(Trump giving details about the novel coronavirus from the Press Room podium in the White House.)
I’ve been taking my temperature daily. If you must know, it’s been much more than daily — more like 2-4 times daily depending on the level of anxious nonsense going on in my head and so far, so good. I have had a slight temperature, but it seems that all of the CDC info on the novel coronavirus indicates that there are much higher temperatures involved. I also have a dry cough and some lung tightening, but I’ve just gone off an asthma inhaler that has all of those same side effects for someone discontinuing it. It’s been playing with my head, for sure.
Have any of you been tested and have a positive test? Are you experiencing symptoms and suspect you have COVID-19, but you are just riding it out? Do you feel like you’ve had the virus and already recovered from it? For any of you who think they are sick, what has your experience been like so far? I’m really curious about any first hand experiences you may have with this virus so far, and any details you feel comfortable sharing on your COVID-19 experience would be welcome.
REMINDER AND DISCLAIMER: None of the comments here represent any medical advice that you should rely on to care for yourself. If you think you are sick with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) you should contact your doctor immediately for instructions. You should always read and follow the guidelines issued but the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and those can be found here.
I am 54 I live in Iowa and and I am my mother's caregiver she is 85 I started showing symptoms 2 weeks ago went to the doctor twice they kept changing my medication none of which helped when asked why I could not get tested he said I didn't fit the criteria of having travelled or known contact I am scared to death that I have transferred the virus to my mother and several other people since I was first diagnosed as having a sinus infection and as you have seen the numbers are people being tested is still very low I'm still fighting symptoms and trying to avoid my mother as much as possible which is almost impossible since I have to do her daily cooking shopping etc I will never forgive this President and his administration for their lack of concern early on they lied to us Fox news spread that lie and now they've got Jared kushner making money is that why we delayed? It is beyond comprehension that there is so little action on the part of our federal government I think they all need to be removed from office immediately and jailed they put profits above people's lives and there's no way to get that time back
I'm with you on laying this on the POTUS, he caused a 7+ week delay in treating this seriously. I'm not convinced he is as yet taking it seriously. He seems more concerned about the economy, not the people.
Yup. And I've heard that there's a ventilator company that could make 100,00/day, they haven't gotten an order from the government to start! Unbelievable incompetence.
Just watched Gov. Cuomo speaking. He is the model of what Trump should be doing right now. Calm, informative, taking action and sincerely honest. If only...
I live in Maryland and telecommute. I started to feel like garbage on Friday, 3/13 - wicked sore throat, body aches including this feeling of having tightness around my ribs, headache, chills and fatigue. My sore throat went away on Monday but I have developed a cough and over the last few days have noticed that I get a little winded when climbing the stairs in my house. I don't have the energy to walk or exercise so going upstairs is about all I can manage right now. Last night, I was reading to my daughter and had to stop because of shortness of breath. In my area, there is drive thru testing. I had called the testing help line and the nurse advised me to go get the testing. I just went this morning and am supposed to have results in 3-5 days. I have not gone out in public since I have been sick. I hope everyone stays safe and feels better!
Thank you, Amee. I also wanted to thank everyone for their well wishes. I really appreciate it more than you know. The influenza A & B test results came back negative. I’m just waiting for the COVID results now. I work a little and rest a little and hope to be back on track soon. Stay healthy everyone 💖
Take care Lisa - I'll be thinking about you. I have family in Maryland and my mom in an assisted living in Annapolis. They haven't allowed any visitors and they just yesterday quarantined everybody to their rooms - they are not allowed out; they bring the meals to them. They don't even let the mailman in - they go out and get the mail from him/her. Most are trying to do the right thing. I hope you feel well soon Lisa - keep us posted on your progress <3
I hope everyone is hanging in there. I wanted to let you know I’m still waiting for test results. I’m still not feeling well but the anxiety caused by waiting /the unknown is ridiculous.
I’m still waiting for my test results. My fever came back yesterday and I continue to experience shortness of breath and tightness in my chest and around my ribs. I called the COVID nurse hotline and they referred me to my PCP. My PCP did a telehealth call and prescribed doxycycline in case it’s a different infection. I’m not taking this until I get my results- antibiotics won’t work on a virus. I’m sick of this.
My doctor also gave me augmentin while awaiting test results. I have not taken it either. I am concerned that there has been no bloodwork, no one looked in my ears or throat (understandable they wanted to keep their distance), but if this was bacterial, it could potentially be bad and no one is even looking for something bacterial right now. Everything is assumed to be COVID.
I have had symptoms for over a month and it's hard to remember the order. At various times, I've had severe muscle aches, swollen glands, strange tingling and pain that felt like it was in my bones, and most definitely the feeling of being out of breath from taking stairs or even from uttering a sentence. I mentioned it to be loved ones but attributed it to working out and to pollen, which has been extremely bad here in Florida. I have also had pain in my nose and it's red and sometimes crusted, headache from sinus pain and a sore throat. I may have had a fever at one time but I have not recently. I feel completely neurotic but I take it several times a day. Maybe not everyone has a fever. I never do. My body is definitely fighting something. What concerns me is that I don't seem to be getting better. It's worse at night and in the morning but I feel like the breathlessness is not changing. I am a 52 year old woman with no preexisting conditions, normal weight. I have self-isolated for 2 weeks.
I sure am. I'm eating nutrient-dense food, exercising, and *trying* to sleep a good amount. My symptoms are mild compared with others so I may turn out to be one of the lucky ones.
Your symptoms seem very similar to mine. You mentioned the tingling...I keep getting these "quivering" sensations in my arms, shoulder and chest. It just feels like everything is shivering, but not as prominent as when you have the chills. I also contributed mine to pollen and I thought the cough was just lingering from when I had the flu in February.
I work from home anyway so this is not a new situation for me. I give myself a 5 day window (the incubation time) every time after I've left the house and been around others. If after 5 days, I'm still OK, then I relax. I went to Costco yesterday for my usual supplies and am pretty appalled by the number of selfish people hoarding everything. Is selfishness a trait we are born with? I don't have kids so don't know if being selfish is normal and some people just never grow out of it. Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well out there and I'm on another 5 day waiting period now:-)
as someone who has kids, i'd say they are generally much more generous. (my daughters are always trying to give homeless people all the money they have ;) i think we've grown too accustomed to being out for ourselves as a society and too many forget sacrificing for "the greater good" is actually better for everyone in longterm and in moments of crisis like this
We went to our local grocery store last night and they were completely out of milk. We didn’t need any, but my husband asked the cashier about it. She said they’ve been getting a truck everyday but people buy 5 gallons at a time because that’s the store limit. Folks are losing their damn minds.
I'm sorry, but I don't think 5 days is enough time. I've read that there's a 14 day incubation window for COVID. Sorry.
We're getting our groceries delivered with no-contact. We do everything on line. I know they have excellent sanitation procedures, so I don't think wiping everything off is necessary, but my husband did yesterday. He also wore a mask and gloves to get the stuff from our lobby. Because, you know, disgusting people not washing their hands and touching elevator buttons. >:P
FYI, I'm also appalled by the selfishness of the hoarders.
I am 57, and believe I had / have the coronavirus. I traveled to Las Vegas thru ATL on 2/27 and 3/1, for a conference. There were many international physicians at the conference, including some from Italy and China, and a physician who had just gotten off a plane from Ireland to attend. On 3/4, I began experiencing extreme neck and shoulder pain and headache, I attributed to carrying briefcase and handbag, though I never felt like that on many other business trips. Then, a sore throat, swollen glands/ear pain, postnasal drip, that again, I attributed to allergies (I live in Florida and it is pollen season). I was very tired. Again, the trip? Then the chest pain / coughing started. Felt like bronchitis. Like someone was holding my chest down. Not really short of breath but it hurt. Cough was dry. No fever. I felt worst on 3/12 & 3/13, so I did a teledoc visit, after reading about symptoms. He said point blank, I had coronavirus and to self quarantine. I called my doctor's office on 3/16, they said to call triage nurse where drive thru testing had just started. I didn't meet their "requirements" and was turned down for testing. I feel better today, just a little bit of chest pain and infrequent cough, but after hearing from a nurse on the Today show describe her symptoms, including the astounding neck and shoulder pain, I feel that I did get it and am recovering, but without testing, how will I know? I also had a sinus infection prior to traveling and was finishing up antibiotics and steroids. Did that help me not get it so horribly? I don't know. I would like to get tested so I at least know if I had it, or is it too late now? I feel awful I was in contact with people on week 1, but how was I supposed to know? They keep saying fever, fever, fever, and I never had one! One of my colleagues, also on the trip, who lives in PA, was sick with same as me, so we strongly suspect we both had it.
