Post by Beth on Apr 11, 2020 2:36:54 GMT
I'm writing to share that I developed symptoms consistent with COVID-19 last month, in the evening on Tuesday, March 17th (shortly after my email blast that morning about planning ahead if you get sick!)
I had already decided to self-isolate on March 13th, but since the virus can be in your system for awhile before symptoms begin, I could certainly have been exposed in the week or two prior. I have not been tested, and do not know for sure whether I've actually had COVID-19.
I initially shared the information with about 10 friends and loved ones, and also got in touch with any friends and colleagues I'd seen in the week prior, and anyone who needed to know for other practical or medical reasons. I was also pretty open about it when connecting with people one on one. Otherwise, I made the decision not to share the experience more widely while I was still not sure whether my symptoms would resolve or escalate, and just to focus on healing.
My symptoms -- fever, cough, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and some symptoms accompanying the fever (headache, body aches, weakness) were sometimes challenging, but never severe, and I didn't run a fever after the first five days. I am mostly fully recovered now, and just have a little lingering chest tightness when I'm very tired. As noted, I still have not been tested due to various practical barriers, and wouldn't be shocked if I were to test negative. Nevertheless, I suspect that I have in fact had COVID-19. This assessment is grounded in part in the fact that it is so unusual for me to develop a cold, flu or other respiratory illness without a sore throat (can't remember the last time that happened). I never did get a sore throat, or any nasal congestion.
I've talked about it with a few friends and loved ones, and have noted how much understandable fear and anxiety we tend to have when hearing anyone we know may be infected -- so I do think it's helpful to hear from each other -- about what it's like to get sick, and then to get well, to help demystify the experience, and to help each other imagine healing.
Here were some of the things that were really helpful for me and/or that I learned along the way:
1) Herbal breathing remedy: The shortness of breath and chest tightness, though not severe enough to send me to the ER, were substantial enough to be very uncomfortable. Thankfully, they responded extremely well to an herbal tea blend I mixed. I used astragalus, peppermint, eucalyptus, and mullein leaves. I also added some elder berries and goldenseal for immunity boosting (I didn't have echinacea, but would have used that too if it were in my kitchen). If I were to prioritize (for cost reasons), which would be most helpful -- I would go with the following in order of priority: 1) astragalus, 2) mullein leaves, and 3) eucalyptus.
I found that if I drank a cup of the tea, I breathed more comfortably for several hours, but usually needed it again within 4-6 hours. So when the symptoms were at their worst, I would make a pot in the morning and drink it hot or tepid through the rest of the day. Later on, I added elecampane root and wild cherry bark, which was helpful in managing coughing. My preferred vendor for dry herbs is Mountain Rose Herbs, though I also compare pricing on google. Mountain Rose initially stopped taking orders because they were besieged when the pandemic broke out, but are now accepting new orders again, though shipping may be about 2-3 weeks behind their norms.
2) Balancing hydration and sleep: I needed a ton of fluids, but also needed all the sleep I could get. I learned quickly that when I was awake and alert, it was a good practice to start hydrating energetically for about 60-90 minutes, so that there would be time for it to pass through my system, and then to just sip so that I could fall back asleep after a few hours without being woken by a full bladder.
3) Food preparation: For the first 10 days or so, I was very low energy -- I couldn't exercise at all, and got tired doing basic things like making tea or food. Thankfully, I had made a big (gallon plus) pot of pureed soup just as I was falling ill, and that was so so helpful! I mostly lost my appetite while I was feverish, but still responded to and wanted the soup. The ingredients were red and green leaf kale (both), spinach, rainbow chard, carrots, celery, maitake and shiitake mushrooms, garlic, ginger, fennel, in a base of almond milk with some additional things for seasoning. I would never have had the energy to make it later, and was grateful every day that it was already stored in my refrigerator. For those planning ahead, if you've got freezer space, I would actually consider freezing some soup or whatever you think will help you, so it's ready-made if you get too tired. If you've got multiple adults in the household, it could be true that one will be able to care for the other, but it's helpful to plan for the scenario where you're both sick and recovering, and nobody has a lot of energy to cook. I also was thinking about what it would be like to parent, if I were feeling that ill, and could see a lot of benefit of freezing prepared meals for kids, to maximize your own energy for healing. In general, economy of motion was a priority. At the worst moments, I would feel weak or dizzy in the kitchen, so being able to quickly get what I needed and go lie back down really helped. When I had no appetite, I stuck mostly to liquids, but still pushed myself to eat a salad each day, and it helped to have the ingredients already chopped -- I wouldn't have been able to make one from scratch each day.
