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.

@emichel102 Yes totally, for me it felt like being super fluey at those times, just feeling generally unwell, shaky, weak, hot and cold. I wasnt sick but totally lost my apetite and still feel like I don't want to eat at all and had a couple of days of diarrhoea.

@casino218 Yay! Go immine system. It's so so tough, I've genuinely never felt so Ill, but we can totally get through it and things will start to feel better xxx

@Casino218 @tangledyarn I’m loving the positivity! Stay strong my friends and lets all Keep checking in. Interesting that we’re all struggling to sleep early this am!

@emichel102. Yeah sleep is just impossible for me, to be fair I had bad insomnia before caused by chronic vertigo but stupid illness and all the worry about everything has taken it to a new level.

Yep good to stay positive, its totally doable to get through this, we've just go to dig really deep xxx

@EMichel102 Definitely. I must be edging towards improvement as a I've started to worry about new things other than my breathing. I've applied to do some voluntary nursing hours in the hospital ( have a PIN number but not clinical anymore) and I'm worrying about that now.

@tangledyarn I’m the same with this illness - sleep is impossible so “rest” is all I can do. Wish I could take an anti anxiety pill but think that would be unwise! I’ve never had trouble sleeping or bad anxiety before this and now have both. I’m now lying here feeling like body is lead and heavy and trying to avoid those shakes :) do you ever feel a bit jumpy / light headed too?

@EMichel102 its the shakes/chills/tremors that make menthe most anxious I think because they are uncontrollable and heighten my fear that I have no real control over this.
For me sat i had a terrible headache sore throat.
Monday: diarrhoea, fever of 39 and was sick repeatedly at that point.
Tues and weds:low grade fever of 37.8/ chills/uncontrollable shaking and couldnt sleep through it or get warm.
Thurs and Friday: temp sticks at 37.7 but im still getting chills/cold sweats/shaking and difficulty in getting warm (i acknowledge that this has made me panic and possibly more shaken) also developed tight chest/pain on inhalation and a very mild dry cough.
Now im at saturday! Whilst I haven’t lost my sense of smell etc I have absolutely no appetite and the thought of swallowing makes me feel sick as i feel like my throat is constricted.

@tangledyarn Thankyou for such a comprehensive list of ways to support our own recovery. I appreciate that many of your tips were ways to lesson the anxiety and I’m really grateful.

@TheDrsWife46 that all sounds very familiar indeed. I wonder how we’re going to get over this if I can’t get a decent amount of sleep - but hopefully the body is resilient! My chills / shakes weirdly don’t seem to be accompanied by much of a fever anymore (I had fevers in the first week though)

@EMichel102 its interesting you say you wish you could take something because despite my evident anxiety on this thread, its not something that i “have”. I do have four valium in my house because i was given them for fear of flying to go on holiday.

I have been desperate to take one, just to get a full nights rest but they slow your breathing down which I felt was too risky. Im also worried that if I am feverish/shaky/sick etc whilst sedated that I’d find it more distressing.

Thankyou to everyone for being so supportive on here. I’ve been reluctant to voice the fact that I am as certain as I can be that I have this. But I think us brits scoff people and see it as jumping on a bandwagon. Im so conscious of being perceived as “that knob thinks shes got coronavirus”.

Yes @TheDrsWife46 that’s also why I haven’t taken anything, just in case due to potential breathing impact. It sounds like you definitely have it from comparing it against a bunch of us here but yes it’s never 100% certain I suppose.

Hi all, been finding this thread really helpful.

Kept waking up last night to take deep breaths - has anyone else had this? I’ve got slight burning in lungs, the stabbing feelings, rib pain and the breathing prob is just this need to take deep breaths... I keep wondering whether I need to ring 111 or not...

Woke up at 5am with diarrhea and extreme nausea. I think anyone else would have been sick but I’m so terrified of throwing up I’m quite good at not doing it..

I haven’t got a full on fever yet but I feel like it’s on the way. Although I’ve been ill for about ten days, I feel like I’m probably only on about day 2 of being properly poorly. Started to get very hoarse the day before yesterday and I can feel my lungs starting to get really congested.

I’m on my own and I’m just really really scared - dreading the next few days.

Just started with a chesty cough. Day 16.
Feeling loads better but now totally paranoid it’s gone to my chest.
I hate this whole situation.

Are you coughing stuff up Woo? For several previous posters their cough turning productive was the point when they started to really recover.

@GidgetGirl I'm afraid scary is the commonest (and worst) thing about this. These threads are a bit if a lifeline for many of us, so keep posting.

On a practical level, do you have paracetamol and food in the house? You may not be very hungry but you do need to try and eat something every day, even if just a little. Other than that it's rest and drink lots (seriously lots). And paracetamol if needed.

