Nottinghamshire surgeon lost 11kg in Covid-19 fight

A surgeon who lost 11kg (24lbs) as a result of Covid-19 has praised the nurses that treated him during his 10 days in intensive care.

Dr Irfan Akhtar works at King's Mill Hospital in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, where he was treated last month.

He said being on the "other side of the table" was a strange experience for him but also a learning curve.

"They [the nurses] did a phenomenal job," the father-of-two said.

The 55-year-old consultant, from Nottingham, has overall responsibility for surgery patients at the King's Mill and said he started to feel unwell from about 23 March.

He said at the time his department had reduced face-to-face consultations but personal protective equipment (PPE) was not compulsory for all appointments and the advice was changing daily.

"At the time we thought this virus mainly affected older people and those with health conditions.

"But I was relatively fit and healthy and a regular runner, so my lungs are used to a bit of stress but nothing like this," he said.

Dr Akhtar said he had two Covid-19 tests which came back negative, but a deep swab from inside his lungs was taken when he was put to sleep, and that came back positive.

"As my temperature increased and oxygen started falling, I didn't want to be admitted to hospital," he added.

"But eventually my oxygen levels were so low I had to go and was put on a ventilator."

He said he "couldn't praise ITU (Intensive Therapy Unit) staff enough" for keeping his family informed during his care.

Eventually Dr Akhtar was discharged on 22 April, footage of which was shared on social media.

"There has been so much doom and gloom about patients not going home, so it was reassuring to be going home," he added.

"I am still weak but I'm on the mend and getting better every day.

"I have seen the other side of the table and how important and vital nurses are and how much they care. Doctors treat the patient and move on but the nurses are with you for 24 hours.

"It is mind-blowing how much effort they are putting into people's care."

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