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true true true true

Indianapolis Man Calls Battle With COVID-19 'The Worst Thing In The World'

By Matt Rasnic

Posted April 15, 2020

The Dugan Family

John Dugan with his wife, Megan, and son Charlie. John spent five days on a ventilator during his recovery from COVID-19. (Courtesy of John Dugan)

On March 16, John Dugan sat at his dining room table and began a game of Monopoly with his wife, Megan, and son Charlie. 

John had been experiencing a slight fever that day. The game of Monopoly was put on hold for the night. The next day John’s fever spiked and he began having body aches. This would postpone the game indefinitely as he would spend the next several days resting and monitoring his symptoms.

During the first week of the quarantine, John was only experiencing a fever and body aches. Then his symptoms got worse.

“Once I felt something in my throat and lungs, it happened very fast," John said. "We needed to get to the doctor.” 

It was then, March 24, when he headed to Community Hospital South in Greenwood to get treatment. John said it took between six and seven hours to be admitted. 

After being admitted in the early morning hours of March 25, John was tested for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

A man in good health, John never thought he would be spending his 50th birthday in the hospital, let alone in complete isolation and with increasingly painful symptoms.  

And his symptoms worsened. He started experiencing shortness of breath and was put on oxygen using about 8 liters a day. 

The next day, John’s wife recalled talking to someone from the hospital who said he was down to only using 5.5 liters of oxygen and appeared to be doing better. 

Megan would find out later that things changed quickly after that call. John began using more oxygen and eventually made the decision with his doctor to be put on a ventilator. 

“I was just beat up," John said. "The ventilator is the most scary and painful thing I have ever been on, (more than) anything in my life. Any dream of any kind of pain or suffering is being on a ventilator. ”

John spent five days on a ventilator. Though his symptoms were relieved, he was not able to speak much for a few days because the machine’s tube left his throat raw. 

John stressed the pain COVID-19 caused him was something no one ever wants to endure. 

“Nobody, nobody wants to catch this," John said. "It’s the worst thing in the world.”

March 31 was the day John was told his COVID-19 test had come back positive, six days after the test was administered. With many of his symptoms treated or improving John would be heading home.

He was discharged from the hospital on April 2, returning home still with the support of oxygen. 

The effects of the disease took a toll on John. Since he began showing symptoms back in March, he lost his appetite. He says he lost 25 pounds in the last month and still doesn’t feel like eating.  

At the time of his interview, John was beginning to reduce the use of his oxygen tank.

And for all those wondering, he and his family finished that game of Monopoly on April 8. His wife Megan won.

Contact Matt at mrasnic@iu.edu or on Twitter @Matt_Rasnic.

For the latest news and resources about COVID-19, bookmark our Coronavirus In Indiana page here.

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