“I’m so glad I went to the hospital” – Amina praises Royal London staff for saving her life
Amina Adan is a 43-year-old woman originally from Somaliland. Currently living in Tower Hamlets, she contracted Covid-19 and needed urgent treatment at the Royal London Hospital.
Back in April, Amina was at home when she started to feel sick. “In the morning I was at home like normal, however I felt as though I’d done a massive bout of exercise, even though I hadn’t. I was weak and felt as though my muscles had been cut off! That afternoon, that’s when my temperature went up to 39.9°; I didn’t know what to do”.
After 8 days of feeling lethargic and under the weather, Amina took a turn for the worse and started coughing up blood.
“I’d been at home for what seemed like forever, I lost my smell and taste and felt as though I had a terrible flu. That’s when I started coughing up blood. My chest muscles felt so tight and I felt like I was being crushed. I felt like I was dying, and I just couldn’t breathe.
My sister phoned the GP who said that I should go to hospital immediately. I didn’t want to but I knew I had to, I just knew”.
Amina was rushed to the Emergency Department at the Royal London where the team were already waiting for her.
“All I remember was that I was wearing a mask, a thick mask. They took my bloods quickly, did an X-ray of my chest, and checked my temperature. My blood pressure was low, and my temperature was high. I couldn’t say one word without coughing. I was in A&E for a short while, and then they took me over to Ward 13E where I stayed for 7 days.
Eventually, after a slow start, Amina started to recover and is now back at home in Tower Hamlets feeling thankful for the treatment she received.
“I honestly can’t thank the staff at the Royal London enough. I am feeling much better now but at one point I really did think I was going to die; I’d never experienced anything like it. I hate having to go to the hospital but in this case I’m so glad I did.
The care I received from every single person I came into contact with really made a difference. The teams in A&E and on Ward 13E were so kind and caring; I can’t wait until the pandemic is over so I can go back and give them all a big hug”.