She was bored – sick and isolated….

For a country (Australia) that has been so lucky and haven’t seen or experienced it to the degree that other countries have …it is a kind of mystery – how does it feel to have this nasty virus.

So, we thought that it might be a great way for my dear friend to cope with her current situation by blogging her experience. At the same time allowing us to get an insight and personal experience of what it feels like.    

Below is her firsthand account of how it felt and even now 6 months later her triumphs and her struggles.

Blog of a Covid survivor…by Amy Tatnell

When I would hear of cases about people getting Covid19 the first thing that would come to mind is ….

How old are they?

Male or Female?

What age are they?

Underlying health conditions?

Are they in the hospital or home?

What does it feel like when you have Covid 19?

Week 1.

I started having sinus like symptoms, runny nose, headache in my eyes, fatigue and this went on for the next few days.

I kept thinking to myself   ”It’s winter and there are a lot of viruses going around.”

It is such a pain to try and get tested …and then a very strange thing happened.

I lost my taste and smell.

From there I Pretty much knew that this was what if felt like to have Covid – 19.

I sat in my car in a very long line of cars with much anxiety …

“Do I have this or don’t I?”

The gal standing there with a test kit looking as though she was fighting a war with all her personal

Protective gear on…inserted the swab into both nostrils and off I went to park for the results.

I was so afraid of this virus as we have heard horrible stories about what its like to have Covid for the last few months.

As I sat there with 25 other cars, I knew that I had this –  I have never felt like this before.

I drove home with a horrid headache in my eyes got home and crawled into bed.

My nose felt like it was on fire as my chest did as well…..

“Is this what it is supposed to feel like?”

I googled this a million times …

Phases of Covid…

I think the scary part for me with covid is that it is so unknown.

How long is it going to affect my body?

Some people get no symptoms, and some get so violently ill.

It does not have a “Normal “and I think the medical world agree with this.

One of the scariest things I have read is that the turning point can and is around 7=10 days. Then it can change rapidly.

This timeframe is one that creates anxiety and fear or what may or may not happen.

I felt pretty awful for the next couple of nights – the worst being the extreme fatigue and out of breath feeling.

I am a triathlete and someone who takes care of myself but now walking up my stairs was taking a toll on me. I could feel my lungs struggling to cope.

Day 6

I am now on day 6 of this and I am starting to feel better – still extremely congested (nasal) and still no taste – (I would give anything to taste coffee or to that matter a good steak).

A lot of people compare this to the flu – but to me this was nothing like the flu. This was totally different.

Again, the uncertainty of this virus it just hits everyone differently.

I am so looking forward to being out of quarantine in the next few days.

I hope and pray that in the time that I didn’t know I had this nasty virus that I did not pass this on to anyone. I also hope that the rest of my family don’t get it.

On reflection – 2 weeks ago my daughter had the very same symptoms as I did.

However, she tested negative twice.

They are saying people who are getting tested too early are coming up negative and think they do not have it when actually a few days later they are passing it to others.

Day 20 

After my 2 weeks in isolation and with Covid – I now have a sinus infection – I am now 20days out from the day I was positive and still I have no taste and no smell.

It has not been a pleasant experience for sure and I would say again in my experience that it is nothing like the flu.

6 Months

It is now nearly 6 months since I had Covid-19

I have maybe 5% of my taste and smell back.

I smell smoke constantly – which is due to my understanding – nasal nerve damage.

I have found a Facebook group that was created for post covid survivors where we can support, debrief and bounce current ideas/research off each other.

I am lucky – my breathing and energy has returned to normal – I know a lot of people who haven’t been so lucky.

I am now also going to a specialist to investigate the loss of taste and smell.

As always

 

KeZZA XX