{"id":9290,"date":"2021-09-27T12:55:15","date_gmt":"2021-09-27T04:55:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/?p=9290"},"modified":"2021-10-05T10:50:49","modified_gmt":"2021-10-05T02:50:49","slug":"life-covid-wards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/life-covid-wards\/","title":{"rendered":"Saigon Doctor Explains Life In Covid-19 Wards, Powers Through 5-Hour Stints With No Breaks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Covid-19 doctor shares what life is like on the frontline<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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I first met <\/span>Dr L\u00ea Ng\u1ecdc H\u1ed3ng H\u1ea1nh<\/b>, whom I often address as Dr<\/strong><\/span> H\u1ea1nh<\/b>, in a ballroom dancing class, and she looked nothing like a typical doctor. She was petite, cheerful, and passionate about dancing. <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The only doctor-like traits my classmates and I saw in her were her excellent memory and incredible discipline. Despite her hectic schedule, she rarely missed a class and eventually leapfrogged ahead of us to become the top student.<\/span><\/p>\n

After the fourth Covid-19 wave struck, our ballroom dancing classes were halted and I haven’t met Dr H\u1ea1nh in person ever since.<\/span>
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When our city started calling all physicians to volunteer, I knew that Dr H\u1ea1nh would join the frontlines. Nonetheless, I couldn’t help but wonder how a <\/span>smol<\/em> <\/span>person like her would cope in a Covid-19 ward, moving about in PPE and carrying heavy equipment around.<\/span><\/p>\n

To find out, I contacted her for a glimpse into her first-time journey as a Covid-19 physician.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A day in the life of a Covid-19 medical worker<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nDr H\u1ea1nh is a pediatric physician<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Taking us back to her <\/span>first day in a Covid-19 ward, Dr H\u1ea1nh shares that everything felt like a curveball to her.<\/span><\/p>\n

For context, a day in the life of a Covid-19 medical worker goes a little like this:<\/span><\/p>\n

Hearing the endless pulse and hum of breathing machines that pump air into patients\u2019 lungs. Resisting the urge to use the bathroom, drink water, and to scratch an itchy nose.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nThu Dung Hospital No. 11 where Dr H\u1ea1nh is working as a Covid-19 doctor<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Taking countless trips across the floors to deliver items and 50KG oxygen tanks to patients\u2019 rooms. Keeping one\u2019s ears open at all times for sudden emergencies, and staying up all night because of the unpredictable work schedules.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now imagine doing all that under several layers of personal protective equipment (PPE), including an isolation gown, gloves, a face shield, and a respirator.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr H\u1ea1nh, a physician at HCMC Pediatric Hospital II, describes what it\u2019s like to be decked out in PPE for at least 5 hours on end.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cMy sweat streams into my eyes and ears while my throat burns with dryness and my lips with saltiness. My face shield gets so foggy from my breath that I can barely see anything in front of me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Wearing a PPE might be time-consuming and inconvenient, but it\u2019s not an excuse to slow down.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Remaining professional in the face of death<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nA Covid-19 ward in Ho Chi Minh City. For illustration purposes only.<\/em>
\nImage credit: Ng\u01b0\u1eddi Lao \u0110\u1ed9ng<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

After two months in a Covid-19 ward at <\/span>Thu Dung Hospital No. 11<\/b>, Dr H\u1ea1nh has now gotten used to the lightning-fast pace of work.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is harder to acclimatise to, are the heart-wrenching events she is privy to.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr H\u1ea1nh recounts just one of many cases – involving a patient in his 70s – whom she encountered during lunch time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On his way back from a bathroom trip, the man fainted on the floor due to low blood oxygen levels. To assist him, four medical workers – including Dr H\u1ea1nh who was on a different floor – rushed to put on PPE and ran to the elevator.<\/span><\/p>\n

The elevator doors opened to a white, antiseptic-smelling room where the patient was lying motionless on a dull, grey marble floor in the midst of tubes and pumps.<\/span><\/p>\n

A doctor checked the patient\u2019s vital signs, while another compressed his chest to get his blood circulating. The team decided to intubate him, locating his windpipe to administer mechanical ventilation.<\/span><\/p>\n

They moved him to a bed in the ward, and the procedure went on without any disruption. However, surrounding patients witnessed the scene in complete shock.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nFor illustration purposes only.<\/em>
\nImage credit: freepik<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Two hours later, the monitor sounded with alarming beeps, followed by a flatline as the patient\u2019s vital signs dropped to zero. The man eventually passed away despite the medical team\u2019s extraordinary efforts to save him.<\/span><\/p>\n

