Nearly A Year After Catching COVID, Long Hauler Still Struggling With Symptoms; 'I'm Better, But I'm Not Fixed. I'm Nowhere Near Where I Was'

CHICAGO (CBS) -- We've learned a lot about the pain and frustration of COVID-19. It can take many, many days to get past the labored breathing, loss of taste and smell, headaches, and other symptoms.

But a growing number of patients suffer from "long COVID," with symptoms that last for months, or even longer.

CBS 2's Audrina Bigos introduces us to one local COVID "long hauler," and some of the specialists who are helping him.

At 47, Dan Gervase, of New Lenox, enjoyed a healthy life; but it all came crashing down when he got COVID-19 in March of 2021.

"I didn't think it was going to affect me as bad as it was," he said. "It gradually took a hard turn, took a really hard turn."

Dan spent six days at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, but when he came home, his symptoms came with him.

"Physically, I felt like I was on death's door," he said. "Like I said, pneumonia, my body was just lethargic. I was just achy."

Almost a year later, it's not over yet.

"I'm better, let's say, but I'm not fixed. I'm nowhere near where I was," he said.

It's estimated that one-third of COVID patients, like Dan, become COVID long haulers. They're COVID-free, but they still struggle with symptoms.

"They prevent them from doing their activities of daily living. They prevent them from caring for their families, and even going to work. Some patients can't even get out of bed," said Dr. Rachel Welbel, a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist at Advocate Christ Medical Center.

Lingering symptoms range from shortness of breath and joint pain to rapid heartbeat, loss of taste and smell, and more. And it can happen to any COVID patient.

"The struggle for the patient is that the severity of initial infection at times does not really predict their degree and severity of some of the symptoms, " said Dr. Sarah Usmani, a pulmonologist at Advocate Christ Medical Center.

Dan still has some breathing issues, but the worst lingering symptoms are memory loss and brain fog.

For those who ask what it's like he compared it to zoning out, and staring off into space, but not being able to snap out of it.

It all brought Dan back to Christ Medical Center, and the Post COVID-19 Recovery Clinic, where a team of specialists help patients cope.

"Since each patient is very, very complicated, and everyone has had a very different course, we utilize specific therapies; like speech therapy, physical, occupational therapy. We focus on different medications and supplements, and a lot of education," Welbel said.

Because Dan's problems centered on words, the clinic gave him a huge workbook with exercises called "perplexers."

"They force me to think really hard. I do word search, crossword puzzles," he said. "That was my mental exercise."

And he learned easy ways to communicate when the brain fog takes over.

"I'd be searching for a word, like mask," he said. "I would utilize my hands, gestures, write things down, little bullet points so I could go back to them."

"This recovery course is very tumultuous, and it's not in a straight line," Welbel said.

Dan says what gets him through is family, friends, and new perspective.

"Not everything is as critical. Not everything is life and death anymore. I've kind of gone through life and death thing, and I was able to get through it. There's going to be obstacles, there's still obstacles, but I'm going to make it through it," he said.

Welbel said most of the long haulers treated at the clinic were not vaccinated when they came down with COVID. She says so many cases can be prevented if people roll up their sleeves.

Dan wasn't eligible for the vaccine when he got COVID, but he's since gotten fully vaccinated and boosted, and hopes others will do the same.