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Tom's RSV Story

Video transcript

On Screen Text

RSV infection in older adults typically causes mild cold-like symptoms including runny nose, sore throat, cough, and headache. But in older adults it can progress to more severe disease involving the lower respiratory tract.

Tom is a patient advocate and survivor of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This is his experience; others' experiences with RSV may be different. Tom is not a healthcare provider. He was compensated by GSK for his participation in this program.

Tom

I realize that the first thing we do in life is take an in breath and the last thing that we do in life is have an out breath. It's very important that we be aware of our breathing. I had no idea RSV could affect older adults like me the way that it did.

On Screen Text

Tom’s RSV Story

Tom

My wife and I built a house on a little farm that my daughter owns and began spending a good amount of time with my two grandsons. When I was taking the boys to school, the younger of the two had been coughing a lot. We thought that, you know, it was probably the flu or a severe cold. Next thing you know, I'm coughing, and it just kept getting worse and worse, and I felt like I had something in my lungs. And so, for me, I've always been able to, like, cough something loose. It didn't matter how hard I coughed, the feeling was still there. It was horrible. After several days, my daughter suggested that I go in and have somebody see what was going on. When I first went to the doctor, the test that they gave me was a nasal swab, and that is the test that determined that I had RSV. He explained to me that adults can get it, but the adults who seem to be affected by it the most are the elderly. I guess I never thought of myself as being elderly, but I was told that was the reason that I was having such a bad case of it.

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RSV is usually mild, though in older adults, it can sometimes be severe.

Tom

The doctor told me that there was no specific treatment for RSV. He told me that there might be medications that would be able to treat my symptoms. After being diagnosed with RSV, I mentioned it to my daughter, who told me that my grandson had been tested and his test came back positive that he in fact had RSV as well. I'm used to doing things outside, and I basically didn't have any energy at all. I felt like I wanted to take a nap when I got up in the morning and just didn't have any energy to do much of anything.

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Most RSV infections go away on their own in a week or two.

Tom

I was thankful that after a few days of treatment I began to realize that my lungs were feeling better, and apparently the treatment was helping me. I would certainly hope that my RSV experience would allow others to be aware that if a cough-induced breathing issue arises don't risk not getting checked out. Go see your physician and have it diagnosed.

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Trademarks are owned by or licensed to the GSK group of companies.
©2023 GSK or licensor.
RSAVID230010 April 2023
Produced in USA.

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