A 45-year-old Louisiana attorney has been hospitalized, sedated and put on a ventilator after contracting the potentially deadly novel coronavirus, which had been misdiagnosed as the flu.
Heaven Frilot tells Nola.com that her typically healthy husband, Mark, had battled what he thought was seasonal flu for several days before she found him in a state of fever-induced delirium talking to himself while seated on the edge of a bathtub.
A trip to the emergency room last Thursday revealed that the construction lawyer from Kenner had COVID-19 and double pneumonia.
Mark Frilot, 45, a Kenner, Louisiana, lawyer, contracted the novel coronavirus more than a week ago. He is now sedated and breathing with the aid of a ventilator
His wife on Saturday posted a message on Facebook warning others of the dangers of COVID-19 and urging people to take it seriously
As of Monday afternoon, there were 4,061 confirmed cases of the illness nationwide, including 114 in Louisiana
Heaven, who has been in self-quarantine along with her son since last week, says she has decided to open up about Mark’s health crisis as a warning to others, especially younger people who may think they face a relatively low risk of contracting the illness.
Heaven said Mark first detected that his temperature was slightly elevated on March 6; he sought help at an urgent care center two days later
The US Centers for Disease Controls says older people and people with serious pre-existing medical conditions are at a higher risk of getting ‘very sick’ from the coronavirus, but Heaven Frilot argues that it could happen to anyone.
‘I have been seeing a lot of posts about people taking this virus lightly and joking about it,’ she wrote on her Facebook page on Saturday. ‘Please be extremely cautious and smart during this time. This virus has been in our community a while now without us knowing.’
In her interview with Nola.com, Heaven explained that her husband first noticed that his temperature was slightly elevated on March 6, but was not alarmed. That was three days before state officials announced Louisiana’s first confirmed case of COVID-19.
Mark continued running a fever and stayed in bed all day. On March 8, he went to an urgent care center, where according to his wife, doctors diagnosed him with the flu and prescribed Tamiflu, a steroid and a medicated cough syrup.
But despite the treatment, which Mark supplemented with Tylenol and Advil to break his nightly fever, his condition deteriorated farther, Heaven recounted.
When he alerted his doctor of the situation, Heaven said he was told that it was not uncommon and instructed to keep taking the medications.
Heaven told the paper that last Wednesday, she found her husband talking to himself in the bathroom and took him to the East Jefferson General Hospital, where a flu test came back negative.
Five days after he was diagnosed with the flu, Mark arrived at East Jefferson General Hospital’s ER, where he tested positive for COVID-19
Heaven said she has decided to speak out after seeing photos of revelers congregating in the French Quarter (pictured on Sunday)
Heaven then had the hospital contact the urgent care center where Mark had initially sought help and request his paperwork. To her shock and dismay, the woman said she discovered that Mark had tested negative for the flu there too.
An infectious disease doctor then spoke to the Frilots and approved one of the coveted COVID-19 tests for Mark, which came back positive.
‘He is fully sedated and paralyzed and intubated no longer breathing on his own,’ Heaven wrote on Facebook. ‘He is quarantined so I cannot even be there for him to help him get through this.’
Heaven and her son, Ethan, have been in self-isolation since the middle of last week. The CDC has been reaching out to people who have been in close contact with the Frilot family.
‘Due to the misdiagnosis, we have exposed it to others unknowingly. For that I am truly sorry,’ Heaven wrote. ‘Prayers from everyone are very much appreciated during this difficult time. Please take care of yourselves. If you have a fever 101 or above with shortness of breath and or a cough please seek immediate treatment.’
After seeing photos of crowds of people celebrating St Patrick’s Day in the French Quarter, Heaven Frilot said she felt compelled to speak out and urge people to self-quarantine and take the illness seriously.
As of Monday afternoon, Louisiana had 114 confirmed cases of coronavirus and two deaths. The total number of cases in the US hit 4,061, with 70 fatalities nationwide.