My experience with covid19

[lightbulb27]

Written December 2020:

I recently tested positive for covid19 after not feeling good and had nearly all the symptoms of covid. This is what it was like for me. I recommend you stay away from it at all costs.

Day 1 was very slight cough, not worth noting. Within a few days I was still working but getting more lethargic. I did my physical work and ate as normal. I felt a little down is all.

Day 2-6: continued to be mild, I worked (by myself).

Day 7: finally got my covid test, results due in several days. My girlfriend was convinced at this point I had covid, but wasn't obvious to me, could have been flu or cold. I just rested more. and stopped working by now.

Day 8-10: it hit hard with massive chills, fever, body aches, couldn't take in a breath, diarrea for days, soar throat. It wasn't so much stuffed up, that wasn't bad, it was like my lungs were blocked. Energy was cut to nothing. Didn't have motivation to move 2 ft to get water.

Day 10: called 911 as everyone thought I should and wasn't sure what other damage was going on. Released same day with some prescripts. ER very familiar with it by now. I was considerered "mild" symptoms. They only keep those whom they have to give oxygen or deal with other organ damage. my immune system was working.

Got an inhaler to help breathe and told take tylenol. Just getting energy to take meds was a lot

Day 14-15: rested, continued fever but started to lower. Symptoms subsided...no more chills, aching.

Day 16: most symptoms are gone. The lingering problem is lack of taste/smell and emotional malaize. This set in somewhere along the way and nothing sounds or tastes good. It's like a plastic world. Its impacted my mind in how I experience life, by stripping out emotion. I feel very zombie like and it's a struggle to eat because nothing tastes any good.

Headaches continue and it remains not possible to take a full breath.

[VIVANT]

Wow! Sounds exactly like what I went through last February (and December )

I actually got the inhaler the first time then a few months later got it worse.

ither Tuan the length you described it exact I completely understand how you feel.

Crazy I feel like I got it a free months ago not a year ago.

I hope you feel better soon... The post Malaise and general disconnection was the worst. My memory was completely absent I thought I was getting early onset done it’s and I really didn’t feel like myself at all for months. Breathing was difficult until last month. I thought I had fully developed adult asthma ( had it in child hood mildly) in any case I had over lapping illness maybe why it took me so long. I have been shoveling snow for a few days which is real physical activity tust I can’t remember doing since prior Illness. But hopefully you won’t feel off for so many months. Again I think it’s bc of my situation.

Thank you for sharing it was helpful to see my nearly exact experience in someone else. I wish you all the best snd as speedy recovery as possible but please be patient with yourself. The spiritual lulls were quite painful and it’s helpful I think to know it will pass.

I’m glad you have someone looking out for you... Be well, Take care 😌🌹

[lightbulb27]

comforting to hear you got through it and similar experience. did you say you got it twice?

[Screenwriter]

God, that sounds awful. I wish you the best.
When will you go back to doctor to see how your body is doing?
I hate the fact that they simply send you home and no one even SEES you for two weeks to see what's going on with your body?
What if you get longhaul Covid? Why don't they monitor your organs to see that everything is functioning properly.
Why after 16 days can you NOT get a proper breath!
I'm not impressed by your "medical" care. What country are you in?

[lightbulb27]

USA. I think their goal is to get people out of the ER as fast as possible, to only handle the severe cases where immune system not working, lungs shutting down.
I talked with my Dr a few days after and honestly, she knows very little.
I did a followup covid test which shows I'm negative... albiet they said that could be wrong... e. g. it isn't so accurate.
I have to hope and trust my lungs can recover. This is nearly a month and lungs not good, taste budds messed up, mind messed up and still cough. It may take long time to heal, if ever. I'm just hopeful.
I don't know that they have anything other than take vitamin D and zinc.

[Screenwriter]

Jesus Pete. I'm shocked that you're still feeling so bad three plus weeks in and there's nothing you can do.
I hope friends and family are delivering OJ and anything with zinc in it to you and checking on you daily.
No taste sounds awful Are the docs testing you? Or are you getting drugstore tests?
Both my cousins think they had covid very early on: in January and February. It took both of them, much older than you: 73 and 74, but both incredibly healthy: no underlying conditions, four to six weeks to recover.
Think in those terms and work mentally toward getting back in the swing by two months hence.
Make sure you get VOmax tests to see that your lungs are functioning properly after that time. The lung scarring thing is what scares me about this shitty illness.
I hope you were a serious exerciser: weights or biking or running and your lungs were in great shape going in. That might really help you in the long run. Good luck.

[lightbulb27]

Friends/family/girlfriend checked daily over phone, I live alone. It helped get me through.
what tests? No... it's go home and get better!!! I got a cvs drugstore test which said I don't have covid anymore, only test I had done, plus ER blood test and lung xray. It showed covid, but my system was handling it.
I thought I had covid in Feb 2020. I don't think so now, this is different.
I have a pulse o2 monitor which shows my o2 bottomed around 89, it's up around 94 now.
I was serious exerciser all my life, dirt bike, gym, ride bicycle 20-80 miles, and worked physically. probably saved me. Now, I'm not too far from 80yrs old in lungs. I can only hope they recover.
dont' get this virus.