Take care Michele - I'm so sorry you couldn't be tested or get help. I'm so worried about the next month or so. We do not have the resources in the United States that we need to take care of people here.
Michele, it drives me crazy that people like you apparently do not meet the standards for testing when it is obvious you do need to be tested. We should be at the stage where anyone needing a test should be able to get it. I am glad you are improving.
See if you can get a test, antibody test. It is a shame we are missing out on so much needed data. We will not have a true count of affected. Without that the virus will look less virulent. This administration is only interested in their portfolios. They are all self interested morally bankrupt charlatans. Our scientists will not have the data to help them fight the next pandemic, and there will be another. Our future new President, in office early next year, will not have the data needed to make decisive decisions when handling our next pandemic. Although he will know what not to do. More people will get ill than had to. Our healthcare workers are going through something that could have been avoided.
They are not doing any antibody tests yet- which would be blood tests. I know they are developing some. I would like to get tested too if they become available.
Hi, my husband has been running a 100-101 fever for the past 2 days. It comes down with ibuprofen. No other symptoms. He is a casino employee and has been home since last Friday. We are in our early 50's. Our doctor says seek testing from the CDC if his fever goes higher or if he develops more symptoms. Take care! Colleen
The WHO has now made an official recommendation NOT to take ibuprofen and other NSAIDs, these seem to worsen the virus. They say to use acetaminophen instead. I hope he recovers soon!
Unless he has an allergy to acetaminophen, make the switch. The suggestion was made after seeing patients in Paris Doing poorly on NSAIDs, they do have science to back it up. Certainly more studies need to be done but we are working on the fly here. They’ve found enough of a connection for WHO to make the recommendation. Better safe than sorry.
There are studies going back ten years. It is showed that anti inflammatories and steroids do suppress your immune system. Just because we do not have a study on covid doesn’t mean you should just assume it is okay. I am a retired RN and I can tell you advice based on studies are forever changing. Since that study ten years ago I don’t use Advil for several days into a virus, let your body get a good start , after which I alternate Advil and tylenol. Figure that way I get a fighting start and won’t be using too much of either, tylenol has it’s risk too.
I hadnthe flu vaccine and pneumonia double shot at the beginning of the season. I've been watching myself and started with a throat irritation and not quite cough. Woke up this morning with a slight fever and headache at the lower back of my head, just above the neck. I would test to rule out for peace of mind, but we can't, so... I will assume I am just fluish and hope for the best since there appear to be no other options at this point. I'm 71 and fairly healthy. We'll see. Love and best of luck to all. 😎💛🔥
If you get worse and cannot get tested for Covid 19, many are getting tested for the flu instead. If you have flu symptoms and test negative, then some are being able to get tested for Covid 19.
Thank you, Amee for posting this! I live in NYC and feeling more paranoid every day. On Tuesday I suddenly felt some head congestion. I was certain it was Covid-19. I took Nyquil & went straight to bed. Thankfully I felt OK the next morning. I had not been taking my temperature at all. Yeah I know, not very bright. I'm getting a thermometer TODAY.
Thank you for posting. I have been hoping that since I don't have fever, I'm ok. I am coughing and I'm out of breath. I'm pretty sure I have it. I am isolated but scared it will get worse. I'm a single parent.
It's scary, for sure. I was exposed to hay and a lot of dust 2 weeks ago so I was having asthmatic symptoms to begin with. I still have the dry cough and my chest is also tight, at times. I'm pretty sure it's allergies but I'm also paranoid about it. Hang in there, Amee.
Thanks to everyone who is sharing their symptoms here. I keep seeing "sore throat" which is not one of the CDC major indicators. That's good information to have.
My husband and I have been feeling not so great the last 5 days. Tight chest, dry cough, chills, sore throat and intestinal discomfort. Lo grade fever ranging from 99.5 to 101.5. I am luckily able to work from home but he works for the city and is told to report to work. He is a high risk category due to COPD. I have no insurance and he contacted his health care provider and they said he could not get tested because he had not been around anyone who had travelled recently. Drive through testing is finally starting to slowly become available in our city but you have to be in a car. We do not have a car. So that is an issue. We feel confused and frustrated regarding the lack of response and information. We are in Texas but I am reluctant to name our city due to fears about his job.
I am 67 and I think my husband (age 61) and I both had it. We traveled through DFW at the end of December and 2 days later I woke up with a very bad sore throat. Something I never get, a fever, dry cough and extreme fatigue. My husband came down with same 2 days later. The chest congestion was so bad I had to sit in steam before going to bed to sleep, and my husband would cough so hard I was afraid he would bust something. It lasted for 3 weeks. We used natural anti virals in an herbal form called Wellness Formula, lots of Vit C, and I gargled with a concoction I found that helped a lot. Neither of us ever get sick, and we never get the flu vaccine. The last time I had the flu was 2012 when I took a flu shot, so I decided my body and immune system does not respond well to the shots. But I have not had the flu again. I did not have body aches, so I assumed this was just a chest cold. I think it has been loose in the world since November, and there are possible deaths that were assumed to be pneumonia or flu related. I wish I could have an antibody test to know for sure.
don't have a thermometer in the house. solo quarantined. wild health has a daily pocast that is nerdy and sciency, but gives up to date info.- i trust 'em. that's the real issue, right? what information to trust? Peter attia is a doc. and intense and VERY sciency. getting the vibes of alarmists from many sources. the disparity i see of course, is even in preventive treatment between the rich and poor. paulinagraziose handle on twitter and instagram if any of you all wanna hang and share POSITIVE (not just test positive) POSITIVE VIBES! i also have a podcast The $100 Million which i do daily, and if i say so myself it is quite entertaining. thank you Amee, been following you forever. xo
I believe I had it in January/February, but was not tested, because, who knew? It started as flu-like symptoms and utter exhaustion. I wasn’t running a temp, because older people do not, in general, run temps even when ill. Then the chest pains started, but they went away with Tylenol and I have no heart history, so ...
The cough just kept getting worse. Then, after 10 days or so, I had trouble breathing and was wheezing. My doctor was booked so I went to an urgent care. She referred me to a better-equipped urgent care for a chest x-ray. By that time the difficulty in breathing had me terrified. They diagnosed “acute bronchitis,” and sent me home with antibiotics, steroids, a rescue inhaler and an Rx for albuterol and a nebulizer. My daughter was alarmed at my frantic, anxious state, but that is what happens to older patients: they don’t run temps, but do exhibit mood changes. For several days I used the albuterol and the rescue inhaler every 4 hours. It was hard to sleep while experiencing breathing difficulties. Gradually, gradually I began to improve. The acute phase went away in less than a week, and I could go longer and longer without the nebulizer and the inhaler. The exhaustion remained for weeks afterwards. I was symptom-free after 6 weeks, and overall, I feel I was very fortunate.
I also believe I had it the end of Jan through Feb 6. I am 61, had the flu shot, asthmatic and thought I was going die from not being able to breathe at night. My asthma meds barely helped. This made me think this is much more serious than the flu. Started off with a headache, 100.4 fever, coughing, 1day of mild diarrhea, so exhausted slept a whole day. Very weak lungs still, over a month later. I believe I caught it when I took my son to the local urgent care where he was treated by a Dr who happened to be Chinese. She said she had just come back from China mid Jan to see her parents. I became ill within 24 hours of the visit.
My sympathies indeed! The not being able to breathe part was the worst. I hope you are being extra careful, esp considering your asthma. Best of luck to you!
I am home with my 6 and 10 year olds since school is closed and I’m a teacher. I’ve been fighting a cold for weeks - one of the joys of working in a school. It hasn’t gotten worse, but it hasn’t gone away. My 6 year old woke up yesterday with a barking cough - really scary sounding! I, of course, panicked a bit, but he really didn’t have a temp. Then an hour or two later, he was barely coughing and sounded a lot better. Kids!
We are practicing social distancing and staying at home. However, my husband still has to work. He goes to work everyday with a lot of people who don’t accept the seriousness of the situation and aren’t taking any precautions. He’s convinced he’s going to get this. I’m afraid he may be right and that he’ll bring it home to us. He does wash his hands as soon as he gets home, and he does what he can while at work, but we can’t completely protect ourselves, and that’s frustrating.
