The Aftermath of Surviving COVID-19: One patient’s long road to recovery

It’s been over a year since Farmington, Mo. resident, Paul Fritch, 56, was discharged home from Barnes-Jewish Hospital following a 110-day stay, where he won a life-threatening battle against COVID-19. Although he had survived COVID-19, his recovery throughout the next year would prove to challenge Fritch in ways he never could have imagined.  

“There are many parts of my hospitalization that I don’t remember, because I was comatose for most of the time and in a brain fog when I was awake,” said Fritch. “But there are other parts that haunt me to this day. Trust me, the physical recovery from COVID-19 has been hard, but the mental recovery has been equally as difficult.”  

Fritch’s Fight to Survive COVID-19  

For those not familiar with Fritch’s story, here is a recap…  

Fritch was admitted to Parkland Health Center with COVID-19 on November 2, 2020. One week later, he had to be intubated and transferred to Barnes-Jewish Hospital for more advanced treatment. This is where he would spend the next three months as the staff worked to save him. It’s also where he would become a model for how future COVID-19 patients would be treated using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).   

ECMO is similar to the heart-lung bypass machine used in open-heart surgery, which pumps and oxygenates a patient’s blood outside the body, allowing the heart and lungs to rest. To date, Fritch has the record at Barnes-Jewish Hospital for being on ECMO the longest. In fact, one of the doctors changed his protocol for discussions with families based on Fritch’s success being on ECMO for more than 70 days.   

Fritch suffered extensive damage to his lungs, which affected his ability to breathe normally. There was even a discussion about a possible lung transplant. Thankfully, his doctors decided to give him more time to recover, and his breathing gradually improved. Most importantly, Fritch was alive.  

Returning Home   

After continuous monitoring at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Fritch returned home on February 19, 2021. Although he was certainly ready to leave the hospital, he had a long way to go with both his physical and mental recovery. He was also still tethered to his nasal cannula and oxygen tank. He felt like he was facing a huge hill to climb.  

“I was able to function somewhat normally, but that cannula served as a constant reminder that I wasn’t fully recovered,” said Fritch. “That was probably one of the biggest emotional challenges for me. It was a letdown. I felt like I was never going to get over that hump of relying on oxygen.”  

Fritch was sustained by the support of his wife, their two sons, and an extensive network of family, friends, doctors, nurses, occupational therapists, and physical therapists cheering him on. He started walking more and eventually began pulmonary rehab at Parkland Health Center’s Huckstep Heart & Lung Center. He was thrilled with the progress he was making, and so was the staff at the Huckstep Center.   

Another Setback   

Then, Fritch was faced with yet another setback – a painful gallbladder attack.   

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t eligible for surgery to remove the gallstones, because my lungs weren’t strong enough after COVID-19,” said Fritch. “Instead, I had to have a tube placed in my side, which was one of the most painful things I’ve ever experienced.” He had to have the tube for six months, forcing him to halt his rehab assignment, severely limiting his mobility and physical recovery.   

Undergoing Pulmonary Rehab at Parkland Health Center   

By November 2021, Fritch returned to pulmonary rehab at Parkland Health Center, visiting three days a week and increasing the intensity of his exercises with each visit. He was so thankful to be back and to see how much progress he had made.   

“When I was in the hospital before coming home, I was on 10 liters of oxygen every day. My therapists wanted me to walk for at least 12 minutes on the treadmill. At the time, I could barely go for six minutes, and that included resting twice while walking at a pace of half-a-mile-an hour,” said Fritch. “Today, I’m on the treadmill for 30 minutes at three miles an hour using only two liters of oxygen. Plus, I can do the whole thing without taking a break.”   

“From day one, Paul showed up determined to get better,” said Amy Reed, Staff RN in the Huckstep Center. “He looks at every day as a new opportunity to make improvements and overcome whatever obstacles he faces. What sets Paul apart is his grit, passion and faith in himself to push through the difficulties; he embraces ‘hard’ rather than avoids it. It has been an honor and a privilege to be a part of his journey and watch him crush his goals!”  

Fritch is encouraged by every milestone he has hit this past year. At the end of January 2021, the LIFE INC. Center for Independent Living, which had installed a ramp for Fritch outside his front door one year ago, returned to remove the ramp.   

“The last time I walked out my front door without a ramp was October 2020. Seeing that ramp gone now is so liberating,” said Fritch. “Sometimes I have to remind myself how far I’ve come.”  

Fritch also looks for opportunities to challenge himself at home with more activities. For example, he makes extra trips like going to his bedroom to get his socks and then walking to the living room to put them on, before going back to his bedroom to get his shoes and returning to the living room to put them on. He knows those extra trips are helping his lungs heal and increasing his balance and mobility.   

Looking Ahead  

“I’m hopeful to walk in a 3K this spring without needing my oxygen,” said Fritch. “I’ve even recruited some of my nurses and therapists at Parkland Health Center and Barnes-Jewish Hospital to walk with me.”  

In addition to his physical recovery, Fritch continues to work on his mental recovery. He relies on therapy to help him work through some of the anxiety and fear he’s been dealing with over the last year.   

“Although I don’t really need the oxygen as much anymore, I’m afraid to be without it. It reminds me of how uncomfortable and scary it was when I came off the ventilator,” said Fritch. “I am still healing. It’s been a long road to get here. Yet, I’m determined to keep going.”