I recovered from Covid after 3 weeks. Here’s what helped.

[Turin]

I hope I can help in some ways as I recovered from the awful virus. I had it for three weeks and believe I caught it from colleagues/students at school who presented mild symptoms. The virus attacked me very slowly (headaches and fatigue very normal with teachers) and the aggressively- coughing and flu like symptoms. I was in bed for weeks after.

It was so bad at one point I gave my DS (single parent) the “if Mummy dies” talk. Breaks my heart that he had to hear those words.

So I just want to share what helped me in case anything can alleviate your pain:

1. Plenty of fluids despite making me vomit. The emptying of my stomachs helped clear mucus in my lungs/throat and helped me breathe. The only food I could graze on was flat breads or fruit.

1. Antibiotics- the GP said this was to treat a secondary bacterial infection on my lungs in the second week which helped me breath. It did.

1. Paracetamol x2 every four hours. Some days I was so weak it would take me two hours at 4am to take these. During the day DS was trying to nurse me the best he could.

1. Lucozade. I could not eat and my sugar levels were desperately low. Some days/hours I had no idea where DS was (big garden) as I was so lethargic and fatigued. The lucozade gave me the sugar rush I needed to gradually get up and try and be a parent to him. He is 9.

1. Steaming. My friend recommended doing this with whole cloves as this is used for colds in her culture. Again helped massively when I had the energy to boil the water and place in a bowl.

1. Turn of sky news if you have it! The sight of the giant red virus cell as their background was nauseating! Turn off the news in general. It doesn’t help morale hearing about death rates.

1. Have a heated pad or hot water bottle on stand by if you do get the chills. I had a microwaveable heat pad used for pets.

1. Don’t be afraid to call nhs for advice if you think you are getting worse. At one point, my son called 999 and said “my mum can’t breath”. He was told “unless her lips are blue and her head has gone floppy we won’t be coming out we are too busy”. My poor love having to listen to that.

However, It helped me focus on getting better massively as I understood the nhs was on its knees and my recovery was going to be better at home even though I was gasping for breath.

1. As my course of antibiotics finished and the steaming was helping, I started to do things like clean up and wash clothes. Don’t. Stop. They will exhaust you. Baby steps for at least a week as you will get a false sense of confidence thinking you are better and then relapse. This happened to me 3 times.

Hope this helps someone who needed hope that the chances of you getting better are higher than if you don’t.

Feel free to ask me any questions.

X

I agree with a lot of what *@Turin has said. Glad to hear you are on the mend.

I found steaming didn't help me but as the OP I thought I was okay and put the washer on and then was wiped out for hours. At my worst walking to the en suite would mean I would need to lie down again. I would lie down as I was so tired but it made my breathing worse. The tiredness is like nothing I have ever had before. Even thinking about doing something would wear me out. Still not 100% but better.

@Turin

How utterly terrifying for you both 🌷.

Thank you for sharing. I live alone. I thought I was pretty well prepared with 'stuff' for if I get it, but I've added a couple of things to my 'bedside box' after reading your post.

I'm absolutely terrified of getting this living alone, especially as I have underlying health issues. I mean, it's not like you can phone a friend to come & help you is it 😢

Take care 🌷

Can anyone link to advice about letting a low grade fever run in adults. I’m so used to reducing a fever that was honestly wouldn’t know the best thing to do if and when DP gets portly.

*poorly 🤭

My best help was my 02 monitor and humidifier. The 02 monitor calmed me down that my oxygen levels were ok even when I was very breathless and the humidifier helped overnight.

@Turin if that are the words that 999 used you need to put in a formal complaint. If you google the ambulance service they will have a complaints section. All calls are recorded and so can be easily traced. Telling a 9 year old that an ambulance will not come out for breathing difficulties for a lone parent is outrageous. At the least you should have been referred to a GP, but more likely paramedics come out and assess the situation. It is very concerning if a call handler is giving that advice.

*At one point, my son called 999 and said “my mum can’t breath”. He was told “unless her lips are blue and her head has gone floppy we won’t be coming out we are too busy”.

Really? No hospital is at capacity in UK, never has been.

#BullshitBangdown*

@supersimpkin

My husband did the online 111 symptom checker when I was gasping for breath - it said the same thing - so probably not 'bullshitbangdown'

Can I ask, why are there so many people wanting to doubt the OP had COVID? "Have you been tested" "how do you know it was CV19"?

Ive noticed this on a few threads. Flu season has come to an end and there is a virus that has been estimated to affect 80% of us - why wouldn't it be CV19?

I've had it - no not tested! - my GP is pretty sure I've had it and statistically it's more likely to have been that than anything else at the moment.

The level of 'unwellness' I experienced frightened me.

My SIL had it, was at in hospital on the Sunday, not sure if she was in as a patient of for tests. My Mum said she he was told to return to work on Friday.

She works in a frikking hospital and and surely should return to work when she felt up to it

@Elllicam can I ask if an O2 monitor is something you can buy online? Any particular model to get? Thanks

I cant imagine that being said to me or Dd but then we both have brittle asthma.
Im shielding on my own so Ill have to call myself.
My friend's partner was tld she has it, though untested but they did say she'd be taken to hospital if she got any worse, she's 59 and not in the best of health normally.
Maybe it depends where in the country you are?
We're in Argyll but near to Glasgow.

