There’s still mystery surrounding how people’s bodies react to Covid-19.
While scientist and health officials have listed symptoms and treatment options, it’s clear the virus impact is not the same for everyone.
Natalie Walker, a psychiatrist who lives in Cadott, tested positive for coronavirus when she went to the clinic for Covid-19 unrelated issues.
Because of other underlying health issues, she says she was admitted immediately. She shared her experience on Quora.
“My test is positive too and I’m in the hospital after my nurse just woke me up for another f’ing breathing treatment (pardon my language). Simply because my O2 sat this morning was 64 percent and I was severely hypoxic.
“Feels like shards or crystals or solidified material entered my lungs, although it’s probably just the secreted fluid by the virus which caused me to have pneumonia. The breathing feels like I’m gasping for air every second, and the chest cough broke one of my ribs it was so forceful. Aside from that, I see stars, which is another symptom of hypoxia but also could be attributed to the virus itself. To those saying it feels like a really bad cold, let me infect you and you find out if that’s true or not. (Disclaimer: I would never purposefully infect this on my worst enemy).”
Walker says anyone who contracts Covid-19 will have his or her own individual experience with the virus.
“I also experienced way more severe orthostatic hypotension than ever before. When I get up or try to get up, which the nurses won’t let me even attempt anymore. I black out right away. I cracked my lip on the bed frame. Could have been worse but now they set the bed alarm,” she said.
Here are some of the common questions she answered about testing positive:
Do you have an underlying health condition?
Yes, I have Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis, which precipitated the quick pneumonia onset after the coronavirus took hold because I’m immunocompromised.
I did get a pneumonia shot last year that may have helped to reduce the intensity of this, but I’m not entirely sure if it’s the same thing. The MS makes me weak enough as it is, combine that with Corona and it becomes very deadly. That’s why I was admitted to the hospital before my Corona test even came back positive.
What were your initial symptoms and how long before you were hospitalised did they start?
I went to a health clinic for a completely different issue, and my fever rose to 101.4 F (38.5 Celsius), very quickly. I still didn’t go in. I sometimes get night fever with MS and I chalked it up to that. Two days later, I woke up gasping for air. I could not breathe and it felt like someone was sitting on my chest. I have a home pulse oximeter and my sat was around 81 percent. This is when I decided to go in and get tested for coronavirus. I feel so bad for having to expose ambulance workers to my potential virus.
Did you receive any drugs like hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine phosphate for treatment?
I asked my nurse this and she said that it’s not on my chart as ever given to me. I’m not sure what this drug is, but one of my degrees is in psychopharmacology, not just general pharmacology. I do see it’s being used experimentally on patients with Covid-19, but I guess it’s not being used on me.