Thread by @VABVOX

Many of you have kindly asked after my health. Thank you. I am finally doing a bit better. I had a bad weekend and Monday, but Wednesday I started to feel like I have turned a corner. It has been 22 days since I got sick. I've had fever, coughing, GI symptoms, headache.>>>
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I lost my voice mid-point. Last week I developed blisters on my lips and in my mouth, like with chemo. I did not have hallucinations but I did have vivid dreams. I did not have the "frostbite" on my hands and feet. I had intense night sweats the 1st ten days, but they stopped.
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I've had a lot of emotion, but tbf, I started menopause a few months ago & that's an emo torture. Hard to discern which is that & which is the virus. I think the worst part is the shortness of breath, the fever & exhaustion. (GI stuff was terrible as long as it lasted, tho.)
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I think I had a moderate case. I was treated with a round of antibiotics and high oxygen level, as well as aspirin and acetaminophen. This is what you get in hospital. The hope is to not go into critical condition and need to be vented as 80% of those folks die.
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I also had some heart issues in the second week. Those seemed to resolve, but my reading and interviewing suggests women get the heart thing and far more men get vented.
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So all of this is just my experience and so purely anecdotal. But it tracks with what I have read and with people I have interviewed.
Also, everyone I spoke to was treated with Mucinex as well.(I can't stand that stuff.) Please stay safe.
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Tarana Burke did a really in-depth thread on her partner's experience that might be useful for people with men in their families with it. And Chris Cuomo has been terrific detailing his experience. Also lynnv378 detailed her experience as did Summer Brennan, who was sickest.
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Staying hydrated, resting, doing breathing exercises and being as kind to yourself as possible in order to heal is essential. It's NOT the flu. It is like a bad pneumonia--or was for me. And I still feel like I am suffocating, even with the oxygen.
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KEY POINT: Non-elderly people dying from this were very sick when they finally went to hospital. Their oxygen levels were very low. I monitored my heart rate and O2 level with an oximeter. That allowed me to determine if my HR was too high and my O2 sats too low.
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I have had one since I nearly died in 2015 from a pulmonary embolism. I recommend getting one ($30) if you have asthma. Also laying on your stomach (your lungs are in the back) or side helps open the lower lung, which occludes first.
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People with hypertension may get further kidney damage from #COVID19. Preliminary studies are showing kidney problems particularly in black patients who are prone to blood pressure issues. Critical is know your body and have someone to be your healthcare advocate.

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