Intensive care nurse Lisa back on ward which saved her life at Lewisham hospital – days after recovering

An intensive care nurse has returned to work days after being treated in her own unit for deadly coronavirus.

Lisa Cox, a medic at Lewisham Hospital, was cheered and clapped out of the same unit on April 4 after a week of treatment.

And she was back on the ward herself little more than three weeks later on April 30, looking after patients who had been just like her – struggling to breathe without a special machine.

And she believes only a breathless conversation with a work colleague convinced her to come in for treatment – otherwise her outcome might have been a lot worse.

Mum Lisa developed Covid-19 at the end of March, and spent five days as a Covid patient, both in the emergency ward and on her own intensive care unit (ICU).

Her symptoms started on 27 March, around the same time that her partner came down with Covid-19. They began with a runny nose, and soon she had lost her sense of smell and taste, as well as a loss of appetite and an upset stomach. 

She spoke to Lewisham’s Covid-19 Command Centre, and they confirmed that she should remain at home for seven days, in line with the national advice.

Her partner has a history of asthma.

“He seemed to be very wheezy, so I drove him to ED not long after that,” she said. “He was checked over and seemed to be oxygenating well, so he was encouraged to keep up treatment at home. I was relieved, even though, all the while, my own breathing was getting shorter and more painful.

“The turning point for me came on 2 April, and with a phone call from my amazing colleague Tony. He stopped mid-conversation and said ‘Lisa, you can barely speak. You can’t get a full sentence out. You should come into the hospital!’

“I gave it the old ‘no, I’m fine, don’t worry’, but soon after, a trip to the loo left me so breathless I broke down in tears. Tony was right. What’s more, I’m convinced his call saved my life – to think I was all ready to wait it out just a couple of days…”

A lung scan revealed she had Covid-19-related pneumonia, and needed critical care and a continuous positive airway pressure machine (CPAP), which pushes oxygen into every corner of the lungs.

She said: “I’ll always remember the reassuring words of my wonderful colleagues Vic Khaliq and Richard Breeze: ‘We’re going to get you well.’ It was Vic, and my friend and ICU Matron Martine, who wheeled me up for treatment.

“I can’t begin to explain the feeling, but it was clear my lungs and my body needed the break

provided by the CPAP machine. I had been trying to avoid pain and protect myself by only taking short breaths, so my airway being opened up in this way came as a huge physical relief. Even through the tiredness and uncertainty, I knew placing my trust in the teams I knew and saw every day was 100 per cent the right move.

“I will say without ambiguity: the care I received from everyone at the Trust was simply amazing. I couldn’t find fault with a second of it. Everyone was so supportive, but it also struck me how respectful everyone was – I wasn’t rushed, pressured or overcrowded, but everyone found time to lift my spirits when possible – be it the waves and thumbs up I got through the window of my isolated room; the homemade soup from Alice; the toiletries from Emma; clothes from Dina; the list goes on.”

She improved on days two to five in hospital. She said: “As the CPAP did its work, I was able to sit up and go on my phone a lot more after the second ICU afternoon – I watched a lot of trashy movies! The phone also allowed me to check on my still-poorly partner and the kids, as well as my worried family in the West Country. 

“It made me reflect on how important the work that we are doing is to keep patients in touch with their loved ones however possible in this very difficult time.

“I was discharged on 4 April – to a standing ovation as Martine walked me round the unit and

past my colleagues, which is a gesture I will never ever forget – although I felt a bit embarrassed at the time!

“Fighting the fatigue and remaining symptoms was still challenging, but I’m happy to say that I

returned to work on 30 April, just over a month after my symptoms began.

“My message to anyone who is unfortunate enough to find themselves in a similar position is this: trust that our amazing staff want to do their best for you – every single nurse, doctor and consultant will do their utmost to get you well. What’s more, I know that there’s so much work going on behind the scenes to keep up-to-date with the best advice on how to treat and get on top of Covid-19. And do as they say – I was a very well behaved patient. I couldn’t show my face at work again if I wasn’t!

“There’s a little bit of nerves with being back, but it’s been really helpful to reestablish my routine and get back to work. I want to be there for others with this awful virus, just as my own colleagues were there for me when I needed them.”