topic Re: Sharing an Experience in Community Chat

Sharing an Experience

Desert Lily — Sat, 18 Jul 2020 18:12:37 GMT

In January, I injured my shoulder and went to urgent care. I was appalled that they combined terribly sick coughing patients with well ones in the same waiting space.

4 days later, I had a fever. 2 days after that I had diarrhea and an unusual cough. I felt so awful that I actually thought I might die & did a "phone" office visit because I couldn't drive. My brother told me to call an ambulance, but I have 2 dogs at home. I took meds & Pedialyte for the diarrhea & it had stopped after 4 horrible days. The cough lasted 5 more weeks. I had shortness of breath & weakness and had to sit down often just from doing regular daily things. I sat on my bathroom sink vanity and looked at how red my eyes were and thought it looked like I had gotten hairspray in them, but hadn't used any. I use Philosophy soaps and could not stand the smell of them. I stopped drinking milk after being a milk-drinker all my life. I barely had enough energy to feed the dogs and myself. My child lives on the east coast, and the only person that checked on me daily (dropping off meds & groceries at the door, calling, texting; never coming in) was my boss. I think I owe her my life.

I stayed home until the cough was completely gone & felt I had enough strength to get through the day there. I lost over 20 pounds, and at 5' 4" had to buy clothes that wouldn't fall off. We had a training on a new program the week I returned, and I had to tell my boss that I could tell my mind wasn't fully okay yet from my illness and asked to train later. It took at least 2 more weeks before I felt I was myself again with both physical strength and complete mind sharpness. I had no idea what my mysterious illness was, but felt lucky I survived it.

I live in a major resort area on the west coast that has many global visitors. In March, my office closed & we worked remotely. Several weeks later, more info & symptoms were reported in the news and it was discovered there had been earlier cases than the ones in March; my illness was fitting into the COVID puzzle. My brother who thought I had been over reacting from just the flu apologized and thought I should get tested for COVID antibodies. But, I have no desire to ever go to that urgent care even though it's connected to my current insurance because it practiced zero infection control - COVID or not.

I was only at work 2 weeks this year. When they wanted to reopen to the public, I put in for my retirement earlier than I had planned. I haven't left my house since March 13th. Idk for sure that I had the virus. But, I am looking forward to a vaccine.

I was only going to respond to @Calcgirl because she was struggling with being sick for 2+ weeks in another thread, but decided maybe I should share with more posters.

Re: Sharing an Experience

I am still oxox — Sat, 18 Jul 2020 18:16:45 GMT

@Desert Lily

At this point antibody testing would show little to nothing, Imight of had it in Jan too and tested negative for antibodies.

Re: Sharing an Experience

NicksmomESQ — Sat, 18 Jul 2020 18:17:32 GMT

@Desert Lily Wow!! Glad you're okay now!!💐

Re: Sharing an Experience

Desert Lily — Sat, 18 Jul 2020 18:20:35 GMT

@NicksmomESQ I started tearing up when I was done writing my post, just remembering what a terrible experience it was.

Re: Sharing an Experience

Kachina624 — Sat, 18 Jul 2020 18:22:27 GMT

@Desert Lily You're a testament to why one should wear a mask if ever I heard one. Sorry you had such a rough time but it's good to know you've recovered. It surely sounds like CoVi19. I wish you'd have your antibodies checked; if you ever do, let us know.

I'm like you, I wouldn't leave my two dogs either.

Re: Sharing an Experience

on the bay — Sat, 18 Jul 2020 18:26:54 GMT

@Desert Lily -

I think that may have happened to many of us.

All my family and everywhere I went in stores everywhere, people had this horrible cough/everything that wouldn't go away,"short of breath" lots of congestion, choking cough, so tired and in bed etc.

None of us had ever been so sick for so long, This was the end of Dec thru mid Feb.

Re: Sharing an Experience

NicksmomESQ — Sat, 18 Jul 2020 18:29:55 GMT

@Desert Lily wrote:
@NicksmomESQ I started tearing up when I was done writing my post, just remembering what a terrible experience it was.

@Desert Lily I know several people who have had the virus.Thankfully,you were one of the lucky ones.

My son got sick in March just as New York was shutting down. He wasn't able to get tested then. But luckily, the "virus"if that's what it was ran its course in about 4 days. He had a strange persistent cough,fatigue, aches etc.He was lucky.He said he had never felt like that before.

Re: Sharing an Experience

alicedee — Sat, 18 Jul 2020 18:36:14 GMT

@Desert Lily What an awful experience for you....so glad you got through it.

I also wonder if I had a case of Covid, though a light one. I am in really good health....no regular meds at all. I volunteer (or DID before the pandemic) at a nearby nursing home.

