Getting COVID nearly cost me my life.

I was diagnosed with COVID 19 Omicron virus on 12/03/21. I went into the hospital for 5 days. I was given the Remdesivir treatment and after that I was sent home. I was only home 3 days before my oxygen level was dropping even when we went up the concentrator to more liters of oxygen. I was transported by ambulance back to the hospital. I spen a few day in ICU. My Pulminologist made the call to lifeflight me to a larger hospital with more resources. I was placed on a ventilator within the first few hours of arriving at the larger hospital. I spent the next nine weeks in a coma on the ventilator. After I was removed from the ventilator I spent a few more weeks in ICU at that hospital. When a bed opened up in one of my hometown occupational and physical therapy centers I was transported by ambulance to that rehab center. I received treatment for a stage IV decubitus ulcer over my ischum on my left buttock. I basically had to learn to do everything again because I was so weak. I had physical and occupational therapy in my hospital bed. After a few weeks I was able to sit up in bed and finally able to stand with assistance for a few seconds. I was then transferred to another more aggressive physical and occupational therapy center. For several weeks I slowly got stronger and responded well to my occupational and physical therapy. When I was able to finally able to be stable on four liters of oxygen I was sent home with a concentrator on 04/27/22. I had a home health agency coming into my home for several months of treatment. I was treated for my decubitus ulcer and also occupational and physical therapy. During all of the months that I was in the hospitals and rehabilitation centers I wasn't able to see my primary physician. His practice is close to an hour away from my hometown. Dr. J Frank Martin Jr. MD is my primary physician and he is a part of the MDVIP medical physicians. I had been seeing Dr. Martin for several years. Dr. Martin has always very approachable, down to earth, excellent bedside manners, very engaging with me, very thorough and very a knowledgeable well rounded doctor. I was a medic in the military and my wife has been a nurse for over 30 years. I say that because my wife and I personally know many good physicians. I have several very good specialists in my hometown that are also my physicians. To me Frank is still a level above the vast majority of the other physicians that I know and have seen as a patient. I chose to drive a good ways to another city to have Dr. Martin as my primary physician for several reasons. Some of those reasons I have already mentioned. Other reasons are that I tried several of the local family practice physicians. I got really tired of having to suggest different labs and tests to be run. So many of those physicians breezed into the exam room and just as quicly as they could they were right back out the door. Most times I would have to stop them as they were walking out of the room to ask questions or make some suggestions based on my age and medical history. That is not my job and I shouldn't have to ask a physician to check certain labs and tests. Frank is the exact opposite of many of the physicians that I know and have used as a family practice physician. I never have to ask to have certain labs drawn or any other tests. Frank is one of the most thorough doctors that I have ever been to. All the months that I was in the hospital with COVID there were many times that I was very close to dying. The overwhelmingly large number of patients with COVID when placed on a ventilator never come off of the ventilator alive. It is a miracle that I did and that I am here to write this. During all of those months that I was in the hospitals and rehabilitation centers Frank called my wife every couple of days. He would call in the evening on his own time to check on me and get a medical update from my wife. There aren't that many doctors left in this world that care that much for one of their patients to do that. Those calls mean the world to my wife and I both. The first time that I saw Frank in his office after I got out of the hospital and therapy centers I could tell how happy that he was to see me alive and in person after so many months. He said something to me that I will never forget, "you don't know how happy that I am to see you. I want you to know that no matter how bad the report was that I got from your wife I never gave up on you." Besides Frank being the person and physician that he is I have to mention his office staff. Everyone in his office are just like Frank. They are so kind, courteous and professional. I feel like a celebrity when I walk into Frank's office. Everyone knows me by name and knows what I have been through. I can't say enough good things about everyone in his office. When you are on a first name basis with everyone in your physicians office it really means a lot to you as a patient.