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Home » How to lose weight safely » What a 65-year-old COVID-19 survivor wants you to know – The Rolla Daily News

On the road to recovery, he dedicated himself to helping others avoid a disease that "knocked the hell" out of him.

BERGEN COUNTY, N.J. The first sign thatGreg Foudy had been infected with coronaviruscame in an unrelenting wave of chills that made him blast the heat in his Cresskill home until "it felt like an oven."

It was late on March 10and Foudy's temperature had already risen above 102.

Over the next two weeks, the 65-year-old retiree would become as sick as he's ever been. With growing frustration, he and his wife navigated a complicated and fractured health system seeking help. And finally, on the road to recovery, he dedicated himself to helping others avoid a disease that "knocked the hell" out of him.

Coronavirus hits older people especially hard.Eight out of 10 deaths reported in the U.S. have been among adults 65 and older,according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.And while Foudy is at the youngest end of that demographic, he still counts himself lucky.

Im not dead, and each day is slightly better, so I cant feel too bad for myself, Foudy said with a chuckle.

The owner of a commercial refrigeration repair company, Foudy shut down his business in January after decades of servicing restaurants, bakeriesand stores throughout New York.

He was just sinking into retired life when he became sick.

The fever that began on March 10 was not going away. Electric blankets, a raging radiator and copious amounts of Tylenol did only so much to manage his chills.

I knew something was serious, he said.

He suspected it was coronavirus, and he mentioned it when he spoke to his family doctor of 30 years by phone. The doctor told Foudy he might have the flu, but cautioned him from coming into the medical office or going to the hospital just yet.

Foudy considered himself in pretty good healthbut like many men his age took daily medications for blood pressure and cholesterol.

The aches and pains came next, followed by near-crippling fatigue. Taking a short walk to the hallway bathroom wiped him out.

All the little things you do that you take for granted were lost, he said. Walking up and down the hallway felt like I was running a marathon.

Foudy soon isolated himself from his wife, Dale Kopel, and their two grown children, by staying in a guest bedroom.

He often sleptfor more than 20 hours a day a welcomerespite from the aches, chills and uncontrollable cough that had developed.

I felt like Id rather be asleep than being awake and feeling that way, he said. "Your brain kind of shuts down. I might notbe the sharpest knife in the drawer, but it felt like my brain turned to mush. It was hard to concentrate on anything."

Foudy ate nothing for days. He only drank water. He ended up losing 23 pounds.

"This is not how you want to lose weight," he said."Going from 165 to 142 pounds at my age is not what I wanted to do."

Foudy pressed his doctor to give him a prescription so he could get a coronavirus test. On March 18, he had his nose swabbedat a drive-up site in Englewood Health hospital'sparking lot.

Foudy said he was told he would get the results in 24 hours.

It took 12 days and came backpositive.

"Of course it was," he said. "I thought it was obvious. It ran the classic course of COVID-19.

By then Foudy had been feeling a lot better, even though he had a bout with bacterial pneumonia that antibiotics quickly cleared up.

"I was angry that it took so long to get tested and then get the results, but then I did a mental reboot and realizedtheyre trying to put out a fire with a Dixie cup, Foudy said.

His wife was also frustrated that it took so long and questioned whether the lag time was giving the public an inaccurate account of how far infections had spread.

The overall numbers are so off because people arent allowed to be tested, and theres a huge lag in getting the results, said Kopel.

Kopelsaid she felt mild flu-like symptoms for about two days. I suspect I might have it, but I dont know, she said.

Foudy isnt sure when he was infected, but he suspects it was at a dinner party about a week before his symptoms started. At least one other person at the dinner, attended by about 50, came down with symptoms.

Mount SinaiHealth Systemin New York is appealing to those who have fully recovered from COVID-19 to donate blood plasma to help those with severe cases.

Plasma from recovered patients is rich with antibodies that fight against the virus. The antibodies will be transfused into critically ill patients with the hope that they can neutralize the virus.

The procedure was used successfully in China, which reported that some patients improved within 24 hours, with reduced inflammation and viral loads, and better oxygen levels in the blood, a report by Mount Sinai researchers said.

Foudy says he wants to make a donation as soon as he can.

I feel fortunate that I didnt die or infect anyone else, he said.

I also was lucky," he said. "I had all my ducks lined up in a row when it came to closing my business and retiring. I didnt have to worry about not having an income because I would have had to shut the business down. So I want to do everything I can to help those who may not be as fortunate."

Any recovered patient wishing to join the Mount Sinai effort can sign uphere.

Follow Scott Fallon on Twitter:@newsfallon

All coronavirus coverage is being provided free to our readers. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing. Help keep local businesses afloat atsupportlocal.usatoday.com.

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What a 65-year-old COVID-19 survivor wants you to know - The Rolla Daily News

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Home » How to lose weight safely » What a 65-year-old COVID-19 survivor wants you to know – The Rolla Daily News