My lungs feel like they are on fire - part 3

[Casino218]

@longshot started a new thread as the other filled up and I thought you were poorly and people would be wanting to find out how you were doing.

Yes you’re right Kitty. I’m honestly not that worried about dying with this, I’m more consumed with feeling anger at myself for not making certain changes after my last illness.

Waves to all those awake in the night, good to have your virtual encouragement and company. Have had 4 days of temperature, tiredness and mild heartburn, now woken to a baby elephant sitting on my chest and the growing conviction that this global crisis has just got personal. Pretty sure I got it from my husband who's thankfully much better, and our son seems to be fine. There is a comfort in having been at home for a fortnight so hopefully this particular infection chain will stop with me.

Got a warm drink, ive dissolved some vicks in hot water to breathe in and just feel like im doing something, anything, to alleviate the pain in my lungs.

Ive put an anxiety reliever thing on youtube and try to just wrap up warm and work my way through another hour (hopefully more) xx

@DandyPenguin after I had an embolism, we actually lost our business after the credit crunch. We’ve literally only just got our own home again etc. Please don’t wish that you’d made different provisions etc. Because actually if you have nothing but each other, you are still on top of the world. By all means think of the future and what you want from it but im taking solace in the fact that my family have had nothing before, and we can do it again. So long as we are together and healthy. Sending you

@TheDrsWife46 I’m thinking more about some health and organisational changes and getting things in place in case the worst case scenario happens.

I’m determined though that I’m going to give my children some very happy memories from the Covid period for them to look back on.

Not sure how just yet, especially as I’m isolated from them, but I’ll think about it!

Im panicking again. Deep breathing in the darkness of night just highlights how fucking short of breath I am and how frightened. I can’t do this. I can’t get through each day. If I felt well i’d be happy to battern down the hatches and lockdown forever but I dont feel well and im so scared that sleep just wont come to me.

I wish with every fibre of my body that I could fast forward three weeks, be fine and focus merely on being isolated

@thedrswife46: don’t lie In the dark panicking. Can you go to the bathroom and turn on the hot water in the shower and breathe in the steam? Or try a hot water bottle high up on you back to relax your lungs? Heat really does help. And try to watch something mindless on Netflix. Being alone listening to your own breathing is really not going to help if you are this anxious. I’m thinking of you.

Thankyou for answering me. My dd’s and dh are all upstairs so i cant get to the shower. When ive felt this panicked all week ive walked around the garden but that gives me me chills/sweats. I’ll try to watch something. Daytimes are much easier. How many days do you think you’d be happy to reach and feel confident that you’d be ok?

The worst is not being able to see a medical practitioner just to get reassurance that your vitals/lungs etc are doing okay. Finding it very hard to fight the “flight” mode and keep running outside for air

I haven’t made it to the kitchen, it seems such a long way. I’m going to try and sleep now. I think I feel a bit more focused now. Thank you so much @SchrodingersKitty and @Isadora2007 for responding when I asked if anyone was around to chat. I’m PM-ing you Kitty about your DH’s health situation due to similarities with my situation

Sending you a peaceful night Dandy

I really don’t know when I’ll consider this over. I thought maybe today but I’m feeling very chilled now. People say up to three weeks is possible. But I think it does get less worrying as you get used to the symptoms and realise that you can breathe. If you can pace around your garden you are breathing ok at the moment.

Night Dandy. Sleep well.

Hi all. Day 19. Slept ok obviously awake now but that's my normal pattern. Still getting stabby pains but breathing fine. Going to try and have a half productive day today. I was not a pleasure to be around yesterday.

@TheDrsWife46 I'm sorry you're feeling so anxious.

Do you have any way of measuring your blood oxygen percentage? I have an app on my phone. My Dh has made me keep checking mine as apparently it's a good way of checking how well your lungs are actually doing. As long as it's over 94% he doesn't worry too much.

If you have a Samsung, the samsung health app measures "stress" which is really just blood oxygen and heart rate

I am having intermittent symptoms:

My eyes are dry and itchy (all the time)
I have a constant low grade headache.
My temperature is spiking for parts of the day
I feel dizzy and exhausted.
I have tightness all around my bra line across my upper back and around the front.
My breathing can feel a bit laboured.
No cough, though.

My DS has suspected CV already (mentioned this before). He has the classic symptoms - dry cough, temperature, aches and pains.

I have hours when I feel awful, my head aches, everything hurts and I want to lie down. I convince myself that there's no way I don't have this thing.

Next hour I feel almost totally fine. So then I decide I'm being a drama queen and just looking for symptoms - and I'm not even ill.

Then it comes back again.

It's this the same as anyone else, or is this all psychosomatic because I'm expecting to get it?

Feel like I've turned into a hypochondriac.

Hi on day 7 and coughing fits at night are really getting me down. My temp is still raised each afternoon and I have come to dread the nights. Does anyone elses chest sound like a creaky gate?

@maudspellbody the intermittent symptoms are pretty consistent with CV. My GP feels we have CV and our symptoms are coming and going. After 19 days of this now I'm getting used to the ups and the downs.

Yes its the ups and downs that made me believe in my mother telling me its in my head. I fell asleep for 20 mins but woke up in a start yawning and yawning trying to get air in.

Just sending lots of love to everyone who is struggling and cant sleep. It's so frightening being really breathless and in pain. We can totally do this though and it does get better slowly.

Things that might help:
Get propped up in bed
A hot water bottle helps with chest pain as does hot drinks.
Keep on top of the paracetamol.
Try and eat little and often if you have lost your apetite.
Less covid19 news! Its terrifying even when we arent Ill.
Remind yourself this is a long illness that we dont have any immunity against..its doing to take time to recover. Your body is doing what it needs to. Your job is to get cosy and rest.
There will be awful hours and better hours.
Distract yourself as much as possible to help with anxiety: Refocus your attention on what you can hear, label all the sounds, do the same with what you can see and repeat.
Play a game on your phone, watch or listen to something.
Do a mental tour of your house with your eyes closed. visualising everything you can see as clearly as you can.
Redecorate a room in your head.
Text people rather than talk if you are breathless.

Xxx

Can someone reassure me this is “normal” or they’ve had this, especially later on: after starting out with my entire body having a long hot flash (but no temperature increase), I then started having the chills / shakes with no real temperature decrease and feel very physically weak. Bit scary! Coming into Day 12...

Oh and feel slightly nauseous for first time

@emichel102 I had the same a lot x

Thanks so much @tangledyarn - super scary. And did you have times you felt slightly nauseous / sensitive to noise / touch? Feel like I get that way and tremors / shaky.

Thanks @tangledyarn it's a useful list. Let's all clap our immune systems especially those macrophages.