My corona experience

[OhDark30]

Sharing it with you, so you’re not facing the unknown

I found it really helpful and reassuring that my sister and boyfriend (C & J, late 40s), and friend E (mid 40s) have had it and are OK, so thought I’d do the same for you

Background:
I’m in my early 50s, in good health, though slightly overweight
I had pneumonia in 2008

*NB None of us have been tested for the virus. We’ve had symptoms as detailed
Only E had a thermometer available

Quick take:
- 3 days of feeling dreadful, then exhausted for 4
- first symptoms: sore throat, intense headache (‘like a helmet’), high temperature
- coughing follows, chest pain, shortness of breath
- J & I both had intense muscle pain at the site of previous injury
- C & I found it came and went in waves of feeling worse, then not so intense, then rough again
- I lost my sense of smell temporarily

Top tips:
Stay hydrated, elevated, motivated

Hydrated:
- Drink *loads*: water, tea, coffee, soup
- Add flavour to water eg elderflower cordial

Elevated:
- I slept and rested with my upper body elevated on pillows to lessen fluid buildup in my lungs
- This successfully kept intense pain to 2 points in my lower chest
- The feeling of being sat on, and short of breath, was the worst thing about this. If I hadn’t previously had pneumonia, where this was worse, it would have been quite alarming

Motivated:
- Keeping in touch with cheerful things and people in the outside world helped: on here, chuckling at memes, chatting to friends & reading when able
-When able to eat I kept to my usual mealtimes to have some structure
- Having a treat ready to get through low moments: I was holding out for a pot of tropical fruits in jelly, which I finally ate on Saturday when over the worst

Hope this helps
And thanks guys for being a refuge to come to in all the craziness

[CFR]

Glad you're all feeling well, now.

Thank you very much for your post, Kath - it does help.

Cheers, C


P.S.: Sorry, but I have to ask: how come only one of you had a thermometer? I use two at home and I cross-check the readings.

What? Who called me hypochondriac? How dare you?

[skywatch]

So.... you have gone through this, Kath?

Glad you recovered!
Thank you for the tips.

[OhDark30]

I have to ask: how come only one of you had a thermometer? I use two at home and I cross-check the readings.

It’s an effect of panic buying: no thermometers to be found

E is a metrologist (studies the science of measurement) so naturally had one anyway. And was quoting her temperature to 3 significant figures :-)

[litlmn]

Glad you made it through that.

That pretty much sounds like what I’ve read as the symptoms.

[tribe125]

Thank you, Kath.

[Dan R]

Thanks, glad you made it!

[geoffbot]

Oof nasty. Glad you seem to be doing okay Kath

[Strela167]

Thanks for posting Kath.
Good to hear you're on the mend.
Strange how the symptoms seem to vary , and not all together. High temp. appears to be common but not all the time

[mlcor]

So glad you're on the mend, and that the rest of your family and friends there are OK as well. It's helpful to have this sort of information that's real life instead of all the dreck we get on the news.