"We are incredible grateful to them and to the fabulous doctors working around the clock. Barry couldn’t have gotten better care anywhere."
Family members and health care providers formed a close bond as they helped a very sick man recover.
“They say miracles happen,” says Bonnie Blitstein of Monmouth Beach, “and I guess my husband is one of them.” Bonnie’s husband, Barry, 77, had an extraordinarily long battle with COVID-19, one that included 28 days at Monmouth Medical Center (MMC) and a stint in rehab after that.
Now he’s home and back with the loving family who were with him, virtually if not in person—since no visitors were allowed in the hospital—for every day of his journey. “He is doing fabulous,” Bonnie says. “It’s amazing that he came through this. We never thought we’d see him again.”
Atypical symptoms
The illness began not long after Barry and Bonnie returned from a month-long stay in Florida. “He became lethargic and stopped eating, and Barry’s a big guy—he always ate,” Bonnie says. In the Emergency Department (ED), he was tested for COVID-19, and the couple went home to await the results. Several days later, Barry became disoriented and confused. Then they learned the test had come back positive. Bonnie drove Barry to the ED, but was not allowed to enter the hospital with him.
“That’s when we found out he had double pneumonia,” Bonnie recalls. “And then he was just sleeping for three-and-a-half weeks. He couldn’t swallow or take any food and couldn’t talk. We would try to FaceTime with him and he would just mumble. It was terrible.
“Barry had none of the typical symptoms of COVID-19—the coughing, the shortness of breath,” Bonnie says. “The virus seems to
affect people in all different ways. For some reason, it seemed to affect his brain.”
Family connection
“From the beginning, Barry’s family was very involved and supportive,” says Lauren Russo, MSN, RN, Director of Patient Care for the G5 unit where Barry was cared for. “As nurses, we were doing everything we could to facilitate communication and connection.”
One nurse held her phone to Barry’s ear so that his family could speak to him; Russo offered her work iPhone so the family could FaceTime. “While Barry couldn’t participate much in those early days, his family FaceTimed with him every day,” Russo says. “They encouraged him to fight and come home.”
Barry’s respiratory condition began to decline, and he required levels of oxygen that were difficult to tolerate. He fought his way back, but was steadily losing strength because of his inability to eat. He was having only brief moments of mental clarity. Doctors decided to have a feeding tube placed, and the tide finally turned. “Post-procedure, he was like a new man,” Russo says. He was speaking much more clearly.
The family FaceTime sessions became two-way conversations. With the assistance of the Physical Therapy department, Barry got stronger. His family worked with MMC’s case management team and social workers to arrange for his discharge to rehab.
“During that last week, we as a team were finally able to see Barry’s true personality,” Russo says, “and what a wonderful, warm and very funny person Barry is.”
For Barry, much of his stay in the hospital was a blur. “So much of it is blank,” he says. “The first thing I said when I was able to speak was, ‘How long have I been here?’ “All I can tell you is that the people who work at Monmouth Medical Center are a true pleasure, so nice, caring and sympathetic,” he says. “Now, I feel terrific.”
“We always called, we knew we were a pain in the neck, but the nurses were so great,” says Bonnie. “Just the kindest, sweetest people. We are incredible grateful to them and to the fabulous doctors working around the clock. Barry couldn’t have gotten better care anywhere.” “I’m thankful that his family continues to update us on Barry’s progress,” says Russo, “because almost daily, a member of my team asks how he’s doing.”