A man from North Texas hopes he shares his experience with COVID-19 encouraging others to take the virus seriously when he recovers from the hospital.
Andre Terry, father and Dallas-based designer, is being treated at Irving’s Boiler Scott and White after testing positive for COVID-19 last Saturday. Terry said doctors have confirmed he also has pneumonia.
Terry said he did not initially show symptoms such as cough or fever, but he did experience fatigue.
He said, ‘I’m a fashion designer, so I worked at home.’ “Then I got really tired, literally got stuck between projects, and ‘God, I had to fall.’
“I was too tired to get back in my car. I had to sit on the park bench and my car was in the parking lot. I had to sit there and I thought, ‘Something’s not good.’ “
Andre Terry, hospitalized in Irving with Covid-19
Terry said there were sometimes hours of rest intended for a quick break. Knowing “something” was wrong but didn’t know what it was, he said he got the COVID-19 exam last Thursday.
“I was too tired to get back in my car. I had to sit on the park bench and my car was in the parking lot. I had to sit there and I thought, ‘Something’s not right,’ “Terry said.
The test confirmed that he was COVID-19 positive on Saturday. Still, Terry said his symptoms were mild. He had started to get better by Monday, when he decided to go to the hospital.
He noticed pain next to his body.
“At first I thought, ‘Maybe I’m sleeping too long and sleeping on the wrong side.’ But then there was a slight cough here and there. When I took a deep breath, I almost felt like a cracked rib or something. “He said,” They did a little X-ray on my chest, told me I had a fever. Glad I came in, but it looks like they needed to keep me. I said ‘why?’ They said, ‘Your chest is full of pneumonia.’
According to the CDC, Viruses, bacteria and fungi can all cause pneumonia. In the United States, the most common causes of viral pneumonia are influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and SARS-CoV-2, the viruses that cause CoV-19.
“Who would have thought that would happen to me? I was not sick. I wasn’t around anyone I was sick of. I was paying attention to the cough, ”Terry said.
He said Friday feels better than when he first arrived at the hospital on Monday. However, she could not be sure when she would be able to go home.
“I’m all trying to be skilled and thinking, ‘This is nothing.’ As soon as I start walking around, I’m holding my breath. I’m still telling them, ‘Oh, I’m overweight. I’ll be fine.’ They’re like, ‘No, when you’re talking you You’re breathing hard. ‘ ”He said.
He said he hopes people will be cautious, pay attention to any symptoms, and test to protect themselves and those around them.
“I want people to be careful about what they want to know,” he said. “It’s really important, I think even with this gathering, especially when you’re around your friends.”
This week, the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council reported that more than 2,400 patients were treated for COVID-19 in North Texas hospitals.
* Map locations are approximately central locations for the city and not to show where the actual infected people live.
** Below county averages include not only Colin, Dallas, Denton and Trent but also 32 North Texas counties.
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