San Francisco nurse battling COVID-19 shares shocking weight-loss photos

SAN FRANCISCO -- A nurse in San Francisco went viral after he posted a shocking before and after photo of his battle with COVID-19.

Mike Shultz spent more than six weeks in a Boston-area hospital where he spent most of the time on a ventilator.

RELATED: UCSF doctor treating COVID-19 patients in NYC speaks candidly about his experience

Shultz, who goes by moniker The Bearded Nurse on Instagram, shared his ordeal on social media as a warning to others.

"I wanted to show everyone how badly being sedated for six weeks on a ventilator or intubated can be," he wrote. "Amongst other things, COVID-19 reduced my lung capacity with pneumonia."

He said he spent more than eight weeks away from family and friends. The fitness enthusiast said he's working to increase his lung capacity, and hopes to get back in the gym soon.

"I'll get back to where I was in healthier ways this time," he said.

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