Published 02/07/2020
I’m a 65 year old palliative care nurse, still working up to 4 days a week.
On Saturday the 9th May 2020 I woke up at my usual time but with abdominal pain and a feeling of nausea.
I took my dog for his usual long walk but had great difficulty putting one foot in front of the other and felt extremely tired. On getting home I was unable to eat any breakfast due to a horrible taste in my mouth and no appetite. I then fell asleep.
Being a tough old bird I decided I needed to rouse myself as I was doing an afternoon shift at work, so I had a shower and got ready for work. As I entered the building I happened to meet a colleague who had just returned to work having had covid19, on chatting it transpired she had presented with similar symptoms. Despite having asthma I had no cough or high temperature. Work was reasonably quiet so I was told to go home and book a test.
I had my test done on 10th May and had a positive result.
Since then I haven’t worked due to ongoing health problems.
I have always been fit, doing yoga, tai chi, a regular walker, and dancer.
I initially had a very heavy cold with horrible cold sores on my upper lip, a vice like pain under my rib cage on the right side, extreme fatigue, headaches and aching joints. Since then I’ve had a horrible infected bite on my leg. This last 2 weeks I’ve had horrendous vertigo to the extent I was unable to stand upright without vomiting. I have a tendency towards vertigo but hadn’t realised it can also be due to covid19.
8 weeks since I started with the virus and just as I begin to feel better something else knocks me for 6!
My appetite remains poor at times, headaches, aching joints and extreme fatigue continues. My sense of taste and smell is still not fully back.
I find it reassuring to read I’m not on my own.