4 4 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J U N E 2 0 2 0
F
irst, I felt nauseous. Then, I felt pain in my lower
abdomen. My head began to ache, and I had a slight
temperature. It was early April, during the peak of the
coronavirus outbreak, but I still didn't consider COVID-
19 as a possible diagnosis. After all, I had taken every
precaution to avoid the virus.
My husband and I rarely went out in public because of the pandem-
ic. On rare occasions, we ventured out to Costco during senior hours
Kay Ball, PhD, RN, CNOR, CMLSO, FAAN
I Survived COVID-19
My long career as a nurse didn't prepare me
for becoming a patient infected with the coronavirus.
BETTER DAYS With her scary COVID-19 experience behind her, Kay and her husband, Dan, are all smiles.
Kay
Ball,
PhD,
RN,
CNOR,
CMLSO,
FAAN