A 29-year-old Omaha man said he’s still suffering from the side effects of COVID-19, three months after testing positive for the virus.Doctors call him a COVID-19 ‘long-hauler’ but there aren’t many answers on how to help him. He said after getting the virus, his life has never been the same.Painting is a passion for Jared Staben.”This is my favorite one,” he said, showing a painting.Creativity is his outlet, but COVID-19 crept in and took it away.”It’s so frustrating because I have all of these hobbies that I used to do beforehand, I’ve written a book, I paint, well, used to paint,” Staben said.“It’s very difficult now for me to focus long enough to be able to get more than a paragraph or half a canvas.”Staben tested positive in November, after a 103-degree fever.“The day after Thanksgiving, I had a fever of 103. Then loss of taste, loss of smell, it really felt like somebody had punched me right here in the face. All of my joints just felt like they were on fire,” he said.The 29-year-old said he had every symptom, but one refuses to go away months later.”Episodes of delirium, forgetting who I am, where I am. Instead of brain fog, it’s just like a waking delirium because one minute I’ll be fine and the next minute I start to zone out and it feels like I’m in a haze,” Staben said.Staben is what doctor’s call a “long-hauler.”He’s testing negative, but still struggling with the side effects of the virus.”There’s so much I don’t know, there’s so much the doctors don’t know and I’m just in limbo,” Staben said.Staben said last week he fell during an episode. Doctors thought it might be a seizure, so he got an MRI.”Thankfully there’s no sign of a stroke or anything but it doesn’t explain any of these other symptoms,” he said.“It has been very frustrating, there have been a couple times when I just feel lost, depressed.”Staben wants people to take the virus seriously and mask up.“I never thought this could happen. And I just wish that everybody would wake up. We’ve been dealing with this for a year now,” he said.“Wearing a mask is a sign of respect, and when you’re not it’s just incredibly disrespectful. Just wear a mask. that’s literally the least we can do at this point.”
A 29-year-old Omaha man said he’s still suffering from the side effects of COVID-19, three months after testing positive for the virus.
Doctors call him a COVID-19 ‘long-hauler’ but there aren’t many answers on how to help him. He said after getting the virus, his life has never been the same.
Painting is a passion for Jared Staben.
“This is my favorite one,” he said, showing a painting.
Creativity is his outlet, but COVID-19 crept in and took it away.
“It’s so frustrating because I have all of these hobbies that I used to do beforehand, I’ve written a book, I paint, well, used to paint,” Staben said.
“It’s very difficult now for me to focus long enough to be able to get more than a paragraph or half a canvas.”
Staben tested positive in November, after a 103-degree fever.
“The day after Thanksgiving, I had a fever of 103. Then loss of taste, loss of smell, it really felt like somebody had punched me right here in the face. All of my joints just felt like they were on fire,” he said.
The 29-year-old said he had every symptom, but one refuses to go away months later.
“Episodes of delirium, forgetting who I am, where I am. Instead of brain fog, it’s just like a waking delirium because one minute I’ll be fine and the next minute I start to zone out and it feels like I’m in a haze,” Staben said.
Staben is what doctor’s call a “long-hauler.”
He’s testing negative, but still struggling with the side effects of the virus.
“There’s so much I don’t know, there’s so much the doctors don’t know and I’m just in limbo,” Staben said.
Staben said last week he fell during an episode. Doctors thought it might be a seizure, so he got an MRI.
“Thankfully there’s no sign of a stroke or anything but it doesn’t explain any of these other symptoms,” he said.
“It has been very frustrating, there have been a couple times when I just feel lost, depressed.”
Staben wants people to take the virus seriously and mask up.
“I never thought this could happen. And I just wish that everybody would wake up. We’ve been dealing with this for a year now,” he said.
“Wearing a mask is a sign of respect, and when you’re not it’s just incredibly disrespectful. Just wear a mask. that’s literally the least we can do at this point.”