COVID-19 survivors say they still suffer effects months after beating virus
CAROL STREAM, Ill. (WLS) -- It's been about six months since the start of the pandemic, but some patients who won their battle with COVID-19 are still dealing with side effects.
"About five months after I got COVID was when I started to feel really normal again," said Michael Bane.
Last time he spoke to ABC7, he was in the ICU fighting for his life.
"I went through a battery of tests every day- multiple blood draws. They had me hooked up to all the machines," he said.
The suburban husband and father was diagnosed with COVID-19.
Bane was nearly put on a ventilators and spent ten days in a hospital bed.
"The cough was bad and I ended up with double pneumonia which caused me to be put on oxygen," he said.
Months after being released from the hospital, Bane said he is still not feeling 100%.
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Bane, an avid runner, said he tried to exercise but the first run hurt.
"It as awful. Everything hurt. My lungs felt like they were on fire," he said. "For months after that I felt like there were these dead spots in my lungs and they were not working."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are actively working to learn more about short and long-term effects of COVID-19.
According to the CDC, lungs are just one of many organs that are negatively affected by the virus.
Experts are closely watching how the virus damages the heart, which doctors have said could explain symptoms of chest pain and shortness of breath.
"Now I worry," Bane said. "Okay, I feel fine now- but it this something that took years of my life?"
Mysterious, scary symptoms persist long after initial COVID-19 infection
In Carol Stream, Joann Magoch was back to shopping Monday. But, the COVID-19 survivor said she is not yet back to her old self.
"I had a bad cough, fever- I was so tired," she said. "I had a headache that would not go away."
Magoch's 90-year-old mother was also in the ICU for treatment.
"She beat it. She literally beat it," Magoch said.
Six months later, both women are fighting back against the headaches, muscle pain and exhaustion.
They are waiting to see how long the effects will last.
"Actually my mom is doing a little better than me. Confusion and sleeping is off. Appetite is different," Magoch explained.
