My Lungs Part 7

[Taffyapple8]

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/3872239-My-Lungs-Part-6?pg=1&order=

@LakeFlyPie when I was at my worst my DD1 just had a cough. I isolated away from the rest of the family but as we’d all been around dd1 anyway and she’d started first I left her in with them.

It helped me because she was so mild Dh and dd2 could carry on and i didnt want them seeing me at my worst and scaring them.

As it happened dd1 then dipped and had breathlessness and was scared to be alone so she ended up on the other sofa with me in the lounge.

Whether we did it right/wrong it staggered us needing dh’s help if anything. As yet he has had no sign, dd2 had a cough for a couple of days.

Thanks DrsWife, so hard to know what to do. I feel so guilty about bringing this into the house. They've isolating at home for 2 weeks more than official lock down ☹️

Taffy - sorry you feel so sick. Are you managing to drink enough?

@MyBeloved I've been taking cocodamol 30/500 most days, but only one tablet at a time and not more than 4 in 24 hours. Obviously you can take 2 tablets at a time if preferred, maximum of 8 in 24 hrs. Has really helped take the edge off the pain in a way that paracetamol alone never could!

baroqueandblue
Thank you, that's great. Will start as you did then, using 1 @ 4 x per day and see how I go. I do hope you are feeling better now.

It is rather scary, all this.

I wonder, has anyone had an uninterrupted upward trajectory of recovery, or has it been peaks and troughs for all?

I've woken at this hour, feeling a little worried about it - sometimes staying positive can be a little difficult in the face of near-constant negative reporting!

MyBeloved I'm having a bad(ish) night. Day 27 now. Sorry to hear you've woken so early. I agree keeping positive in the midst of this can be challenging, but people on the 'Lungs' threads are recovering, fear not! Although yes, it seems to be pretty up and down for a while. I was feeling much better yesterday but have woken up panicky and hot and in a bit of pain. It's passing, happily. Distraction, distraction, distraction! I find audio affirmations or meditations on YouTube by Louise Hay, or Denise Linn, very helpful on long dark nights like this!

I hope the cocodamol helps. Certainly if you've taken it in the past without problems you'll be fine with it during this illness. And I haven't always needed to take it 4 x a day by any means, some days just 2 or 3 times, or even just once.

baroqueandblue
I'm sorry to hear you are also having a bit of a bad night, but glad you are feeling better than you did. Have you had a temperature throughout your illness? It is the one symptom I haven't had (yet), although my brother did. He also said his recovery was up and down (he is now back at work- key worker- almost 4 weeks later, but reports his lungs still do not feel fully functioning).

That's good advice re: affirmations. I have started using youtube for meditation. Adriene Yoga is particularly good, I have found.

Are you using breathing exercises to help your lungs at all?

Here's hoping you have a better day today

Hello all, apologies for crashing back into the thread - I was around on earlier threads but thought I was done around day 14... now day 20 and have woken up with a really dry/scratchy throat (like something is stuck in my throat and keep clearing it) and a weird feeling like the air is dusty? Think my glands have come back up again.

Feeling a bit panicky tbh to think it’s somehow back? Has anyone else had a sudden resurgence of early symptoms after a few weeks? Didn’t overdo it particularly yesterday, have been feeling pretty normal. But am now terrified I’m going to go through it all again. Any thoughts much appreciated.

mymoonmyman2020
Sorry to hear you're not feeling great again. No advice, but didn't want you to feel alone

Hi all, I just wanted some advice if poss? We've been in for 3 weeks now. This week I've taken the children on 2 short walks around the block, but had been in for 18 days beforehand as I had a residual cough from having pneumonia in Feb.

Last night I thought I felt hayfevery, but overnight I've developed a sore throat that feels really gunky and hard to clear, my glands are up on one side, sinuses blocked and a temperature of 38.7 (pre paracetamol) And a cough.

Part of me is keen to dismiss it as a summer cold, but I just have a real feeling of dread.

DH has sent me back to bed, but I'm still breastfeeding DS2 so can't properly isolate - also we've only got one bathroom, no spare room etc.

I should add that I already had post natal anxiety, and we lost a dear friend to covid 3 weeks ago so I'm already a bit of a wreck.

Any advice or just reassuring would be gratefully received

Day13
I think it may time I called 111
I've had a massive energy dip and the panic attack things.
I feel as though I am swimming in concrete, so sluggish.
My fitbit kept saying yesterday how my heart rate was 56 bpm. I just assumed it was wrong.
I've just taken my pulse and it isn't wrong.
According to my watch it hasn't gone above 70 in a few days.
75 was my average resting rate before.

Morning @Crayfishforyou - yes call 111. I've spoken to them twice during this.

@Cakeweek - try not to panic The pollen count is high across the country so it could be that. Keep taking the paracetamol and try to distance yourself as much as you can 'just in case'. Others have found having a pulse oximeter useful (£20 on EBay). Take Vitamin C and make sure you eat and drink fluids, especially if you're feverish. A lot of surgeries are opening on Bank Holiday Monday this year due to the outbreak so you might be able to get some telephone advice then.

