Oklahoma man beats Covid-19, now suffers from irreversible damage

By Abigail Ogle

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    OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma (KOCO) — Fifty-two-year-old David McIntosh Sr. beat COVID-19, but life will never be the same because of the irreversible damage to his lungs and heart.

McIntosh told KOCO 5 that he now has atrial fibrillation as well as a lesser-known post-COVID symptom: when doctors listen to his lungs, it sounds like crinkling paper.

“My lungs are always going to have this scarring and things on my lung tissue,” McIntosh said.

It’s called COVID Fibrosis, which is scarring on his lungs leftover from his COVID-19 battle.

“When they listen to my lungs now, it sounds like when you are wadding up a paper bag,” McIntosh said.

He told KOCO 5 that the lung scarring will likely never go away.

“Oxygen for life and everything. All the tests they ran on my heart and stuff like that,” he said.

Because of his heart, McIntosh now has atrial fibrillation.

KOCO 5 asked local electrophysiologist Dr. Jack Collier at Oklahoma Heart Hospital if they’ve seen an increase in COVID-19 survivors who are now plagued with heart problems.

“The most common is Atrial fibrillation. We see that with 10 to 20% of patients with COVID-19 that are hospitalized with ICU care situations,” Collier said.

The doctor said that they may not even know they have A-Fib.

“You can just have shortness of breath and fatigue from an abnormal heart rhythm and have no idea that your heart is actually racing,” Collier said.

This can lead to a multitude of other problems, according to Collier, including blood clots and an increased risk of stroke.

“Things like that make blood pressure really hard to handle,” Collier said.

As for McIntosh, his post-COVID-19 battle feels like a full-time job, from home health to doctor’s appointments to physical therapy.

“Pretty much my days are all planned around my COVID. I’ve probably cried more this week than I have in the last 40 years,” McIntosh said.

McIntosh said that the uncertainty is what makes him so emotional.

“I want to be around for my kids and my five grandkids,” he said.

McIntosh told KOCO 5 he was not vaccinated against COVID-19, and he does not plan to get the shot.

Collier said anywhere from 35% to 75% of COVID-19 patients still have symptoms six months after they have the virus.

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