I Fought Covid, I won

“It sucks you dry, chews you up, and then spits what’s left of you out into a dumpster fire.”

 

By Alicia Chamely

I got Covid, I fought it, I won.

Do me a favour. The next time you hear someone say Covid-19 is just like a bad flu or whining about their freedom being taken away, I want you to punch them in the throat; a good solid punch, think Mike Tyson on methamphetamines hard.

Knock them to the floor; make sure every ounce of air is taken out of their lungs.

I wish I could apologise for the severity of my feelings, but sadly it turns out unbridled rage is a side effect of Covid.

That’s right; I had the Vid, along with my husband, and its crap!

So sit back and let me take you through my Covid 19 journey.

Firstly…

Covid 19 is not just a flu!

Having Covid is like being in an incredibly slow rollercoaster. One minute you are up and the next you are plundged into an abyss of suffering. It sucks you dry, chews you up, and then spits what’s left of you out into a dumpster fire.

There were mornings where I woke up all fine and dandy, only to find myself lying on the floor by lunch time because I was simply too weak to stand.

Walking upstairs was a nightmare and for some bizarre reason my knees hurt so badly it kept me up at night.

Ohhhh and the digestive issues… so many dark times.

Your body hurts, your chest hurts and what really gets you is the fear. You are in a constant state of terror; afraid that at any moment things will go from bad to worse.

We were lucky though. Our symptoms, while still pretty rough, were mild. At no point were we delirious with fever or gasping for breath. There were a couple of times our heart rates went up, and it was a cause for concern, but mostly we were never truly in danger.

We had our first shot of the Astra Zeneca vaccine, two weeks before contracting the virus. Our bodies had a fighting chance.

This brings me to my next point…

Get the vaccine!

As mentioned our symptoms were a hell of a lot milder than those who contracted Covid without receiving the vaccine.

Our immune system wasn’t bombarded with this mystery invader. It knew the enemy at hand and had a blue print as to how to fight it.

My husband has diabetes, without having had the vaccine I could not imagine how hard Covid would have hit him. He had a harder time than I did and truth be told I am pretty sure had he not had that vaccine he would have ended up in hospital

Interestingly enough, no one we came into contact with during our “pre-symptom contagious time” contracted the virus. In fact our children didn’t get the virus, nor did our helper – three people who live in close quarters with us.

Surprise, surprise that is another benefit of getting the vaccine! Recent studies have shown that people who are vaccinated are less likely to spread the virus.

I suspect the only reason I got the virus from my husband is because we have a healthy marriage and share saliva.

The vaccine does not make 100% immune to the Covid virus, but it does slap it down a few notches in terms of how it will affect you. It will keep you lying down in your bed at home and not on a cot in a tent hospital fighting for oxygen or plugged into a ventilator.

Additionally, it reduces your ability to spread the virus. So if enough people are vaccinated the spread is greatly reduced, so you are less likely to kill those who for medical reasons are unable to be vaccinated.

It should be noted; besides being vaccinated our victory with Covid was aided by early intervention.

Hence…

Don’t wait until things become serious!

I’ll admit this comes from a point of privilege. I hit the jackpot when I married my husband. He stems from a family of doctors. As soon as we developed symptoms were put on a course of Zithromax antibiotics to prevent those pesky co-infections and we were given steroidal inhalers.

Early intervention is the key to fighting the virus. Unfortunately for many after being tested positive they are given some Panadol and told to sit tight.

So please do me a favour, if you or someone you know contracts Covid, find a doctor, go to a health centre and demand antibiotics, inhalers, everything needed to fight the virus before it knocks you out.

Finally…

Even the strongest armour has cracks

My husband is still baffled as to how he contracted the virus. The man is a grade “A” hypochondriac and since the pandemic started he hasn’t stopped wearing a mask and lives covered in sanitiser.

A member of staff at his place of work tested positive for Covid about three days after he was in my husband’s office. He had his mask on; this dude had his mask on. Was it my husband touching something this guy touched and then unconsciously touching his face afterwards? We don’t know.

But as a friend of mine put it, “If he could get it, we call could get it.”

So in conclusion, keep as distanced as possible and at home when you can. Even the most anally retentive, hyper protective among us can catch it.  If you do get it, fight tooth and nail to get what you need to intervene.

I got Covid, I fought it, I won.