She recalls a patient\u2019s death with a slight quiver in her voice, \u201cAs a doctor, I feel extremely uncomfortable seeing that.\u201d However, there is no time for emotions or reflection because a new emergency keeps arising.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to move on and attend to other patients instantly,\u201d she explains. \u201cEvery second is precious.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As professional as she sounds, moving on from a death is not that easy. The incidence of death also sometimes leads to doctors wondering if there\u2019s more they can do.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Every second counts when doing one\u2019s duty<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\"\"<\/p>\n

Despite 8 years of experience, Dr H\u1ea1nh finds treating Covid-19 patients a daunting task.<\/span><\/p>\n

Treating respiratory diseases is not Dr H\u1ea1nh\u2019s expertise, and she had less than 24 hours to prepare herself before reporting to duty at a Covid-19 hospital.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey gave me materials to read through on my first day and I had to learn fast through observation,\u201d Dr H\u1ea1nh talks about her roller-coaster ride of hands-on training.<\/span><\/p>\n

Determined to become more helpful and assertive when making life-and-death decisions, Dr H\u1ea1nh L\u00ea spends her break time browsing Covid-19 information.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Treating Covid-19 patients is an uphill battle<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cA Covid-19 patient\u2019s condition evolves extremely fast,\u201d she shares, in reference to the danger that the novel coronavirus poses. \u201cWithin a short time, they can go into a coma and die when their blood oxygen levels drop.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why medical workers have to be on their toes and responsive 24\/7,\u201d she says.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sustaining a critically ill patient\u2019s life is hard, and comforting those who are still clear-minded enough to overthink is no less challenging.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMany patients don\u2019t realize how ill they really are,\u201d she shares.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some patients resist wearing oxygen masks as the airtight seal over their mouths feels uncomfortable. She\u2019s spotted patients who\u2019ve removed their masks or left their beds. Many weep, yell, and insist on going home as they hit rock bottom physically and mentally.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to beg them to put oxygen masks on and focus on breathing,\u201d she concedes the challenges of working with defiant patients.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr H\u1ea1nh describes some Covid-19 patients\u2019 mentality: \u201cTheir fear of death is there already. When patients see doctors using breathing equipment on them, they think that the worst is coming and just hit the roof.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Aware of the anxiety and fear that their patients have to go through, Dr H\u1ea1nh and her colleagues try their best to be patient with them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When patients feel lonely and scared, medical workers console them. But who will be there for medical workers when they themselves hit rock bottom?<\/span><\/p>\n

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Burnout is real, but they press on<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nDr H\u1ea1nh’s room at the Covid-19 hospital where she’s working.<\/em><\/p>\n

According to Dr H\u1ea1nh, many of her colleagues burst into tears and said that they wanted to go home because of burnout and distress. Many medical workers in the hospital are married with children. Therefore, they also have fears of getting infected, she acknowledges.<\/span><\/p>\n

Who isn\u2019t afraid of death? Even so, medical workers know that they must use the knowledge bestowed on them to stop as many deaths as possible.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With this in mind, Dr H\u1ea1nh often volunteers to work her married colleagues\u2019 shifts whenever she can because, as she says, \u201cI live alone. I\u2019m a better fit for this job.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Besides, being helpful when needed also prevents her from feeling guilty or selfish, given the staffing shortage that every hospital is grappling with.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf my family gets infected, I hope they can get sufficient help from enough medical workers,\u201d she acknowledges. \u201cTherefore, I want to be here so I can treat others how I want my family to be treated.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She explains with a giggle when asked about the media focus on medical workers\u2019 heroic sacrifices, \u201cDon\u2019t dramatize our motives and make us out to be heroes. We\u2019re just human.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a famous saying goes, “Being human is a given, but keeping our humanity is a choice.” By making the choice of saving lives at the expense of risking their own, Dr H\u1ea1nh and many medical workers out there have, by chance, become real-life heroes in the eyes of many.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Medical workers are heroes, but they\u2019re also human<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Four months into the worst medical crisis in Vietnam\u2019s history, thousands of doctors, nurses, paramedics, and medical students have joined the Covid-19 frontlines. The media has dubbed them \u201cheroes\u201d to acknowledge their hard work.<\/span><\/p>\n

After hearing Dr H\u1ea1nh\u2019s story, they are indeed heroes in every sense of the word, but they\u2019re also human.<\/span><\/p>\n

They fear death, feel exhausted, and get angry at themselves for making mistakes. They miss their families and loved ones dearly. Most of all, they have dreams, hobbies, and at least one of them – like Dr H\u1ea1nh – still dances.<\/span><\/p>\n

After the interview has drawn to a close, I ask Dr H\u1ea1nh if she still remembers any rumba steps from our last lesson, say the \u2018Sliding Doors\u2019 or \u2018New York\u2019 moves.<\/span><\/p>\n

She bursts into laughter at my question, \u201cYes, I\u2019m still practicing the spot turn technique during my free time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In that case, I look forward to reuniting with her on the dance floor once this is over.<\/span><\/p>\n

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