nurses who saved your life?

Well, to the doctors, nurses, physician assistants at Wellstar North Fulton Hospital, I'd say thank you for saving my life. And I really appreciate everything you're doing.

And then more generally, to all the sort of frontline people that are dealing with COVID-19 patients, to the police officers and firefighters, EMT social workers and of course the urgent care medical staff and ER, ICU medical professionals... just thank you so much for what you're doing.

And I would encourage your listeners, your viewers to please reach out to anyone they know that's responding to the COVID-19 epidemic because they're putting themselves in danger to help other people. And if that's not the definition of a hero, I don't know what it is. And so, you know, reach out to them, see if they need help because they're there dealing with all the craziness. We are, too, with kids at home and trying to get groceries and all that on top of dealing with a deadly virus and very sick and dying patients. So we need to really express our appreciation for them.

And I understand that you are still separated physically from your wife inside the house just for a couple more days to keep her safe.

Cruelly, when I left, the doctor said I was still contagious. So I am on self-quarantine, sort of double-secret probation. I have three rooms in the house that I operate in and Heidi has the rest. And then on a beautiful day like this here in Atlanta, I can go outside. And if I do go into a common area, I have to wear a mask and gloves and I spend as little time as possible outside my realm here in the house. So it has been difficult since March 11 to now. We haven't really spent a whole lot of time, but that may have helped her not get it as well. So long term, it's beneficial. Short term, selfish to me. I really miss her.

Well, what do you plan to do with your wife when you guys can get back together again?

Initially, for me, I kind of want to give back as much as I can and raise awareness about at least what my experience with COVID-19 was and how to maybe avoid it or, if you get it,kind of what to expect. But also, I just want my normal life back. I had a great life, very active and really like my jobs and my life with Heidi. So just trying to get back and rebuild that life once all this craziness sends. 

And what advice do you have for people who are worried about coronavirus and COVID-19? 

Well, I think it's smart for them to be worried, but not panicky. Just follow the protocols and guidance from the CDC and other officials. But stay a little bit scared, but don't be. I survived it. I got a really good dose of it and I survived. So, it's not the end of the world if you get it and try to take some of my lessons learned and really work with your staff if you do get it. But, you know, try to stay in that little happy medium between panic and complacency and just be aware of your surroundings and your health and washing your hands.

 

Tags: what you need to know: Coronavirus  Coronavirus  Atlanta  Georgia  Macon  Savannah