My family is in same situation.my family is at home and I am force to work and not allow to work from home even if it’s partly possible. I will gladly take pay cut to stay home during these times. People don’t take it serious and it’s hard to keep your distance from people. I wear a N95 mask, I carry a small little spray bottle with 70% alcohol. That I use on my hands and mask to hopefully disinfect. I use baby wipes I carry in the car I spray my hands and the use the wipe. I put the used wipes in small trash bag that I dispose of later in the day. When I get home I ask my kids to be in their room. I leave my shoes outside. I take off my clothes and quickly put them in the washer. And I mean all my clothes including my phone case pouch. My wife disinfect my phone and belt. Then i take a shower and practice the twenty second rule of washing. Your hands on all my body. Even though I risk in getting the virus I am still not giving up in trying to prevent it.
My 30 something relative has all the symptoms...probably has it...She has young children; who went to pre-K & daycare....The kids all had the same symptoms, fever; weak, and running noses. It is definitely more contagious even among the young. May all be healed rapidly and completely to keep up the good fight for justice and Liberty
I had similar symptoms but no fever @ 1.5 weeks ago. Asthmatic here too and had been using my inhaler. Dr. prescribed antibiotics because chest was tight. So far been clear. Staying in side and away until Monday when I have to return to work to write lesson plans and get PD on how to post lessons online. Luckily I can do that stuff already and am hoping to get a pass to remain home since I'm asthmatic. I need social distancing to the max! Feel better as you will eg through this. Also elderberry syrup supports the mmune system.
thanks for all you do, really appreciate you, keep up telling the truth, a few are making $$$ from scaring us to death literally, it is criminal. I had pneumonia in November. blood clots on lungs in December. am too sick to get around & now my city has been "sheltered in place" until April 7. am 70 years old, slept in car for too long like 50% of those without homes who are 50+ 60+ 70+ 80+ & 1,000+ women here who have NOWHERE to BE, churches, agencies, libraries closed. my friend Josie 74 is sick, no $, no gas, out of food stamps & is supposed to disappear into thin air? there is much important info here from Dr. Mercola, about precautions & misinformation, https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/02/04/novel-coronavirus.aspx
Wishing you the best, Amee. I started off with allergies. Went to doctor last Friday & was told I have an upper respiratory, was put on antibiotics & told to come back Friday (tomorrow). My fever hit 101.7, fluctuated from that to 99.9 for several days. I have a cough, sore throat, congestion, and some pressure in my chest. My Son’s partner is a nurse at our largest county hospital & was exposed to the virus. We all live in separate homes on same property. She is asymptomatic, but my kid (he’s 31 but still a kid, lol) now has a fever, cough, sore throat. We are self isolating while I wait for my Doc to get back to me. I’m extremely upset that they are not protecting our health care workers. She is only wearing the cloth masks & double gloves & she’s working on the respiratory ward. She cannot stay home because she doesn’t have symptoms. My kid owns his own business but is not going to clients homes & has had his manager call all of his clients that he’s seen in the last week to let them know. Luckily, all took it well & hoped he got better soon. We don’t have tests for those in the hospital so I doubt I will be able to get tested. We live in NY, about 50 miles away from NYC. Drinking lots of water, sleeping whenever I fell like it, and because I’m OCD, wiping down everything w diluted bleach. Will update once I hear from Doc. Stay home if you can, be safe everyone! 💙
I’m in Indianapolis and we’re WFH. thank you for sharing your status and staring this conversation. I Have only recently started seeing info about the specific symptoms and the timelines people have been experiencing. I’ve started sharing a few credible pieces of guidance on Instagram.
Hey. I thought I was sick most of last week, all symptoms except the fever. Finally figured out the tightness in my chest was a reaction to a sulfa drug I was taking for another issue. I feel ok now except for "normal" anxiety. I haven't left the house in 8 days although my husband is a doctor and has to work. I DO have asthma so I worry although it's been well controlled for years.
Ditto what Martha said. Stay Healthy Amee. We need you!
It may be helpful to bear in mind this virus favors the young, so if you're under 50yo, you'll probably handle it better than over 50yo with underlying condition. I've been self-isolating for almost 2 weeks just to be safe, and bc I'm a Virgo and we tend to overcompensate for the rest of the world. A friend of mine in Brooklyn had a sore throat, slight-to-no cough and slight fever and tested positive. NYC guide lines say if you have symptoms for more than 3 days, call your doctor.
On the 12th I had a cold, which got worse and worse. By Sunday night I had a fever of 100.5, but the fever lessened during Monday, only reappearing Monday night. Lots of phlegm, and some vertigo from all that head mucus and pressure. Feeling better each day since Monday, but still have symptoms. Not bothering trying to get tested because I’m not rich, famous, or an important money-making sports figure.
go to www.kinsahealth.com -- they make thermometers that send the temps immediately back to Kinsa, goes into a database on which algorithms are run. Thereby, they're ahead of CDC by two weeks (+?) , which relies on nurses in doctors' officers to fill out a report weekly and send it it.
Rachel Maddow had an expert on her show last night who was really interesting.
So far, so good. All the warnings can raise havoc with the psyche. I caught myself taking my temperature, and put a halt to that. Been imagining (I hope) a sore throat. Trying to be level-headed but still aware. I'm a cancer survivor, and 75y/o, so don't want to take chances. Not matter how health & fit I think I am, I would not get help if a younger person needed it. The word "triage" is one I haven't heard since 9/11, at least not in this scary way. Confining myself to home with only the needed trips to get groceries & wine. Just the essentials (LOL).
My husband and I redid our wills, which was long over due. The last one was dated 1990-something! This freaked out my daughter & granddaughter, but we had time on our hands, so we did it.
An now I find my grandson has been called into the Nat. Guard in NYC. But life goes on, and so will we, one way or another.
My husband and I both work from home so that part is business as usual. Phoenix has REALLY bad air and unfortunately I have an allergy to dust/pollution. I have weak lungs and have for a long time. On a 2x daily powder inhaler, plus 2x steroid nose spray. And my asthma inhaler as well. Lately I feel like an elephant is sitting on my chest. We both have a slight fever and are coughing more (but the air here in Phoenix is terrible). Stress doesn't help. Hearing the dipshit president crack jokes and pat himself on the back is making us both furious. We take care of my in-laws, but have been distancing ourselves from contact and dropping off groceries/medications.
Was told yesterday by receptionist at my dentist office that all of the stores shelves being cleaned off is just a conspiracy theory and the press is lying to us. Everything is fine, she said. She also asked me if I would be tearing up the $1,000 check trump is sending me since he is obviously "not my president"... sheesh. I believe she might be a Q-Anon person. Hang in there Amee, and everyone else here.
OMG. First be well. Second get a new Dentist when this is over. And report her to the Dentist herself and say why you're leaving. So unprofessional & despicable.
I am absolutely exhausted. Have no strength and can barely do anything. I’m fine. I’ve just been watching grandkids whose parents have essential jobs (power company, funeral home). Other than that, haven’t gone out in public for about 10 days.
And here you are, representing yet another side of the pandemic. The burden put on others, the fear along with that exhaustion. My heart goes out to you. As a retired senior, I worry too about having that responsibility falling on my shoulders. The ones we love, and the ones who love us, are all wrapped up in this complicated and overwhelming circumstance.
Amee, thank you so much for giving we-the worried a place to talk, even vent. The thought of all the worry we all are experiencing is overwhelming in itself. Wish I could be a paid subscriber, b/c you're awesome. But, you know, SS is a bit financially limiting. But I love you and I'm happy your give us this free piece of your mind and heart.
A relative likely has it and has an intermittent low fever, malaise, aches, cough, and lung pain / difficulty breathing. If CDC is saying high fever always happens, then that is misleading. The Germans are tracking their cases and have data on 5,788 patients: 55% have cough, 49% have fever, 28% have runny nose. 5% apparently have no symptoms!
Hi. I've had a horrible barking painful cough for 3 days. General malaise. No fever. I have asthma and a heart defect and immune deficiency.
I live in Portland. I have been communicating with doctor online. They say these symptoms aren't severe enough. My question is if the cough continues or worsens over more days can I at least get some antibiotics even if I can't get tested? I am a preschool teacher and my kiddos were sick with cough and fevers before we "heard" about covid19.
First of all, Amee, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for your efforts to keep us informed! You’re SO appreciated!
After a conference in Philly 2/29 I had flu symptoms 4 days later. Went to Med Center following Saturday, but of course, couldn’t get tested. Much better now, so am assuming it was “just flu”. My takeaway: Be grateful for each day-no one gets out of here alive!
