My dad was admitted with covid after a rough week of struggling to breathe, fever, shaking, coughing and being discharged from another hospital a few days before he was admitted with pneumonia due to covid. He has been in the icu on a ventilator almost a week now, oxygen saturation is low 90s on a ventilator flow of 80. He has cycled needing higher and lower flow.

Today he is having clotting issues in his lungs despite blood thinners. Still actively fighting off the viral infection after convalescent plasma, remdesivir, steroids.

Have any of you had any experience with being in the icu, or the course of a severe infection like this? It just seems so long to be fighting yet not done with the virus and recovering/healing.

An update: it was a tough battle but my dad made it!!!! He ended up having several day cycles of fevers, worse breathing and oxygen saturations even on the ventilator, high blood clotting and inflammation markers. For a few days it really looked like he wouldn't make it. He got better a few days, failed a few breathing trials, but they kept him on the ventilator and he kept fighting. After 15 days on the vent he was extubated, they thought they'd have to put him on again, but he ended up stabilizing. Over the 2 weeks he lost like 35 lbs, a lot of muscle mass, and was very very weak at first. They kept him in the ICU for another week, then discharged him to an acute care hospital, and he should be back home the beginning of next week. He is on 2 liters of oxygen a minute now, had to relearn how to walk with a walker and eat, but is getting stronger every day. He will be discharged home and get out patient home health care, occupational and physical therapy.

It has been a roller coaster but he has pulled through it and seems to have missed the brain fog, tiredness, etc., just had blood clotting and lung issues. Just remember covid affects everyone differently and stay safe. This isn't something to joke around with or take lightly.