hauntedyouthus

[hauntedyouthus]

COVID19

So, it happened. I didn’t think that it would happen to me but it did. I was tested for COVID19 and it came back positive. I had a mild case of it but even the mild case was scary. This is a wakeup call people… it’s not the flu. Not even close. Let’s start at the beginning… to when I was exposed…

               Saturday – I was working at a restaurant/bar where I work one or two nights a week for extra cash. It was Saturday night – a normally busy night that had thankfully been slow this particular day. I had a customer who was joking saying that they had left Philly because Philly had shut down all non-essential businesses (including restaurants and bars) due to an outbreak of coronavirus and they just wanted to party. They coughed a bit, but I attributed it to the fact that they were smoking. There was a live band that night and I had to get close to them to hear their order – not a good practice of social distancing. I made sure to wash my hands frequently and sanitize after going to every table. But I must have breathed it in or touched my face at some point throughout the night.

               Sunday – All non-essential businesses were closed throughout all of PA.  My manager reached out to me to let me know that the restaurant would be closed and I could work take-out if I wanted to. I didn’t so I turned down the offer. I figured I could use the time off to do grad work.

               Monday – I started feeling sick. Not COVID19 sick but off. I had some chest tightness, a slight cough, and was tired. Thought nothing of it other than seasonal allergies, it’ll pass.

               Tuesday – I woke up with chest pain that wouldn’t go away. It was all day. My cough had got worse but I still wasn’t worried about the cough. I was worried about the chest pain. It was so uncomfortable and I was really distressed by how it wouldn’t go away. I honestly was worried that I was having a heart attack. I reached out to my friend who is an ER nurse and she suggested I go to the hospital. I was stubborn and said I would just call the cardiologist in the morning.

               Wednesday – I woke up with chest pain again. Not as bad as Tuesday but still there. I called my cardiologist at 11 and they asked me to come in at 11:20… Sure. No problem. Hastily I got dressed, threw my hair into a messy bun and went. They screened me before I went in, gave me a mask, and within minutes they had me laying down hooked up to an EKG. The doctor saw the results came in and told me that my EKG was fine but based on my symptoms he wanted me to be tested further. He sent me for bloodwork and scheduled an EKG for Friday. He believed based on my symptoms that I had swelling around my heart which could be related to a matter of things including a viral infection. Went for the bloodwork, was given a mask, and at this point my anxiety was pretty high. I got home and felt like I was having a hard time breathing. Brushed it off as just anxiety. By the time I was getting ready for bed, my breathing had gotten worse and so had my coughing. I couldn’t sleep. Every time I lay down the coughing would get worse. I was gasping for air at some points. I was starting to get scared at this point. I still didn’t think I had coronavirus. I thought no way, not me. But I couldn’t breathe right and I couldn’t stop coughing. This went on the whole night but eventually eased up closer to 4 in the morning. I closed my eyes and fell asleep for about 2 hours. I was woken up by the sudden urge to try to take a deep breath. I couldn’t. I just gasped for air.

               Thursday – After not having slept and struggling to breathe all night, I was exhausted. I stayed in bed all day – sitting up and watching movies. My doctor called me with the results of my bloodwork that afternoon. Everything was normal including my inflammatory markers. He did mention that they were on the higher end of normal though. I was coughing a lot throughout the day and struggling to catch my breath after but it wasn’t as bad as the night before so I didn’t think anything of it again. I didn’t have much of an appetite all day and didn’t bother trying to eat. I thought at this point maybe I was coming down with something… still not thinking it was coronavirus. By the time I was getting ready for bed, my breathing was labored. I was struggling getting a good breath in. I was dizzy, tired, and just wanted to lie down but when I did the coughing got worse and I couldn’t catch my breath. I went through the night like this. At one point, I had to bend over on my hands and knees trying to get a breath in. It was around 2 A.M. at this point and I was fearful that I wasn’t going to get any sleep.

               Friday – I must have fallen asleep at some point Thursday night and woke up Friday fighting to get a breath in around 6 am. I was going to the cardiologist that afternoon for my ECG so I decided to try to be productive in the morning. I tried cleaning but was instantly exhausted and felt like I just needed to relax. I watched some movies on Netflix. I realized I hadn’t eaten anything Thursday so I decided to make myself a salad for lunch. I barely got through one bite of food before I was struggling again. I had to try to catch my breath and I was nauseous and dizzy. I ended up just lying in bed until it was time for me to leave. I got to the cardiologist, was screened given a mask, waited a few minutes and then was brought in for my ECG. The woman doing my ECG had to ask me to not try to take a deep breath because it was messing up her image of my heart. It was a struggle for me because I felt like I needed a deep breath even though I knew I was having a hard time anyways. When it was over and I went home, I felt a little better again thinking that whatever was wrong with me was passing… I was wrong. Friday night was the start of the worst of it for me. I couldn’t breathe. I was gasping for air for what felt like hours. I was scared. My head was pounding. My chest was burning. And then I got one good breath in. But that one breath led to a coughing fit which in turn resulted in me fighting to catch my breath for hours again. This went on all night.

