With the overwhelming amount of COVID-19 coverage shown in the media, we thought it would be nice to hear an honest and raw story of someone who was not ill prior to contracting the virus, and their success story after beating the virus. One of our real estate colleagues hit a hard reality on Monday, March 16th after feeling slightly off. Here’s her story…
Before you ask, I have not traveled outside of the country. I was however in contact with someone who unknowingly had the virus. I found out a week prior to feeling ill that my friend’s father was infected with the virus and contracted it doing his daily duties as a taxi driver.
This does not mean that my friend’s father is who I got the virus from, to be honest, none of us will ever know! Around this same time I was also helping out a former colleague at a local hotel on weekend mornings. There was plenty of traffic in and out of the hotel and we shared offices and computers. Now that we know where I may or may not have contracted the virus from, let’s get into the good stuff.
On my first day of feeling “off,” I had a small sensation to cough and it was a little harder for me to wake up that morning. (This is Monday 3/16). By mid-Monday, I didn’t feel like myself at all. I felt weak and I was extremely overheated so, I left the office and headed home to seek medical attention.
*Side note: I always pay attention to my temperature. My sister who works in the medical field asked me to pay close attention to my temperature so that I could let the doctors know a time frame for my temperature rising.
To get medical help, I had to speak to two nurses over the phone and an MD via a Zoom call. My entire household was instructed to go through a drive-through testing center. We arrived at the testing center and were greeted by hospital employees in hazmat suits. Intimidating to say the least. My spouse and I were able to get our temperatures checked. Our 1-year-old daughter was not tested. I was told they were not testing babies. My temperature was at 100.4 and my spouse had a normal temperature of 98.7. I was asked to pull over to a parking lot so more tests could be run.
Initially, I was tested for the flu. Since these tests take 15 minutes for results, I was instructed to wait for the results which came back negative. If you’ve never been tested for the flu, it’s a very long swab inserted into your nose that feels like it touches your brain. Once the results were confirmed negative, I was then tested for COVID-19. COVID-19 testing consists of two nasal swabs and a throat swab. Horrific. I was told these results take 2-4 days to be returned, and that I should quarantine my household until we get results.
During my quarantine, I dealt with:
- Nausea
- Back Pain
- Chest Pressure
- Breathing trouble
- Cramps and a stinging feeling in my lungs
- Light-headedness
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Loss of Appetite
- Eye Pain
- Fever
I took Ibuprofen, then read an article on how that was actually a medication that makes your symptoms more aggressive. I then began taking Tylenol, which helped. During isolation, my spouse kept our 1-year-old daughter safe and content. He would take her for car rides just so that she was able to get some fresh air. When they would leave, I would sanitize all knobs and hardware, wipe down all doors and light switches, and do a full sanitation sweep throughout every room in the house.
After waiting 14 days, I received my results. I was indeed positive for COVID-19. I was told to isolate for an additional 14 days from the last day I had a fever.
I’m happy and blessed to have been able to say that I overcame the hard part of this infection without being admitted to the hospital. I continue to pray daily for all those who are suffering. To imagine babies, those with underlying issues, or our elders having to go through any more pain than I did is heartbreaking. Please stay indoors. Please sanitize your home and yourself daily. Take the necessary precautions.
Thanks for tuning in!
