Jeanette and Jim Patton

Thank you for visiting this site!  We hope to give as much information as possible to share the status of my parents, Jeanette and Jim Patton.  Around early November, Mom began feeling a little sick - mostly a lack of energy and appetite.  On Thursday, November 5, she was tested for Covid, but the results came back negative.  Around the time of Mom's test, Dad developed a bit of a cough - nothing that seemed serious.  But he soon was also losing his energy, losing his appetite, and becoming increasingly unstable on his feet.  Dad fell in their family room on Saturday, 11/7, and we called the squad to help him up and evaluate him.  It was decided that the fall had not injured him so it was decided to keep him at home.  Both Mom and Dad felt progressively worse, and I took them to an Urgent Care on Monday, 11/9.  At that visit, Dad received a Covid test, and Mom received advice to try to eat more, take a multi vitamin, and drink lots of fluid.


On Monday night, Dad slid off a chair in their bedroom, and we again called the squad.  This time, we directed the squad to take Dad to Miami Valley North ER  in  Englewood so that he could undergo further evaluation.  In the ER, it was determined that Dad was Covid positive and that he would be transferred to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton.  It would be almost 24 hours before a room opened up in MVH in Dayton so that Dad could be transported.


Meanwhile, on Tuesday, 11/10, Mom fainted shortly after getting up in the morning.  My parents' dear friend and neighbor Gwendolyn Owen had spent the night at their house in case Mom needed assistance.  Fortunately, Gwendolyn observed Mom fainting and she immediately called the squad.  Assuming that Mom was really Covid positive, we directed the squad to take Mom to the ER at MVH in Dayton.  I had assumed that Dad had already been transported to the same hospital, but he was actually still in the MVN ER waiting for a room to open up.  After Mom was evaluated in the MVH ER, they contacted me to say she was ready to be discharged.  I asked about her Covid state and was told that since Mom tested negative on the previous Thursday, the doctors had decided that another test was not necessary.


Assuming that Mom was doing better than we thought, we decided that she could spend the night at home by herself.  But she called me on Wednesday morning to say that she had fallen again shortly after getting out of bed.  Since Gwendolyn lives across the street, I asked her to go to their house to help evaluate Mom and I drove to their house (about a 20-minute drive).  Mom wasn't hurt from the fall, and she seemed to be in good spirits, so we contacted her PA for advice, and it was determined that she needed to be tested again.  Wednesday night, we decided that someone should stay with Mom, and dear Gwendolyn volunteered again.  Thursday morning, Mom fainted again while she was sitting on the bed chatting with Gwendolyn.  I went to stay with Mom during the day and again contacted her primary care to let them know she had fainted again.


Even though Mom felt too tired to go get a Covid test, I finally talked her into it.  She and I went to the Covid testing site set up in the old Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Dayton.  I also chose to get tested.  Even though I've worn a mask as much as possible, I figured it was safest to assume I was also positive.  Shortly after our testing, though, her primary care contacted me to say that Mom should go to an ER because of her morning fainting.  I dropped Mom off and MVN ER in Englewood, where they tested her immediately for Covid and was diagnosed positive around 5:00 PM Thursday.  As per the Covid guidelines, like Dad, Mom would need to be transferred to MVH in Dayton.


As of Thursday night, Dad was awake, alert, and not on any medications specific to Covid treatment.  I don't know how Mom is doing as of this writing.  It is SO difficult to keep up on how they are doing when they are not allowed any visitors.  We call occasionally to request status, but the nurses are so overworked that they are sometimes difficult to reach.



At a time like this, you realize how blessed you are by family and friends who love you.  Gwendolyn has been an angel for us!  We have already received an outpouring  of prayers and well-wishing and we are so very much in appreciation.  And the efforts of our healthcare workers are nothing short of heroic.  We pray that they are able to keep themselves and their family safe from this invisible monster!