Heartbeat: Doctor reveals how his mum spotted COVID-19 from 6,000 miles away

June 29, 2020

Colleague Dr Kun Hu, has revealed how his mum saved his life 6,000 miles away – by spotting he needed urgent hospital help as his coronavirus symptoms worsened.

Dr Hu, a paediatric registrar at Sandwell Hospital, who has very mild asthma, had been battling the deadly virus from his home in early March before the true extent of condition was known in the UK.

But his mum, Qing, a retired public health doctor and scientist, who lives in Singapore, kept a daily check on her son who was living on his own. It meant that as his condition deteriorated she was able to alert him to seek help.

Dr Hu said: “My mum saved my life. My symptoms started with a fever of 39.2C, muscle aches, chest tightness, headache and fatigue. I didn’t have a cough. My friends were dropping off food for me on the doorstep whilst I self-isolated, but I didn’t have anyone at home to keep a constant eye on me. What I initially thought was a normal viral illness was just not getting any better.

“Luckily my parents were keeping in touch with me and my mum, in particular, was on top of the situation. She would call me every four-six hours, and over the first week, she could hear that I wasn’t improving.

She noticed that I was becoming breathless just talking to her, and on top of all the other persistent symptoms, she ordered me to seek medical attention.

“I think it was really important that I had that contact as I did not realise I was becoming seriously unwell. I was trying to rationalise and minimise my symptoms, but in fact, I had lost objectivity.”

Dr Hu was sleeping downstairs on his sofa for up to 20 hours a day and he was unable to climb the stairs without being out of breath. On his mum’s advice, he called 111, then his GP and then 999. He was taken by ambulance to Heartlands Hospital where he spent 11 days being cared for.

“I was treated for severe COVID-19 viral pneumonia in both lungs as well as liver dysfunction. The majority of my stay was on the infectious diseases ward,” he explained. “My temperature spiked at 40.5 degrees every day for 13 days. I required oxygen therapy for 14 days, and I needed oral morphine for the pain when I breathed in. Eventually, I started to recover after two weeks. I had fantastic care from all the staff on the ward – from the medics, nurses, health care assistants, and housekeeping staff, as well as the support of all my family, friends and work colleagues.

“Whilst I was in the hospital, my parents flew back to the UK, and it made a difference knowing they were closer by.” Dr Hu has been recovering back at home since the end of March. He can now walk up the stairs without getting breathless, but still feels ongoing fatigue and reduced exercise tolerance. He has recently started phased return to work at Sandwell Hospital.

“At the time when I had the symptoms, there weren’t a lot of cases or information on what to look for at all in the UK. I feel very lucky that I have overcome the virus, and I know that seeking early hospital help was the best thing that I could have done.”