SoCal nurse who beat COVID gives breathing technique tips for those with breathing trouble

Southern California registered nurse Jeb Bautista and his wife both tested positive for the coronavirus in December. Their kids tested negative.

Only Bautista ended up in the ER. His oxygen levels were low and his hands were turning blue.

"The ER doctor took the X-ray and talked to me twice and says, 'Your lungs are full...I have not seen worse,'" he recalled.

Bautista recovered with the help of doctors and nurses and also some simple breathing techniques.

He now shares these techniques on YouTube to help COVID patients survive the potentially debilitating breathing issues.

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"Educate the public before they get there to that trouble zone, and if they remember these steps, they have a better chance of not getting intubated," he said.

Not only does his expertise come from his medical background. He's also drawing from his experience battling the virus himself.

"I inhale for five seconds, I hold it for another five seconds to let oxygen transfer in my lungs. I purse my lips and blow five seconds of air out," he explains.

He said doing this gets the air where it's needed most, and it gives infected individuals a fighting chance against a disease that continues to take such a heavy toll.

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