Sleeping prone or on your stomach was urged by the physician who admitted me to the ICU and everyone of my caregivers from nurses to respiratory therapists. This position increases oxygen exchange to the lower lobes of the lungs . Here I am settling in for the night in the prone position. Note the nasal cannula, oximeter, cell phone, nasal spray, box of tissues, water container, and dog in foreground. All of these were important items in my preparation for bed except for the small dog of course. The dog thinks otherwise. The nasal cannula is attached to an oxygen concentrator by a 75 foot line. On one occasion the line became disconnected causing me to panic because I could not find the missing connection. Frantic screams to my spouse sleeping in another room nearby resolved the issue. The tissues and nasal spray to ensure nasal passages are moist and clear. Being on oxygen 24/7 created a new problem with nasal passages drying out. The cell phone which was my only form of communication to the outside world while hospitalized now feeds my insomnia. My insomnia appears to be an artifact of covid. When I walk up after a few hours of sleep I have tried to work using my phone. I am not sure how productive it has been but better than laying in bed being angry and frustrated with my body’s inability to do what my mind thinks it can or should. To better cope with covid while hospitalized and on home care I developed a pattern or structure to follow for my daily activities. This seemed to work well for the most part except when caregivers wanted to change the pattern. This could cause a panic and create anxiety resulting in oxygen stress. You would think adding more variety in a covid patients recovery would break up the monotony. In my case it did the opposite. My responses suggest that in addition to the physical effects of covid, there are psychological impacts which need to be recognized and addressed
