Covid ICU - how long to get off oxygen and out of hospital?

Hi , I reluctantly went to the GP yesterday who had an ambulance called as I had 88%. I recovered with a mask and this morning so they tried me on air but I dropped again this time to 84% They put me on a nose thing but that didn't he'll enough and then a mask. They've changed the mask to the one with a bag a couple of hours ago as I was still a little low and it is better again. I feel a little breathless but not out of breath.

I was hoping it would be better in a day and I could go home. I'm 35 and vaccinated so assuming i could recover fast. However the doctors and nurses won't give any indication of how long and are not saying much at the moment apart from it's important that I'm in hospital.

I was in for a week with covid pneumonia. Left with a portable oxygen tank and walker.

@amysma1i, thanks goodness you went to see you GP and got admitted to the hospital. Like you, I would assume with your age and vaccinations that you will recovery more quickly than someone older and with less immunity. Keep in mind that everyone is different. I suspect the nurses and doctors can't give an answer based on age alone.

I'm tagging fellow members like @poppy67 @marye2 @sbt19 @sbt19 @auntb65, who can share their experiences, along with the reply you got from and @nannybrister.

Amy, how are you feeling today? Have you had pulmonary function testing?

Hi Amy,
Sorry you are suffering from COVID. Did you have a chest x-ray or CT scan? It is important to know if you have COVID pneumonia. The COVID pneumonia can lead to Pulmonary Fibrosis, so it needs to be addressed ASAP. My husband had COVID in February 2022 and was hospitalized with COVID pneumonia; however, the hospitalist did not call in a pulmonary consult until 3 days later--during that time he almost died. The pulmonologist immediately gave him baricitinab (EUA for COVID) which saved his life. It is a drug used for RA but it worked to quell the cytokine storm of inflammation in his lungs. He now has pulmonary fibrosis. He was in the hospital for 18 and like @nannybrister he went home on oxygen and a walker. he is still on oxygen and a walker. However, your youth should help you have a better outcome, I would think.

I had Covid very early on before they were testing for it. I was very sick. doctors treated me for bronchitis, then I was hospitalized for pneumonia. Left the hospital days later with oxygen. The post Covid symptoms grew worse. I lost 45% of my hair and it is still dry and brittle. My chest is full of phlegm which I can’t get rid of. I am on home oxygen when needed. I have chronic fatigue and insomnia. I am 67 yrs old. I get better from time to time but the symptoms come back. I am worn out. I have an appointment with a new pulmonologist coming up. I’m hoping for optomistic news. I will share whatever I learn. Hang in there. I truly believe we will get better.

Thank you, sadly I'm not any better, I am still in ICU and have a bit more info. They've found covid pneumonia and it's not reacted to antibiotics yet. Which is making it quite painful. I'm currently on 15L and at 92% levels, but want to keep of any higher delivery for now.

I think I did something called spirometry but did that when my breathing was quite painful so got 56%

Bless you, I hope he's feeling better in spite of the extra oxygen . I've been diagnosed with covid pneumonia and the antibiotics have yet to take effect so it's making breathing painful. I don't think I've received the above drug yet, but haven't started to improve yet

Oh my sorry you've had it so bad. I've currently been diagnosed with pneumonia and the 15L is keeping me just above minimum acceptable but it's definitely a lot more painful. I thought I'd be out by a day, so it's horrible to remember how horrible this can be

Do you have someone who can advocate for you? You need a consult from a pulmonologist. You need an advocate to review your blood work. If your C-Reactive Protein score is elevated, then you need more than antibiotics. Preventing the lung inflammation early on is critical to avoid the pulmonary fibrosis (which cannot be cured). I wish I had known this. I was barred from the hospital because our area was having a high COVID infection at the time, and they had a no-visitor policy. It was difficult to get information from the doctors--they would not call you. My only information stream was what they put on My Chart.

I don't know how to get advocate? Is this a family member? I'm covid positive so can't have any visitors at the moment. I think the doctors are taking quite a Conservative approach so they've been turning the oxygen up and antibiotics. They've also tried to give drugs to control heart rate as this has been above 120 since yesterday evening and still is at 130. All I really know are some occasional updates and can see the monitoring. Thank you for your advice I'll see if I can find if anything has been done on my bloodwork