Read this account of a young French woman who is beginning to recover from Covid-19
I got it. Yep, it had to be this way. When you live in the most impacted region in France and that your colleagues and relatives start having symptoms, you just pray to be asymptomatic. Yep. I got it.
After slowly witnessing people get sick, I thought I would most probably develop mild symptoms of it, as I’m young and healthy. Sometimes I allowed myself to believe I would not even get it at all. And even if I would get flu symptoms, it would be ok.
Am I a lucky one? Nope.
It was like a domino chain. One colleague announced she had fever, another had clearly a bad flu. Then others started feeling sick and some were already coughing strongly. But hey, you know why? At that point it could be the real flu.
Well, I’m young and healthy. What could this coronavirus do to me? Let’s see.
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A Suffolk Lane 
The symptoms people experience seem to all over the map. I am glad CapKane came out the other side, although there was lung damage.
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Thank you, Lavinia. I am very glad she has survived and I hope will recover fully. I hope you and Rick are well.
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All good here, so far. 🙂
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🙂
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Thanks for sharing that, Clare. It’s truly horrifying, isn’t it? And in this case, it seems, lasting damage.
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It is awful. I don’t think many people realise what pneumonia is like and how dangerous it is. That is one of the reasons I reblogged this. I have been trying to avoid most of the Covid-19 news because it frightens me, but I felt this post was important. This young woman survived and needed to let others know what she had gone through.
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She’s survived, but not unscathed. I’m finding I’m a lot more anxious recently, and like you, avoiding much of the news.
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I have begun thinking that the longer this goes on the chance of us catching something increases, especially if some people become complacent. I apologise if this post has increased your anxiety but I felt that some of my readers might need a reminder of the danger we are all in.
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It didn’t as such. We all need to remain vigilant.
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Scary isn’t it? Thank goodness she had such a supportive doctor.
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It is very scary. I thought her doctor was wonderful despite having no support from the local hospital. Thank you, Anne. I hope you are keeping well.
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Very frightening indeed.
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Yes it is! I would like to think that everyone was aware of the dangers of this virus, but I don’t think that is so. I hope you are keeping well, Susan.
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So scary…thanks for sharing, Clare. Stay well. ❤
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It is! I’m sorry, but I thought I ought to share this as there are still people about who aren’t taking this pandemic seriously enough.
I hope you and Derek are well ❤
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This was rather grim!!! All well here at the moment. Love Heather
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Yes – extremely grim. I’m glad you’re fine; take care xx
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What a story! Especially horrifying as the symptoms are indeed all over the place. And even though people might survive this dreadful virus, there might be life-long repercussions. My grandmother, born in 1911, had rheumatic fever when she was young, and it damaged her heart. She adapted, of course, and lived a reasonable long life. But the damge was with her always.
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Thank you, Laurie. It is horrifying but I felt I had to reblog this post because there are some people around who are not taking this threat seriously enough.
You are right about the long-term damage; an author/blogger I follow got pneumonia during the Christmas break and her lungs received terrible damage which will take a very long time to repair. Stay safe and keep well, Laurie x
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Yes, yes! And same to you and yours.
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🙂
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Thanks Clare. I hope those that get it stay well. And that the rest of us stay safe and healthy. It is a nasty bug and one never knows who the unfortunate individuals are going to be to get the worst of this disease. Let’s hope the vaccine comes sooner than later.
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Thank you very much, John. Most countries are working hard trying to fine a vaccine or tablets that will give us immunity. I agree – the sooner it comes the better as long as it has had the proper trials and doesn’t cause us nasty side-effects! I hope you and your family are alright?
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So far we are good. Hope you are safe and healthy too !
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Thank you, John; yes, we are all fine.
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Scary stuff. I hope reading that scares someone smart. Some people here, especially young boys on bicycles, are not paying attention.
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Thank you, Allen. There are plenty of people who believe they are invincible and that all the warnings don’t apply to them. I am sure that some of the measures do seem unnecessary to many people but there are reasons behind them and we should just go with it for as long as we are asked to. Keep safe, my friend.
