In mid-March of this year, I caught the dreaded virus. A friend has suggested that I share the journey of my recovery from COVID-19 which is what I am doing here. I hope you will find it useful.
The symptoms
At the time I didn’t know that one of the most telling signs was a loss of the sense of smell. I thought it was just my blocked nose and that it would pass soon, but it didn’t. So I looked it up on Google and found out that many people were talking about being unable to smell things and that it was one of the symptoms of the coronavirus.
I was running a temperature for 3 days – up to 39 C (102.2 F) and 37.5 C (99.5 F) in the next 3-4 days. I was taking the flu capsules that contained paracetamol – to keep the temperature stable. Although a raised temperature is normally the way the body responds to infection by trying to eliminate it, sometimes it can get out of hand and become dangerous. It was also very uncomfortable because it kept me awake at night. So despite my general dislike of medicines, it did help in many ways.
The cough didn’t start straight away. It started on day two I believe. Breathing was becoming a chore and I started wheezing. I could hear this dreadful noise in my chest which was getting worse as the days went by. Nights used to be really bad since I couldn’t stay asleep for long without being woken up by a cough.
The treatment
I was drinking a lot of water and herbal tea with ginger, honey and lemon. I used a variety of teas – raspberry, peppermint and chamomile, as well as hibiscus which is rich in vitamin C. And of course, the cocktail I’ve written about in my previous post.
My favourite drink contains two handfuls of mixed frozen berries (raspberries, blackberries, redcurrants, blueberries and blackcurrants). I used to simply pour boiling water into a cup, wait for the water to infuse with the juice from the berries, add a bit of honey and drink it. It still is my favourite drink – yummy, satisfying, thirst-quenching and so good for you! 🙂
I also took a variety of supplements – large doses (1-2 grams) of vitamin C, echinacea, vitamin D3, zinc, magnesium, vitamin B group, probiotics, wild oregano oil (a potent antiviral remedy), calcium and selenium.
My recovery from COVID-19
Almost 5 months after I became ill, here is how I feel today. The sense of smell is only partially back. I still cough, although not as much as I used to. The cough has lasted a long time and has at times been really bad, with lots of mucus coming out. I’ve started eating less bread and it’s helping. I am slowly weaning myself off it and other wheat-based products, reducing dairy products in my diet and increasing vegetables and fruit. I make time for exercise – walking or cycling, drink a lot of water and continue drinking my cocktail.
The worst thing is severe fatigue that sets in suddenly and lasts for a few days, as it did recently. I am not sure if it is due to COVID or something else, but my gut feeling is that it is. It normally comes with weakness and swollen glands. My main therapy for this is sleep and drinking lots of fluids.
I am still on a bumpy road but believe that I am out of the hole I was in for so long. My recovery from COVID-19 has been slow but steady. Have you or people you know been affected by the virus? Would you like to share your story?
