#i’ve finally recovered enough from being ill with covid to actually be able to listen to music again

[uhbasicallyjustmilex]

i am not the same person i was before i listened to one man band

[rachelroams]

COVID-19 "ASK ME ANYTHING”

Are we permitted to share your story?

Go for it! I have made all posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter public so that sharing is easy.

Can you make your story shareable off-platform?

You got it. Because you’ve requested to share with people who are not on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, I’ve published this shareable, blog-style version of my experience: https://bit.ly/Covid19RRTumblr.

What do you think the incubation period was from when you got coronavirus to when you started actually seeing symptoms?

Tough to say. According to the CDC, symptoms can take between 2-14 days to appear, “with a median time of 4-5 days from exposure to symptoms onset.” My symptoms appeared on March 14th, but I could have been exposed anytime between March 5-12 during my travels on the East Coast. My incubation period was therefore somewhere between 2 to 9 days.

Do you have any idea where specifically you might have gotten Covid? Does anyone stand out as sick from your travels?

Unfortunately, I don’t know. I could have caught the virus as soon as I stepped off the plane in NYC on March 5th, or it could have been during my final flight back to PDX on Mar 12th. I don’t recall anyone appearing worryingly ill along the way.

Did you contact people you encountered to warn them you might have Covid-19, or was it too late?

As soon as I was administered the Covid-19 test on March 19th, I reached out to the colleagues I had worked with over the last week and a half to let them know of my potential exposure to coronavirus. This was perhaps the scariest part of my journey: informing people I know and love that I may have contracted the virus during our time together.

What supplies do you suggest people have on hand in case they get sick? // What essentials made you more comfortable?

To navigate my individual list of symptoms, I needed an ample supply of the following:

Acetaminophen for pain and fever relief

Daytime cough suppressant (dextromethorphan-based for dry cough)

Nighttime cough suppressant (dextromethorphan-based for dry cough + sedating antihistamine diphenhydramine or doxylamine for sleep aid)

Cough drops (natural herb with menthol)

Hydration (Gatorade, chamomile tea with honey and lemon, broths [miso and bouillon])

My husband and I noted my symptoms three times per day to watch for any changes—once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once before bed. In order to keep detailed records, we needed:

Thermometer

Note pad

Pen

Due to my high fever, it was impossible to regulate my body temperature. I fluctuated between very hot and very cold, including sweating and shivering. Three things that made this experience more bearable were:

Stockpile of clean, dry changes of clothes (mostly pajamas)

Pile of blankets I could throw on or off

Occasional soak in hot water (standing shower avoided due to weakness and potential for dizziness/falling)

Did you change your eating and drinking habits while you were sick? If so, how? // What did you feel like eating?

I lost my appetite completely when I was sick, so the main concern became keeping hydrated. During that time, I subsisted on water, Gatorade, chamomile tea with honey and lemon, and bouillon and miso broth. I also nibbled away at the occasional cake cookie, inspired by bingeing The Great British Baking Show.

Once I began recovering, a friend sent me this personal account of Covid-19, which was published in Bon Appetit. I think it’s a helpful guide, and wish I’d read it before I fell ill:

“What I Wish I Did: A Guide to Getting Through Covid-19 Alone”

What was your favorite escape? A good book? Video games?

When I was sickest, there was little I could do but lie still and seek distraction from my condition. Reading, gaming, moving, and even talking presented too much of a challenge, so I spent my days catching up on shows and movies I usually don’t have the time to watch. Favorite escapes included:

Great British Baking Show, Love is Blind, Call the Midwife – Netflix

Counterpart, The Expanse – Amazon

Harry Potter, Hook, A Little Princess, essentially any content from happier times

Did you stay isolated from your partner the whole time? // What precautions did you take to keep each other safe? // Did your husband ever develop symptoms? // Was he able to get tested?

