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San Diego woman urging people to take COVID-19 precautions after critical surgery postponed indefinitely

Connie Rim needs surgery to help with her painful CSF leak. Now, she's left waiting as ICU beds fill up.

LOS ANGELES — Due to a lack of bed space at hospitals across the country, officials are being forced to cancel or postpone surgeries and other procedures for non-COVID patients. That's led to frustration and additional health concerns.

In San Diego County, the ICU capacity stands at 16% as of Wednesday. In some parts of the state, it’s even lower.

For Connie Rim, the lack of space has delayed a crucial surgery, leaving her in constant pain.

"I could be better, but I'm doing okay," said Rim.

Rim spoke with News 8 from her hospital bed at Cedar Sinai in Los Angeles, where she was supposed to get a surgery designed to cure what's known as a CSF leak, a painful condition brought on by neck surgery nearly two years ago.

"During my surgery, there was an accident where my dura was nicked, The dura meaning the outer layer that holds the fluid where your brain and spinal cord float in," said Rim.

Rim can't sit or stand without having pain. She spends most days lying down.

"I live in a dark room and I have earplugs on and I'm just crying and I have a vomit bag next to me because I'll be throwing up," said Rim.

This isn't the first time we've met Rim.

In 2012, News 8 profiled her after she donated a kidney to a stranger.

At the time, she said, "I think about it as if it were my mother or my cousin or my best friend."

Eight years later, she's now the one needing help, but because of rising COVID-19 numbers, she can't get it.

"They had to convert the area I was in yesterday to accommodate Covid patients for ICU because there's a lack of beds," said Rim. "The chances are I'm not going to be able to have the surgery."

Rim has chronicled her ordeal on a Facebook blog called ‘My CSF Leak Story’.



On Tuesday, she wrote a post describing her anger and frustration, saying she is the face of so many indirectly impacted by the pandemic.

“I see a lot of people that don't social distance," she said. "They don't wear their mask and they have this attitude like 'it's not going to happen to me. COVID doesn't exist, or if I do get it, I can beat it.' But, what they don't realize is you know, people that do get sick and were careless, they're taking up beds that other people and obviously myself included need."

Rim's message is this - take all the precautions you can, if not for yourself, then for family, friends, people like her and healthcare workers.

"The people that were helping me were telling me they're going be reassigned to Covid patients and they're scared to death," she said. "It's a snowball effect of somebody who doesn't take precautions. It affects everybody."

Cedar Sinai specializes in Rim's condition, which is why she's there. She had the surgery planned for months, but has no idea when it will actually happen.

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