Sore throat and mild fever
It was back in March 30th when my throat
started to feel clogged like I swallowed a bulb of garlic. I just got home from the office where I am still
reporting for work while the rest of our household are under mandatory community quarantine imposed by government. After walking home (public transports were already banned then) and bathing, pain in
my throat intensified like the beginning of a nasty cold.
I am no stranger to sore throats
having suffered continuously from allergic rhinitis and the usual bouts of
tonsilitis yet that pain is somewhat different as if there's a wound inside my tonsils. I'm aware of the kind of virus that covid-19 is and how it usually attacks
the infected person's body from the throat so I took the necessary precautions -
gargling w/antibacterial solution, apart from taking warm lemon ginger tea
w/spoonful of Manuka honey throughout the day, all while consciously keeping safe distance from my
niece and my brother and sister who live with me. We already prepared for the
onslaught of the virus by stocking up on the vitamin c (Blackmores Bio-C to be exact) and other anti-infection
essentials apart from the health and safety precautions like washing hands thoroughly, sanitizing and all that jazz, so somehow I know I'm geared to face any contamination.
But I must also
mention that prior to the government's announcement of total lockdown that initially begun on March 15th, I was already experiencing on and off fever that
begun in late February then another round of fever with chills in mid-March so I feel that my immune system is compromised.
Extreme headache
On the next day, March
31st, woke up to a massive headache that I attributed to migraine. Thankfully, we work from home every other day during those weeks from March 16th
while Enhanced Community Quarantine is in effect in our city, and I'm not
required at the office that day while I suffered from one of my worst migraines in
recent years.
I was already feeling a bit weak and just stayed in bed while
intermittently answering work emails and viber group chat. I still can perform some of these tasks even with a migraine because of my higher pain threshold being allergic to painkillers. I noticed this time though that the headache seems different as typically I have migraine attacks
during my period and I am not on my period then. Also, my regular
migraine headaches last a maximum of only 10 hours or less after I
sleep on it. But on that instance, my head throbbed painfully the whole day and
extended unto the next day, Wednesday, April 1st.
Two days of migraine is not
normal for me with pain extending to both sides of the back of my head above
the nape almost covering the entire head. The following day, pain went down to my left cheek like a sinusitis. It is quite unbearable like someone is
punching you on your cheek. That sinus pain lasted for a day and then gradually
subsided the next day. When the pain went away with only mild tiredness left that's when I experienced loss of both my sense of taste and smell.
Lost sense of smell and taste
The lost taste and smell lasted for more than a week. I realized then that that
it could probably be covid-19 as that is the first time I had anosmia. It was a very disturbing feeling especially when I tried to eat and couldn't taste a single thing. Even coffee seems just like drinking warm water. All i did was feel the texture of each bite just to imagine the taste. Extremely infuriating and alarming is the lost smell that even if I put soap or shampoo in my nose I couldn't smell it. And the fear that I may have lost both senses completely and permanently. I consulted online w/a doctor from the DOH and
after asking me questions I was advised that my symptoms may indeed be covid-19, (that I may be PUI), but since I do not experience difficulty breathing and no fever, I was just asked to monitor
and contact them if my condition worsens. That was fine as I have no plans of admitting
myself into a hospital with health workers and emergency rooms already overwhelmed by severe
cases and I don't want to add to that. I must say however that even without fever I find looking around that everything seems to be in sepia color. You know that feeling of looking around you and the world appears in faded color of brownish hue, like you're walking inside an old film. As if I was high with fever although my temperature was normal. I do feel mild dehydration and my lips were dry for many days so I continue to
hydrate w/Gatorade or Pocari Sweat plus lots of water.
Night times also seem to
be the hardest when anxiety levels were at a high fearing that I may no longer wake up as my breathing becomes more labored close to bedtime. There was also a feeling throughout my ordeal as if someone has a heavy hand clamped down on my chest. Those were so far the only worst
symptoms I can recall aside from the massive headaches, sinus pain and loss of taste and smell.
I just worked on managing these symptoms - overloaded myself w/ vitamins especially vitamin
C, lots of fresh fruits, continuous daily regimen of lemon ginger tea and rested
early. I normally sleep past midnight but on those two weeks or so of having
that weird condition, I slept earlier than my usual bed time (while praying that
I wake up the next day).
I also continued eating, not skipping any meals, even if I cannot taste the food,
just to maintain my daily nutrients. Somehow, I feel that my walk to and from
office (wearing mask of course and with limited contact to others, usually at more than one meter) helped in the form of exercise and I got a good dose of
vitamin D from direct exposure to morning sunlight. That may have helped me cope well the condition.
Looking back on those days when pandemic was first announced
by the WHO, it may be safe to say I'm one of the lucky ones to have survived the
onslaught of the virus in my system, although not sure if there's any health complications later on. Others aren't as fortunate. It is always best to
continue being vigilant against this virus, even if we don't get tested yet be aware that we are always exposed to it. To maintain health and safety precautions,
with or without a vaccine, quarantined or not.
I may have been infected,
untested, recovered, but I have learned that our health and those around us
should never be neglected and safety measures not taken for granted.
And through it all it is best to keep the faith and be grateful to God that we continue to wake up and breathe easy. When somewhere, someone may have just breathed their last.
