COVID-19: MONITOR YOUR SYMPTOMS
Updated: Feb 1, 2022
In addition to the typical symptoms accompanying a Covid-19 infection, probably the most alarming symptom is known as hypoxia – not getting enough oxygen into your body to sustain life. Covid-19 is actually called SARS Cov-2. The SARS is an acronym for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Can it sound any worse than that?
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome: Your are simply not able to breathe enough oxygen into your body and expel enough carbon dioxide out of your body.
If you suspect you have contracted Covid-19, keep a log of your oxygen, pulse, temperature and other symptoms. This is important since a Covid-19 infection symptoms can go from mild to life-threatening in hours.
You can periodically check your pulse & oxygen level with an inexpensive simple device called a pulse-oximeter. They now even build them into those apple-type watches!
This is important. I have heard many stories of patients presenting to a hospital emergency room, waiting for hours only to be turned away and sent home because the symptoms were not severe enough to warrant being admitted. Then, within the following day, a patient returns to the hospital emergency room in acute respiratory distress and on the verge of death. Emergency rooms function on the ability to assess a sick or injured person and put that person in the order of need, not the order in waiting time. We call that triage and if the triage nurse/PA/NP or doctor is fully informed as to your symptoms, they will provide the attention you need to help you survive. It sounds dramatic like a TV show, but it is true, it is how we work to help as many people as we can, as soon as we can.
Keep a log of your symptoms including:
Time & day,
Temperature
Pulse
Oxygen level
Note major symptoms
You can download a log form here:
Home Covid Symptom log
.pdf
Download PDF • 25KB
Below are some examples of pulse-oximeters you can easily purchase:
Amazon:
Target:
Walgreens:
Walmart:
