Update: Trying to Get Tested for COVID-19, Part 4
(Integrative map of cases of COVID-10 in the United States via Johns Hopkins.)
DAY 8: I love a good head rush but this is scary.
My symptoms have shifted again but a constant underlying component is the extreme fatigue. My concern is always making sure my lungs are clear or at the very least, not getting worse. The goal is staying away from that scary pneumonia that we keep hearing critical patients are dying from that is causing people to have to go to the hospital and stay for days in order to get it under control. I have been out of Mucinex for nearly two days and I am hopeful that some will arrive today in the mail because now that I have stopped taking it, I can definitely see how much it was helping me to keep my lungs clear. Without the expectorant medication I am still coughing, but the cough is not so dry any more.
I have a weird shaking in my legs. It’s like an underlying current of energy and contractions, or more precisely anxiety and it makes me jittery. I also have this odd tendency to gasp and take in a deep breath all of a sudden and it is a little unnerving. This could be a side effect from having to use my albuterol rescue inhaler more, or it could be indicative of my adrenal system under intense stress. I have bouts of this when my body is under extreme physical stress, but I am resolved to take it in stride and not get worried any more than I already am. On my first day of law school we had an assembly of sorts where they explained to us what the next three years would look like. A dean explained that it would be a marathon and not a sprint and so I tend to use that mantra in my life when I am reminding myself to be paced and not to borrow trouble, and I have found it helpful.
As bad as things have been, I am continually overwhelmed by the kindness of people who are reading these posts or who follow me on Twitter and how quick they are to offer support or kindness. After my last post I received at least 20 messages from people offering to mail me Mucinex after I had said I would run out. Someone in the Washington, D.C. area contacted me and was willing to split her package of medication with me. We have created an expectorant underground, and if this weren’t so frightening, it would be hysterical. Maybe it will be really funny in a year, hopefully sooner.
The odd squeezing below my ribs has shifted to a feeling of someone pushing down on my chest, like something heavy is sitting on me while I lie down even when I am sitting up. I am trying not to be panicked by the feeling because many others have described this symptom and they have also talked about it easing after a few days, so I am watching that carefully. This morning I had a serious head rush and I normally love those, but this one was a little too intense and just felt scary. (Before all of you mothers contact me, yes — I had recently eaten something.) My ears are now in play, and when I speak and I listen to my own voice, it sounds like I am in a tunnel. If this virus has chosen to go after my ears before my lungs, I’ll take it — but I’m afraid it’s hitting both.
I’m just focused on hydrating, eating clean food when I have an appetite and trying to practice extreme rest. My mental clarity got fuzzy a few days ago, but eased up yesterday. Today the fog is back and it is likely connected to my ear symptoms. My temperature is up a little but still no more than 98.6, which is actually a two degree elevation for me. I also got my pulse oximeter and my oxygen levels are really good and typically 96-98, so that is very reassuring. From the accounts of other people, best case scenario on this is being sick for 10-14 days, so I am using that as a goal. If I didn’t know anything about this coronavirus pandemic and had these symptoms, I would just tell someone that I had one of the worst flu colds I have had in ten years or so, but that I would see a doctor if I got a secondary infection. No need for another inhaler, antibiotics, steroids or emergency room yet.
I think this is a perfect moment for our country to rise to the occasion and show the world the kinds of values we really possess; the kind that have not been represented by the behaviors and actions of the political party currently attempting to lead us. People are inherently good and generous and we have much more in common than we realize. Considering how isolated we all are, there is a sense of community that I have never experienced before and I can’t even tell you how grateful I am for that.
Slow and steady wins the race.
For the first post in this series, including Day 1, Day 3 and Day 6 click here.
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Amee Vanderpool writes the “Shero” Newsletter and is an attorney, contributor to magazines and newspapers and an analyst for BBC radio. She can be reached at avanderpool@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @girlsreallyrule.
Hang in there, Amee. I hope what you're describing are signs of the illness waning.
Stay strong. We want you well FAST