Thought I’d add my experience for all to benefit.
16 days ago I developed sinus pain and slight cold like symptoms. Very slight temp. Got a bit worse over the week. Some days I felt fine though, others the sinus pain was nasty but bearable. I’m asthmatic so my chest was playing up a little but no more than a normal cold. No cough, no sore throat, not snot. Was feeling fine on Friday and thought I’d managed to shake it.
8 days ago I got up on the Saturday morning, built a manual machine in anticipation of the impending lockdown and then found I was absolutely exhausted. Went to bed and did very little until Monday morning. Didn’t even get to play on the machine! Felt a bit better so did a full day’s work at home. Tuesday chest was bad, very tired again, sinus pain back in full effect. Called the doc who suggested sinusitis and prescribed antibiotics and steroids for my chest. (Never had a bad chest like this before). Sent Thegirlneeds out to pick them up. When she came back I was totally spaced out, could barely string a sentence together to tell her I was going to bed. Wobbly, shaky and generally not right. Necked some pills and went to bed until the morning. Wednesday woke up feeling a little better. By the evening thought the pills were working, but I was still tired. Sinus pain going or gone. Thursday morning felt great! Clear chest, not sinus pain. took the dog for 30 min walk around the block and realised something was up when I was properly out of breath on some steps I normally run up. Things got progressively worse through the day. No sinus pain but shaky and feeling like someone was sitting on my chest.
Thursday eve… really struggling to get enough breath in so called 111. They went through all the checklists to make sure I wasn’t having a heart attack or an asthma attack and then told me to go straight to a&e. I was shitting it. Needless to say the NHS were marvellous. Got me in, x-rayed lungs, blood test, ecg, stuck me on a nebuliser and oxygen. I started breathing more easily. They asked if I wanted to go home as I was probably safer there! I said yes and off I went. They couldn’t test me for c19 as I was not admitted. The doc said it was ‘probably’ c19, and that it may take many weeks or even months for my lungs to recover properly.
So fri/sat/sun I’ve spent watching telly and lying about. Every time I try to do anything my chest flares up and I feel spaced. Almost like I’m jetlagged. I’m sucking on the extra inhalers a&e gave me the moment it gets tight. Feeling slightly better today, and this seems to be a gradual improvement rather than the off/on feelings of the last fortnight.
I’ve spoken to a number of people now who’ve had first-hand professional experience of people with c19. It seems most of my symptoms line up except for the obvious lack of cough/high temp. But the most telling was from a friend who is a critical care nurse. She said that they are getting a lot of people coming in that are coping ok with the symptoms until day 8-10 and which point the ‘drop off a cliff’. This was certainly my experience.
So, if I can offer any advice from my experience of a suspected c19 case:
– If you’ve got any odd respiratory symptoms and you feel tired then just stop. Do nothing. You’ll need the energy.
– Be aware of the 8-10-day drop off. You seriously don’t want to end up in a&e at the moment. I had to hold back my tears saying goodnight to my kids as I didn’t know when or even if I’d see them again.
– It can last a while! I suspect I’ll still be laid up at day 20.
– Take good care of yourselves and everyone around you. This has completely shagged me and put me in a&e. I’m otherwise fit, healthy, and have a strong immune system!
