2023-07-16 17:30:00
(CNN) — A doctor known for advising people regarding the risks of covid-19 got a double surprise: he caught it and ended up needing stitches for it.
He Dr. Robert Wachterwho chairs the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, said he did not test positive for covid-19 until last week, according to posts from his twitter account. He stated that he was fully vaccinated and received his second bivalent booster in April.
Watcher said her symptoms began with a dry cough on July 9 and that night she had a fever, chills and a sore throat. Furthermore, he said that he made a mistake the next day when he took a shower while feeling these flu-like symptoms.
“Woke up to a pool of blood on the bathroom floor,” he wrote on Twitter. “There was a dent in the lid of a wastebasket, probably where I’d hit my head. I mightn’t remember anything. By the time I got up, it was clear my face was going to need stitches, and more than a couple.”
Wachter shared a picture of the trash can that hit its head when it fell. (Courtesy: Dr Robert Wachter)
Wachter said she needed stitches on the back of her head and on her forehead, which she shared in a Photo of himself with a black eye. He declined an interview to go into more detail regarding his illness and his recovery.
Wachter became a highly-followed doctor on Twitter for sharing his own advice on risk measurement and Covid-19 during the pandemic, and has urged people to get vaccinated. He claimed his “Covid case is a cautionary tale” and warned people to avoid the showering mistake he made.
“While the instinct to shower when sweaty and gross is understandable, stepping into hot water when dehydrated and sick with the flu can cause blood vessels to dilate, causing a dangerous drop in blood pressure,” Wachter wrote, adding that that was exactly what happened to him earlier this week.
He said he was lucky his soon-to-be son-in-law took him to the UCSF ER. He entered the hospital.
Doctors did two CT scans and later an MRI, due to the extent of the injuries to the front and back of the head, he said.
The CT of the head showed a hematoma subdural, which occurs when blood pools between the brain and the skull. In another CT scan, a neck fracture appeared in one of his vertebrae.
Wachter’s MRI showed no further damage, he said. He added a message of thanks to the colleagues who sutured him.
This is the Dr. Robert Wachter the world is used to seeing making an appearance on CNN in April 2022.
“Luckily, at my age a few scars don’t bother me too much, and I think my wife likes me for reasons other than my seamless forehead,” he said.
After 24 hours in the emergency room, Wachter tweeted that he is at home and isolated. He said he takes the antiviral drug Paxlovid to help lessen the severity and duration of the illness, as well as the possibility of long covid-19.
As for future brushes with covid-19, Wachter said he doesn’t think his behavior will change as long as cases remain low. “I will continue to be relatively careful, but no more than I have been,” he said.
Dr. Robert Wachter posted a picture of himself following his fall showing his wounds and stitches. (Courtesy: Dr Robert Wachter)
Although he has not treated any Covid-19 patients, Wachter said he wears a KN95 mask in clinical settings. He sometimes removes his mask in small gatherings, she added.
“However, I will be more careful when showering or taking a hot bath or hot tub when I am dehydrated. That is an important lesson to take away from this mess,” he said.
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