SAN ANTONIO — Some Texans say they've found themselves battling the novel coronavirus not once, but twice. At least that was the case for Adam Stadler, a resident of Hunt, Texas who says the disease returned with a vengeance after he initially was diagnosed and recovered from it earlier this year.
Stadler's wife, Audrey, got sick with the virus as well. At one point, it was a matter of life or death.
"Whose life is more important and who has a better chance of making it through this," she said.
Adam called it "two weeks of pure living hell." In March, he said, was the first time he tested positive for COVID-19. He dealt with symptoms for two weeks before his condition worsened and he was admitted to a local hospital for treatment.
He was later discharged and even tested negative twice as he started feeling better. But his road to recovery would end up in a dead end when the familiar signs of sickness returned.
"The symptoms, all the classic symptoms this last round was tenfold," he said.
It was in this go-round with the coronavirus that Audrey got infected as well.
"My wife gets it, severe," he said. "Three days later, severe symptoms."
At one point, Audrey said, she was coughing up blood for 14 hours. Adam says he developed shingles.
"I was crying, it hurt so bad," he said.
The couple is doing better now, but they are still worried.
"We still don't know if Adam is going to get this again," Audrey said. "I mean, is it possible to get it a third time?"
It turns out there are still so many unknowns. Doctors say they don't know if it is possible to get re-infected. Dr. Bryan Alsip, with University Health System, said he has heard about similar cases in the San Antonio area.
"It hard to know if a second positive is a true reinfection, or is it a persistence of this virus that went re-detected," the doctor said.
The Stadlers still aren't in the clear; they're still battling symptoms this week, a few months after Adam's first battle began.
"It is like coronavirus has a clock on me and Adam," Audrey said "'OK, ya'll aren't sleeping.' Adam gets the chest pain bad at night, and the cough."
Their outlook on life has changed, but they say they hope this will soon be behind them. They credit doctors in Houston for helping them.
"You just have to keep going, and know that some way this is going to work out," the couple said. "We are on the other side. The worst is way behind us. It has to be."
The couple said the virus greatly impacted the way they think. Adam has an appointment next week with a neurologist, and medical bills are already coming in as well. They just got one for more than $2,000.
He hasn't worked since April. They couple said they did save some money, but want to warn others to be prepared. They also want to remind people to wear their mask, and stay home as much as possible.