SAN ANTONIO — A nurse practitioner conquered the coronavirus but the virus wasn’t done with her. A reinfection landed her in a hospital.
Dottie West says during spring break, she took a trip to Indiana and developed symptoms when she returned home. A slight cough gradually turned into flu-like symptoms.
West has been a nurse practitioner for 13 years and says as a healthcare provider, she could tell how the changes were affecting her body. She said she received hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin for her first infection.
“I was sweating profusely, but the worst part was not being able to breathe,” she recalled. “It was very mentally challenging because it was so unknown at the time.”
West said she was asked to be part of a convalescent plasma study. A test of her antibodies revealed that she had the coronavirus. A week before Christmas, she developed symptoms. West recalled feeling sluggish and when she woke up in the afternoon one day, she couldn’t breathe. West has underlying health conditions, including asthma and hypertension.
“I was really gasping for air, and finally threw in the towel and told my husband I really need to go to the hospital,” said West. “The x-ray showed I had COVID pneumonia in both of my lungs.”
West ended up being in the hospital for four days. She received convalescent plasma, remdesivir, and steroids as treatment. West was discharged from the hospital on Sunday. She shared how strained the staff was during their stay.
“It was very traumatic for me to be in the hospital this time around because I worked in hospitals. There were so many codes going on, rapid responses, day and night, next door to me, two floors down from me. It was unlike anything I’ve been involved in,” she recalled. “You just can’t believe there’s so many people affected by one disease right now and that was really hard to process.”
According to the city, 60% of Bexar County’s population falls under phase 1B, a tier determined by the state to receive vaccinations. People who fall under phase 1B are people 65 years and older, 16 and older with at least one chronic medical condition.
“Wear your mask correctly, and if you don’t feel like wearing a mask – then you should be staying home,” said West.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says covid-19 reinfections are rare and it's actively working to learn more about the problem. The agency says it has provided information for local and state health departments to help investigate reinfection cases.