My Personal Battle from a Positive to a Negative Result – (Part 2 of 2)

Jeffrey L. Boney Shares His Personal Journey of Surviving the Coronavirus and Dealing with the Emotional and Mental Anguish Required to Overcome COVID-19

By Jeffrey L. Boney, NNPA Newswire Contributor

Jeffrey L. Boney with his doctor, Dr. Joseph Varon and his nurse, Jerusha Brown Harshman

One of the first things Dr. Varon ordered his medical staff to do with me upon my arrival to the ER was to do a CT Scan. For those who may not know, a CT Scan is more detailed than a regular X-ray, and allows doctors to see inside your body by using a combination of X-rays and a computer to create images of your organs and other things inside your body.

Of course, I didn’t know why a CT Scan was being performed on me at the time, nor did I know what the end result would be. Let me just say that performing that CT Scan on me was the best thing that could have ever happened to me, because it revealed something major that was going on inside my body that couldn’t be seen by looking at me from the outside. The CT Scan revealed that my lungs showed a severe case of pneumonia, as well as other issues involving my vital organs that came as a result of the Coronavirus.

It was decided at that moment that I needed to be admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) right away. It was then that I realized how serious things were, and it was the moment that I knew that I was going to have to rely on my faith in God.

I called my wife to tell her I was being admitted and informed her that I was not going to be able to have any visitation throughout my time in the ICU. I was on a mental and emotional roller coaster at this point. I didn’t know how long I would be in ICU, but more importantly, whether I would make it out alive. I could not help but think about the time in 2003 when my wife and I took my mom to the ER because she was ill. It was a life-altering experience for me.

After being seen by doctors in the ER, the medical staff informed us that my mom would need to be admitted to address her serious health condition, which turned out to be worse than believed.

My wife and I decided to stay with her, but my mom kept telling us to go home, get some rest and come back the next morning. We stayed anyway. They moved her in the wee hours of the morning to a different floor. It was then that I told her that I was not be going very far, as I chose to sleep at my mother-in-law’s house because it was closer to the hospital than my house was.

As reluctant as I felt leaving my mom at that hospital, nothing compares to the phone call I received from the hospital, no more than five minutes after I laid my head down on the pillow. The nurse on duty called to inform me that my mom had stopped breathing and had slipped into a coma. I mean, right after I left.

They told me that there was a shift change and that my mom had been given a specific medication, and by the time the new nurse on duty went to check on my mom, they became aware of the situation.

I was devastated. I felt guilty. I felt as if I was there, I could’ve possibly done something. Several months later, my mother passed away and I never forgot that moment.

As I was being prepared to go to ICU myself, I was reminded of my mom’s experience, and I was instantly bombarded with memories and emotions about what she endured. I also struggled with the mental anguish of worrying about a virus that reportedly has no cure or vaccine to fight it. I knew I needed to draw on something greater than myself to get through this ordeal.

On Friday, March 27th, the journey towards fighting the Coronavirus had truly just begun.

Not only did I have a severe case of pneumonia when I entered ICU, my liver and kidneys also needed to be protected from the virus; my heart rate was through the roof; my heart condition worsened and I was headed to the point of potential heart failure; my blood pressure was high; I had a sharp pain in my right side; I continued to have heavy diarrhea episodes; and I still had a loss of appetite. Things were not looking good for me and I felt horrible. I began to wonder if I was ever going to get better.

From the very beginning, I had to rely on my faith in God, as I continued to deal with the mental anguish of being in this Coronavirus-specific ICU area, particularly knowing that there were people around with breathing issues and hearing machines go off all day and night, and as I regularly looked at the news and read reports showing the number of people dying on a daily basis as a result of the virus.

I needed a miracle.

Because I didn’t have any respiratory issues, just digestive issues, it caused the doctors to develop a treatment plan for me that was different than other patients they had been treating prior to my arrival to the hospital. Dr. Varon and Dr. Joseph Gathe, Jr. oversaw my care. They created a whole Coronavirus cocktail, which included heavy doses of Vitamin C, which was specific to my treatment. Per Dr. Varon, my case taught them that they must use high dose blood thinners on every Coronavirus patient admitted to the hospital.

After several days, my symptoms began to subside, and my appetite came back in a major way. I longed for my breakfast, lunch and dinner, and couldn’t wait to eat it. Dr. Varon eventually informed me that all of my vital organs had returned to normal and that my blood work and vital signs were solid.

Finally, I felt like I was turning a corner and getting better. That was until a second CT Scan was performed, which revealed more shocking and devastating news regarding my health condition.

When the results of my second CT Scan came back, it revealed that I had been diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism in my right lung. A pulmonary embolism occurs when blood clots block the flow of blood to the lungs. A pulmonary embolism can be fatal and life-threatening, which is why Dr. Varon and his team promptly took the necessary steps to address the blood clot and reduce my risk of death. I was immediately placed on blood thinner medication.

I continued to follow the instructions of the doctors until I received that wonderful news that on Sunday, April 5th, I had made significant and miraculous improvement, and subsequently was being discharged to go home to my family. I was so thrilled, yet still deeply concerned because I still didn’t know whether I was still “POSITIVE” with the Coronavirus.

I was concerned about my family and praying they would be fine. Prior to being discharged, I had another COVID-19 test done and was awaiting the results. I self-isolated once again, until I got my second test results. After several days, I got the results and tested “NEGATIVE” for the virus. Because I wanted to be completely sure before interacting with my family again, the doctors administered another COVID-19 test and those results came back “NEGATIVE” as well.

This was a long and faith-filled journey, to which I still am slated to have to deal with this blood clot in my right lung for the next six months or so. I will continue to fight and do what I am supposed to do. In the meantime, I am encouraging everyone, especially my African American brothers and sisters, to get tested. I believe everyone should be tested immediately, regardless of whether you have symptoms or not.

This is NOT a drill.

This virus is unrepentant and aggressive and can spread quickly to anyone who comes in contact with it. Listen to your local leaders and medical professionals to help stop the community spread.

I am a living witness that you can contract this virus and how it impacts you. Don’t ignore your symptoms and don’t ignore the seriousness of this virus. Don’t be selfish and just think about yourself. Think about your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, loved ones and those you don’t know. Stay safe!

Giants can be intimidating. The fight can many times be tough. Sometimes we lose. Sometimes we win. The common thread in winning versus losing is giving it all you have when you are in the midst of a fight. In the Bible, David showed us that giants can indeed fall. This was my journey, and this is my testimony.

I am forever grateful to God and to everyone who uttered a prayer, shared an encouraging word, providing any resources or sent positive energy my way.

My family and I greatly appreciate each and every one of you. God bless you, and let’s do everything in our power to defeat this horrible and vicious COVID-19 virus.

Jeffrey L. Boney is a political analyst and international correspondent for the NNPA Newswire and BlackPressUSA.com and serves as Associate Editor for the Houston Forward Times newspaper. Jeffrey is an award-winning journalist, dynamic international speaker, experienced entrepreneur, business development strategist and founder and CEO of the Texas Business Alliance. Follow Jeffrey on Twitter @realtalkjunkies.