‘It never put me down’: Turlock man continues to recover from coronavirus
Nader Ammari has no complaints about going for kidney dialysis.
The 56-year-old from Turlock is just happy to be alive after surviving nearly two weeks on a ventilator with COVID-19 in March.
As the pandemic has progressed, doctors and researchers are learning more about the complexity of symptoms – both acute and long-term – caused by the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.
“The first organ affected was the lungs, which affected the oxygen level distributed in my body,” said Ammari, an Italian national who made Turlock his home three years ago while his two sons attended Stanislaus State.
Ammari acquired COVID-19 on a flight returning from Italy in late February. By mid-March, he developed pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and one of his lungs collapsed. His oxygen level was 40%, compared to the normal range of 93 to 100%, and he had to be placed on a breathing machine.
But, his lungs were not the only organ system harmed by the virus.
His kidneys didn’t tolerate the infection and low oxygen levels, and he needed dialysis, initially three times a week.
He joyfully reports that his kidney function is recovering, and now, months later, he requires dialysis only twice a week. For most people, dialysis is draining, but Ammari is grateful for the treatments.
Smiling, he added, “I am always positive. It never put me down.”
He was discharged from Kaiser Modesto on April 8, after nearly a month in the hospital, surrounded by a cheering medical personnel, who described Ammari as “phenomenal.”
His positive attitude is exceptional, but his long recovery is not unusual after severe COVID-19.
Spectrum of COVID-19 symptoms
The SARS-CoV-2 virus is closely related to the coronaviruses that caused the SARS outbreak in 2002-2003 and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, MERS, cases in 2012. Although less lethal, SARS-CoV-2 appears to have higher transmissibility and less predictable behavior.
Despite getting infected, about 80% of people have no or mild symptoms, according to the World Health Organization. Yet others become severely ill or die, and researchers haven’t yet figured out why.
With the acute illness of COVID-19, the symptoms are wildly variable.
Fever, cough and shortness of breath were the typical findings early in the pandemic. But the scope has broadened with effects on any organ system, including other respiratory symptoms like nasal congestion, gastrointestinal problems with vomiting and diarrhea, brain and nervous system dysfunction, blood clotting abnormalities leading to strokes, heart and kidney damage, and the unusual symptoms of loss of smell and taste, among many others.
The elderly and people with underlying medical conditions are at higher risk of complications and death, but healthy young adults have also died.
Children, who are typically vulnerable to pandemic viruses, overall seem to fare well with COVID-19. However, a rare complication called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, MIS-C, has been reported weeks after infection. The name reflects the symptoms of MIS-C, in that multiple organ systems suffer damage from inflammation likely due to a “misguided” immune response to the virus.
COVID-19 causes chronic illness
But COVID-19 appears to not be only an acute illness, It can also lead to long-term problems, such as Ammari’s kidney failure.
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and King’s College London are monitoring daily symptoms of about 4 million people using a COVID tracker app that they developed. Their goal is to decipher the extent of COVID-19, including its physical, mental, social and economic impacts.
So far, they have found that many individuals have reported symptoms lasting eight to 10 weeks, and even longer. Some victims think they’ve recovered, only to have a rebound of symptoms. Others suffer with chronic debilitation, including lingering cough, lung scarring, kidney failure, neurologic damage and extreme fatigue, to name a few.
Ammari also required physical therapy to regain his muscle strength, which is not uncommon after prolonged hospitalization, but he says he is back to his normal self and hasn’t had problems with fatigue.
Long-term impairments were also seen with SARS. Two years after infection with SARS, researchers found that half of survivors had compromised lung function and inferior health, compared to those who didn’t have SARS. In another report in the medical journal JAMA, 40% of SARS survivors reported chronic fatigue more than 3 years after their infection. Researchers are worried similar problems will be seen with COVID-19.
Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, a global health organization, expressed concern that the full health impact of COVID-19 is not yet known as the world is still in “the throes of the pandemic.”
Ammari continues to have checkups with his doctors at Kaiser Modesto. He has developed antibodies to the coronavirus, which when infused into others with acute COVID-19 may help them recover.
“I have been asked to donate my plasma, which I’m willing to do because it will help other patients,” he said.
His advice to others: “This pandemic is very serious and it will not go away for many years, until we have a vaccine and vaccinating the world will take time. ... So the community needs to work together. Social distancing, wearing a mask. This will help.”
This story was produced with financial support from The Stanislaus County Office of Education and the Stanislaus Community Foundation, along with the GroundTruth Project’s Report for America initiative. The Modesto Bee maintains full editorial control of this work.
To help fund The Bee’s children’s health and economic development reporters with Report for America, go to bitly.com/ModbeeRFA
This story was originally published July 20, 2020 at 4:30 AM.