When I first got back from my work trip on the East Coast, my husband and I decided to self-isolate together for 14 days in case I had brought any illnesses home. We did not think I would actually get sick—we simply figured we were taking precautions to protect others “in case.”

Unfortunately, we did not start isolating from one another until I was already ill with Covid-19. In hindsight, we should have isolated from one another as soon as I got home, knowing that no matter how young and healthy we figured I was, I could still pose a risk in the days to come.

Thankfully, Todd never developed symptoms. As a result, he was not eligible for a Covid-19 test where we are. That said, we believe he was likely a “silent carrier” who contracted the virus but did not show symptoms.

Would you know if your symptoms would be classified as mild, medium or severe? I’ve read that 80% of people experience no symptoms to mild symptoms, but wondering what mild even means.

Based on the severity of my symptoms, my case would be classified as somewhere between mild and moderate. Severe to critical cases, according to the CDC, involve: dyspnea (difficulty breathing without assistance via supplemental oxygen or a ventilator), hypoxia (deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching tissues), respiratory failure, shock, multi-organ failure.

Did you get a flu shot last year?

I did get a flu shot in fall 2019. It did not prevent transmission of Covid-19.

Was there ever any thought or conversation about requesting hydroxychloroquine?

There was not.

In your opinion, what do you think happened to your test?

I wish I knew. Since sharing my story, I have heard from a number of people regarding missing tests across the country. Below are just a couple of those messages.

“I know someone in Texas whose test also went missing.”

“Sadly, you are not the first (nor would I guess, the last) person I have heard of whose test swabs went missing or got separated from documentation so that results will never come.” 

If your test got lost, does that mean you were counted in the statistics of Covid-19 cases?

Because my test was lost, my case is not counted in official statistics.

Did they not offer to re-test you after your test was lost?

They did not offer to re-test me. Since I was informed that my swab was missing 13 days after I took the test, new tests were being given to patients who needed them most at that time.

Have your doctors given you any advice on what to expect in the short and long term as you continue to improve?

This virus is so unfamiliar that no one really knows what to expect. I was advised to stay home, rest, and recover in isolation. Here’s a new NYTimes piece on the subject:

“We Need to Talk About What Coronavirus Recoveries Look Like: They’re a lot more complicated than most people realize”

Was there anything you did in terms of physical exercise that you feel helped with recovery, or did you feel that rest helped more?

Rest, rest, and more rest. It has been over a month since I first experienced symptoms, and I’m not yet back on the horse when it comes to exercise. Normally, I work out 5-6 days a week. Right now, I’m just doing my best to listen to what my body’s requesting, and that is time and space to recuperate.

Are you okay now?

I'm finding that my recovery ebbs and flows. Some days, I feel mostly normal again, and some days I feel so low on strength and energy that I just want to sleep for a couple days straight.  Whatever the day brings, I’m doing my best to trust the healing process, and remember how hard my body has been fighting to defeat this unfamiliar threat.

When you think about it, it’s amazing that the human form is figuring out how to fight something both brutal and completely new to our species. I find that inspiring.

Would you consider donating plasma for the Covid antibodies once you’re well enough?

Absolutely. I am already registered with the Red Cross to donate. They will contact me as soon as antibodies tests are available.  

Have you reached out to news orgs with your story?

I have not. My main goal with sharing my story was to help others feel better informed, or more likely to stay home, or even just like this virus now has a face and is therefore more real to them. That said, if any of you would like to share my story with outlets for further publication, please let me know. I am happy to consider sharing anywhere that my story can be of service to people.

Do you think it has influenced your lifestyle or approach to life in the coming years?

Fascinating question! It’s probably too early to tell what long-term effects this virus may have on a person’s life—mine included. However, I do know that this slowed-down moment in time has offered me the invitation to take each day as it comes. It has presented me the gift of perspective. And it has reminded me that joy lives not in what we accomplish each day, but rather how present we are while we’re living it.

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RESOURCES & CONTINUED LEARNING

CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

WHO: https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus

JHU: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html