A man who spent almost 40 days in hospital after contracting Covid is urging others to get vaccinated.
The father-of-two spent his birthday in hospital battling the virus, put on an intensive care ward and attached to a machine to help him breather. He was eventually reunited with his family on Christmas Eve, having been taken to hospital with low oxygen levels after being so cold he had to get into bed with his coat on.
David Colley, 39, 'never thought' he would catch the virus but now thinks having had two doses of the vaccine saved his life: "I had never been in hospital before and keep myself fit and healthy by going to the gym and mountain biking.
"I never thought it would happen to me but I am so grateful I have been able to fight it. Without my two vaccines I am not sure I would be here today. It’s scary because it shows that this could happen to anyone, and that it can get pretty serious. It’s important to go and get your vaccinations as you just don’t know how serious it can be. I will be getting my booster as soon as I can."
David came home from work and started shivering on November 16. He got into bed with his coat on because he was so cold but then had really bad headaches and "felt like I had been kicked around". He then started to go downhill quickly and called for an ambulance, Birmingham Live reports.
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Paramedics found his oxygen saturation levels were at 80 per cent - a normal reading is between 95 and 100 per cent. He was taken to a respiratory ward at Wolverhampton's New Cross Hospital where he was put on a machine to help him breathe. But his health continued to deteriorate and medics decided to prescribe him stronger steroids as he battled the virus.
He said: "After being on the ward for two days my oxygen levels were not improving so I was moved to the intensive care unit which was very daunting for my family and I. I was being given 60 per cent oxygen and had a scan which showed water on my lungs. To treat this I started steroids. Three weeks on and I wasn’t improving so they put me on a stronger set of steroids on December 9 – my 39th birthday. At this point I was told there was a high chance these may not work and steroids can do more harm than good. Thankfully the treatment worked and I started to feel much better instantly."
The HGV driver was eventually discharged on Christmas Eve after almost 40 days in hospital. But oxygen machines have been installed in his home so he can continue to receive oxygen when needed as he recovers.
Mr Colley praised staff at the hospital for the care he received. He said: "It is brilliant that I was home for Christmas. I have two young girls, nine and 13, and have been with my wife for 15 years so to be able to be with them at this time of year and back home is fantastic. "The staff were unreal. They would do anything for you and were absolutely out of this world."
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