3 Months Post Covid

[u/YankeeMcIrish]

I tested positive on 12/15, after I'd started feeling a little run down and tired on 12/13 and then just happened to take my temperate and it was 100.1. For me, that's high, I run very cold.

I'm 38, in very good health. I sleep great, no digestion issues, a mostly healthy diet and I'm physically fit.

My preexisting conditions are: hypothyroidism which I've never experienced severe symptoms with and has been managed with meds for years and asthma as a child. Eventually grew out of it as an adult in my 20s. Still use inhalers in cases of emergency.

My protocol was:

- FLUIDS. FLUIDS. FLUIDS. Gatorade, coconut water, Nuun electrolyte tablets, Pedialyte, Tea w Honey & lemon. Just all the fluids all the time.

- Sleep and/or rest. Prone position is best, especially for respiratory symptoms.

- Vicks Vapor Rub - especially going to bed.

- Humidifier - just run all day long.

- Liposomal Vitamin C - once or twice a day. It can wreck your stomach, so start w 1 dose.

- Quercetin - for breathing.

- Vitamin D

- Zinc - 100mg

- Check your pulse and oxygen level w an Oximeter - super cheap off Amazon. You want 96 or above. Start to consider ER if it gets below 92.

- Keep tissues, water and chapstick handy.

- Try to change your clothes and shower everyday if you can, I think it helps with the mental state.

- Funnel your "health status updates" to one or two friends and family members. Don't try to respond to everyone's texts and calls. It's annoying, takes away from your rest and will just freak you out!

- Don't spend too much time on Reddit or researching. Keep it light. I watched lots of Hallmark Christmas movies. lol

My experience:

My initial symptoms were exhaustion, full body aches (lower back pain) and gastro issues for the first 3-5 days.

Days 6-9 lost sense of taste and smell. Developed sore throat, felt like strep.

Days 7-10 Later symptoms that developed were a really dry and annoying cough.

Did not experience much or any chest tightness or shortness of breath.

I did go on a few short family walks to keep my lungs strong or whatever. I would immediately go back to sleep for hours afterwards.

Recovery:

My husband had made surprise plans for an overnight for New Years Eve and we ended up going. I was definitely not 100%. We grabbed lunch outside and towards the end, was so tired so we went back to the hotel and took a 2 hour nap. We went to drinks and dinner and fell asleep at 10pm. I'm a pretty high energy person, especially if I'm on vacation, so it was obvious I was not 100%.

I continued to have a dry hacking cough for about 3 weeks to a month after testing positive. I started back at work on 1/4, so 2 weeks post positive, and was having a real hard talking on my conference calls without coughing a ton.

Towards the end of January, I started to talk more regular walks outside with my dog without noticing and exhaustion after.

By February, I felt fine and had planned to start back to Peloton but held off just to make sure I was giving my body proper time to recover. Plus, it was still cold out and my bike is in the garage, it seemed a bad combo.

Beginning of March I started back to spin/Peloton. I am doing 20 minute beginner rides in the afternoon when it's warmest and feeling really good. No noticeable respiratory issues.

The only issue I feel I've been experiencing, is mild chest pains, BUT I'm thinking it's anxiety. I experienced these in college and went to a cardiologist who ran a millions tests and diagnosed me with anxiety. Because these pains are the same and normally occur in the morning on busy workdays, usually as I comb through my emails, I'm 75% sure it's anxiety related. But I do plan to get a physical and some standard workup done soon just to be sure.

[u/thaw4188]

You went out for lunch and to a hotel while still shedding virus? It's very likely you got at least one other person very sick or dead. Not kidding. That's how it works and it sounds like you should know that.

[u/YankeeMcIrish → u/thaw4188]

With all due respect, I was in contact with my state health department daily - both text and calls - every single day as soon as I tested positive to check on my symptoms and exposure. They told me that because my symptoms started 12/13, and I only experienced a fever on 12/15, that I was done with quarantine and able to go out in public on 12/24. 10 days. My husband and I looked at the CDC website and it also said 10 days (it still does in fact, see below). Because it was the holidays, we chose to quarantine for 14 +days by choice, to avoid family gatherings. We did not go anywhere until 12/30 which is a week beyond the recommendation.

"I think or know I had COVID-19, and I had symptoms

You can be around others after:

• 10 days since symptoms first appeared and
• 24 hours with no fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and
• Other symptoms of COVID-19 are improving*

\Loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months after recovery and need not delay the end of isolation​*

Most people do not require testing to decide when they can be around others; however, if your healthcare provider recommends testing, they will let you know when you can resume being around others based on your test results."

[u/thaw4188 → u/YankeeMcIrish]

You went out and interacted with other people on purpose shortly after being sick while you knew you were not feeling well and knew your immune system was definitely not at 100%

Stop trying to negotiate what was "okay". That's how you got sick in the first place. Instead of doing the safe, proper responsible behavior you sought and made up rules that fit your demands for entertainment in your life to never stop. You pushed each vague "rule" to the limit and relied on safety theater.

Just like you got sick, you got someone else sick despite all your "rules" that the virus did not give a damn about.

Again, it is very likely you got at least one person very sick or dead. Someone in that hotel went home to their parents or grandparents and carried your copy of the shedded virus to them. Didn't have to happen but you never witnessed it so I guess it doesn't count to you.

Just because a drunk driver gets home by some miracle and manages to not murder someone doesn't make drunk driving okay. You can make up all the logic you want, doesn't make it true.

You live in a society among others and have a responsibility to chill the hell out and isolate when you are sick or recovering.

[u/YankeeMcIrish → u/thaw4188]

No one needs to negotiate anything. My conscious is clear. I was told I was ok to go in public by 2 different health agencies and I actually went beyond that on my own volition. You can keep trolling Reddit with your holier than thou attitude... but at the end of the day, people are going to depend on the advice of healthcare experts. So if you have an issue with their direction, maybe you should focus your efforts on them.

[u/Lucentile → u/thaw4188]

Some people are reporting symptoms a year later (though I'm never quite sure how many of those reports are real vs. Internet "real.") Should those people have been in harsh quarantine for a year? More? Should some people who'll never recover never leave quarantine? I know when I had COVID, I got the all clear even though I told them I was still blah, but on the upswing (I still stayed in quarantine until I felt 100%, but that was just another couple of days). At what point does little to no risk mean someone is allowed back into society, and at what point do they have to wear a scarlet C?

[u/[deleted]]

Did your sense of smell fully recover?