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‘I thought I was checking out’

Marshall resident shares his fight with COVID-19 virus

Photo by Mike Lamb Marshall resident Joe Warnke, left, and his partner, Karen Brady, relax in their Marshall home. Warnke recently recovered from the COVID-19 virus. Warnke has returned to work, but Brady is still fearful of the virus and stays home.

Joe Warnke remembers June 13 as the day he grabbed a tablet and started to write down information for his obituary.

“I thought I was checking out,” he said one month after recovering from the COVID-19 virus and quarantining in his Marshall home.

That was also the day Warnke called the Avera hotline set up for people who have been exposed to COVID-19 or have symptoms. Warnke was following the instructions released by Avera on the hotline: “Anyone who thinks they might have COVID-19 should call before going to the clinic or Emergency Department to protect staff and other patients.”

Warnke started feeling poorly on June 1 and was experiencing respiratory issues the rest of the week. He decided to get tested for the COVID-19 virus on June 5 and he received a call on June 7 that he was positive.

Warnke is not sure where he contracted the virus. He wore a face mask while working as a security guard at Turkey Valley Farms in Marshall, but he didn’t wear one when shopping or at other public areas. He was among 25 people who received positive test results in Lyon County that weekend, according to Minnesota Department of Health data.

Throughout his ordeal, Warnke claims he never experienced a fever, but struggled to breathe. He likened his coughing episodes to the croup, which also obstructs breathing.

“My breathing was a little worse and then my energy went,” he said. “I mean my breathing was hard. Your energy went. You couldn’t even get out of the recliner. I didn’t leave that chair for nine days. I went to the bathroom, I had a little bit of food — lived on Gatorade.”

Warnke’s sense of taste left him and he lost 14 pounds.

“I fought it, I fought it. On the 13th I called the hotline and said, ‘hey, my breathing isn’t very good,’ They said, ‘are you breathing?’ I said, ‘I’m breathing, but I think I need to see somebody.’ They just said, ‘stay home and it’s fine.’ “

So Warnke stayed home. But his partner, Karen Brady, was worried.

“That’s when I decided to put the humidifier in our bedroom. But what I did during this time, I burned sage and opened up the windows,” she said.

“Then the orange peels,” Warnke said.

“He was gasping for air. I boiled some orange peelings and the steam coming out. He sat here (pointing to the kitchen) and steamed himself. We did that twice and it was also a breakthrough for him. He was able to cough something up,” Brady said.

Brady got tested for COVID-19 after Warnke tested positive, but received a letter informing her the test came back negative.

“I was sitting on pins and needles,” Warnke said of waiting for Brady’s test results. He was worried because she is a smoker. Both are in their 60s, an age group considered risky for COVID-19, according to the CDC.

And Brady still had to live in the same house that Warnke was quarantining himself.

“We were rotating (in the bedroom). He slept during the day. I would sleep at night. I had to take the time to clean and change the sheets.”

Brady says she doesn’t leave the house.

“I’m afraid to go out,” she said.

Warnke eventually recovered and returned to work on June 26.

“My quarantine was over. Fourteen days is the quarantine, Warnke said.

During a conference call with Avera officials, the Independent shared Warnke’s experience on fighting the virus with Dr. Steven Meister. He told the Independent that Warnke is “fairly lucky” his COVID-19 experience lasted only three weeks.

“That’s fairly short,” Meister said. “I have a colleague in the Cities — a chief medical officer — and it’s been three months and he’s still sick.”

Meister also cautioned that the COVID-19 virus should be taken seriously. When told of Warnke’s recollection of writing his obituary and calling the hotline, Meister recommended following your instincts about pursuing care.

“If you are that bad. If he feels like writing his obituary, I would have just come to the emergency room. And if you are feeling that horrible, if you are seriously feeling that horrible, why even waste the time calling the hotline? If you are that bad, call 911 and say I’m dying here.”

The Independent reached out to Avera Marshall on what to expect when calling the COVID-19 hotline. The communications department sent a statement.

“People who call our medical call center are also referred to a provider visit either virtual or in person. Patients have also been screened to receive home care, such as oxygen monitoring, since our hotline began in March. If the provider deems the person needs inpatient care, they are referred for this care,” the Avera statement said.

The CDC guidelines list five health signs for seeking emergency medical care for COVID-19:

• Trouble breathing.

• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest.

• New confusion.

• Inability to wake or stay awake.

• Bluish lips or face.

When told Warnke claimed he never had a fever during his ordeal, Meister said that was concerning because that’s one of the major symptoms of COVID-19.

“That shows the slyness of this virus because one of the most standard symptoms is a fever,” Meister said. “But obviously if he said he never got a fever, either A, he didn’t check his temperature — he didn’t feel like he had a fever — he didn’t know what he didn’t know. He may have had a low-grade fever. I’m just over 100, right? But he felt OK. He didn’t bother taking his temperature regularly.

“And never got the fever, that’s even more concerning because — wow — people are walking around all over and spreading it. Which is even more frightening.”

Brady, however, said she checked Warnke’s temperature daily.

Meister was also asked about possible remedies to fight the virus off. According to the CDC, rest and drinking a lot of liquids are the common treatments.

He approved of the orange peels and humidifier, but was leery of the sage burning.

“Because that’s going make smoke, and smoke is never good to inhale,” he said. “Orange peels that are made into a tea — herbal teas — as long as they are not illicit drugs. I don’t want you to mix up your marijuana passion with steam. But if you want to take your hot water, lemon juice and honey or some lemons and zest up some orange peels and make teas — I don’t think that will hurt you.”

Meister also commented on Warnke ending his quarantine and returning to work without taking another COVID-19 test.

“The recommendation is you stay at home for 14 days,” he said. “You had at least 10 days since the onset of your symptoms and at least three days where there has been no fever. This is required — no fever. And you could not have had acetaminophen or anything that takes away the fever. That means three straight days — 72 hours — without any fever.

“So how do you know that you’re not spreading the virus? Well, the long and short answer is “technically we don’t.”

Of course, the other method would be two consecutive tests involving the swabs in the nose or mouth. Meister said the tests should be conducted at least 24 hours apart, with both coming up negative. But even then, Meister said there seems to be no guarantees.

Meister brought up the community spread that hit the USS Theodore Roosevelt back in March that put in question of immunity from the virus after infected.

“They had sailors who were sick, they were quarantined, they put them on the island (Guam) and out them in barracks or hotels. And they would test them frequently. And two sailors (previously infected with COVID-19) were left back on the ship. They were negative and they were testing everybody on the ship frequently, and boom, all of sudden they’re popping up positive again. Well, what does that mean? The answer is, we don’t know what that means,” Meister said.

In Warnke’s case, he is reminded that he once had the virus every time he takes a deep breath.

“I take a really deep breath, it’s still in the lungs. Your breathing is a little off,” he said.

Once simple tasks like mowing the lawn become a little more difficult. He mows the lawn in sections so he can take breaks.

And each breath reminds him the importance of wearing a mask, something he didn’t do outside of work before he got sick.

“Wear your mask, because I got it,” he said.

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