4) I stopped taking an Ace-Inhibitor (blood pressure medication): I've shared generally some thoughts and information about the possible link between blood pressure, heart, and diabetes medications, and the escalation of COVID-19 symptoms. I take an ace-inhibitor for high blood pressure, and learned of the concern right while I was in the window of time (10-14 days after initial symptoms) where some patients seem to develop more severe respiratory symptoms. So I made a rapid decision to stop taking my medication, which I continue to think was the right call. However, it took several hours of calling and messaging to get through the layers of answering services and call transfer within my healthcare system and get a callback from my primary care doctor (who then immediately sent a new prescription to Walgreens for me). I then put a mail order prescription request through, but learned that mail order pharmacy requests are overwhelmed, and running about 2 weeks behind (at least for Walgreens). So I called to see if they could expedite filling the new medication, and eventually got help, but it actually took three hours in total of being on hold to get to a pharmacist, and arrange and pay for expedited shipping. In total, I had un-medicated high blood pressure for 6 days. It was very important and helpful that I had a home blood pressure cuff, and could make sure it wasn't getting dangerously high. The take-away is that if you are taking medications that might interact with COVID-19, it's important to plan ahead, as obtaining and filling new medications may be a slower process. And if you are sick, then you and anyone in your household should ideally be staying away from brick and mortar pharmacies to minimize risk of exposing others. So mail order is an important option to preserve. I did have friends offer to get the medication for me, but opted to encourage others to just stay home!
5) I gave myself some room for fear, but also didn't let myself get stuck in it: I don't think anyone can get COVID-19 symptoms during this pandemic and not be worried or scared, and I let myself feel it, and reached out by phone when I needed a little comfort. But I also was pretty conscious about doing what I could to keep my spirits up, and basically reminding myself of helpful messages and truths, including that I have a lot of trust in my body, and its abilities to heal. It took some intention to be aware when I was feeling a little more anxious, and to keep figuring out how to soothe or help myself. I've learned over time that my immune system is very stress-sensitive, and figuring out how to take care of myself emotionally felt vital. So the theme of "trust" was really important for me -- trusting in the process of healing, and trusting myself to heal. I'm sure that it helped me a lot. Community was also a big help in this regard -- I had people checking on me, and people I was checking in with, and I would videochat and call and knew that I was getting good vibes, and wishes, and prayers from precious people.
Otherwise, I mostly stuck to my usual routines -- excepting exercise while I remained low-energy -- for keeping my immune system as supported as possible. Click here for my suggestions for super-charging immunity.
One last piece of information on testing:
It's currently very difficult for most people to get access to in-home testing, though some other nations are making it more accessible. The companies that do deliver self-swab kits by express mail are overloaded, and not taking new requests. And home medical care services like the Heal App, are not presently authorized to administer the COVID-19 test, due to government regulations about who can administer tests.
My healthcare provider is only testing in triage and emergency care situations. Los Angeles County is providing drive-through testing which I qualify for, based on symptoms and my underlying health conditions (high blood pressure and diabetes). However, I have been a regular uber/lyft user since my knee surgeries in late 2015, and no longer keep a car. So drive through testing would have required that I risk exposing a friend (or random driver), which I wasn't willing to do.
I'm not at all unique in being a person with disabilities who doesn't drive (and lives on my own) -- and given that many of us are at higher risk, it's really, really important to start advancing in-home testing on a mass scale in the U.S. (it also minimizes exposure risk), or at least for those for whom options like drive-through or medical office testing are inaccessible. As it is, it means that people won't be tested when we should be, or that we'll expose other people unnecessarily in the process.
