Beaten the Virus

zand

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The OP mentioned needing to blow the nose and finding blood in it. Me too.

I normally only need to blow my nose maybe once a week when I am well and it's usually dry, hard snot. (Sorry TMI?) Well with the virus I was blowing it several times a day but it wasn't runny at all, still dry amd hard. After blowing it the smell left in my nose and the taste in my mouth was kind of chemical. A bit like chlorine in the swimming pool, but not exactly like it.

The dryness only affected my breathing. My digestive system stayed fine although I did have tummy cramps for about 4 hours in all.

4 weeks on from infection, yesterday in the garden, I sneezed. Oh joy! My nose was runny for the first time in 29 days. I can't tell you how amazing that was! You don't realise how moist your airways normally are when you are well until you have this virus.
 
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zand

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Re the pneumonia vaccine. I have never been offered one. I did ask for one a couple of years back but was refused. I didn't realise you could buy one at a chemist until it was too late. I didn't actually need one to get over the virus so don't panic if you haven't had one either.:)
 
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zand

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The OP mentioned needing to blow the nose and finding blood in it. Me too.

I normally only need to blow my nose maybe once a week when I am well and it's usually dry, hard snot. (Sorry TMI?) Well with the virus I was blowing it several times a day but it wasn't runny at all, still dry amd hard. After blowing it the smell left in my nose and the taste in my mouth was kind of chemical. A bit like chlorine in the swimming pool, but not exactly like it.

The dryness only affected my breathing. My digestive system stayed fine although I did have tummy cramps for about 4 hours in all.

4 weeks on from infection, yesterday in the garden, I sneezed. Oh joy! My nose was runny for the first time in 29 days. I can't tell you how amazing that was! You don't realise how moist your airways normally are when you are well until you have this virus.
Edit: i should mention that I had a mild 'wet ' chest infection early on in the illness and that was the red herring that made me think I had a normal bug. That was the mildest chest infection I had ever had and soon gave way to the dryness after only 2 days.
 
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ickihun

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The OP mentioned needing to blow the nose and finding blood in it. Me too.

I normally only need to blow my nose maybe once a week when I am well and it's usually dry, hard snot. (Sorry TMI?) Well with the virus I was blowing it several times a day but it wasn't runny at all, still dry amd hard. After blowing it the smell left in my nose and the taste in my mouth was kind of chemical. A bit like chlorine in the swimming pool, but not exactly like it.

The dryness only affected my breathing. My digestive system stayed fine although I did have tummy cramps for about 4 hours in all.

4 weeks on from infection, yesterday in the garden, I sneezed. Oh joy! My nose was runny for the first time in 29 days. I can't tell you how amazing that was! You don't realise how moist your airways normally are when you are well until you have this virus.
I was asked if I had bloody mucus with my leaking blood investigation. I still hv it. ENT are going to investigate (hopefully once things settle down). I get alot of blood on a mornng. Mine is more dirty spit from the back of my throat which I've had since my op. Endoscopy was clear so poor ENT department will hopefully stop it. Stomach pain is still stones or similiar related but still not confirmed, yet. I'm hoping this week finalises that. Our area isn't heavily affected it seems but by no means except... this early in the infection.
Do you think area habitual circulation will make any difference to any protection? Our area can be very insular at times compared to commuting towns and cities.
 
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ickihun

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Will a pneumonia vaccine protect me against the virus?
Vaccines against pneumonia, such as pneumococcal vaccine and Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib) vaccine, do not provide protection against Covid-19.
The virus is so new and different that it needs its own vaccine, which researchers are currently working on trying to develop.
Although these vaccines are not effective against Covid-19, vaccination against respiratory illnesses is highly recommended to protect your health.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...-19-who-advice-medicine-vaccine-a9412921.html
On news today they are experimenting with Ebola serums. As well as others.
 

JohnEGreen

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@zand don't know about how @JonBoy1199 is feeling right now but my grandson is still feeling pretty low.
And he is stuck on his own in Lincoln in the student accommodation all the staff have gone most of the other students have gone the University is pretty well shut down so I worry depression especially after a viral infection like that can really get to you.
 

JohnEGreen

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Well I hope they succeed Covid 19 DNA is 80% SARS 20% something else or so I believe. Sooner they get a vaccine the better but at best it's estimated to be about a year away.
 
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zand

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@zand don't know about how @JonBoy1199 is feeling right now but my grandson is still feeling pretty low.
And he is stuck on his own in Lincoln in the student accommodation all the staff have gone most of the other students have gone the University is pretty well shut down so I worry depression especially after a viral infection like that can really get to you.
So sorry to hear this John. There needs to be consideration for those suffering like this.. He should be allowed home on health grounds.
 
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enzina

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Hi @JonBoy1199 ,
I hope you're feeling a bit better today. You are asking about post viral depression. I am not sure about myself, the whole situation is just so depressing, everybody seems to suffer in some way.
To my horror i have just seen there is again blood (little dry speckles) when i blow my nose. I also feel cold again, weak and just unwell. My puppy just pooped again in the flat and i couldn't smell it. I really hope it's something else, finally the fear got to me too.
 
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Aknitty

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As soon as social distancing was announced I followed it, but it was not as strict at the start as it is now and I think I caught it when I went shopping and the supermarket was packed full of people, I now wish I hadn't gone shopping, but I needed to collect my medication from the pharmacy at Tesco and get food, as I had been at work all week.

My background is I've had Diabetes for 23 years since I was 17, asthma since I was young and I live with a heart condition. Despite all this, I have overcome the virus and am now recovering well. I'll give you a brief experience of what happened to me and how I managed to overcome it.

