By Olivia Kelleher
A healthy and strong young trainee doctor who has climbed Kilimanjaro has warned young people not to take the dangers of Covid-19 lightly after he ended up in intensive care fighting for his life from post-COVID syndrome.
Dr Owen O'Flynn (23) from Bantry, Co Cork was the youngest intern this year at Cork University Hospital (CUH). A non-smoker who hardly drinks, his passion is hiking and the outdoors.
Dr O’Flynn says he did everything necessary and appropriate to protect himself and others, wearing all his PPE gear and being vigilant about hygiene, but it is understood that he developed Covid-19 in March.
He did not display any of the symptoms on the list at that time and did not have a temperature or feel unwell. He remembers his sense of smell and taste being a little off, but this was not a known symptom at the time.
In May, Mr O’Flynn became ill and had to take time off work. He was homesick from work and his swabs for Covid-19 came back negative.
Hospitalisation
His condition worsened and he was transferred to CUH where he ended up in intensive care for a week from May 5th with extremely serious cardiac issues.
Fortunately, he was never put on a ventilator or a life support machine.
Dr O’Flynn says his girlfriend and parents were in shock at how suddenly and comprehensively his condition deteriorated.
I never thought I would be that sick. Two weeks previous I could have run a 5K no bother.
He feared that he would lose his life despite the efforts of his colleagues to help him.
"I never thought I would be that sick. Two weeks previous I could have run a 5K no bother. It was very hard for me and my family. Nearly every household in Bantry was doing a novena just for me. The support really helped.
“I didn't know if I was going to get sicker or if I would have to be intubated. My biggest fear was dying.
“I had seen patients with COVID die. I had seen patients with cancer die. I have become friends with patients who had to go to a hospice. I have been exposed to death for the last five years. It is no stranger to me.
“Luckily I started to improve. I was very well minded. I was transferred down to the ward. I was still sick but I knew I was out of danger."
Dr O'Flynn said he, fortunately, has not suffered any long-lasting damage from his post-COVID episode.
He remembers walking thirty metres in the hospital at one point to get an Echocardiogram. He admits he was "wiped" for two hours from the effort.
Dr O’Flynn spent five weeks recuperating over the summer in Bantry before returning to work. He says he is more appreciative of family and friends since his hospitalisation and battle for life.
Young people
He is warning young people that they are not invincible: "I got very sick very quickly. I am very lucky to be as well as I am today. Colleges are going back in the next two to three week. I want everyone to cop on. This is a marathon not a sprint.
"A person with COVID can go from being all right to acutely unwell in a half an hour and needing four doctors having input on their case."
Dr O’Flynn says he was the youngest doctor in the hospital when he became ill. In spite of his youth and good health, the virus wreaked havoc on his body.
"It really floored me. We will never know how I got it. I could have got it in the community. I could have got it in work. Neither is more likely than the other. I was always in full PPE.”
He has started hiking and is slowly returning to normal. He is spending time with his girlfriend and family but is keeping his contacts low: "Outside of work my only contacts are my girlfriend and my roommate who is another doctor. I am urging people to stay the course, to keep your circle small and to be conscious of what you are doing. Keep vigilant.”
Dr O'Flynn is a speaker at the National Covid Research and Scientific Meeting, a virtual conference for medical professionals and the public on the management of critically ill patients with Covid-19. The conference takes place on September 5th.
