LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A Lexington woman is in the hospital for the third time in a month after testing positive for COVID-19.
47-year-old Kathryn Cody has been battling COVID-19 complications since she first tested positive on Dec. 2.
“I felt mad because I’ve done everything right. I’m very careful and cautious, but it just happened, and I was really frustrated because it was the last thing I needed this year,” Cody said.
Her health quickly deteriorated and she was hospitalized for a week earlier this month.
“Getting COVID with bilateral pneumonia has made it the worst thing in the world that could have happened,” she said. “I’ve never felt this way before. It’s debilitating.”
1 in 10 COVID-19 patients will need to return to the hospital within a week of being discharged from an emergency department visit, according to a study by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
On Sunday, Cody told LEX 18 her oxygen levels were dropping, and she was struggling to breathe. She made the call to return to the emergency room with a fever of 101 degrees just a week after being discharged.
“I was really hoping that I would feel a lot better, but I just don’t and it’s very discouraging,” Cody said. “I can barely feed my pets without feeling like I tried to run five miles. This virus is insidious.”
Cody says that even with doctors taking care of her physical health, her mental health is reaching a tipping point.
“If I go back to the hospital, will I end up on a ventilator? Will I come off the ventilator? I mean there’s so much anxiety right now which doesn’t help the fact that you’re struggling to breathe,” Cody said. “Your brain starts going and you get locked in this pattern of fear and anxiety and it just feeds itself. It’s very hard.”
Adding to her stress is the financial uncertainty she faces.
Cody’s pet care business, Paws and Claws Pet Sitting and Dog Walking, has seen a decline in business because of the pandemic.
“I didn’t have any reserves to pull from. I think I have 45 dollars in the bank right now,” Cody said. “You only get so much COVID paid time off for work and I ran out of that two weeks ago.”
Cody said she feels like she’s reaching her breaking point. She doesn’t know when she’ll be healthy enough to work again, and unless financial relief comes in another form, she’s running out of options.
There is a GoFundMe to which you can donate to help Kathryn Cody stay afloat while she recovers from COVID-19.
