A ‘FIT and healthy’ dad-of-three was placed on a ventilator and then into a coma after falling severely ill with the flu.
Quenten Thomas, 27, of Marysville in Tennessee, never made it through and passed away from complications of the illness on January 6.
Courtesy of Kensie ThomasQuenten Thomas, 27, passed away on Janaury 6 of complications from the flu[/caption]
The normally energetic young dad hadn’t had a flu shot this season and went to hospital when he began coughing and having trouble breathing.
“It hurt when he coughed,” his father, Robert Thomas, told NBC News. “He was having trouble catching his breath.”
Quenten had been using a finger monitor to keep track of his blood oxygen levels.
“He noticed his oxygen was dropping, so he went to the hospital asking for oxygen first,” Robert said.
The hospital sent Quenten home to recover with water, food and sleep, Today reported.
But noticing that he oxygen levels were still dangerously low and still experiencing pain, the dad took himself back.
This time, doctors took Quenten’s symptoms seriously.
Unfortunately, his condition quickly deteriorated and he was first placed on a ventilator to help him breathe and then into a coma.
He left behind an eight-year-old and one-month-old daughter and an 11-month old son.
Called Pooky by his family, Quenten’s obituary mentioned that he “really loved to push his physical limitations” and enjoyed skateboarding and “doing back flips off of literally anything”.
“Most important, he loved his two daughters, his son and family more than anything in this world,” it added.
Thinking back to the events that lead to his son’s death, Robert said: “It’s unbelievable”.
He described Quenten as a “healthy, hard-working young man”, adding “there was no quit in him”.
Now Robert is urging other to take flu more seriously.
“I know I will for the rest of my life,” he told NBC News.
When should I get help if I have the flu?
Flu surged over the Christmas period in the UK, though recent figures suggest case numbers were slowly decreasing week on week.
Though hospitalisations decreased, there 21 acute respiratory incidents in the England during the first week of January, according to the UK Health Security Agency.
The health watchdog still warned that the new school term could be a breeding ground for bugs and coughs.
For the US, some doctors have reported seeing more severe flu symptoms than usual in young people, according to NBC News.
Common symptoms of the illness include:
A sudden high temperature
An aching body
Feeling tired or exhausted
A headache
Difficulty sleeping
Loss of appetite
Diarrhoea or tummy pain
Feeling sick and being sick
Unlike a cold, symptoms of the flu tend to come on very quickly.
Most people will get over the illness in about a week’s time, with rest, hydration and painkillers to keep on top the aches and fever.
Doctors told NBC News that some of the more severe flu symptoms that they’ve seen this season include:
Dehydration
Wheezing
Severe head and muscle aches
High fevers, sometimes staying above 40C
Fatigue
The NHS recommends you visit a GP if you haven’t got over your symptoms in seven days, are worried about your baby or are 65 and over or have a weakened immune system.
But if you’re having chest pain, difficulty breathing or coughing up blood, go straight to A&E or call an ambulance.