Not for the faint of heart: American showed how COVID-19 changed his body

“I wanted to show that this can happen to anyone. It does not matter whether you are young or old, whether you are at risk or not. It may affect you, ”- quotes BuzzFeed Mike Schulz from Boston, who had a coronavirus infection.

Photo: Shutterstock

Sitting in his bed in the coronavirus ward of Boston Hospital, Mike Schultz chatted with one of the nurses about his treatment: sedation and intubation.

“I thought it was only a week,” he said.

The nurse explained that the patient spent much more in the ward - six weeks.

“I was so weak. This is the most unpleasant experience, ”he recalls. - I could not hold my cell phone, it was so heavy. I could not print because my hands were trembling. "

The 43-year-old nurse from San Francisco had no health problems. He usually worked 6 or 7 shifts per week. The man weighed about 190 pounds (86 kg). A few weeks after he felt better and was able to start eating again, he weighed only 140 pounds (63,5 kg). Its lung capacity is only now beginning to slowly recover.

Schultz shared a photo that clearly demonstrates what COVID-19 did with his body by posting a photo on his Instagram account with 30 followers. The picture on the left was taken about a month before he got sick. The photo on the right was taken in a hospital during the recovery phase. According to him, the man was exhausted even by the fact that he got out of bed for a short time to take a picture.

On the subject: “This is a very scary feeling”: a Russian-speaking doctor from New York told how she had been ill with COVID-19

Photo: instagram.com/thebearded_nurse

“I didn’t even think it was so serious until I got sick,” he said. - I thought that it was young enough so that it did not affect me. I know that many people think so. I wanted to show that this can happen to anyone. It does not matter whether you are young or old, whether you are at risk or not. It may affect you. ”

Schultz went to the hospital on March 16. Two days earlier, he had arrived in Boston from San Francisco. Then he had no temperature. A week before, he and his partner went to Miami Beach for a festival that was attended by thousands of people. According to Schultz, he had a great time, but then no one knew that there was a person or people infected with coronavirus at the party.

“We knew it was possible,” Schultz said. - However, there were no real restrictions. No locks. We just thought: “Well, you need to wash your hands more often and not touch your face.”

At least 38 people who attended the party subsequently became ill. Three men have died.

Two days after Schultz arrived in Boston, he and his partner were unwell. Schultz's temperature rose to 103 Fahrenheit (39,4 Celsius), and it was difficult for him to breathe. His lungs filled with fluid. The couple went to the hospital.

On the subject: 'Could not breathe and coughed up blood': a Russian-speaking immigrant told how she had been ill with COVID-19

On the first day, Schultz was given oxygen through his nose, then through a mask over his entire face, and then was intubated under sedation. He had to spend 4,5 weeks on a ventilator. The partner was not allowed to visit him due to the risk of spreading infection. Nurses showed him Schultz on a ventilator via FaceTime. According to a partner who was recovering at home, “It was scary, but I was happy to see him.”

Schultz said that people criticized them with a partner for attending the ill-fated party. Some wrote that Schultz deserves to get sick. But he tries to focus on supporting other people.

When he was finally discharged from the hospital, Schulz first ordered his favorite food at McDonald's: two double cheeseburgers, french fries and a strawberry smoothie.

“The food had a different taste. “I think I’ve lost some of the taste,” he said, “but it was still good.”

Read also on ForumDaily:

Scientists have found a man whose blood blocks the coronavirus

Trump takes it: what is hydroxychloroquine and does it protect against coronavirus

Wormwood against coronavirus: Africa claims to have found a cure for COVID-19

Coronavirus vaccine: what success did different developers achieve

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.