Zayt gezunt (be well)!
I had already decided to self-isolate on March 13th, but since the virus can be in your system for awhile before symptoms begin, I could certainly have been exposed in the week or two prior. I have not been tested, and do not know for sure whether I've actually had COVID-19.
I initially shared the information with about 10 friends and loved ones, and also got in touch with any friends and colleagues I'd seen in the week prior, and anyone who needed to know for other practical or medical reasons. I was also pretty open about it when connecting with people one on one. Otherwise, I made the decision not to share the experience more widely while I was still not sure whether my symptoms would resolve or escalate, and just to focus on healing.
My symptoms -- fever, cough, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and some symptoms accompanying the fever (headache, body aches, weakness) were sometimes challenging, but never severe, and I didn't run a fever after the first five days. I am mostly fully recovered now, and just have a little lingering chest tightness when I'm very tired. As noted, I still have not been tested due to various practical barriers, and wouldn't be shocked if I were to test negative. Nevertheless, I suspect that I have in fact had COVID-19. This assessment is grounded in part in the fact that it is so unusual for me to develop a cold, flu or other respiratory illness without a sore throat (can't remember the last time that happened). I never did get a sore throat, or any nasal congestion.
I've talked about it with a few friends and loved ones, and have noted how much understandable fear and anxiety we tend to have when hearing anyone we know may be infected -- so I do think it's helpful to hear from each other -- about what it's like to get sick, and then to get well, to help demystify the experience, and to help each other imagine healing.
Here were some of the things that were really helpful for me and/or that I learned along the way:
1) Herbal breathing remedy: The shortness of breath and chest tightness, though not severe enough to send me to the ER, were substantial enough to be very uncomfortable. Thankfully, they responded extremely well to an herbal tea blend I mixed. I used astragalus, peppermint, eucalyptus, and mullein leaves. I also added some elder berries and goldenseal for immunity boosting (I didn't have echinacea, but would have used that too if it were in my kitchen). If I were to prioritize (for cost reasons), which would be most helpful -- I would go with the following in order of priority: 1) astragalus, 2) mullein leaves, and 3) eucalyptus.
I found that if I drank a cup of the tea, I breathed more comfortably for several hours, but usually needed it again within 4-6 hours. So when the symptoms were at their worst, I would make a pot in the morning and drink it hot or tepid through the rest of the day. Later on, I added elecampane root and wild cherry bark, which was helpful in managing coughing. My preferred vendor for dry herbs is Mountain Rose Herbs, though I also compare pricing on google. Mountain Rose initially stopped taking orders because they were besieged when the pandemic broke out, but are now accepting new orders again, though shipping may be about 2-3 weeks behind their norms.
2) Balancing hydration and sleep: I needed a ton of fluids, but also needed all the sleep I could get. I learned quickly that when I was awake and alert, it was a good practice to start hydrating energetically for about 60-90 minutes, so that there would be time for it to pass through my system, and then to just sip so that I could fall back asleep after a few hours without being woken by a full bladder.
3) Food preparation: For the first 10 days or so, I was very low energy -- I couldn't exercise at all, and got tired doing basic things like making tea or food. Thankfully, I had made a big (gallon plus) pot of pureed soup just as I was falling ill, and that was so so helpful! I mostly lost my appetite while I was feverish, but still responded to and wanted the soup. The ingredients were red and green leaf kale (both), spinach, rainbow chard, carrots, celery, maitake and shiitake mushrooms, garlic, ginger, fennel, in a base of almond milk with some additional things for seasoning. I would never have had the energy to make it later, and was grateful every day that it was already stored in my refrigerator. For those planning ahead, if you've got freezer space, I would actually consider freezing some soup or whatever you think will help you, so it's ready-made if you get too tired. If you've got multiple adults in the household, it could be true that one will be able to care for the other, but it's helpful to plan for the scenario where you're both sick and recovering, and nobody has a lot of energy to cook. I also was thinking about what it would be like to parent, if I were feeling that ill, and could see a lot of benefit of freezing prepared meals for kids, to maximize your own energy for healing. In general, economy of motion was a priority. At the worst moments, I would feel weak or dizzy in the kitchen, so being able to quickly get what I needed and go lie back down really helped. When I had no appetite, I stuck mostly to liquids, but still pushed myself to eat a salad each day, and it helped to have the ingredients already chopped -- I wouldn't have been able to make one from scratch each day.