@SquashedFlyBiscuit they are sounding us out. It's been done since the Blair years

Some SPAD working in government has "leaked" a proposed policy to see if the UK public is behind it. The fact everyone is pushing back for various reasons means the UK government won't try it at the moment.

You are better of listening to what Sturgeon plans to do in Scotland in the coming week and what Ireland plan to do, as this will give you clues on what the UK government is likely to do.

I find it odd that everyone doubts the OP's comment about the ambulance - it's completely normal in our area for ambulance dispatchers to be realistic about whether they can come out or not and what the timing is, to enable patients to make an informed decision about how else they might be able to get to A&E when the ambulance service is really busy.

They can't magic up more paramedics and ambulances than they have, so while they obviously want to help, expecting an ambulance immediately was very rarely realistic, even before COVID19.

How awful. So glad you have recovered. Your story sounds very like that of Adam Rutherford from radio 4 www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/film-tv/news/scientist-adam-rutherford-coronavirus-and-pneumonia-almost-killed-me-39081841.html
He had pneumonia on top of Covid they think and antibiotics were the turning point for him. It got me thinking, are some people developing bacterial Pneumonia as a complication of Covid? How does that work or is it just coincidental? What if lots of people are unnecessarily much iller than they should be when actually a course of ab’s might be what they need?

Can I ask, why are there so many people wanting to doubt the OP had COVID? "Have you been tested" "how do you know it was CV19"?
Because how is this thread helpful if it is not known whether the OP even had CV? I have had symptoms for 5 weeks! I have been more ill than I ever have in the past. Would it be helpful for me to detail every symptom I have? I tested negative... You see? Not helpful after all.

Regarding letting a fever run in adults: watch Dr John Campbell on Youtube.
Also up your vitamin D.
He had several videos and clearly explains the science.

@Oldraver if she has "complications" e.g. still can't breath properly, fatigued, she needs to get signed off for these "complications".

It's fricking ridiculous but having had a nasty employer in the past I know how to deal with other shit ones.

Did you get tested? What was the testing procedure ?

At one point, my son called 999 and said “my mum can’t breath”. He was told “unless her lips are blue and her head has gone floppy we won’t be coming out we are too busy”.

I have called 999 too many times to recall
I actually don't believe this response to a child.
The rest is common sense and nothing that most people wouldn't do anyway if they any horrendous virus. Sorry I know that sounds flippant but I've had my whole sister's family saying they've all have Covid and saying things like 'drink lots of fluids' actually makes me want to ask someone if they think I have learning difficulties

@LonginesPrime the difference is this is a young child calling with a lone parent. Completely different scenario to if adult can ring or another adult in house. It raises serious safeguarding issues and raises procedures about calling other agencies (police for example for welfare check).

This isn’t helpful. It’s scaremongering and very possibly nonsense.

Dd is 18 and has been calling ambulances for me for 10 years, the call handlers and paramedics have always been great with her, plus her welfare/where she is has been followed up in hospital, none of those times were for/will be for Covid though.

Heartbreaking :( really hope the only way is up for you now and you recover in full. Thank you for taking the time to share.

Yes my son was told that the ambulance would not be coming for me. But you know what? I knew the hospital in my local area was on its knees. I could hear the anxiety and panic in the paramedics voice indicating how busy he was. I understood. He said I had to contact my GP and keep taking fluids. I don’t blame him and I won’t be complaining. Why? Because he’s human and was in an utter state of desperation. He must’ve been completely helpless to have to say that to a child.

Yes my son will need support and is grateful I am back being the mummy and he the child. We actually had lots of support and he was overwhelmed by it. “We’ve saved so much money with all these food and toy deliveries mum”

His response since has understandably been one of frustration, he tells his friends about it on the phone. “They gave Boris an ambulance but not my mum!! Can you believe that?’

My wonderful SIL snd brother we’re doing ‘window checks” and dropping off food for us both. When DS called the ambulance he text DB too to let him know. DB was down in minutes desperately wanting to come in but DS wouldn’t let him saying “I don’t want your baby getting poorly if you come in”.

I am 99.9% sure it was covid. I wasn’t tested but the GP repeatedly told me it was as I have had the flu before and this was completely different.

I’m sorry for the advice about the paracetamol if incorrect. I’m just going by what I was advised.

Rest.Rest.Rest. I was jubilant about my ‘recovery’ on day 17 and went for a went for a celebratory two mile walk. I was in bed for the next two days suffering from it.

Thank you to everyone for your kind words, best wishes and support.

I had what was probably covid. 111 and the GP told me the same thing about breathlessness. The my lungs thread series is still going. I was on the first two. “My lungs are on fire” for the first and second thread. from then about thread 4 it was renamed My lungs part x. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/3875819-My-Lungs-Part-7?pg=7
Lots of useful info. Thread one www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/3850594-My-lungs-feel-like-they-are-on-fire-Anyone-else?msgid=94930011

one point, my son called 999 and said “my mum can’t breath”. He was told “unless her lips are blue and her head has gone floppy we won’t be coming out we are too busy”. My poor love having to listen to that.

This.

Why are people Clapping for the nhs, they have free beds. You should have been in one. Our death rate is horrendous. Or at the very least a visit to check on you from a healthcare worker.

Basically don’t call 999 unless you are dead. Oh ok.