I have covid, just keep crying

[Zenab12]

Hi so this week I tested positive for covid. It came from my lovely sister in law who didn't tell us she had covid before coming to our house. First my son had a cough and he tested positive, he is 4 and only had a cough. Then my daughter got ill (5&half) she was quite bad, high temp, dizzy. My husband is completely fine.

I'm only 23, had my first jab of Pfizer last month ( 2nd one due 30th August) and I just feel so so bad, I started with a fever and just general feeling of being unwell for the first 3 days, I'm on day 5 now, yesterday the fever subsided but I feel so sick and dizzy every time I stand up, I've completely lost my taste and smell and its actually pretty scary to me whenever I try and smell something or eat something and I can't even taste it. I feel hungry but I can't eat. I keep calling my mum and crying down the phone bevause I'm usually a very active person and every time I feel the slightest bit better and I get up and try and clean etc I end up not being able to stand up bevause I feel so ill and weak. I'm taking paracetomal every 4hrs. My head really hurts and my ears really hurt. I just never imagined it would hit me this bad and thank god I had the first vaccine when I did otherwise I don't know how bad I would have been.

Does anyone have any advice on absolutely anything I can do to make myself feel better 😒 I know the only option really is to just ride it out but I just keep feeling so bad, upset and scared. My kids are both better now and it's just so so hard feeling this bad when I need to run around after them, I haven't got dressed in 5 days and I'm practically bed bound and the mum guilt is killing me bevause they are just sat at home watching me in bed all day.

Try steam for head and ears.

Lay on bathroom floor and run the shower on hottest and have all windows and doors shuts and use a towel to block under door if needed.

But other than that let DH take it all on.

If you want to second time with kids then all watch a film together (basically you doze!)

I had it last year in March and felt pretty bad.
Stop trying to do stuff.
Get into bed, drink plenty of fluids. Stop trying to carry on. You could be ill longer if you overdo it.
I was feeling rubbish for around 10 days. I couldn't eat, I ended up on cup a soup as it was the only thing that didn't make me feel sick.
You will be fine but you have to stop. Let your partner take over and let the kids watch tv. When I had it my husband was ill too and my kids pretty much had to fend for themselves. A friend brought us food shopping and went to the pharmacy for me. I managed to make sandwiches and pizzas etc.
It's not forever but it could be longer if you don't REST.
Get well soon

You need to rest.

I wouldn't be calling her 'lovely SIL' if she knew she had COVID and still came round your house.

If you are dizzy the doctor can prescribe medication to stop it- a friend had it for her daughter. Hope you feel better soon.

Sweet, your body is making you feel weak because it needs you to rest so it can help/try to heal itself.

Please listen to what it is telling you

paracetamol, rest, water. It'll pass soon. My taste and smell came back after a couple of weeks.

Your husband will deal with the children
You need to rest
Drink lots of fluids and sleep when you can

Your body is already working very, very hard fighting the infection.
Don't try to make it work even harder, it can't.

Rest. Rest rest rest.

@Zenab12 I think that you and that poster clarified you meant every four hours to the max and she thought literally every four hours taking you over the max. I then read it as you were easing up despite already being below the max .

Anyway, please sensibly take up to the max, it sounds like you need it.

touch wood I haven't had it, but I have had flu twice (at 21 and 28) and when I had flu I wouldn't have been able to even lift my head to look at my phone/computer let alone type a post so on the plus side it sounds like it will be more manageable than that!

Rest, rest, rest and fluids - you need to take yourself away and fully rest and recuperate (sleep as much as you can). Vitamin C (I usually go with the dissolvable tablets, or berrocca type multivitamin ones), and painkillers too

Hope you feel better soon! x

I’ve had a fair few illnesses like flu, etc and one thing I always notice - but noone talks about- is that the body dials back on emotional regulation etc to prioritise healing/survival. It is quite common in my experience to get more emotional than normal when ill because it seems to me this kind of regulation is a luxury system function that gets switched off in hard times. It helps to see your tears, anxiety, even depression as being part of your physical symptoms of the illness. You will feel better when you recover.