My daughter and I both suspect we had COVID19 in late January. We had no idea it was even in the community, and that still isn't known for sure. Unless someone develops an antibody test we won't know. But in any case, we had all the symptoms. For me, the chills were the most noticeable, I just couldn't stay warm. Plus body aches and extreme tiredness. I would have liked to sleep for a week. She had the same, but also a dry cough that would not go away. Neither one of us had fevers, but we have a familial trait of low body temps so that isn't surprising. She had to get an inhaler. Both her kids were sick with similar symptoms, but also had fevers. The kids got over it much more quickly. We had all had flu shots much earlier in the season, and we kept saying "this isn't the flu...what is this?" I hope we had it and recovered. I really want someone to develop and antibody test. I know several other people who think they had it in January or February, and even now people with mild versions can't get tested. As more and more people think they've had it and recovered, but aren't sure because of mild versions, we will really want to know for sure so the economy can begin to bounce back.
I have an update to my earlier post. A friend of a friend has advised that I should try to be tested tomorrow so I'm going to tomorrow. They apparently have a drive-through set up. I need to contact my primary doctor first. I had a slight fever today along with my coughing and breathlessness. I have also had more pains in what feels like my lungs. I'm scared that it's moving into my lower respiratory system. Wish me luck. And thank you to Amee for giving us a place to share our feelings and stories. I will update this again.
60 year old here. I've travelled 5 days a week for work up until two weeks ago, so have been on planes, in airports and hotels a lot. For almost two weeks I've had irritation in my airways -- it results in occasional cough but not steady. No fever. Fatigue. I can exercise, but then I start coughing. Quarantining to stay safe and protect public health, but they won't test me without a fever or underlying condition... It does not seem to be getting better, but not worse. I don't know what the normal course would be for a very mild case, or how long I need to isolate.
Long. I'm writing this because I am not certain this is unusual.
I am 69. I returned to the US on March 18 after nearly 5 weeks in Europe. Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Sweden, the UK. When I left home, it was not clear to me that I should cancel all my teaching gigs - a week later and I would have. I did get the super senior flu shot at the beginning of the season. I take 5 grams of Vitamin C every day and I continued this regimen daily in Europe. I have been keeping in touch with all my students and no COVID 19 so far (I had about 70 students). I know where I travelled and when so I would know approximately where I got sick (if I had gotten sick) or if I might have shared the disease. So far, again, no one infected and I am also fine.
Itinerary: Feb 12 - flight to Frankfurt from Colorado, Feb 14 - train to Strasbourg, Feb. 19 - flight to Geneva, Feb 16 - flight to Brussels, March 2 - drive to Saarland, March 13 - flight to Gothenberg from Frankfurt, March 16 - flight to London from Gothenberg, March 18 - flight to Colorado from London.
The only symptoms I ever exhibited were the strange loss of smell and taste. That lasted 2 days then went away. Never a temperature, never any respiratory distress, no coughing. Some muscle pain but I attribute that to the fact that my friend in the UK doesn't drink coffee and I was seriously in withdrawal. A few cups of coffee and the pains disappeared. Note: She has a temperature and body aches - her son - prior to our arrival at her home (we travelled together from Gothenberg) - had a temperature and they later had to quarantine. So, what she had or has , I have not experienced. If I an unchanged by April 1 (2 weeks from exposure), I think I did not get what she has unless it's got a really long gestation rate. Will track that.
At this point, continuing the heavy Vitamin C. No temp, no respiratory issues. A bit tired but I don't know why that is - mental fatigue? Could be. I am married, my husband is 72 and he shows no signs of infection, either. He is now on massive Vitamin C, as well. This is really for his protection from me (if I am affected - we live in the country, don't see many people ever). I do keep my distance from him for the time being. We wash our hands as much as we can, don't touch mouth, eyes. Drink tons of liquids.
Oh, and I Did NOT hug anyone - air hugs only.
If there is anyone who should have gotten it, I kind of think it should have been me. At this point I am 1 .5 weeks in quarantine at home. I think I should get tested, it might be scientifically of some benefit. Perhaps I did have it? I don't know but if I did, it was not bad, I didn't pass it along, either.
Does anyone know if you can get tested AFTER you are sick and subsequently recovered, to see if you HAD it? I can't help but think Trump is A-OK with minimal testing ... to keep "his numbers down". Sicko. It would be nice to know the true numbers eventually.
Strange days indeed. The sun is shining, the water and the sky are clearer and brighter. I have been sick for weeks with what I hoped was just severe allergies to our abundant pollen. When fears of covid-19 rose I became fearful as well. At times I have felt like something heavy was on my chest. I have struggled to utter sentences in meetings. I have coughed uncontrollably. I have been winded and wheezy from short flights of stairs. When I started to have chest pains, my doctor said to go the ER. I did not think I was that bad off. It seemed wrong to go when others were sicker. I finally went on Friday. They ran scads of tests, including the one for Covid-19 and discharged me in the late afternoon, leaving me with instructions to return if any of my symptoms got worse. The tests looked good, they said. I could not sleep when I got home and my chest pain became sharper. I called the after hours number and got in touch with the on-call physician. He was kind and looked up my records. He said my test results just came in for Covid-19. NEGATIVE. I was so relieved and thrilled and amazed that results came back in hours and not days as some have said. I am glad that I decided to go. The medicines they prescribed seem to be helping. After being sick for so long, any degree of improvement feels like a small miracle. Grateful. At the time that I called the on-call physician, I was told there were 37 people waiting to be seen in the Tampa General ER at 2:30am. If you have to go to the ER because your symptoms are potentially critical, you should go. I had to be talked to into it. Thanks again for having this forum for us. I am still not fully recovered but I am hoping I get there.
Thanks Amee for posting and everyone else...I’m 60 and live in Texas where the allergies are just terrible right now. A couple of weeks ago I got chilled, hard to warm up, phlegm running down my throat which led to a sometimes sore throat from I assume clearing it often. Lots of sneezing and the feeling that I had as a kid in LA, it hurt to breathe on smoggy days. Never had a temperature. All of these symptoms come and go. Once in awhile I get a dry cough, sometimes I am coughing up stuff. The one consistent thing that I have is the feeling it’s a smoggy day and now I have sensitivity around lower rib cage. Taking a deep breathe almost hurts but not quite. This could all be allergies (everyone says it is) but I usually don’t have allergy reactions, maybe a tiny headache or sneezing, so I really don’t know. From what everyone has said all symptoms are possible and the one consistent is chest pain and breathing problems. I am completely paranoid about getting it.
About three weeks ago I experienced a headache, sore throat, complete body aching and strange cough. One where you feel like your airway is blocked and you try to clear it, non productive. Was annoying and something I had to do but it never really helped. Never had enough of a fever to ck, I know when I have a fever. The headache was daily and the throat didn’t clear up until I started to feel better. Got winded on the stairs, very low energy. Almost passed out every time I leaned over. The total body ache and strange fatigue was bothersome. Not go take a nap kind of fatigue just dragging and wondering if you had something more serious. I decided this could not be covid , how would I have contracted it when there were no reports of positives in my county. Even though I suspected there may be some because our state was not testing many at all. Still using the CDC criteria. So I figured I have developed bad allergies, never had allergies of any consequence. I am older now so all kinds of firsts start to come along so you don’t miss out on complaining. I started Zyrtec and Flonase. Within 3 days I started feeling better. I will never know for sure if I didn't have a virus of some kind over those two weeks. But I know starting Zyrtec, which I take before bedtime, and Flonase has made me a new women. Maybe all the worry was because of covid, maybe I wouldn't have focused so much on my symptoms otherwise.
I am 54 I live in Iowa and and I am my mother's caregiver she is 85 I started showing symptoms 2 weeks ago went to the doctor twice they kept changing my medication none of which helped when asked why I could not get tested he said I didn't fit the criteria of having travelled or known contact I am scared to death that I have transferred the virus to my mother and several other people since I was first diagnosed as having a sinus infection and as you have seen the numbers are people being tested is still very low I'm still fighting symptoms and trying to avoid my mother as much as possible which is almost impossible since I have to do her daily cooking shopping etc I will never forgive this President and his administration for their lack of concern early on they lied to us Fox news spread that lie and now they've got Jared kushner making money is that why we delayed? It is beyond comprehension that there is so little action on the part of our federal government I think they all need to be removed from office immediately and jailed they put profits above people's lives and there's no way to get that time back
My hope is that our next president will open an investigation into the Trump Crime Family. I'm so sorry Jolene - I'll be thinking about you - be well.
I forgot my symptoms are a dry hacking cough sore throat and mild fever
I'm with you on laying this on the POTUS, he caused a 7+ week delay in treating this seriously. I'm not convinced he is as yet taking it seriously. He seems more concerned about the economy, not the people.
Yup. And I've heard that there's a ventilator company that could make 100,00/day, they haven't gotten an order from the government to start! Unbelievable incompetence.
