My personal experience with covid-19

NARRATIVE OF MY COVID-19 EXPERIENCE

I though it might be interesting for me to share my personal experience with covid-19. While I did not know for sure I had Covid until I took an antibody test on Mar. 2. I suspected that I had contracted the virus in December.

My story begins on Dec. 16, when I  was working on tearing out a rotten floor in part of my house. I was subjected to a lot of dust from the rotted wood. This was a Wednesday. The next day, Thursday evening, I began to feel like I was possibly getting sick, but attributed it to the dust from my work. I had a cough without any mucous and just a feeling of not up to par. We were then in the midst of our biggest snow storm, which ended on Friday. 

Friday morning I still did not feel perfect but not too bad, I then began plowing snow. I have a lot to plow and after around 4 hours I had to come in and was feeling a lot worse. I felt like I had a fever and generally worse. I stayed in for about 2 hours and then went out for 2 more hours to finish up the plowing. When I came in I was now feeling very weak, very much like a high fever and what I would call indigestion, that could not be relieved with ant-acids. I spent Friday night covered up with the high fever, stomach pain, like indigestion and also significant pain in my chest, but not tightness or difficulty breathing. I slept soundly for about 8 hours and woke up saturday feeling better, but kind of wiped out.

Saturday I experienced severe diarrhea, the chest pains diminished but the indigestion continued. I did feel better, but weak and stayed down all day.

Sunday, I felt much better, no fever, but began to get some mucous in my lungs. I went to Lowes and bought a humidifier and on leaving I started sweating and generally felt very weak, I then went home and stayed in and down for 2 more days. I started to cough up lots of mucous that was clear or white, which indicated a viral infection. I then started researching what you can get from rotted wood and found nothing like the symptoms I had. I then had a suspicion I may have had covid. It was in the beginning of January that I realized I was unable to smell and taste.  I don't know if it just started then or I just realized it.

The lack of energy and coughing up mucous continued for several more weeks, but I went about the usual things I do. I have regained some of my taste but no sense of smell.

One other unusual symptom was that I no longer had the usual pain in my back, knee or shoulder. That has now returned.

By the time realized I had covid, I suspected it was too late to get tested, so I waited the required time to get an antibody test, which I did on Mar. 2 and tested positive to the antibodies.

I feel fortunate that being 75, overweight with elevated glucose, I can assume I have survived this virus. I feel pretty much normal now, as anyone my age can feel. I suspect that many more have contracted this virus than we know.