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I agree! From what I’ve seen of your house in your photos it looks like it would be easy to social distance there. I hope you and the family will stay well.
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Thank you, Allen.
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A sobering tale. I am keeping my fingers firmly crossed (and trying to be sensible.)
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Me too!
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Clare, this is awful. I’m so glad she made it! On her own, practically. But you mention pneumonia a couple of times in the comments, and it brought to mind a video I saw just today.. In fact, if you watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Dwcfye7_LQ&t=0s it’s quite interesting. Dr. Berg is a chiropractor who is always researching health and wellness issues. Here he includes a video from a doctor which is Very enlightening. Anyway, he also says in other videos that zinc is very important to take for the immune system. I hope you don’t mind that I put a link here. xo
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I can vouch that Dr Berg does make a lot of sense and he does do research into a lot. There are several doctors out there that do and share their thoughts on youtube and beyond. I’d definitely watch that video Clare thank you for sharing it Lisa, I didn’t know that ventilators could be the wrong course of treatment. 😮
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I am very happy that you put this link on here, Lisa and thank you. I have been interested in the news recently about hydroxychloroquin because until a few years ago I took this drug for my rheumatoid arthritis. I would be really pleased if I was still taking it now! How interesting that the doctor doesn’t think Covid-19 is pneumonia.
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Thank you for sharing this blog post Clare. It is a very scary thing to be so ill but I do hope that she makes a full recovery which may still happen as recovery from respiratory problems can take many weeks. I never shared this but the last time I was seriously ill with any virus was during the H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic. I am pretty sure that’s what I caught and having asthma at that time made breathing particularly hard, it caused a very bad reaction in my system and I couldn’t breathe properly or even make it up or down the stairs without stopping half way through for around 2 months. But after that I fully recoverd so I hope she can too.
Please don’t be afraid of the virus. I am taking it seriously but getting ourselves too much in a panic is really not good for the immune system. Most of us have a wonderful immune system that can naturally fight off the virus if we were unlucky enough to catch it. But fear really does shut down the immune respose and doesn’t help us in the long run anyway as there are so many other symptoms that can come about from extreme stress and fear.
We need to focus on the positives of what is happening rather than the negatives and by that I don’t mean that this virus is positive (good grief no), what I mean is that we can focus our attention on how few people actually have caught it (despite the scaremongering the figures are still low, this isn’t like the plague or anything) and how lovely it is to see animals entering the cities with less people driving around and how much cleaner the rivers and air is.
I’m not personally keen on a vaccine as I always have terrible responses to any vaccines that I’ve ever had. I got very ill from the vaccines from school and I haven’t taken any since (even though I’m in the ‘at-risk’) group. Instead I’ve been taking a lot of vitamin C, zinc and getting out into the sun when I can as this does help boost my immune system. That as well as having a nice hot bath when coming back and feeling like I might be germy. Somehow all of that plus then doing something very fun and making sure I eat properly and sleep properly has stopped me being severely ill since college (when i started doing these things to keep healhy) and apart from that swine flu (I think it was swine flu) I haven’t really suffered from a virus since. ❤ 🙂
Take care of yourself and do try to keep positive and stop worrying. This will get better and I wish you and your whole family good health and healing vibes if any of you are feeling unwell ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ 🙂
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I also had Swine Flu in 2009. We were going away for a long weekend and I began to feel unwell as I was packing and getting the house ready to leave on its own for a while. I thought I was just tired but no, by the time we got to the hotel I had a temperature and felt awful. My husband and daughter weren’t particularly sympathetic and moaned at me when I said I didn’t want to go out for a meal! I have no idea how many people I must have infected as we visited friends, went to the seaside where I had to go shopping for more paracetamol, more shopping in Taunton, a tour of a National Trust garden and then on the way home we called in at Stonehenge! When we got home both my husband and daughter came down with it so I had to rush about looking after them and was even able to get the prescribed course of tablets for them!