Really makes me angry.
Just watched Gov. Cuomo speaking. He is the model of what Trump should be doing right now. Calm, informative, taking action and sincerely honest. If only...
Oh Jolene, I am sorry to hear of this. Testing should be standard and available for everyone at this stage. Will be thinking of you and your mother.
I live in Maryland and telecommute. I started to feel like garbage on Friday, 3/13 - wicked sore throat, body aches including this feeling of having tightness around my ribs, headache, chills and fatigue. My sore throat went away on Monday but I have developed a cough and over the last few days have noticed that I get a little winded when climbing the stairs in my house. I don't have the energy to walk or exercise so going upstairs is about all I can manage right now. Last night, I was reading to my daughter and had to stop because of shortness of breath. In my area, there is drive thru testing. I had called the testing help line and the nurse advised me to go get the testing. I just went this morning and am supposed to have results in 3-5 days. I have not gone out in public since I have been sick. I hope everyone stays safe and feels better!
Feel better, Lisa and keep us posted!
Thank you, Amee. I also wanted to thank everyone for their well wishes. I really appreciate it more than you know. The influenza A & B test results came back negative. I’m just waiting for the COVID results now. I work a little and rest a little and hope to be back on track soon. Stay healthy everyone 💖
I've had similar symptoms. Really interested to hear how your test turns out. Wishing you the best!
I hope you are feeling better! I will keep you posted.
3-5 days!?!? I’m so sorry.
Right?! It will be okay, but it’s nerve wracking!
Hoping yo have a speedy recovery Lisa
Thank you Julia! Stay well!
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Take care Lisa - I'll be thinking about you. I have family in Maryland and my mom in an assisted living in Annapolis. They haven't allowed any visitors and they just yesterday quarantined everybody to their rooms - they are not allowed out; they bring the meals to them. They don't even let the mailman in - they go out and get the mail from him/her. Most are trying to do the right thing. I hope you feel well soon Lisa - keep us posted on your progress <3
I hope your family stays healthy! It’s scary, especially when you can’t go see them! Keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers.
Let us know about test results!
I hope everyone is hanging in there. I wanted to let you know I’m still waiting for test results. I’m still not feeling well but the anxiety caused by waiting /the unknown is ridiculous.
You'll be in my thoughts, Lisa.
Thank you! Stay well!
Hope negative! Drink a lot of water. Feel better soon.
Thank you! Water and herbal teas are my best friends!
Wishing you wellness.
Thank you, Patt. Wishing you the same!
I’m still waiting for my test results. My fever came back yesterday and I continue to experience shortness of breath and tightness in my chest and around my ribs. I called the COVID nurse hotline and they referred me to my PCP. My PCP did a telehealth call and prescribed doxycycline in case it’s a different infection. I’m not taking this until I get my results- antibiotics won’t work on a virus. I’m sick of this.
My doctor also gave me augmentin while awaiting test results. I have not taken it either. I am concerned that there has been no bloodwork, no one looked in my ears or throat (understandable they wanted to keep their distance), but if this was bacterial, it could potentially be bad and no one is even looking for something bacterial right now. Everything is assumed to be COVID.
Hugs Lisa - hang in there and be well!
Amee- I hope you stay healthy. You know we need you?
Hi, Martha! So far I appear to be A-ok. I have been and will continue to self-isolate as long as I need to. No worries. ❤️
I have had symptoms for over a month and it's hard to remember the order. At various times, I've had severe muscle aches, swollen glands, strange tingling and pain that felt like it was in my bones, and most definitely the feeling of being out of breath from taking stairs or even from uttering a sentence. I mentioned it to be loved ones but attributed it to working out and to pollen, which has been extremely bad here in Florida. I have also had pain in my nose and it's red and sometimes crusted, headache from sinus pain and a sore throat. I may have had a fever at one time but I have not recently. I feel completely neurotic but I take it several times a day. Maybe not everyone has a fever. I never do. My body is definitely fighting something. What concerns me is that I don't seem to be getting better. It's worse at night and in the morning but I feel like the breathlessness is not changing. I am a 52 year old woman with no preexisting conditions, normal weight. I have self-isolated for 2 weeks.
Keeping you in my thoughts Annika. I hope you feel better soon <3
Thank you. It helps to connect.🌼
Sorry you’re suffering. Take your vitamins.
I sure am. I'm eating nutrient-dense food, exercising, and *trying* to sleep a good amount. My symptoms are mild compared with others so I may turn out to be one of the lucky ones.
thinking of you and hoping you feel better, Annika. Sleep is difficult for us, too, but exercising seems to help.
Your symptoms seem very similar to mine. You mentioned the tingling...I keep getting these "quivering" sensations in my arms, shoulder and chest. It just feels like everything is shivering, but not as prominent as when you have the chills. I also contributed mine to pollen and I thought the cough was just lingering from when I had the flu in February.
I work from home anyway so this is not a new situation for me. I give myself a 5 day window (the incubation time) every time after I've left the house and been around others. If after 5 days, I'm still OK, then I relax. I went to Costco yesterday for my usual supplies and am pretty appalled by the number of selfish people hoarding everything. Is selfishness a trait we are born with? I don't have kids so don't know if being selfish is normal and some people just never grow out of it. Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well out there and I'm on another 5 day waiting period now:-)
as someone who has kids, i'd say they are generally much more generous. (my daughters are always trying to give homeless people all the money they have ;) i think we've grown too accustomed to being out for ourselves as a society and too many forget sacrificing for "the greater good" is actually better for everyone in longterm and in moments of crisis like this
Thanks for the response. I'm glad your children are good people with good hearts.
You must have set a good example for them!
You've raised wonderful, socially conscious children. That's wonderful, and we need more people like you and your kids. You should be proud. :D
We went to our local grocery store last night and they were completely out of milk. We didn’t need any, but my husband asked the cashier about it. She said they’ve been getting a truck everyday but people buy 5 gallons at a time because that’s the store limit. Folks are losing their damn minds.
Who can use 5 gallons of milk before 3 of those gallons go bad?! That's just ridiculous.
In this crazy frenzy, it wouldn't surprise me that they're putting them on eBay, to auction off to the highest bidder!
Maybe they have 4 teenage boys like we did. Gallons just disappeared. Maybe not, & maybe we should assume the worst, or maybe we shouldn’t....
I so despise selfishness. But it's always those 10% that ruin everything; as I always tell my husband. Take care Nancy :)
I'm sorry, but I don't think 5 days is enough time. I've read that there's a 14 day incubation window for COVID. Sorry.
We're getting our groceries delivered with no-contact. We do everything on line. I know they have excellent sanitation procedures, so I don't think wiping everything off is necessary, but my husband did yesterday. He also wore a mask and gloves to get the stuff from our lobby. Because, you know, disgusting people not washing their hands and touching elevator buttons. >:P
FYI, I'm also appalled by the selfishness of the hoarders.
I am 57, and believe I had / have the coronavirus. I traveled to Las Vegas thru ATL on 2/27 and 3/1, for a conference. There were many international physicians at the conference, including some from Italy and China, and a physician who had just gotten off a plane from Ireland to attend. On 3/4, I began experiencing extreme neck and shoulder pain and headache, I attributed to carrying briefcase and handbag, though I never felt like that on many other business trips. Then, a sore throat, swollen glands/ear pain, postnasal drip, that again, I attributed to allergies (I live in Florida and it is pollen season). I was very tired. Again, the trip? Then the chest pain / coughing started. Felt like bronchitis. Like someone was holding my chest down. Not really short of breath but it hurt. Cough was dry. No fever. I felt worst on 3/12 & 3/13, so I did a teledoc visit, after reading about symptoms. He said point blank, I had coronavirus and to self quarantine. I called my doctor's office on 3/16, they said to call triage nurse where drive thru testing had just started. I didn't meet their "requirements" and was turned down for testing. I feel better today, just a little bit of chest pain and infrequent cough, but after hearing from a nurse on the Today show describe her symptoms, including the astounding neck and shoulder pain, I feel that I did get it and am recovering, but without testing, how will I know? I also had a sinus infection prior to traveling and was finishing up antibiotics and steroids. Did that help me not get it so horribly? I don't know. I would like to get tested so I at least know if I had it, or is it too late now? I feel awful I was in contact with people on week 1, but how was I supposed to know? They keep saying fever, fever, fever, and I never had one! One of my colleagues, also on the trip, who lives in PA, was sick with same as me, so we strongly suspect we both had it.
