Thread by @camidoma

My #Covid illness in November 2022 was probably one of the most severe “mild” cases.

I want to document and share my story because covid was “supposed” to affect me no more than the flu according to the media.

Here’s my story:

I’m 30, generally healthy aside from episodic migraines with aura and depression, 4 times vaxxed, and I took Paxlovid.

I didn’t intend to take Paxlovid but on day 2, I almost fainted shortly after walking into my bathroom. I knew this wasn’t normal for a “mild” infection.

I had every symptom and then some. Everything except vomiting and losing my taste & smell.

After starting Paxlovid, I felt better but I was still sick. It took 9 days to test negative.

After 4 days of testing negative and starting to feel worse again, I tested positive again.

My rebound was probably worse than most people’s initial acute infections. I didn’t have a full-on fever and I wasn’t about to pass out but I was EXTREMELY sick.

If my oxygen levels hadn’t stayed 95% and above, I would have gone to the hospital.

I resolved not to go to the hospital because my bff who is a doctor at a hospital said it was too risky with the TRIPLEDEMIC of #Covid, #RSV, and the #Flu popping off.

I was alone, scared, hopeless, and exhausted. I was malnourished and seriously thought I could die from this.

After 7 days of hell (and a 5-day long panic attack), I finally tested negative again.

16 days of testing positive total.

But my illness did not end there. I was still highly symptomatic.

I ended up going to an urgent care center because my heart rate was too fast.

Thankfully, their basic tests found nothing wrong. I continued to be highly symptomatic with A LOT of coughing over the next week.

By week 5, I finally started to feel like I was improving a bit.

But by week 6, I felt like I was coming down with another virus! VERY sick AGAIN

I went to the doctor and my slightly less basic test results were normal minus a slightly elevated bilirubin level which was not concerning.

I genuinely thought I caught another virus or that covid somehow rebounded again.

I tested negative for covid, flu, strep, etc.

It was by this point I realized that there was a strong chance that I had #LongCovid.

The first ~4 months of my illness left me bed-bound, barely able to eat, and on short term disability leave from work.

Again, I genuinely thought I could die from this.

I only got through that period of my life with the help of my mom who took me in and became my caretaker.

She cooked my meals, did my laundry and dishes, drove me to appointments, etc.

I’m so lucky and grateful to have had assistance. Unfortunately, not everyone is.

It was around 3.5 months in when my (now former) doctor told me that this was “all in my mind” that I needed to “push through it”, “take an antidepressant”, and “go back to work or find another job” after refusing to sign my short term disability paperwork.

I now have good doctors who believe me and my STD went through. Again, I’m super grateful.

I’m a little over 6 months into #LongCovid now. I think I’m making improvements with each month that passes but it’s hard to tell with so many flare-ups.

I believe (and hope) that the vast majority of my remaining symptoms are due to POTS.

Fatigue, headaches, episodes of faster heart rate, pulsing/blood pooling in extremities, abnormal stool, no appetite, muscle soreness, muscle twitching, tinnitus, some sinus congestion, etc.

All of this to say, I’m extremely jealous of people who have a truly mild / asymptomatic illness and recover fully.

I now avoid #Covid like the plague. I’m fucking terrified of what another covid infection might do to me.

#LongCovid is real and it’s a mass disabling event.

I would like to add a couple of things to this thread:

1. I had a post-viral illness in ~2017 after a respiratory virus. My partner developed walking pneumonia but made a full recovery. While I didn’t but continued to be sick for ~6 months. It was nothing compared to #LongCovid!

2. I’ve had A LOT more in-depth testing during this #LongCovid illness and so far, there are no test results which show any reason for my illness (vitamin deficiencies, autoimmunities, etc)

I suspect many of you have had similar experiences. I just wish I knew why this happened.

For the record: Vaccines save lives.

This isn’t an opinion, it’s a proven fact.