4) I stopped taking an Ace-Inhibitor (blood pressure medication): I've shared generally some thoughts and information about the possible link between blood pressure, heart, and diabetes medications, and the escalation of COVID-19 symptoms. I take an ace-inhibitor for high blood pressure, and learned of the concern right while I was in the window of time (10-14 days after initial symptoms) where some patients seem to develop more severe respiratory symptoms. So I made a rapid decision to stop taking my medication, which I continue to think was the right call. However, it took several hours of calling and messaging to get through the layers of answering services and call transfer within my healthcare system and get a callback from my primary care doctor (who then immediately sent a new prescription to Walgreens for me). I then put a mail order prescription request through, but learned that mail order pharmacy requests are overwhelmed, and running about 2 weeks behind (at least for Walgreens). So I called to see if they could expedite filling the new medication, and eventually got help, but it actually took three hours in total of being on hold to get to a pharmacist, and arrange and pay for expedited shipping. In total, I had un-medicated high blood pressure for 6 days. It was very important and helpful that I had a home blood pressure cuff, and could make sure it wasn't getting dangerously high. The take-away is that if you are taking medications that might interact with COVID-19, it's important to plan ahead, as obtaining and filling new medications may be a slower process. And if you are sick, then you and anyone in your household should ideally be staying away from brick and mortar pharmacies to minimize risk of exposing others. So mail order is an important option to preserve. I did have friends offer to get the medication for me, but opted to encourage others to just stay home!
5) I gave myself some room for fear, but also didn't let myself get stuck in it: I don't think anyone can get COVID-19 symptoms during this pandemic and not be worried or scared, and I let myself feel it, and reached out by phone when I needed a little comfort. But I also was pretty conscious about doing what I could to keep my spirits up, and basically reminding myself of helpful messages and truths, including that I have a lot of trust in my body, and its abilities to heal. It took some intention to be aware when I was feeling a little more anxious, and to keep figuring out how to soothe or help myself. I've learned over time that my immune system is very stress-sensitive, and figuring out how to take care of myself emotionally felt vital. So the theme of "trust" was really important for me -- trusting in the process of healing, and trusting myself to heal. I'm sure that it helped me a lot. Community was also a big help in this regard -- I had people checking on me, and people I was checking in with, and I would videochat and call and knew that I was getting good vibes, and wishes, and prayers from precious people.
Otherwise, I mostly stuck to my usual routines -- excepting exercise while I remained low-energy -- for keeping my immune system as supported as possible. Click here for my suggestions for super-charging immunity.
One last piece of information on testing:
It's currently very difficult for most people to get access to in-home testing, though some other nations are making it more accessible. The companies that do deliver self-swab kits by express mail are overloaded, and not taking new requests. And home medical care services like the Heal App, are not presently authorized to administer the COVID-19 test, due to government regulations about who can administer tests.
My healthcare provider is only testing in triage and emergency care situations. Los Angeles County is providing drive-through testing which I qualify for, based on symptoms and my underlying health conditions (high blood pressure and diabetes). However, I have been a regular uber/lyft user since my knee surgeries in late 2015, and no longer keep a car. So drive through testing would have required that I risk exposing a friend (or random driver), which I wasn't willing to do.
I'm not at all unique in being a person with disabilities who doesn't drive (and lives on my own) -- and given that many of us are at higher risk, it's really, really important to start advancing in-home testing on a mass scale in the U.S. (it also minimizes exposure risk), or at least for those for whom options like drive-through or medical office testing are inaccessible. As it is, it means that people won't be tested when we should be, or that we'll expose other people unnecessarily in the process.
Zayt gezunt (be well)!