It started with a tickly cough when I took too deep a breath, within 12 hours the centre of my chest felt very heavy or tight. Over the next 24 hours I developed a temperature up to 39 degrees C, my skin felt sore all over my body and all my bones and joints aches.
I spent the recommended 7 days isolated in my bedroom and came out as I thought I was better.
Within 6 hours of coming out of my room I became very breathless and my temperature increased. I saw the GP on day 10 who prescribed oral antibiotics, these seemed to really help and on day 17 I returned to work. I was a little worn out and became easily breathless but able to function as normal. On day 25 I woke up and was breathless even at rest, it felt like I was Breathing through a pillow, with every breath really hard to get in. I was assessed by covid paramedics and taken to hospital as my oxygen levels dropped every time I walked a short distance.
I spent 3 days in hospital and was given IV antibiotics and oxygen through nasal cannula. I was tested for the first time at this point which was negative but was told it was likely Covid and the negative test was the result of it being day 25.
After discharge I had a course of oral antibiotics to finish. I took another 6 weeks off work, unable to sustain any level of activity without needing to sleep or rest.
Further unrelenting symptoms include breathlessness upon light exercise such as walking/ going up a flight of stairs, joint pain which my GP has diagnosed as post viral arthralgia and prescribed amitriptyline to take at night, fatigue when I could easily sleep for up to 20 hours each day, brain fog to the extent that I couldn’t remember my house number the other day, hot flashes which feel like I am going to spontaneously combust, and tachycardia; at rest my heart rate sits between 90-110 but can fly up to 130-140 without me moving at all.
I am working but most days this is all I am able to do and if I have a particularly busy week, I spend most of the weekend asleep. But the fatigue has significantly improved since my 6 month anniversary of falling ill.
My GP tried to be supportive but has refused a referral to a ‘long Covid clinic’ as they say there is not one locally.
I am taking multivitamins, folic acid, B-12, cod liver oil, Vit D, CoQ10 and turmeric religiously in an attempt to try and help myself.