If you don’t and the illness clear up and you still feel mental health difficulties, that is fine too and you can work at that as well. Feel better

The more you push yourself, the longer it will last. You are officially out-of-action. You need to go to bed. Dont push yourself. Sleep as much as you can. Maybe take some night nurse rather than just paracetamol as it will help you rest and unblock you. Lots of fluids. Your husband can hold the fort and look after the children and the house, just like you would if it was him ill. This isnt your fault. Take a break. If he doesnt like it, then tough. No choice.

boreofwhabylon said it far better than me.

Listen to them and your body.

Max strength cold and flu stuff, either the tablets or hot drinks, and lots of rest. Paracetamol didn’t cut it.

Re being tearful, we found that covid affected our mental well being, dark thoughts, thought of death and tearful but it will pass. Lose the guilt, you didn’t ask for this, you haven’t done anything wrong.

Aw bless you. Look at it this way, you're lucky to have avoided being ill until you were 22. Most people have a stint of illness in childhood. My worst ever illness was 2 weeks of noro when I was nearly 30, although the odd bout of flu has also been unpleasant. Oh and the time I had mastitis but that didn't floor me for 2 weeks that I recall. Sometimes you need to go to bed until you feel better. It's when you're too ill to even flake in front of TV and you just sleep.

I’m not trying to put the boot in, and I say this gently BUT you are only on day 5 and although you feel awful your symptoms are still relatively mild.

You say you never imagined it would hit you this bad - in all honesty, it doesn’t sound like it has. Your fever has subsided and you haven’t mentioned any trouble breathing. Last year I ended up being admitted to hospital with COVID as I was so weak I could barely move, I was struggling to breathe while lying still and my heart had to be monitored as I was having really bad heart palpitations. The paramedic had to carry me down the stairs as I couldn’t stand.

Honestly, you need to rest and stop trying push yourself.

It probably doesn't help that I keep pushing my self too, as I said I'm very active usually doing everything and I keep trying to push myself to get things done such as cleaning and the cooking ( even tho I can't taste or smell anything so not much point) so that's probably not helping me get any better I guess.

No, it isn't. It will be slowing down your recovery. Just forget about everything and leave it to your husband till you're considerably better. Stay in bed and stop crying down the phone to your mum, it's much more productive just to sleep and/or watch mindless TV.

I have no idea really, it's just the way I am and usually if I get a cold or anything like that I still have to get on with things and I'm finding it hard to just rest. It sounds mad but I do know that I need to give in, it's just getting used to not doing things and accepting help

And I say this slightly less gently - stop being a martyr, your husband can cope, go to bed.

Did your SIL actually know she had the virus/symptoms before coming to visit?

When you're young and you've always been healthy, becoming ill or injured for the first time is pretty shocking. I remember being 30 years old and having a pain in my leg after running. I actually went to the doctors and got an X-ray. It was tendonitis I believe.

Now in my late 60's I don't really remember what it feels like to be pain-free. I know if I was in my youth and I woke up feeling like I do all the time now I'd call 911/999 or an undertaker.

Oh I remember your other post about your SIL coming to your home despite knowing she had been in contact with someone who is positive.

So sorry you’ve caught it but you do need to just ride it out. It will pass, so rest up, drink plenty of fluids and try and sleep.

Huge sympathy from this old codger. I remember getting proper flu when I was 18 and being shocked at how hard it hit me - young, fit, utterly floored. It took me 6 weeks before I was fully well again. Real illness is just a completely different level of awful compared to the colds and sniffles we all get.

The only thing I recommend is letting your standards slide utterly, enlisting help and resting, resting, resting. When you start feeling a bit better I second the recommendation of binge watching something you've been meaning to watch for ages. Get well.

I remember having 24 hour flu with a 3 and 2 year old, I spent the whole day trying not to fall asleep in the armchair. Doing enough to keep them alive is enough. Is your husband helping?

REST! Stay in bed and do nothing but sleep and drink/eat what you can.

You won’t get better until you let your body get over it. Even if you feel better, rest some more.

Ps your sister in law is a complete bitch. I wouldn’t have contact again after this. Unbelievable behaviour.

Paracetamol dosage is 2 tabs, max 8 in 24 hr period. At least 4 hours between doses. As long as you don’t exceed that you’re fine.