After being diagnosed with Covid virus over a year ago, a father was once described as “one of the most sickest” patients. He has just received a nasal cannula.
Andrew Watts, 40, from Bexley, had one of the longest patient stays doctors had ever seen after being admitted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Woolwich, with Covid-19 pneumonia on Christmas Day 2020.
Following a five-week intubation and two lung collapses that could have been fatal, Hayley was contacted by doctors to ask if he wanted his ventilator turned off.
But after spending 300 days in hospital – including eight months in intensive care and two months on a ward – Mr Watts, who was in remission from lymph cancer at the time, was able to go home in October.
Although the London taxi driver is now free from a nasal cannula, he has not yet been discharged. He is still fighting ongoing complications caused by his ventilator use.
Andrew Watts, 40 from Bexley (pictured), had one of longest stays in hospital after being admitted with Covid-19 pneumonia.
Doctors called Hayley after a 5-week-long induced coma that included two lung collapses and a life-threatening lung infection. Pictured: Watts was in a coma for five weeks and suffered two life-threatening lung collapses.
MyLondon was told by him: “Only a week, I had my first experience with a nasalcannula (a device to provide supplementary oxygen) since I left hospital.
Watts claimed that the cannula had been used for 9 hours each night by Mr Watts to bring his lungs back to “some kind of normality”.
Because Mr Watts spent months on the ventilator at ICU, he had to learn how walk and talk again. Now he can walk for about 15 minutes each day.
After communicating with his wife via letters, Mr Watts, a father of Joshua, 6, and Jack, 6 years, used a computer to communicate with her. He was also using a hospital tracheostomy tube to help him.
Watts, who stated in November that his main goal was to walk from school to his son’s school, said that he had finally accomplished his objective.
He said, “I was able to make it to my son’s school last Monday.” We parked just around the corner so we didn’t have to go all the way. But still.
After 300 days of hospitalization, Mr. Watts, pictured with Hayley and his sons Joshua (six-year-old) and Joshua (3 year old), was finally able to go home.
I can walk about 15 minutes without my legs burning. These little things are amazing and people should be proud of themselves.
Watts stated that he used to consider everyday items a given when he was healthy and fit, but that he realized that he had to stop taking them as a gift when he fell ill.
Speaking however Because of all the problems he continues to face, Dr. Watts said that his neck still hasn’t healed from the place where a Tracheostomy Pipe was placed in the hospital.
He continued, “That’s the reason there’s a whistle when you’re talking. Because there’s essentially a hole where air can escape from my neck.
“It makes my cough so bad that I can’t drink it.
“It is possible that I could have an infection. It means that I cannot swim, and I am unable to shower as I would like.
When Mr Watts was first admitted to hospital in December 2020, he had not been vaccinated as it was in the early stages of the vaccination campaign, but he has now had three doses of a Covid vaccine.
Mr Watts has urged other Londoners to get vaccinated, saying that while he was in hospital, someone told him that they didn’t believe vaccinations would do anything and that the whole pandemic was a conspiracy.
“The simple fact that others have gone through what I went through, and are still able to say the same thing!” He added.
“It’s up to each individual.” [whether to get vaccinated]. If I were them, I’d tell them to get it. They are responsible for not getting it.
Watts stated that Covid-19 had adverse effects on him as he was in remission after undergoing chemotherapy.
London’s cab driver said that the nasal cannula was his first since leaving hospital. He was using the nasal cannula every night for 9 hours.
Two-year-old father of two was diagnosed with lymphoma in October 2019. He spent most of 2020 shielding himself from the dangers.
This announcement comes just as Prime Minister Tony Blair announced today that Plan B will be ending. The British public now has to reduce the risk of Covid.
Watts expressed his delight at this development, although he was still clinically vulnerable. However, Watts believes that we must learn to “live” with the virus.
He added, “I want every person to have a full life. It’s not going anywhere. So we need to learn how to deal with it.”
“I could wrap my body in cotton wool and go to bed in a box, but that would make it pointless.
Watts said he had taken the necessary precautions and that it was unlikely that he’d get the virus back.
Andrew spoke out about his experience as London’s sickest Covid patient.
“It has been surreal. Why did it happen? It’s a proud moment that I was able to overcome it and move on with my life.
Medical staff including nurses, doctors and speech-language therapists were there to support him as he was being discharged.