               Saturday – Exactly one week from when I think I was exposed. I was so tired. Felt so sick and was now thinking something was wrong. My doctor called me early that morning with the results from the ECG and told me that the lining of my heart was swollen. It could be that it was irritated from me coughing so much but he said that he suggests I be tested for COVID19. I called my family doctor and did a telemedicine visit. She put an order for a test for me and I went right away. They took my vitals when I got there, my heart rate was high and I had a fever. Then came the test. The test was awful. I guess people say it’s basically like the flu test but I’ve never had a flu test before. They use a swab and stick it up your nose, twist it around and then do it again on the other side. It made my eyes water and my nose run but once it was over, it was over. I was told I would have the results in 7 to 10 days. I went home, scared and worried. My roommate went out and bought me some medicine to help manage my symptoms. All day Saturday, I was struggling to breathe, I was coughing, I had a headache, my chest hurt, and I was flat out miserable. I didn’t sleep again Saturday night. It was like Friday night all over again.

               Sunday – I had a low grade fever from the moment I woke up - 99.7. I was also so fatigued (probably because I haven’t slept in days at this point), coughing, struggling to catch my breath, and my chest hurt. I stayed in bed, feeling miserable and scared. I still haven’t eaten at this point but I wasn’t hungry. The reality was starting to set in that I might not be okay. I honestly didn’t think I was going to survive. By nighttime, I decided to try to sleep early. I took Mucinex PM to try to help me sleep through the coughing and difficulty breathing. Surprisingly, it worked. I slept through the night.

Monday – I woke up with no fever. My cough wasn’t as deep as previously so I thought that I was getting better. Breathing was a little easier – still a struggle but easier. I thought to myself – okay, it can’t be coronavirus because I’m already getting better. I still didn’t feel well but I felt like I could see the other side of this, the recovery. But it was short lived. Even with the Tylenol and Mucinex my fever came back by NOON. I was coughing again, struggling to breath, etc. My anxiety kicked in too at this point and my hands and feet were sweating and tingling and I was scared. I was literally open-mouthed gasping for air but unable to get a deep breath. I went through the whole night like this. Another sleepless night.

Tuesday – Low fever, headache, cough, but not struggling to catch my breath as often. I tried a little solid food but ended up having a coughing fit immediately after the first couple bites. I was weak and tired and my lungs felt like they were on fire after coughing. But I managed to sleep Tuesday night, thankfully.

Wednesday – Still coughing, still had a low fever, still struggling to catch my breath. I was doing better than Tuesday, though. I ate soup, drank a protein shake, and felt like I could be on the mend.

Thursday – I went backwards. I felt so sick again. I didn’t sleep well Wednesday. I was up constantly trying to catch my breath or cough.

Friday – Coughing a lot again. Any activity resulted in a deep cough and then 5 to 10 minutes of trying to catch my breath afterwards. But I ate finally. I actually had an appetite. My breathing was easier but still not great. After each bite, it took me a few minutes to catch my breath again before the next bite. That left me feeling exhausted and frustrated. However, I realized that I was doing much better today than I was a week ago. Progress has been slow but I am doing better.

Saturday – So that brings us to today – I got a call at 11 am this morning. They had my test results. The woman sounded chipper at first but immediately after I confirmed that I was in fact who I am, her voice got very low and she told me that I am positive for COVID19. It took me a little while to process my thoughts and emotions but I decided that I could use this to help others. I know every case is different but if someone else is going through a mild case and is scared or anxious, there is hope. I am exactly at two weeks from when I was exposed and I feel better. Not great, hell not even good, but better. The worst is over (hopefully) and I’m recovering. I still fight to catch my breath every 20 or 30 minutes and I still have coughing fits and eating is still a struggle. But I’m getting better and I refuse to stop trying to get better.

So people, please take this seriously. I was fighting to breathe for days and was scared out of my mind. I didn’t know if I was going to come out of this alive or not. Thankfully, I did start getting better. Thankfully it was a mild case. There are people out there that have it much worse than I did or do. Do your part and stay home. Self-isolation and social distancing is the only way that we can flatten the curve.

TL;DR – I have a mild case of coronavirus. I coughed a lot, fought for my breath, but I’m getting better.