Morning everyone , first wanted to tell u thank u all for keeping me sane, is day 8 here and started to feel better today. The worst day was the 4th with dizziness and severe pins and needles in my lips feet and hands, and gasping for breath . Still have the chest tightness the loss of smell and cough but i finally breath better.
My question , for those isolating, when did u come out from isolation? Which day? There is no study on for how long u are contagious for and so scared in passing this to my family( husband with diabetes and no spleen) . One family friend ( doctor) recommended 7th day after the last symptom ( loss of fever or feeling better) but thats so vague , lots of people display symptoms for weeks? Wishing u all speedy recovery 🤗🤗

@Whenthenightisover I would isolate away from dh for as long as I felt active symptoms really in those circumstances. @stayathomegardener posted a good video about how to care for someone at home which would help you manage isolation within the home but i cant find it now

@Pokemontrainer do you have a garden? You can go outside if so and still be self isolating.

@mymoonmyman2020 I think lots of people felt that they got better abs then took a dip, some more than once. Another thread was formed for people on day 30+, the link is early in this thread and also on the end of thread 6. It might be worth posting there too.

@sierradelta thank you it sounds like we have had similar symptoms. I still have a sore throat, day 4 although not as bad day 1 and 2. It got so bad is was hard to swallow and yesterday .i had a feeling something was stuck tgat others have reported.

I’m incredibly tired and have brain fog, another symptom I think and also loss of smell/taste, not sure i’ve had a metallic taste but certainly an odd taste. Most of all I just feel weird, not myself and not like other illnesses, just odd. Chest not great but then it never is, bad asthma.

It would be helpful if the govt could collate some of the less severe symptoms, I think as understandably they are focusing on the very ill who need hospital treatment the numbers at home with milder symptoms are probably far greater than they think.

@Whenthenightisover glad you are feeling better. I was told 7 days too but actually self isolated for 14 because although I started having good days, I would also relapse and get bad ones. Even then I only came out as it became obvious that dh had a mild case and had probably infected the kids too. In your position I would stay away from your family til I'd had at least 3 good days in a row, then be v careful re hygiene when you rejoin them.

@crayfishforyou hope you are ok and get checked out

Morning! So sorry for those who had a bad night and those who are feeling scared

I haven't taken my temperature yet, but my heart rate is 96bpm resting, which is worrying me.

I think I'm on day 13, but have a couple of serious health conditions and am in the shielded group.

I don't know if I should call 111 or not.

Symptoms at the moment are a nasty, productive cough, fast heart-rate, and fatigue.

I've felt feverish, and have sort of shuddered occasionally, but the thermometer has only read 36.1.

I'm on Clarithromycin (antibiotic), using my ventolin inhaler four times a day plus my symbicort inhaler twice a day, on carbocisteine (which softens mucus: nice), montelukast at night, plus eating well, drinking lots and taking vitamins. Also sitting in the sun and making sure I move around regularly.

Oh, also that Queens breathing video is great: doing that three times a day.

Feeling really scared, though, of going into hospital. It used to be such a reassuring place for me, and now it's (clearly) not.

My friend pointed out, though, that only 5% of admitted covid patients are actually intubated; the rest are put on oxygen and fluids. Hanging onto that right now.

Thank u for replying TheDrsWife46, Porcupineinwaiting🤗 will try to stay in my room for 14 days then, just missing my little boy badly.

@MilesJuppIsMyBitch I think you should call them.

@MilesJuppIsMyBitch, it wouldn't do any harm to call 111 for reassurance given your medical history. You might need to switch antibiotics.

Do you have an oximeter? I think a raised pulse rate is normal during a viral infection. If you look on the '30+' day thread, a few people have been recording their pulse rates. Mine has been around 120 on moving around and is about 80-90 resting (I'm overweight though). It can make you feel jittery and shaky.

@MilesJuppIsMyBitch

Try this link for more breathing techniques, previously posted by @MillStone

Also this led me to the following fascinating and very helpful breathing advice. Definitely worth a look.

I am at the assessment centre
I must be a little better, I couldn't have walked from the carpark to the entrance yesterday

@Crayfishforyou very glad you are getting seen.

Regarding breathing techniques, it's worth being aware that some experts are saying the Queens technique is inaccurate for several reasons. Here's a snippet from the Guardian:

Can breathing exerciseshelp?

...However, Laura Breach, a spokeswoman for the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Respiratory Care (ACPRC), says while the exercises should be harmless for healthy individuals, she would not advise them, adding that they could make symptoms worse in someone suffering breathlessness. Although Munshi’s video was well-intentioned, the ACPRC says the techniques are not correct (it is preparing its own video). If you did try the exercise, you only need to take three or four breaths so as not to hyperventilate and become dizzy, and if you have coronavirus symptoms, there is no need to make yourself cough as part of the exercise. “We would always encourage nose-breathing rather than mouth-breathing, because your nose is really important in humidifying the air that you breathe in and catching any particles in the air,” says Breach...

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