Mind over matter

This blog post is part of IDF’s Stories Project, designed to provide a venue for those living with PI to share their experiences. Some are first-person accounts, others are written by IDF staff. If you have a story you’d like to share, email us at stories@primaryimmune.org.

In this Stories Project blog, Chase Kranston, in his own words, tells the story of his battle with COVID-19. Chase developed symptoms in June and required hospitalization to help him recover from the virus. He is sharing his experience to spread awareness of how COVID-19 can affect persons with PI.

My name is Chase Kranston. I’m 23 years old and I was diagnosed with X-linked agammaglobulinemia, or XLA, at 18 months old.

This is my story about primary immunodeficiency as it relates to dealing with the COVID-19 epidemic. My experience with COVID-19 took place in June and July of this year. This virus almost took my life, and I have many doctors and nurses to thank, as well as God, for caring for me and healing me so that I can share my story.

I contracted COVID-19 in late June. My girlfriend caught it, and therefore, I had been exposed just by being around her. I got tested the following day after her positive result, and came home that night and began to have symptoms myself. Later the following week, my test came back positive. At this point, I had symptoms for almost a week. Nothing serious — a 99-degree fever and some fatigue.

Week two was an absolute living hell. My fever would not break for longer than an hour, and then only with Advil. The fever had upgraded from 99 degrees to 105 degrees. I had chills, sweats, cough, fatigue, headache, loss of appetite, loss of taste and smell — you name a symptom, I probably had it.

At the end of week two, I checked into Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Health Center in downtown Orlando, Florida where I live. They kept me for four days — during which time I tested negative for COVID-19 three different times. They released me and I went home to let my parents care for me, and I began to feel a bit better.

However, on Friday of the following week, I began to have problems breathing. It felt like someone had their hands gripped around my throat and they were choking me to death while simultaneously someone else was sitting on my chest.

My parents rushed me to the emergency room at Orlando Health Doctor P. Phillips Hospital at 2 a.m. on Saturday. My SpO2 level (oxygen level) was 63 percent when they got me to a room. (Normal oxygen level is 95 percent or higher). They tested me again, and this time I was positive for COVID-19.

I was told that if my SpO2 level dropped any lower, that I would be put on a ventilator and most likely wouldn’t live longer than another day or two. I was put on a BiPap (bilevel positive airway pressure) machine to try and pump my lungs full of air, as they had stopped functioning properly and had begun to collapse. The BiPap helped increase my oxygen levels to around 80 percent, which was enough for them to transfer me into the ICU. 

At this point, I had not considered myself Christian for a very long time, and spent lots of time running away from God and telling Him I didn’t need Him. I sat in my hospital bed that night and prayed to God to save me and told Him that if He pulled me through it, I would take every opportunity to tell others about what power He has.

The next morning, I was removed from ICU status. Two days after that, I was removed from the BiPap machine and placed on normal oxygen. Two days after that, I was discharged and sent home to recover. I spent a total of eight days in the hospital the second time around.

The recovery process has been very long. It’s still ongoing and I’m still having tests done to ensure that I don’t deal with any more symptoms or deal with long-lasting side effects.

One of the problems my immunologist noticed is that since I’ve been out of the hospital, I’ve had allergic reactions to my SubQ medication. When I finish a treatment and remove the pins, there is a white circle surrounded by red skin. The next day my skin blisters and bursts, and then scabs over immediately. My doctor has switched my medication to see if COVID-19 affected my tolerance to what I was on prior. I have to wait for my injection sites to heal before injecting again.

My advice to others is don’t wait to go to the hospital like I did. I went a week with very weak symptoms, so I thought I’d be fine. The second week, as I said before, was an absolute nightmare. I should have gone to the hospital on Tuesday of week two rather than on Friday. I also should have monitored myself more closely once I was released from the hospital the first time around.

What I learned from the nurses is that the two biggest concerns surrounding COVID-19 patients currently are breathing (lung) and cardiovascular problems such as arrhythmia and high blood pressure.

From my experience, I would recommend that if you test positive, monitor your breathing and heartbeat. Even if you notice a slight change, like wheezing after going up or down the stairs, or if you feel like you have to think about breathing in order to do it, or if you notice a new cough — go to the hospital. If you notice your heart is skipping a beat or is beating irregularly, even if it’s for 10 seconds — go to the hospital.

The biggest problem doctors are dealing with now are the lasting effects of this virus on patients. Do not

 wait if you feel something is off. That is your best bet at not ending up staring death in the face like I did.

I want people to understand that this virus is very real and it has all the potential to do harm to you. Some people think it’s a hoax or it isn’t as serious, and that is why I want to tell my story — so that others may learn and may take more steps to protect themselves.

God has delivered me from death, and I have no doubt will protect me from whatever is to come. I hope that others may read my story and find comfort and inspiration. God bless and stay safe. 

Chase Kranston is recovering at home after enduring a life-threatening experience with COVID-19.