ORLANDO, Fla. – Cindy Nieves, of Orlando, said she initially went to a clinic thinking she was experiencing allergy symptoms but after learning she had the novel coronavirus she was admitted to AdventHealth and eventually placed on ventilator fighting COVID-19.
“I usually deal with allergies this time of year. The headaches, sluggishness, tiredness ... a little bit of body ache, but I wasn’t concerned,” Nieves said.
While Nieves was at the clinic last month to get more allergy medicine for her symptoms, she passed out and was taken to AdventHealth hospital in Altamonte Springs. In a matter of hours, she found out she was positive for coronavirus.
“They realized my oxygen levels were going down. At one point I was very pale. I was on a ventilator for six days. They transferred me to AdventHealth in Orlando,” she said.
Nieves says in the ICU, she was treated with hydroxychloroquine, a drug used to treat malaria and lupus and most recently used to treat some critical COVID-19 cases.
“It looks like that’s what pulled through for me, and my lungs reacted to the treatment,” Nieves said.
After being in the hospital for about two weeks, Nieves was released and reunited with her husband and adult son. She was told to isolate for two weeks, staying in a separate room away from her family.
“You never know how much a hug and a kiss means to you, until you haven’t been able to do it for a whole month," Nieves said. “Thank god I’m here and I can tell them everyday I love them and mean it. Appreciate your family, appreciate the ones around you, and appreciate the ones fighting on the front lines, perhaps jeopardizing their health to save you.”
Nieves said she wants every one to take this virus seriously.
“This is not a flu-like illness, this is a lot more than that ... it’s much much worse,” said Nieves.
Nieves has not been able to get another COVID-19 test to prove she’s not positive anymore. She said she’s been reaching out to local labs to get an antibody test. If she is eligible, she plans to donate convalescent plasma.