Question: How does it really feel having COVID-19 disease? Part 2
Answer: “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe”, that’s what many admitted patients are saying. One survivor told me that it feels like hell, you are burning and gasping for breath but can’t get enough air.
Another lady said she felt as if she had the worst case of “malaria and typhoid” with vivid nightmares.
Majority of people who have COVID-19 disease complain about Fever, Shortness of Breath, Dry Cough, Weakness, Aches and Pain. I capitalized many words to show that they are the most common complaints. This does not mean that every COVID-19 case will get a fever. Different people feel different symptoms. Therefore, the description below does not mean that each person who gets infected will feel everything listed. According to the World Health Organization, the top three symptoms of COVID-19 are Fever in 87.9% of cases, followed by 67.7% reporting Dry Cough and 38.1% reported fatigue. Note that about 12.1% of people will not get a fever.
Here are one line descriptions from some COVID-19 patients and survivors:
The FEVER feels like Hell. You feel as if you’re on Fire, you feel as if you’re burning
The FEVER is so high; it feels as if my body can Boil water
The FEVER comes and goes for weeks. You think you have gotten better, then it comes back.
RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS
Persistent hacking DRY COUGH
Persistent breathing issues
Suffocating Air Hunger
Tightness around the chest
Coughing up blood or coffee brown sputum
Sneezing and Runny nose
You feel as if you’re Drowning
You feel PRESSURE on the chest as if an elephant is sitting on your chest
GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
Nausea (feeling like vomiting)
Vomiting
Abdominal pain
Abdominal cramps
Diarrhoea or Frequent Watery Stooling
MUSCULOSKELETAL PROBLEMS
Muscle Aches
Joint pain
General BODY ACHES
WEAKNESS, Lethargy, Intense FATIGUE
ENT PROBLEMS
Intense sinus pressure
Sore throat
Loss of taste and smell
MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS
Nightmares
Trouble focusing
Short-term memory loss
PANIC attacks, you think you are dying
DEPRESSION
LONELINESS, you are so sick but your loved ones are not allowed to come too close.
Usually, mental health challenges take the back seat as no one really talks about them but Chris Cuomo on CNN Cuomo Prime Time talked about his battle with COVID-19 admitting that he felt that it was in his head and that it messes with his brain.
Recovery from COVID-19 disease is complicated. Good days are often followed by bad days. It takes two to four or even five weeks. Some mild cases may even last longer than two weeks. Here’s one of the important things that we have to learn in the battle against COVID-19 (if you ever get infected and have pneumonia: Do not lie down on your back. Most of your lung tissue is on the back. Lie on your stomach.
Check back for our next blog post on how to “fight” against COVID-19 disease plus survival strategies.
Prevention is better than Cure, Stay Safe, Observe Physical Distancing, and Wash Hands with soap and water. If you must go out, consider wearing a mask to protect others and demand that others wear masks to reduce the spread. Note that masks do not give total protection.
Live Right, Live Long
Dr Uche
Note: Capitals were used on purpose so that some important words really jump out from the sheet.
Our Next Topic:“Fighting for your life”: That’s how to describe surviving COVID-19.
