A nurse has shared a photo showing the devastating effects of coronavirus on his body, having spent six weeks in hospital battling the virus - and losing 50lbs in the process.
Mike Shultz, a 43-year-old nurse from San Francisco, was admitted to hospital on 16 March, having travelled to Boston a few days before to see his boyfriend, 29-year-old DJ Josh Hebblethwaite.
Shultz, who has no underlying health conditions, said he and Hebblethwaite began to feel ill after attending the Winter Party Festival in Miami Beach earlier that month - a gathering that left 38 people unwell, including three men who tragically died.
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Shultz's temperature spiked to 103 degrees Fahrenheit and he also found he had difficulty breathing, while his lungs were filling with liquid.
Shultz, who weighed 190lbs before being hospitalised, would normally work out six or seven times a week. He told BuzzFeed he'd lost a lot of weight; even weeks after he'd been able to start eating food again, his weight was at 140lbs.
Shultz shared photos on Instagram, where he has more than 33,000 followers, to show others how his weight had plummeted while being treated.
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He wrote: "I wanted to show everyone how badly being sedated for 6 weeks on a ventilator or intubated can be. Amongst other things, Covid-19 reduced my lung capacity with pneumonia.
"Over 8 weeks I've been away from family and friends. Getting stronger everyday and working to increase my lung capacity.
"I'll get back to where I was in healthier ways this time... Maybe even do cardio."
Shultz ended up being intubated for four-and-a-half weeks, and became so weak he couldn't even hold his mobile phone.
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Explaining to BuzzFeed how the virus had reduced his lung capacity significantly, he said: "I was so weak. This was one of the most frustrating parts.
"I couldn't hold my cellphone, it was so heavy. I couldn't type because my hands shook so much."
He also had no idea just how long he'd been in hospital for, having lost track of time.
He said: "I thought only a week had gone by."
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Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@thebearded_nurse
Topics: News, Coronavirus, US News