Fighting a Monster Infection

One person’s H1N1 survival story

A close call—Newlywed Dennis Romero nearly died from H1N1 flu. Thanks to a quick-thinking medical team, he’s well along in his recovery and once again enjoying life with his wife, Celena, and the pugs.

Few will forget Dennis and Celena Romero’s wedding reception. It took place last Halloween at Allentown Brew Works, and the costumed guests were greeted by a skeleton in a tux. Dennis came as Frankenstein, Celena as the monster’s bride. “It was a second marriage for each of us, and we just wanted to have fun,” Celena says. Little did they know the event would become a real-life horror story.

Dennis had felt under the weather for several days. The H1N1 influenza epidemic was making headlines, so Celena handed out hand sanitizer and face masks. She wasn’t worried
about Dennis, who rarely got sick. But as the party wore on, he felt progressively worse and eventually decided he’d better get to Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest.

“Every so often, you get a case you’ll remember for the rest of your life,” says Jaan Naktin, M.D., an infectious disease specialist at the hospital. “This was one of them.” Dennis tested positive for H1N1, and the raging infection was shutting down organs as he went into septic shock. “His blood pressure was low and his heart rate was high—signs of a very serious infection,” says intensivist Jennifer Rovella, D.O. “This was one of the sickest people I’ve ever treated.”

The ICU team quickly put Dennis on a breathing machine and six different medications to raise his blood pressure, but he was rapidly fading. “Dr. Rovella had to tell me she’d done everything she could,” Celena says. “She had tears in her eyes. I couldn’t believe this was happening to a healthy 47-year-old.” Holding Dennis’ hand, Celena begged him to fight for his life.

And so he did. The two-month battle included infection-related kidney failure, liver problems, bowel obstruction, a small heart attack and a collapsed lung. The infectious disease team administered peramivir, a new experimental medication that can be used to fight H1N1 infection. “That helped his fever come down so his body could begin to recover,” Naktin says. Dennis had another thing going for him: the hospital’s “tele-intensivist” technology allowed specially educated physicians to monitor him 24/7.

Slowly recuperating over several more months, Dennis now feels he’s had a new beginning. “I can’t put into words the gratitude I feel for the quick thinking and problem-solving of my medical team,” he says. “They saved my life, and now I’m enjoying every minute of every day.”

Published from Healthy You Magazine, September October 2010

This page last updated 8/19/10 04:01 PM