The long long fever updated.

Hi, I’ve been reluctant to share what I’ve been going through on social media because my story doesn’t have an ending, and it’s neater to share a story with a beginning, middle, and yes, ending. Balanced against this is the realization I might not be the only one in my situation, and I want to share my story so that others going through something similar will not feel as alone as I have. Instead, I've been updating people at work, family, and some friends sporadically. But they, like I, are all impatient because the story has no ending. Anyway, let’s start at the beginning.

Thursday, February 27^th, 2020: I feel tremendous exhaustion at work. I leave early. Friday, February 28^th, I go in again, again feel awful, leave early. Saturday, still not feeling great, I break Shabbat observance (for me) and buy a thermometer. Sunday, March 1, I have a low grade fever, 100F measured orally. 

Symptoms that first week? I can’t remember. I didn’t watch Netflix, I mostly slept, had a fever, and felt bad. My head was throbbing. Friday morning, I call the doctor’s office and incredibly enough, they are willing to see me (only March 6^th). I go in. Your head hurts and you have fever? It started over a week ago? Must be sinus infection, here’s some Augmentin. My fever subsides for about 36 hours, and then, even on this powerful antibiotic, it comes back.

The second week  I am sicker again. Coughing. Fever came back. I call the doctor’s office, and they said gee, if Augmentin didn’t work, try a Z-pack. Can't get tested for Covid-19 because I didn't have known contact with someone Covid-19 positive. My husband picks up a Z-pack and eventually I try that. My throat and lungs start feeling like they are on fire. One night I woke up at one am feeling breathless. I didn’t lie down again for hours. This breathlessness and fire in the lungs has continued, off and on, ever since. Approximately on for 2 nights, off for 3-4 (OK, I’m better?) then on for another 2 nights, off again (now am I better?) . Fever between 99-101 all the time.

In the third week, still feeling really crappy, I managed to get a chest X-ray (clear), influenza A and B test (negative) and even a Covid-19 test through my husband’s workplace. It came back negative. The fever persisted. I should be taking Tylenol more! But life goes on, right?

In the fourth week, I started working from home. Accomplished a few days of reasonable work until the lungs on fire came back. Also saw the return of nausea and tremendous body aches.

In the fifth week, I went on medical leave. Maybe I’ve been overdoing. I need to sleep more, keep my feet up, do breathing exercises (fortunately found some on social media). Low fever persists. I had bloodwork done, which came back all normal.

In the fifth-sixth weeks, I stared helplessly as my husband had to manage new assignments from work, shopping for Passover, turning the kitchen over for Passover basically singlehandedly and preparing the Seders. I just set up the Zooms and did breathing exercises. Later in the week I saw a nurse practitioner in person. Guess what, I look great. Ears, eyes, nose, throat, all fine. Lungs sound fantastic. Spleen not enlarged. Fever temporarily down with Tylenol. Perhaps I have not been taking enough fluids. This time, surely I’m on the road to recovery.

I’m now in the seventh week. Last night after three or four good days with only fever and fatigue, the breathlessness came back. Not as bad as week 3, but I have a rebound of aches and nausea this morning. And the fever persists. 

If you know people who are sick this spring, and whose symptoms have not abated after 2 or 3 weeks, please share my story. They are not alone.

I think about people who are perfectly healthy getting frustrated being in quarantine for so long. I don't share your frustration, but I do have anxieties and frustrations of my own. Oh well, time to check my fever and drink electrolytes. 

 

August 30, 2020. Well, here it is 26 weeks after my first symptoms. Three negative viral and two negative antibody tests later. The fever left around the end of May, and most symptoms as well for most of June, but in July symptoms came back. Many of the old symptoms (throat on fire, neck pain, fatigue, joints aching, face burning, ears buzzing, breathlessness) but also some new symptoms including heart racing (rare), extreme exhaustion after any form of exercise (common). Just yesterday I had sinus drainage and a sore throat so I was not surprised to wake up this morning to sore throat, burning lungs, thirst, some buzzing in my ears. Fortunately, my symptoms have rarely been so extreme I am not able to work. I log about 7 hours/day from home most weekdays and 5-10 volunteer hours/week (online).

 

I found the online group Survivor Corps. They have a survey you can fill out with typical symptoms people with COVID-19 complain about. I feel like I've experienced many of them, so symptomatically, I think what I have is COVID-19-like despite negative tests.

What I'd like to feel like, is better. Cured. My old self again.