You are very kind, Cat! I am not too anxious for myself but as I also have to care for my elderly mother and if she caught it I would feel so guilty, that makes me more cautious. Both my husband and daughter suffer from anxiety and that is difficult to manage too. Take care, Cat ❤ ❤ ❤ 🙂 🙂
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e, please don’t worry about infecting others. The media have really done a brilliant job of making everyone fear being a super spreader when in reality most of us aren’t infected (again looking at statistics). It’s a form of influenza, a new one but we’ve managed to beat them before and most of us will be fine. I can understand you wanting to look after your mother and you are, just don’t feel bad for anything that happens as it will only lead to you feeling awful and nothing positive can happen if we just worry about the worst.
I can’t believe you managed to cope during your trip with Swine flu, I don’t think I could have made it to any attraction or do anything when I had that virus. Your family really weren’t sympathetic, which I’m sure they regret especially when they caught the virus 😮 oh dear. But you managed to get through it and so did they which is good. Again don’t think about how many people you infected (you have no idea whether you did infect anyone other than immdiate family) and that virus was loose everywhere so all of us were vulnerable to catching it
Whenever there’s a new virus the first year is the worst but the vast majority of people catching it do recover and those that don’t are the same people who may have had problems with regular influenza. The news never speaks of the millions of people who die of complications to do with flu each and every year, but there are millions and we don’t fear regular flu as much.
Anyway, I wish I could hug you and tel you to stop worrying. Sending you and you family positive vibes and hugs that you will all stay healthy this year ❤ ❤ 🙂
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I can see you being concerned for you mother, Clare. I am glad that she is with you and not in a care hone, where she would be considerably more at risk. Still, it is of course an added responsibility for you.
Somehow swine flu passed me by – I was going through the family courts at the time. It sounds dreadful, anyway!
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Thank you, Helen! Yes, I agree, Mum is much better off in her own home with limited visitors.
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😊
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Thank you very much, Cat. You are so sweet ❤ ❤
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oops, I think I should clarify what I meant about vaccines. I’m not against a vaccine, but I personally don’t respond well to them and wish they’d either test them more, list the ingredients and maybe create different versions with different ingredients for those of us who have bad responses to them. I think my whole family have strange biology when it comes to taking vaccines. My great aunt always gets a flu when she’s tried taking the yearly flu vaccine. Rather than avoiding it, the vaccination seems to cause it in her, lol. Luckily she is very healthy generally and has neve suffered too badly.
What I do worry about more than anything is the effect that fear and stress has on people. It’s not good to see so many people panicking, especially in the way they have been in the recent weeks over food and stuff. And the way some people respond now when you just smile at them at a distance is disheartening and very sad. I try smiling at people who used to smile back and even if they are well over 2 metres away, they just scowl or rush to avoid me. That state of mind people have put themselves in worries me more than getting the virus if you can believe it, because I don’t know if we’ll ever return to normal or if that behaviour will last for a long time even once this pandemic is over 😦
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What you say resonates with me. It is important to take care of ourselves: know that the virus can be dangerous and do social distancing, stay at home unless we need to leave for food and exercise. However, stress weakens the system so much… For that reason, I am limiting the amount of news I listen to. Enough to be aware of changes in the law and any other important updates, but it is still a beautiful world out there in many respects.
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The best thing to do for a virus is simply bolster our own immune system and yes, abosolutely do your best to remove all stress from your system. I’d be careful of the news programs as they aren’t presenting the facts in a realistic manor but in as scary a way as possible. I’m surprised with the way news programs have broadcast what’s happening as when you break down the statistics, it’s really still not as bad as they make out. Influenza still causes more problems yearly than this virus has.
Try focusing on doing things that make you smile and laugh, there’s power in laughter, it’s the opposite of stress and fear and I always try to focus on smiling and laughing if I feel germy (it seems to keep viruses at bay when I’m feeling that way as I wake up the next morning fine 😀 ). Taking zinc, vitamin C and just generally looking after yourself are also obvious ways to keep our immune systems up. Please try not to stress, and positive vibes to you and your family ❤ ❤ ❤ 🙂
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One of the best ways to boost the immune system, I think, has to do with the gut biome. So, whole foods (wholemeal bread, brown rice) and fermented food (raw cider vinegar, live yoghurt) along with lots of fruit and veg are good to eat as much as possible. They also of course provide more vitamins and minerals in general, so as far as I’m concerned it’s a win-win😊.