@EMichel102 I had the tremor shaky thing yesterday, lasted about an hour. IT was awful that was day 17

@Porcupineinwaiting You’re right - I’m so glad these threads are here. I have food and paracetamol so I’m ok in that regard.

The worst thing for me is just not knowing what stage I’m at. Have I got another two/three weeks of this to come? Who knows. It’s such a weird illness - the up-and-downs are incredibly disconcerting. I felt 95% better most of yesterday!

Day 5 for me.
I slept well. I have night sweats every night but still haven't had a temperature at all.
Coughing still but I seem to be bringing stuff up.
I still have the constant burning in my upper back. I haven't attempted to sit up yet though so don't know if I'm dizzy.
Yesterday I had a few bouts of disorientation which isn't nice.
I had a bit of breathlessness too.

My worst days were 2 and 3 and I had the shakes, rash, hot flushes, couldn't breathe properly and felt like an elephant on my chest. Nausea, sweating and aches and pains. I seem to be improving though every day. It just seems to be quick compared to what everyone is saying. Am I likely to get worse or carry on getting better? I was generally ok yesterday and have woke up ok today.

My 4 year old caught it too. He's got a cough, his nose sounds really dry when he breathes, he's tired and not much appetite.

@mymoonmyman they are some of the symptoms experienced. Go through the 111 online assessment first

Can I ask for those with a pulse oximeter should we be taking a reading while talking or completely resting ie not speaking?

Morning. Spent half the night on here reading. Feel achey and heavy headed. When I breathe in feels tickly and a bit hoarse. So day 2. Really scared reading what you all have to say.

Impossible to stay away from kids or dogs. I think we are all just going to get it. Is there any point putting my also symptomatic DH in spare room?

@GidgetGirl please call 111 if you feel your breathing decline don't take any chances if you're alone xx

@thedrswife46 you are really welcome I realise I come across as sounding quite calm and rational here but I have really anxious and panicked for days on end, it's only now 3 weeks in that am managing to practice what I preach a bit more xx

Hi all, day 18 for me. Not a great sleep really as was awake a lot but chest feels ok mostly.

Still lying in bed but will update later.

Just wanted to ask those in the later stages @Casino218 @notangelinajolie @TheWooisStrong @findingschools4myboys @SchrodingersKitty and anyone else how are your coughs now? Mine is almost completely gone. I never had a full on cough, it was there, dry and intermittent but never bothersome. Just worrying it never became productive if that’s a thing. Obviously I worry about everything!

@user34254356 (not a doctor disclaimer)

I think the important thing is, can you maintain a good blood oxygen saturation whilst at rest. If you are getting out of breath moving around then you can always sit down, but if you cant get enough oxygen even when resting then that's a problem.

Hello, I thought I'd post on here to offer you all some reassurance. I'm as confident as I can that I've had Covid19. So some of you, most of you in fact could well be where I was a few weeks ago.

I'm late 50s, so older than you lot probably! Active and healthy, healthy range bmi (now, but lost a lot of weight last year).

Anyway, late February, got a mild headache, like a hangover, but not a bad one, this lingered then I got a funny throat, I can't say it was sore, or particularly itchy, but I felt something was restricting it. My neck got achy, and a day later my chest felt heavy. Nothing too bad, and this all happened over 72 hours. Slight dry cough that hurt my chest. I continued to go to work, because I didn't feel unwell, just a bit off.

This continued for a couple more days, but I also got a bit shaky and hot (I'm always cold normally) and I was flinging windows open and getting odd looks from colleagues. Then I got a tightening around and below my bra line, like I was wearing a bra that was 2 sizes too small. Then a sharp heavy pain that laid in the middle of my chest. I remember waking up one night thinking the cat had jumped on my chest, but she hadn't.

Despite all this, I felt ok. Not well, but ok. I had swine flu 3 years ago and it was much worse.

I actually felt better by day 7 or 8, then the next day, it all changed. The heavy weight on my chest had virtually gone to be replaced by aching limbs, sore legs and a lethergy that kept me on the sofa. I had sore itchy eyes, like when you get hay fever. I wasn't sick, but felt like I might throw up. I had a bit of indigestion also.

So, all in all it took about 14 days to get to this stage. I then took another week to feel more like me again, but energy levels were up and down.

What helped me: this was before the epidemic was news, so I didn't have the natural fear and anxiety you are having, although I did at one point think I might be having a heart attack, with the weird chest heaviness. Also, I drank loads of clear liquids, home made soups, water, took paracetamol and vitamins. I rested a lot too. Am posting this to tell you to rest and rest some more. When you think you're better rest for another few days. Virus pattern is you're up and down, so don't do more than you have to on the good days. You can and will beat this, so let your bodies have every chance to get better without making them do more than they need too.
And finally distract yourself, Gavin and Stacey, Animal Crossing, a trashy novel, anything but the news.
Take care x