Take care Michele - I'm so sorry you couldn't be tested or get help. I'm so worried about the next month or so. We do not have the resources in the United States that we need to take care of people here.
Michele, it drives me crazy that people like you apparently do not meet the standards for testing when it is obvious you do need to be tested. We should be at the stage where anyone needing a test should be able to get it. I am glad you are improving.
See if you can get a test, antibody test. It is a shame we are missing out on so much needed data. We will not have a true count of affected. Without that the virus will look less virulent. This administration is only interested in their portfolios. They are all self interested morally bankrupt charlatans. Our scientists will not have the data to help them fight the next pandemic, and there will be another. Our future new President, in office early next year, will not have the data needed to make decisive decisions when handling our next pandemic. Although he will know what not to do. More people will get ill than had to. Our healthcare workers are going through something that could have been avoided.
that's what I think too and why I am trying to get tested, if for nothing else, to see how long it might remain in, and how to help the next wave.
They are not doing any antibody tests yet- which would be blood tests. I know they are developing some. I would like to get tested too if they become available.
Hi, my husband has been running a 100-101 fever for the past 2 days. It comes down with ibuprofen. No other symptoms. He is a casino employee and has been home since last Friday. We are in our early 50's. Our doctor says seek testing from the CDC if his fever goes higher or if he develops more symptoms. Take care! Colleen
The WHO has now made an official recommendation NOT to take ibuprofen and other NSAIDs, these seem to worsen the virus. They say to use acetaminophen instead. I hope he recovers soon!
I'm getting mixed information on that... Some saying it's not true or not enough study has been done.
Unless he has an allergy to acetaminophen, make the switch. The suggestion was made after seeing patients in Paris Doing poorly on NSAIDs, they do have science to back it up. Certainly more studies need to be done but we are working on the fly here. They’ve found enough of a connection for WHO to make the recommendation. Better safe than sorry.
Thank you! will do. :)
There are studies going back ten years. It is showed that anti inflammatories and steroids do suppress your immune system. Just because we do not have a study on covid doesn’t mean you should just assume it is okay. I am a retired RN and I can tell you advice based on studies are forever changing. Since that study ten years ago I don’t use Advil for several days into a virus, let your body get a good start , after which I alternate Advil and tylenol. Figure that way I get a fighting start and won’t be using too much of either, tylenol has it’s risk too.
Take care and let's hope it is just a fever. Most people have been reporting 103 which will make you delirious.
I hadnthe flu vaccine and pneumonia double shot at the beginning of the season. I've been watching myself and started with a throat irritation and not quite cough. Woke up this morning with a slight fever and headache at the lower back of my head, just above the neck. I would test to rule out for peace of mind, but we can't, so... I will assume I am just fluish and hope for the best since there appear to be no other options at this point. I'm 71 and fairly healthy. We'll see. Love and best of luck to all. 😎💛🔥
Wishing you a speedy recovery, no matter what the ailment is!
If you get worse and cannot get tested for Covid 19, many are getting tested for the flu instead. If you have flu symptoms and test negative, then some are being able to get tested for Covid 19.
Thank you, Amee for posting this! I live in NYC and feeling more paranoid every day. On Tuesday I suddenly felt some head congestion. I was certain it was Covid-19. I took Nyquil & went straight to bed. Thankfully I felt OK the next morning. I had not been taking my temperature at all. Yeah I know, not very bright. I'm getting a thermometer TODAY.
My brother is an ER doctor in New York City. I had a long talk with him last night about my symptoms and what they are seeing.
1) Not everyone gets the fever.
2) Not everyone gets the cough - but it is quite common.
3) If you've had aches and pains and any other symptom and you live in an area where you were exposed, that is suspicious and could mean you have it.
Thank you for posting. I have been hoping that since I don't have fever, I'm ok. I am coughing and I'm out of breath. I'm pretty sure I have it. I am isolated but scared it will get worse. I'm a single parent.
It's scary, for sure. I was exposed to hay and a lot of dust 2 weeks ago so I was having asthmatic symptoms to begin with. I still have the dry cough and my chest is also tight, at times. I'm pretty sure it's allergies but I'm also paranoid about it. Hang in there, Amee.
Thanks to everyone who is sharing their symptoms here. I keep seeing "sore throat" which is not one of the CDC major indicators. That's good information to have.
My husband and I have been feeling not so great the last 5 days. Tight chest, dry cough, chills, sore throat and intestinal discomfort. Lo grade fever ranging from 99.5 to 101.5. I am luckily able to work from home but he works for the city and is told to report to work. He is a high risk category due to COPD. I have no insurance and he contacted his health care provider and they said he could not get tested because he had not been around anyone who had travelled recently. Drive through testing is finally starting to slowly become available in our city but you have to be in a car. We do not have a car. So that is an issue. We feel confused and frustrated regarding the lack of response and information. We are in Texas but I am reluctant to name our city due to fears about his job.
I am 67 and I think my husband (age 61) and I both had it. We traveled through DFW at the end of December and 2 days later I woke up with a very bad sore throat. Something I never get, a fever, dry cough and extreme fatigue. My husband came down with same 2 days later. The chest congestion was so bad I had to sit in steam before going to bed to sleep, and my husband would cough so hard I was afraid he would bust something. It lasted for 3 weeks. We used natural anti virals in an herbal form called Wellness Formula, lots of Vit C, and I gargled with a concoction I found that helped a lot. Neither of us ever get sick, and we never get the flu vaccine. The last time I had the flu was 2012 when I took a flu shot, so I decided my body and immune system does not respond well to the shots. But I have not had the flu again. I did not have body aches, so I assumed this was just a chest cold. I think it has been loose in the world since November, and there are possible deaths that were assumed to be pneumonia or flu related. I wish I could have an antibody test to know for sure.
don't have a thermometer in the house. solo quarantined. wild health has a daily pocast that is nerdy and sciency, but gives up to date info.- i trust 'em. that's the real issue, right? what information to trust? Peter attia is a doc. and intense and VERY sciency. getting the vibes of alarmists from many sources. the disparity i see of course, is even in preventive treatment between the rich and poor. paulinagraziose handle on twitter and instagram if any of you all wanna hang and share POSITIVE (not just test positive) POSITIVE VIBES! i also have a podcast The $100 Million which i do daily, and if i say so myself it is quite entertaining. thank you Amee, been following you forever. xo
I believe I had it in January/February, but was not tested, because, who knew? It started as flu-like symptoms and utter exhaustion. I wasn’t running a temp, because older people do not, in general, run temps even when ill. Then the chest pains started, but they went away with Tylenol and I have no heart history, so ...
The cough just kept getting worse. Then, after 10 days or so, I had trouble breathing and was wheezing. My doctor was booked so I went to an urgent care. She referred me to a better-equipped urgent care for a chest x-ray. By that time the difficulty in breathing had me terrified. They diagnosed “acute bronchitis,” and sent me home with antibiotics, steroids, a rescue inhaler and an Rx for albuterol and a nebulizer. My daughter was alarmed at my frantic, anxious state, but that is what happens to older patients: they don’t run temps, but do exhibit mood changes. For several days I used the albuterol and the rescue inhaler every 4 hours. It was hard to sleep while experiencing breathing difficulties. Gradually, gradually I began to improve. The acute phase went away in less than a week, and I could go longer and longer without the nebulizer and the inhaler. The exhaustion remained for weeks afterwards. I was symptom-free after 6 weeks, and overall, I feel I was very fortunate.
I also believe I had it the end of Jan through Feb 6. I am 61, had the flu shot, asthmatic and thought I was going die from not being able to breathe at night. My asthma meds barely helped. This made me think this is much more serious than the flu. Started off with a headache, 100.4 fever, coughing, 1day of mild diarrhea, so exhausted slept a whole day. Very weak lungs still, over a month later. I believe I caught it when I took my son to the local urgent care where he was treated by a Dr who happened to be Chinese. She said she had just come back from China mid Jan to see her parents. I became ill within 24 hours of the visit.
My sympathies indeed! The not being able to breathe part was the worst. I hope you are being extra careful, esp considering your asthma. Best of luck to you!
I am home with my 6 and 10 year olds since school is closed and I’m a teacher. I’ve been fighting a cold for weeks - one of the joys of working in a school. It hasn’t gotten worse, but it hasn’t gone away. My 6 year old woke up yesterday with a barking cough - really scary sounding! I, of course, panicked a bit, but he really didn’t have a temp. Then an hour or two later, he was barely coughing and sounded a lot better. Kids!
We are practicing social distancing and staying at home. However, my husband still has to work. He goes to work everyday with a lot of people who don’t accept the seriousness of the situation and aren’t taking any precautions. He’s convinced he’s going to get this. I’m afraid he may be right and that he’ll bring it home to us. He does wash his hands as soon as he gets home, and he does what he can while at work, but we can’t completely protect ourselves, and that’s frustrating.
Hi there,
My family is in same situation.my family is at home and I am force to work and not allow to work from home even if it’s partly possible. I will gladly take pay cut to stay home during these times. People don’t take it serious and it’s hard to keep your distance from people. I wear a N95 mask, I carry a small little spray bottle with 70% alcohol. That I use on my hands and mask to hopefully disinfect. I use baby wipes I carry in the car I spray my hands and the use the wipe. I put the used wipes in small trash bag that I dispose of later in the day. When I get home I ask my kids to be in their room. I leave my shoes outside. I take off my clothes and quickly put them in the washer. And I mean all my clothes including my phone case pouch. My wife disinfect my phone and belt. Then i take a shower and practice the twenty second rule of washing. Your hands on all my body. Even though I risk in getting the virus I am still not giving up in trying to prevent it.
My 30 something relative has all the symptoms...probably has it...She has young children; who went to pre-K & daycare....The kids all had the same symptoms, fever; weak, and running noses. It is definitely more contagious even among the young. May all be healed rapidly and completely to keep up the good fight for justice and Liberty
I had similar symptoms but no fever @ 1.5 weeks ago. Asthmatic here too and had been using my inhaler. Dr. prescribed antibiotics because chest was tight. So far been clear. Staying in side and away until Monday when I have to return to work to write lesson plans and get PD on how to post lessons online. Luckily I can do that stuff already and am hoping to get a pass to remain home since I'm asthmatic. I need social distancing to the max! Feel better as you will eg through this. Also elderberry syrup supports the mmune system.
thanks for all you do, really appreciate you, keep up telling the truth, a few are making $$$ from scaring us to death literally, it is criminal. I had pneumonia in November. blood clots on lungs in December. am too sick to get around & now my city has been "sheltered in place" until April 7. am 70 years old, slept in car for too long like 50% of those without homes who are 50+ 60+ 70+ 80+ & 1,000+ women here who have NOWHERE to BE, churches, agencies, libraries closed. my friend Josie 74 is sick, no $, no gas, out of food stamps & is supposed to disappear into thin air? there is much important info here from Dr. Mercola, about precautions & misinformation, https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/02/04/novel-coronavirus.aspx
Wishing you the best, Amee. I started off with allergies. Went to doctor last Friday & was told I have an upper respiratory, was put on antibiotics & told to come back Friday (tomorrow). My fever hit 101.7, fluctuated from that to 99.9 for several days. I have a cough, sore throat, congestion, and some pressure in my chest. My Son’s partner is a nurse at our largest county hospital & was exposed to the virus. We all live in separate homes on same property. She is asymptomatic, but my kid (he’s 31 but still a kid, lol) now has a fever, cough, sore throat. We are self isolating while I wait for my Doc to get back to me. I’m extremely upset that they are not protecting our health care workers. She is only wearing the cloth masks & double gloves & she’s working on the respiratory ward. She cannot stay home because she doesn’t have symptoms. My kid owns his own business but is not going to clients homes & has had his manager call all of his clients that he’s seen in the last week to let them know. Luckily, all took it well & hoped he got better soon. We don’t have tests for those in the hospital so I doubt I will be able to get tested. We live in NY, about 50 miles away from NYC. Drinking lots of water, sleeping whenever I fell like it, and because I’m OCD, wiping down everything w diluted bleach. Will update once I hear from Doc. Stay home if you can, be safe everyone! 💙
I’m in Indianapolis and we’re WFH. thank you for sharing your status and staring this conversation. I Have only recently started seeing info about the specific symptoms and the timelines people have been experiencing. I’ve started sharing a few credible pieces of guidance on Instagram.
One is this BBC video:
https://www.instagram.com/tv/B94L0SppBIu/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Hey. I thought I was sick most of last week, all symptoms except the fever. Finally figured out the tightness in my chest was a reaction to a sulfa drug I was taking for another issue. I feel ok now except for "normal" anxiety. I haven't left the house in 8 days although my husband is a doctor and has to work. I DO have asthma so I worry although it's been well controlled for years.
Ditto what Martha said. Stay Healthy Amee. We need you!
It may be helpful to bear in mind this virus favors the young, so if you're under 50yo, you'll probably handle it better than over 50yo with underlying condition. I've been self-isolating for almost 2 weeks just to be safe, and bc I'm a Virgo and we tend to overcompensate for the rest of the world. A friend of mine in Brooklyn had a sore throat, slight-to-no cough and slight fever and tested positive. NYC guide lines say if you have symptoms for more than 3 days, call your doctor.
On the 12th I had a cold, which got worse and worse. By Sunday night I had a fever of 100.5, but the fever lessened during Monday, only reappearing Monday night. Lots of phlegm, and some vertigo from all that head mucus and pressure. Feeling better each day since Monday, but still have symptoms. Not bothering trying to get tested because I’m not rich, famous, or an important money-making sports figure.
go to www.kinsahealth.com -- they make thermometers that send the temps immediately back to Kinsa, goes into a database on which algorithms are run. Thereby, they're ahead of CDC by two weeks (+?) , which relies on nurses in doctors' officers to fill out a report weekly and send it it.
Rachel Maddow had an expert on her show last night who was really interesting.
So far, so good. All the warnings can raise havoc with the psyche. I caught myself taking my temperature, and put a halt to that. Been imagining (I hope) a sore throat. Trying to be level-headed but still aware. I'm a cancer survivor, and 75y/o, so don't want to take chances. Not matter how health & fit I think I am, I would not get help if a younger person needed it. The word "triage" is one I haven't heard since 9/11, at least not in this scary way. Confining myself to home with only the needed trips to get groceries & wine. Just the essentials (LOL).
My husband and I redid our wills, which was long over due. The last one was dated 1990-something! This freaked out my daughter & granddaughter, but we had time on our hands, so we did it.
An now I find my grandson has been called into the Nat. Guard in NYC. But life goes on, and so will we, one way or another.
You stay well, and I will too!
Can I ask why you've come off your asthma inhaler? I also have asthma and every little wheeze is like a punch of anxiety to the stomach.
My husband and I both work from home so that part is business as usual. Phoenix has REALLY bad air and unfortunately I have an allergy to dust/pollution. I have weak lungs and have for a long time. On a 2x daily powder inhaler, plus 2x steroid nose spray. And my asthma inhaler as well. Lately I feel like an elephant is sitting on my chest. We both have a slight fever and are coughing more (but the air here in Phoenix is terrible). Stress doesn't help. Hearing the dipshit president crack jokes and pat himself on the back is making us both furious. We take care of my in-laws, but have been distancing ourselves from contact and dropping off groceries/medications.
Was told yesterday by receptionist at my dentist office that all of the stores shelves being cleaned off is just a conspiracy theory and the press is lying to us. Everything is fine, she said. She also asked me if I would be tearing up the $1,000 check trump is sending me since he is obviously "not my president"... sheesh. I believe she might be a Q-Anon person. Hang in there Amee, and everyone else here.
OMG. First be well. Second get a new Dentist when this is over. And report her to the Dentist herself and say why you're leaving. So unprofessional & despicable.
I am absolutely exhausted. Have no strength and can barely do anything. I’m fine. I’ve just been watching grandkids whose parents have essential jobs (power company, funeral home). Other than that, haven’t gone out in public for about 10 days.
And here you are, representing yet another side of the pandemic. The burden put on others, the fear along with that exhaustion. My heart goes out to you. As a retired senior, I worry too about having that responsibility falling on my shoulders. The ones we love, and the ones who love us, are all wrapped up in this complicated and overwhelming circumstance.
I wish you the strength to carry on.
Amee, thank you so much for giving we-the worried a place to talk, even vent. The thought of all the worry we all are experiencing is overwhelming in itself. Wish I could be a paid subscriber, b/c you're awesome. But, you know, SS is a bit financially limiting. But I love you and I'm happy your give us this free piece of your mind and heart.
A relative likely has it and has an intermittent low fever, malaise, aches, cough, and lung pain / difficulty breathing. If CDC is saying high fever always happens, then that is misleading. The Germans are tracking their cases and have data on 5,788 patients: 55% have cough, 49% have fever, 28% have runny nose. 5% apparently have no symptoms!
Hi. I've had a horrible barking painful cough for 3 days. General malaise. No fever. I have asthma and a heart defect and immune deficiency.