Re the media, I think that there is an element of whipping up hysteria. In the long term, I wish something could be done about this without curtailing freedom of speech but maybe that is asking too much!
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Thank you for the advice and yes that is a good way to boost the immune system, something we should all be doing now 🙂
I think the media IS really making this virus a bigger deal than it really is, at least with the wording they like to use. Sure it’s a scary time with so many people getting sick and some dying, but the number of regular flu deaths in any one year is still shockingly higher (in many millions) compared to the numbers of this virus right now, and we don’t know if the virus will cause problems in the future or die out in the summer, it’s all predictions which just make anyone with anxiety worse!
A strange thing I saw on the news was the background of one news centre, there was a full newsroom of reporters and no-one was social distancing. If we’re all supposed to stay at home and tv shows are presented from home, why isn’t the news? lol 😮
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Hello Kitty, I’m sorry if you thought I was giving you advise – that wasn’t my intention. I was simply telling you what I do as part of my normal life.
Anyway, regarding numbers of people affected by anything, we can never know for sure. Eg Have I ever had flu? I might have, once, when I was 24. I can’t ever remember having a temperature but maybe I have. Notwithstanding, people react differently, both mentally and physically. I suffer from generalised anxiety disorder but right now am feeling much better. That’s because my personal triggers are much reduced.
I am sure there will be a lot of people who suffer because of the lockdown – more heart attacks and depression for some. On the other hand, some will be taking their diet and exercise in hand – I’m certainly eating a lot more healthily since I’m not passing Gregg’s on a daily basis and can’t just pop in for a cheese and onion pasty 😉
Yesterday, I discovered woodland on the other side of my village that I’d trouble locating. No doubt I would eventually found it anyway but I’m ever so pleased. Wildlife instead of colliery is a definite plus, in my opinion.
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Yes, I understand what you mean about fear and stress. It has changed many of us already and I think that some of us will always be cautious now, especially those of us with chronic illness. I can also see that as soon as the lock-down is finished with some people will be out partying and all worries forgotten! We are all different fortunately, and all respond differently to pressure, fear, medication, etc. We will have to hope that the world becomes a better place than it was before the pandemic – but I’m not holding my breath about it! 😀
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Lol, I can see some people getting out there and partying yes 😀 ! I think as long as we do our best to keep stress at bay and do things to look after ourselves and our immune system then we’ll be fine ❤
I know the world can be a better place and even if it does go back to the old ways, I'm going to hold on to the hope that things will be better. 🙂 We never know what the future holds and who knows what will happen once quarantine is over and although there may be a lot of overly cautious and suspicious people out there, hopefully the seperation will mean that more people will want to have physical interaction again, something we've slowly been losing with screen time…maybe even putting away the social media for a bit – you never know 😉 :)<3
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It would be great if the world changed in a positive way…. it takes about three months to change habits, so the length of any lockdown might have a bearing on this. But then there is also inclination but understanding personal responsibility. For example, the reduction in car travel has helped wildlife and the air. But many people are still taking the car to the nearest shop and doing no daily exercise?
On the other hand, if there are sufficient numbers of people who do appreciate the positive changes and would prefer these to continue, there might be sufficient pressure on government to legislate. Or the more damaging option might simply not be there because of lack of demand.
There was an interesting programme of BBC Radio Four about this last night. It’s a series, so I’m looking forward to the one last night.
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I worry about the negative habits people may form during a three month lockdown. There are a lot of negatives that might be adopted by people too, including negative mental health problems that I sadly see are increasing 😦
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I hope that programme was interesting, I didn’t manage to catch it but could you tell me what it was about I might be able to look it up?
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I’m afraid I can’t remember what we were talking about, Kitty. Working from my phone, it’s difficult for me to locate prior comments. If you remind me which programme we were talking about I’ll see if I can find the details.
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Lol, don’t worry Helen, I’m afraid I took my time to respond and can’t quite remember what that was about either. