I’m COVID positive (provided proof to MN) - AMA!

[RightYesButNo]

Hello! I’ve been diagnosed COVID positive. I had my first symptoms March 14th, was tested March 17th, and my doctor called my 12 hours later to tell me the news. My results were quick, as I have underlying conditions. I asked MN Headquarters if they thought this would be helpful. I’ve provided private medical proof to them and they’ll be along shortly to verify me.

Please feel free to ask me anything about: my symptoms, their progression, the testing, my symptoms post-positive result, how others around me are doing, how quarantine is going, how I expect quarantine to go, and anything else you’d like.

I’m living abroad in Switzerland, so I’m afraid I can’t answer specific questions about what the NHS is doing, and a doctor would be MUCH better qualified anyway, but MN Headquarters still thought this would be helpful, maybe.

What was your first symptom, how quickly did things progress. What has been the worst part and how are you feeling now

How are you feeling now?

Did you have to go into hospital?

Good luck and I hope you’re feeling better but I am not sure your experience will apply to anyone else.

Not in terms of disease course and certainly not in respect of Swiss medicine v NHS.

Afternoon, everyone. Just to confirm, yes, the OP kindly offered to do this AMA on here. We hope it will be really useful. We know there's lots of fake news about at the moment so we've verified the information she's given and are happy that all is exactly as she says.

We hope the AMA is helpful for everyone. Thanks again RightYesButNo and we wish you a full and speedy recovery.

@Moonlite - My first symptom was the cough. I couldn’t catch my breath with it, and it was a super dry, wheezing cough, with a wheeze that just seemed to go on and on. The worst part has actually remained that cough; even though I still measure with enough oxygen (they have to keep an eye on mine), it feels like I’m just not pulling anything in sometimes and wheezing it all away.

And @DentalPatient - you both asked how I’m feeling. My doctor was very concerned by that now (day 10), I would be hospitalized with complications due to my underlying health conditions. I won’t pretend I feel great (headache, sore throat, the wheezing cough) but it’s MUCH better than I was expected to be by day 10. I’m very, very fortunate.

OP, do you know how you caught it ?
Also very much hope you recover quickly.

Thanks so much for doing this. How are you feeling? How did it feel the first day you began to have an inkling you might have it?

@Apolloanddaphne - My doctor recommended that I go to the hospital. I went on day 8 of my disease progression, but despite the fact that I was feeling pretty rotten, once they performed two tests (a chest x-ray that was clear and a bacteria test to check for the co-infection that’s causing a lot of the complications with COVID), they decided to send me home, since an ambulance can reach me in a few minutes and my city is pretty shut down (no traffic).

Might I ask what your underlying condition is and how old you are?

How old are you op?

Get better soon

Sorry to hear OP and thank you so much for coming on here.

Food-wise, what have you wanted since you’ve had this? Presumably simple and easy to swallow things like soups and yoghurt? Have you been thirsty and craving sweet drinks?

@ArriettyJones - I completely understand what you mean, but I decided to try this for a few reasons. I think there are still a lot of universals - questions about symptoms, transmission, etc, are going to be the same the world over. You’re absolutely right that there are a lot of differences, but I approached MN hoping that I could maybe remove some fear. My doctors believed I would be absolutely the worst patient to get COVID, with my pre-existing conditions, and I’m still kicking (outside hospital) on day 10, so I’m hoping maybe that helps some people who are truly afraid. Maybe I’m also just a fluke, but it’s still maybe a hopeful fluke.

You’re absolutely right that there are a lot of differences, but I approached MN hoping that I could maybe remove some fear.

Fair enough.

@SirVixofVixHall @YgritteSnow @bobstersmum - These fit together a bit: my underlying conditions and how I caught it. I’m 36 now, and since the age of 34, I‘ve had a condition called myasthenia gravis that causes me problems breathing (and a metric arseload of other problems). For this condition, I’m on a steroid, an immunosuppressant, and a few other drugs. When COVID started, my doctors asked me to start isolating long before almost anyone else. I was only going to see doctors, drop off prescriptions, and walk home from the chemist (about one block).

But, and this is just proof to me that I really, really, really must break the habit... since the age of 6, I’ve been a nail-biter. I do it when I’m nervous, scared, in pain, etc. There is no doubt in my mind, 100% certainty, that I put my unwashed hands in my mouth at some point when going to just those few places.

I have considered blaming my husband for being a possible asymptomatic carrier just so I don’t have to feel guilty myself, but... I know what’s probably true.

@StargazyDrifter - I have never gone through so much tea in all my life, and I was already keeping the entire Swiss supply chain of “English breakfast tea” (it’s just tea) afloat. But I realize yesterday that my tea is getting sweeter and sweeter because I don’t think I can taste it as well. I must be adding tablespoons of sugar at this point, and it still tastes like it did before I got sick. In general though, I’m not hungry. I want tea because my throat hurts but that’s all, and I ear because I have to take medications. I think if I didn’t have to eat, I might just try to sleep through it all and just set tea alarms (the fatigue is REAL). That said, a friend is sick with identical symptoms to mine, though he hasn’t taken the test, and he’s eating everything, so your mileage may definitely vary. Sorry I can’t help more!

Thank-you, i for one do find it reassuring to hear from some coming out the Other side
feel better soon.

Did you have any aches? I have no cough but my god my body aches.... I feel like I’ve fallen down a set of stairs. No idea if it’s anything or nothing.

Thank you so so much for posting this OP. I'm really struggling with health anxiety at the moment. Your post is really reassuring. I hope you feel better very soon

@YgritteSnow - “How did it feel the first day you had an inkling you might have it?” So for me, I had the cough first and it was just a dead giveaway, since it wasn’t like any other cough I’ve had. Even though my fever was very small (38), my doctor told me to call the hotline and go get tested as soon as I called and explained it to him. I’ve had coughs caused by being breathless before, too, and it didn’t feel like that either. It was just bone-dry wheezing that went on and on. But I still thought I would be negative, to be honest, because it didn’t seem that “bad” of a symptom, compared to what I thought would happen, if that makes sense?

Thank you so much for posting this, and I wish you a speedy recovery.

Thanks for being a hopeful fluke (if that’s what it is!) I have asthma and am on immunosuppressants so it’s all been a bit scary here.
Get well soon OP.

Bless you Ygritte for taking the time to try and help us even though you are so ill, i wish you a speedy recovery

@Shadowboy @Absoluteunit - I know one of you asked about body aches (I don’t have any at all, really, just the headache), and the other mentioned health anxiety, and honestly, it would be VERY difficult not to have health anxiety at he moment, so I thought I’d take this one to list symptoms other people have, that they’ve asked me about, and that I don’t have, and that doctors definitely did NOT ask me about, or specifically told me not to worry about (like running nose).

• diarrhea (doctors told me very few people have this though it might happen)

• running nose (when I was being tested, they were actually using this symptom as “proof” it wasn’t COVID; I think now they’ve determined a few people can have running nose AND COVID, but it’s still not a common symptom)

• body aches (nope - I’m not sore anywhere except where I’ve coughed but this is VERY common; people have mentioned chest tightness, hurt shoulders, general body aches, etc). NOW, if you have a fever, it can cause body aches, so maybe check that, but if you’re fever-free, it could be a cold coming on?

• red face / pale face / pale cheeks / red cheeks (I do look a bit red and pale now, but only as a result of fever. When my fever is down, I just look like a horrible pale sick person with slightly grey lips. So maybe like a really, really unsexy mermaid).

• other symptoms only asked by one person to me: conjunctivitis (nope, but what bad luck), sudden numbness in hands and feet (no again, but this person is the only one that concerned me as COULD be related to something important, and maybe could be related to less oxygen due to COVID - is it was me, I’d check for fever, talk to GP, etc), and my very favorite concerned possible symptom from someone...

“Moggy seems to suddenly jump on me more than normal and sit longer.” Don’t worry about COVID; just count your blessings on being the Chosen One, then! (Jokes aside, I did say if it were me, I’d check for fever.)