When you had COVID what did you find most useful or wish you had in?

[AtLeastPretendToCare]

My household has had multiple exposures to cases recently so I’m planning that it is when not if it breaks out within the family. So I want to prepare. Adults are jabbed and had/getting boosters. Primary school aged children attending school.

If you’ve had COVID, whether mild or more serious, particularly more recently please tell me what you really found helpful to have at home or what did you not have and you wishes you had that would have made thing easier for you?

Any input whether big or small appreciated.

Soup. In cans. Quick and easy.

Vick rub
Frozen ready made dinners
Juice (could still taste it)
Things to do for kids - some crafts, books to read/listen to

Instant mash, which I normally don't eat.
co-codamol

Paracetamol
Ibroprofen
Good water bottle J could drink from when lying down
Netflix account
Immune boosting tablets
Vit C/ D
Vit B complex

Decongestants, tissues with balm (so snotty!), lucozade for comforting childhood feels. Plenty of paracetamol. Some new books on my kindle as I was isolating with no tv whilst my husband isolated with tv , Netflix etc. We isolated separately as he got it first, so I was already sleeping in the spare room when I came down with it.

Dettol, hand sanitizer to try an prevent spread.

Also fresh soups (Covent garden type), nice bread and cheese. Salty and nutritious foods.

The drugs!!!! Stupid sainsbos limit how much paracetamol & calpol you can put in one order (for all the right reason) & we're only a family of 3!

Cold and flu meds
Tissues
Soup
Instant mash
Spaghetti hoops
Ribena

Lemsips in a variety of flavours.
Ocado account.

I'm asthmatic and had an extra inhaler as I upped my dose. Also paracetamol and ibuprofen, squash, and lots of salty-carb food!

It felt so strange my OH leaving the house (after he did a PCR) but I was grateful he could.

Crafts, paper and paints etc for the kids! Thank god for Amazon

Just knowing we had the ability to get an Ocado delivery at any point so not needing to worry about food etc.

Paracetamol.

Magazines & things to do for the dc.

When we felt a bit better I realised id been organised for actual meals but treats like chocolate etc I hadn't thought of then really wanted.
Definitely strong painkillers, thankfully I wasn't really poorly but have never had a headache like it before, it was like I could feel my whole brain throbbing.
Pet food if applicable.
Luckily we have a decent sized garden so getting out each day and walking around it for fresh air and exercise really did help. Even if it was just for 10 minutes if we didn't feel that up to it.

I had some Idahoan instant mash sachets which were perfect when I wanted something hot and soothing but couldn't actually taste anything! They have a really long shelf life so well worth having some in. Also blackcurrant Lemsip.

Oximeter, lots of paracetamol, Lemsip, honey. I also drank endless cups of tea with honey once well enough to go back to work, so extra teabags and milk too. And a good food shop with plenty of fruit, veg and vitamins to aid recovery.

We have it at the moment for the second time this year, mine has been cold flu remedies, lemsip and calpol etc, there's 2 adults and 2 toddlers with it so been going through it quickly

Instant mash - well that’s something I certainly hadn’t considered but is getting a lot of love tonight!

Instant mash - well that’s something I certainly hadn’t considered but is getting a lot of love tonight!

That’s a fair point, I had chips one morning

Good stuff everyone, keep em coming. Hopefully this thread will help lots of people through the coming tsunami of cases.

I have to say mash is not something I had thought about but I can see why it works so will stock up! If we have a run on it now you can trace me back as patient zero.

Gah ok so you get the point about my discovering the mash.

I found the oximeter really reassuring. I didn't have instant mash but can definitely see the appeal. Weetabix

I found the oximeter really reassuring. I didn't have instant mash but can definitely see the appeal. Weetabix

Medical things - A pulse oximeter and various forms of paracetamol.

Comfort things - menthol bath oil (I spent a lot of time in the bath and the menthol was soothing until my smell went).

Food things - fruit juice in cartons (I could manage little sips while still lying down), tempting snacks like dried fruit, chocolate, nuts etc as I lost my appetite completely for a while and small bits of food I liked helped me to start eating again.

A massive pizza delivery which the kids put in the fridge so they could then microwave what they needed to eat. It fed them for about 3 days when DH and I were literally too ill to be able to feed our children. 😪

Good friends and neighbours who willingly went and collected supermarket food orders and medicines for us, to help us through it.

Oximeter. I thought DH was doing ok but we measured his a couple of hours ago & it's 93, he's not even coughing very much.
Cocodamol. I had the most horrendous headache, I thought it was a migraine at first but the symptoms were slightly different, so I didn't realise I was ill for the first day or so. Paracetamol doesn't touch it.
Tinned soup. Easy, liquid & calories, very little washing up, doesn't need freezing.
Blankets. DH & I have both felt absolutely freezing cold, regardless of whether we've had a temperature. Last night I had 3 blankets over a 13 tog duvet, & wore a hoodie.
Comfortable clothes. Tracksuits, leggings etc. Soft & stretchy.