[Screenwriter]

Where you are they don't have drive in covid tests? I'm in New Orleans and there are free test sites all over time: both fast tests, 3 hours, and the more accurate 2 to 3 day tests. You're well enough to drive to one of those. Go do it and get a better test result. Good luck.

[lightbulb27]

I did drive to a CVS for free test, that's how I found out I had it. I then did followup test at CVS which showed negative.

[Screenwriter]

Is that the three day test or the three hour one? Test that takes more time is more accurate. I'd take both to see that they jibe. I hope you get your taste and smell back. Whew.

[lightbulb27]

it was not the quick test.

[ChiTown33]

Glad you made it my friend! And thank you for the description. I think it helps to hear these stories as it helps normalize the virus. I've had 3 positive tests in my family. And all have said close to the same thing " it's like the worst cold i've EVER had".
Yes people need to know this virus can kill. But people can only keep up a level of fear for so long before they're going to go "well if i get it i get ot, i can't live like this".
As infections rates right now i'm just hoping the vaccine gets to me before the virus does.

[lightbulb27]

thank you. i was once thinking like that "just get it over with". it really is insideous and if person does the wrong things, it kills them. definitely keep taking seriously.

[ChiTown33]

Oh i am. I have since day one. We're not meeting as a family for Christmas this year. As we did with Easter in the early going (we'll prolly still connect through zoom). I'm just saying it's a virus so you can't see it. So vigilance is the only weapon a person has. And that's hard to keep up for a year.

[acooke-13]

Thanks for sharing, get well soon! I had it in October and had the mildest of symptoms, and so did my dad, who is high risk. But were safe and well, all the best

[lightbulb27]

glad to hear was mild for you!

[el_Te_de_la_Rosa]

Thank you for sharing. I wish you get well soon. Please rest more and take care.

Is it okay if I share your take and translate this for my local friends?

[lightbulb27]

yes you may, it's my warning to others. this is real and really messes with you. I am concerned about the long term effects on society of living through and having the virus. it changes the brain.

[el_Te_de_la_Rosa]

Thank you. I tried to racall my experience during Chinese New Year. I'm not sure I was infected or not. I rarely get sick, but that time it was quite severe. I supposed it was food poisoning. I had no idea.

Now in my country there is an outburst. Lots of people get infected without knowing and travel around. It'd be smart to stay at a place for the certain period of time if someone has been to a risky areas.

[joeldalton]

Mine went as follows:

Day 1: noticed a dry cough
Day 2-10; cough persisted, it was light. Occasional headaches and occasional diarrhea. Each night at 7pm I’d get a 99 degree fever and feel feverish (bleh feeling). Fever would break at 1am the next morning
Day 11 - Day 50. Cough persisted.

Fine since day 51.

[Celtero]

Eh, don't you think you would've had it as bad if you rested during days 1-6?

[lightbulb27]

good question not sure. My guess is no. I think it just hits hard once it takes enough control of lungs and organs. I didn't work too much, like 3-4 hours a day.

[Wise4myage]

Thanks for sharing, glad you're feeling better. Do you know how you were exposed to it?

[lightbulb27]

not positive, I was around people, at least one was sick with something... a homeless woman. if it was her, then it took 14 days which is the long tail. may have been anyone else I was close to as I went to stores, gym before.

[msc545]

Thank you for sharing your experience - I am glad you are alive to tell us about it. I wish you a speedy and full recovery.

[Bluemax]

What were the meds they proscribed?

I hope for your speedy recovery.

[lightbulb27]

tylenol or advil for fever. Aluterol inhaler for lungs. that's it. They said my immune system was working and lungs ok, so didn't' go any further. Either they save the big guns for others, don't have it, etc.. dont' know. but I didn't get any offers for more.

[lightbulb27]

I understand hospitals are encourating Vit D 4000 UI's, zinc several hundred % over RDA and asperin 325mg. That seems to lessen symptoms.

[Anonymous]

I'll still take that over this stupid lockdown

[lightbulb27]

That's what I said prior to getting covid. "just get it over with and get it so I can move on. That was a bad move. Make the most of the lockdown. Lockdown sucks terribly. But you seriously don't want this because of possibility the consequences are long term, not just the 1-3 weeks of suffering.

I'd have 100% agreed with you 3 weeks ago. This illness is deceptively one nasty F'er... for a great many people. Lucky ones, it's very mild. Some SOB I suspect spun it up in a lab, I doubt this is natural but who knows.

I was going out eating, walking, etc.. I think you can do a lot, just take best precautions you can. It appears hot in a lot of places and you don't want to be waiting in line outside the ER if you are in one of the miserable overloaded places like CA, Detroit, etc..