The only place I had been since a week before Christmas was the nursing home....not even the store, church, etc. I woke up New Years Day very sick...throwing up, fever, and terrible diarrhea. I figured it was the 1-day crud, I must have picked it up at the nursing home (I live alone, and hadn't been around anyone else).

But it didn't go away....I had the horrible diarrhea for over a week, and remained nauseous and achy for almost a month. I stayed away from the nursing home. Later got a call they were no longer allowing visitors. That home has had 68 cases of Covid (more than half their total beds), and 28 deaths so far.

I never had respiratory problems, but have read some people get gastro issues. So who knows?

Re: Sharing an Experience

kittykatkay — Sat, 18 Jul 2020 18:31:59 GMT

@Desert Lily .....Bless your heart. I hope you are feeling better.

Re: Sharing an Experience

Luvtuna — Sat, 18 Jul 2020 18:33:58 GMT

glad you are okay now. Maybe it's best that you didn't know that it might have been the virus. It might have been scarier. It's unbelievable that they put sick and coughing people together. One time I got sick after sitting in a doctor's waiting room with coughing people. Stay well

Re: Sharing an Experience

on the bay — Sat, 18 Jul 2020 18:37:19 GMT

Oh and I meant to add that about 3 different antibiotics and rx's (after several urgent care visits) didn't help.

So many red flags like covd19 and I bet so many may have had it before we knew it was out there.

Fortunately we are still here.

Now I wonder if the more it spread the more severe it got

Re: Sharing an Experience

esmerelda — Sat, 18 Jul 2020 18:38:50 GMT

@I am still oxox wrote:
@Desert Lily

At this point antibody testing would show little to nothing, Imight of had it in Jan too and tested negative for antibodies.

@I am still oxox Source?

Re: Sharing an Experience

esmerelda — Sat, 18 Jul 2020 18:46:03 GMT

@Desert Lily It does sound like it was a harrowing experience! I'm glad you had such a caring boss.

I hope you aren't upset at retiring sooner than you'd planned. I think you will LOVE it!! And when this is all done, you could consider looking for something part time or a volunteer opportunity, if you want more activity.

For the future, please find a way now for your pets to be cared for if you cannot be there because of an emergency (e.g., ambulance, accident, etc.).

I think many wonder if they had this virus before it was "on the radar."

Take good care, and stay safe!

Re: Sharing an Experience

Desert Lily — Sat, 18 Jul 2020 18:53:54 GMT

@esmerelda Thank you for your thoughtful post. I write books that I post on Kindle for a hobby, and I guess I have more time for that now.

Re: Sharing an Experience

Greeneyedlady21 — Sat, 18 Jul 2020 18:57:46 GMT

@Desert Lily I'm glad you made it through all of that. Continued good health to you.

Re: Sharing an Experience

Porcelain — Sat, 18 Jul 2020 19:00:22 GMT

There was an extremely bad flu going around at that time this year. An actual flu, though, not a coronavirus. A few of my relatives got it around Christmas. The upper respiratory symptoms were horrible and one family member developed pneumonia and had to go into the hospital for a few days. We were all extremely concerned for her. It really was the flu. Unfortunately, multiple horribly contagious viruses can plow through our population at the same time.

Also, please continue to be cautious even if you feel you had Covid already. They are finding that protective antibodies dissipate disturbingly quickly after you've had this, so any immunity may be greatly decreased or gone by this point. I wish it were different and I could encourage you to go get antibody tested and then volunteer and put yourself in harms way as an immune person, but it doesn't look like this virus works that way. This is probably going to be a virus that requires booster vaccines once we have them.

Re: Sharing an Experience

Deree — Sat, 18 Jul 2020 19:03:02 GMT

@Desert Lily A very good friend lives in SoCal and he's convinced he got the virus in January too. He attended a convention that had many vendors from China. A few days later he had a fever, cough and felt like a truck had hit him. It took him weeks to feel normal again. He has yet to be tested but at this point in time he may test negative for the antibodies because it's possible the antibodies have faded by now.

Re: Sharing an Experience

itsmagic — Sat, 18 Jul 2020 19:10:19 GMT

Wow - that sounds like an awful experience and so much like what people with Covid-19 are describing. I’m glad you got better!

Re: Sharing an Experience

ECBG — Sat, 18 Jul 2020 19:11:18 GMT

Hope you stay feeling better! That was a horrible ordeal.

Re: Sharing an Experience

on the bay — Sat, 18 Jul 2020 19:15:17 GMT

@Porcelain -

The thing is, two of my family that had this got tested for the flu, only one had the "flu" and the other didn't.

So I still wonder if it was the beginnings of covd19-it seemed to spread to everyone near and all over.

I have never had the flu, that I know of, bad colds yes, but never whatever this was.