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.
