Recovering from COVID-19: 56 Days Later

Ya girl is feeling MUCH better. 

Finally.

I can breathe a sigh of relief because the last vestige from COVID-19 is gone from my system. (For the record said deep breath is most certainly happening at home, not in a public space.) A recent chest x-ray confirmed there is no longer any inflammation in my lungs. I’m back! Highlights of recovery include: being able to belly laugh without coughing, taking our dog for a walk and sleeping through the night.

It’s been a lengthy and arduous journey to get here. As I explained in the previous post, I fell ill on March 10. I experienced eight days of intense symptoms – fever, difficulty breathing, splitting headache and fatigue. I was miserable. When the worst of the symptoms subsided, I was diagnosed with pneumonia. I did daily nebulizer treatments of albuterol and acetylcysteine. Healing was challenging given the numerous setbacks I experienced. I would feel great for a couple days then terrible the next. In all, it’s taken 56 days to feel totally like myself again.

Fifty-six days y'all. Eight weeks to get healthy. I had no idea it was going to take that long.

During my recovery a CNBC producer came across my blog post. She was working on a piece about COVID-19 survivors so she reached out to me and asked for an interview. I said yes with no hesitation. We chatted on Skype a couple days later. It was the first time in weeks that I put on some makeup and a dress shirt. The final piece, "What It's Like To Have Coronavirus," is posted on YouTube. I teared up a bit talking about my experience and OF COURSE it made the final cut. The reporter in me totally understands (ha!).

Lately I’ve been limiting my time on social media because of all the conspiracy theories and people not taking this pandemic seriously. I just can’t. I fear that tens of thousands more people have to die before those in doubt start believing medical professionals, scientists, and survivors. I hope it doesn’t come to that.

My biggest obstacle now is not letting fear get in the way of being in public places. Since I’m feeling better, I’ve ventured to the grocery store. We invested in N95 masks last year because we’ve had to deal with heavy smoke from wildfires wafting into our area during consecutive summers. While I feel safe wearing it, there’s still many unknowns about the virus. I definitely try not to think about the possibility of catching it through your eyes. (SERIOUSLY?!?! This virus is a mutant.) I won’t be visiting a restaurant, movie theater or mall when they finally reopen again. The office I work in is small so when we’re cleared to go back, I’m not going to be faced with being around dozens of people.

I’m trying not to let my fear of getting sick again overwhelm me. It’s tough in part because it’s difficult to escape coronavirus news. Rather than focus on the invisible, highly contagious, and deadly virus creating chaos all over the world, I’ve been tuning out. I recently finished Better Call Saul and 90 Day Fiancé is the gift that keeps giving. There’s also a stack of books on my desk that are side-eyeing me.

I’m thankful to have survived and to be able to share my journey of recovery with you. To everyone who called, texted and left messages, thank you. I appreciate all of the love.

“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.”

-Helen Keller