I started off feeling very tired. I then started to get a sore throat and headache at this point, I figured I was getting a cold, but I didn't have a runny nose. I also noticed when I blew my nose, there were traces of blood in it. I'm now thinking this was the virus starting out in my airways, but at this stage, I had no temperature.

After 3 days my temperature was increasing and this is where I started coughing. I also was extremely tired, kept getting chills & muscle cramps, It was around day 5 that I started getting discomfort across my chest and difficulty breathing deeply.

I coped with this by resting as much as possible and not attempting to do anything I didn't need to do. I was sleeping on and off for 12 to 14 hours a day. Give the body a chance to fight and reserve energy.

I also made sure I was drinking plenty of fluids to keep de-hydration away & this will also help with ketones. Follow sick day rules and do the best you can to keep your blood sugar levels normal, for me I was taking small amounts of insulin every few hours, regardless of if I had eaten or not just to keep my glucose levels down. Also, keep an eye on ketones, test regularly & take action as needed.

It is difficult, but when you're feeling the chills avoid wrapping up with blanket or duvet as this will make your temperature worse. When I was up I sat in a well-ventialed room that I was keeping cool, I also slept with just a blanket at night to try to keep my temperature under control, doing so will help a great deal with how you feel.

Be careful standing up, as I found on multiple occasions I felt dizzy and would fall backward, due to lack of oxygen. try to stay sitting or lying as much as possible is my advice. I found laying on my back most comfortable position.

The breathlessness is difficult, but take it easy and don't push yourself to do anything that will leave you struggling. So you may smell a bit as you can't shower for a few days, but it's better than leaving yourself gasping for air trying to shower.

My energy levels have been coming back and I'm now out of 7-day isolation. It has left me with chest pains and I'm still struggling to breathe deeply, but overall I feel a lot better. I'm guessing this will get better given time for my lungs to heal.

Also, I know it's not easy, but try to stay calm and don't work yourself up. As we all know stress can affect your blood sugars and it's not good for breathing getting worked up. Stay calm and it will pass given time. Remember NHS 111 is there if you need them, I can't thank them enough as they were really reassuring to me when I phoned on 2 occasions.

Hopefully, this may help anyone else who goes through it. I thought it worth sharing my experience. Stay strong everyone.
Hello. How are u feeling now? I am on day five and my chest also feels tight. It feels like when u are somewhere really hot and u can't breathe as well? Is that what yours was like? Its hard not to panic isn't it.
 

Aknitty

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Brilliant thread! I didn't have the energy to start one. My symptoms were very like yours except that my temperature only rose 0.5C for 8 days. Initially I thought it was a normal virus as very few folk in UK had been found to have COVID19 on March 2nd when I got infected with it.

I am 62 mildly asthmatic with a history of recurrent chest infections. I am taking blood pressure tablets and am T2. I am obese and prone to depression.

I am on day 27 since the start of symptoms. Yesterday was the first day I felt like doing anything. I did a little gardening. Yesterday was also the day when the dryness went and my chest felt more easy. It has become slightly dry overnight again. I still feel tired and have a few aches and pains that I never had before but other than that am fine. Like you I felt dizzy and faint when doing anything. I have an inhaler which I only need when I have a chest infection. I only used it once this time as it didn't help. I think that was because my airways hadn't narrowed with this virus. They were just so very dry.
What have ur temps been like? Mine has been constantly running around 37.5 with a few jumps up to 37.8 on the first day. That was enough for my dr to diagnose it over the phone obv. Seems very mild temp altho I do normally run at 36.7
 
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zand

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What have ur temps been like? Mine has been constantly running around 37.5 with a few jumps up to 37.8 on the first day. That was enough for my dr to diagnose it over the phone obv. Seems very mild temp altho I do normally run at 36.7
Mine was a very mild temperature too. My basal temp is normally lower than average but I haven't checked my basal rate for a few years. I think my temp rose only about 0.5C for 8 days..taking it to around 36.5 C. It is now down to 36 again so I am assuming this is my basal rate now. A few years ago it was much lower than that. I seem to have become a little more normal at last lol
 
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Aknitty

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Mine was a very mild temperature too. My basal temp is normally lower than average but I haven't checked my basal rate for a few years. I think my temp rose only about 0.5C for 8 days..taking it to around 36.5 C. It is now down to 36 again so I am assuming this is my basal rate now. A few years ago it was much lower than that. I seem to have become a little more normal at last lol
Normal is over rated thanks for help. There is little guidance about temperature so find it confusing but if you know your basal like we do u know when it's raised which is obviously a sign body is dealing with something? Thats my thinking x
 
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UserABC2021

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@OldButBold How are you today?

Hi there, it's been a rough day today. Up at 0230 with a coughing fir that pushed me almost to blacking out. managed to calm down and steamed my lungs for 30 mins and that helped. By then I'm awake and a bit anxious to go back to sleep.

Temp was ok, it dropped back into 35+ and bloods came back to 6.6 as they are high due to excess steroids. Breathing has been rough today but hanging in there. Thanks for asking :)
 
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zand

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Hi there, it's been a rough day today. Up at 0230 with a coughing fir that pushed me almost to blacking out. managed to calm down and steamed my lungs for 30 mins and that helped. By then I'm awake and a bit anxious to go back to sleep.

Temp was ok, it dropped back into 35+ and bloods came back to 6.6 as they are high due to excess steroids. Breathing has been rough today but hanging in there. Thanks for asking :)
All I can say is well done! You are getting through it. :)Yes I almost blacked out once through coughing so much too. You will be worn out by the time you get through this...but you WILL get through it. :)
 
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copilost

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All I can say is well done! You are getting through it. :)Yes I almost blacked out once through coughing so much too. You will be worn out by the time you get through this...but you WILL get through it. :)
hugs to all feeling ghastly.
 
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