I live in Portland. I have been communicating with doctor online. They say these symptoms aren't severe enough. My question is if the cough continues or worsens over more days can I at least get some antibiotics even if I can't get tested? I am a preschool teacher and my kiddos were sick with cough and fevers before we "heard" about covid19.
First of all, Amee, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for your efforts to keep us informed! You’re SO appreciated!
After a conference in Philly 2/29 I had flu symptoms 4 days later. Went to Med Center following Saturday, but of course, couldn’t get tested. Much better now, so am assuming it was “just flu”. My takeaway: Be grateful for each day-no one gets out of here alive!
My daughter and I both suspect we had COVID19 in late January. We had no idea it was even in the community, and that still isn't known for sure. Unless someone develops an antibody test we won't know. But in any case, we had all the symptoms. For me, the chills were the most noticeable, I just couldn't stay warm. Plus body aches and extreme tiredness. I would have liked to sleep for a week. She had the same, but also a dry cough that would not go away. Neither one of us had fevers, but we have a familial trait of low body temps so that isn't surprising. She had to get an inhaler. Both her kids were sick with similar symptoms, but also had fevers. The kids got over it much more quickly. We had all had flu shots much earlier in the season, and we kept saying "this isn't the flu...what is this?" I hope we had it and recovered. I really want someone to develop and antibody test. I know several other people who think they had it in January or February, and even now people with mild versions can't get tested. As more and more people think they've had it and recovered, but aren't sure because of mild versions, we will really want to know for sure so the economy can begin to bounce back.
I am also hoping there is an antibody test soon. Be well.
I have an update to my earlier post. A friend of a friend has advised that I should try to be tested tomorrow so I'm going to tomorrow. They apparently have a drive-through set up. I need to contact my primary doctor first. I had a slight fever today along with my coughing and breathlessness. I have also had more pains in what feels like my lungs. I'm scared that it's moving into my lower respiratory system. Wish me luck. And thank you to Amee for giving us a place to share our feelings and stories. I will update this again.
60 year old here. I've travelled 5 days a week for work up until two weeks ago, so have been on planes, in airports and hotels a lot. For almost two weeks I've had irritation in my airways -- it results in occasional cough but not steady. No fever. Fatigue. I can exercise, but then I start coughing. Quarantining to stay safe and protect public health, but they won't test me without a fever or underlying condition... It does not seem to be getting better, but not worse. I don't know what the normal course would be for a very mild case, or how long I need to isolate.
Amee, here's hoping what you're experiencing isn't COVID19. Stay well.
I found this summary of likelihood of symptoms based on the WHO report useful: https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200310/know-the-symptoms-of-covid19
I've been reading that a strange loss of sense of smell or taste can be a symptom as well...
Long. I'm writing this because I am not certain this is unusual.
I am 69. I returned to the US on March 18 after nearly 5 weeks in Europe. Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Sweden, the UK. When I left home, it was not clear to me that I should cancel all my teaching gigs - a week later and I would have. I did get the super senior flu shot at the beginning of the season. I take 5 grams of Vitamin C every day and I continued this regimen daily in Europe. I have been keeping in touch with all my students and no COVID 19 so far (I had about 70 students). I know where I travelled and when so I would know approximately where I got sick (if I had gotten sick) or if I might have shared the disease. So far, again, no one infected and I am also fine.
Itinerary: Feb 12 - flight to Frankfurt from Colorado, Feb 14 - train to Strasbourg, Feb. 19 - flight to Geneva, Feb 16 - flight to Brussels, March 2 - drive to Saarland, March 13 - flight to Gothenberg from Frankfurt, March 16 - flight to London from Gothenberg, March 18 - flight to Colorado from London.
The only symptoms I ever exhibited were the strange loss of smell and taste. That lasted 2 days then went away. Never a temperature, never any respiratory distress, no coughing. Some muscle pain but I attribute that to the fact that my friend in the UK doesn't drink coffee and I was seriously in withdrawal. A few cups of coffee and the pains disappeared. Note: She has a temperature and body aches - her son - prior to our arrival at her home (we travelled together from Gothenberg) - had a temperature and they later had to quarantine. So, what she had or has , I have not experienced. If I an unchanged by April 1 (2 weeks from exposure), I think I did not get what she has unless it's got a really long gestation rate. Will track that.
At this point, continuing the heavy Vitamin C. No temp, no respiratory issues. A bit tired but I don't know why that is - mental fatigue? Could be. I am married, my husband is 72 and he shows no signs of infection, either. He is now on massive Vitamin C, as well. This is really for his protection from me (if I am affected - we live in the country, don't see many people ever). I do keep my distance from him for the time being. We wash our hands as much as we can, don't touch mouth, eyes. Drink tons of liquids.
Oh, and I Did NOT hug anyone - air hugs only.
If there is anyone who should have gotten it, I kind of think it should have been me. At this point I am 1 .5 weeks in quarantine at home. I think I should get tested, it might be scientifically of some benefit. Perhaps I did have it? I don't know but if I did, it was not bad, I didn't pass it along, either.
Please take care Ms. Vanderpool. I’m sorry you are so sick and struggling. I hope things improve for you.☘️😥
Does anyone know if you can get tested AFTER you are sick and subsequently recovered, to see if you HAD it? I can't help but think Trump is A-OK with minimal testing ... to keep "his numbers down". Sicko. It would be nice to know the true numbers eventually.
Strange days indeed. The sun is shining, the water and the sky are clearer and brighter. I have been sick for weeks with what I hoped was just severe allergies to our abundant pollen. When fears of covid-19 rose I became fearful as well. At times I have felt like something heavy was on my chest. I have struggled to utter sentences in meetings. I have coughed uncontrollably. I have been winded and wheezy from short flights of stairs. When I started to have chest pains, my doctor said to go the ER. I did not think I was that bad off. It seemed wrong to go when others were sicker. I finally went on Friday. They ran scads of tests, including the one for Covid-19 and discharged me in the late afternoon, leaving me with instructions to return if any of my symptoms got worse. The tests looked good, they said. I could not sleep when I got home and my chest pain became sharper. I called the after hours number and got in touch with the on-call physician. He was kind and looked up my records. He said my test results just came in for Covid-19. NEGATIVE. I was so relieved and thrilled and amazed that results came back in hours and not days as some have said. I am glad that I decided to go. The medicines they prescribed seem to be helping. After being sick for so long, any degree of improvement feels like a small miracle. Grateful. At the time that I called the on-call physician, I was told there were 37 people waiting to be seen in the Tampa General ER at 2:30am. If you have to go to the ER because your symptoms are potentially critical, you should go. I had to be talked to into it. Thanks again for having this forum for us. I am still not fully recovered but I am hoping I get there.
Thanks Amee for posting and everyone else...I’m 60 and live in Texas where the allergies are just terrible right now. A couple of weeks ago I got chilled, hard to warm up, phlegm running down my throat which led to a sometimes sore throat from I assume clearing it often. Lots of sneezing and the feeling that I had as a kid in LA, it hurt to breathe on smoggy days. Never had a temperature. All of these symptoms come and go. Once in awhile I get a dry cough, sometimes I am coughing up stuff. The one consistent thing that I have is the feeling it’s a smoggy day and now I have sensitivity around lower rib cage. Taking a deep breathe almost hurts but not quite. This could all be allergies (everyone says it is) but I usually don’t have allergy reactions, maybe a tiny headache or sneezing, so I really don’t know. From what everyone has said all symptoms are possible and the one consistent is chest pain and breathing problems. I am completely paranoid about getting it.
About three weeks ago I experienced a headache, sore throat, complete body aching and strange cough. One where you feel like your airway is blocked and you try to clear it, non productive. Was annoying and something I had to do but it never really helped. Never had enough of a fever to ck, I know when I have a fever. The headache was daily and the throat didn’t clear up until I started to feel better. Got winded on the stairs, very low energy. Almost passed out every time I leaned over. The total body ache and strange fatigue was bothersome. Not go take a nap kind of fatigue just dragging and wondering if you had something more serious. I decided this could not be covid , how would I have contracted it when there were no reports of positives in my county. Even though I suspected there may be some because our state was not testing many at all. Still using the CDC criteria. So I figured I have developed bad allergies, never had allergies of any consequence. I am older now so all kinds of firsts start to come along so you don’t miss out on complaining. I started Zyrtec and Flonase. Within 3 days I started feeling better. I will never know for sure if I didn't have a virus of some kind over those two weeks. But I know starting Zyrtec, which I take before bedtime, and Flonase has made me a new women. Maybe all the worry was because of covid, maybe I wouldn't have focused so much on my symptoms otherwise.
What is Anthropocene?
Anthropocene is the now.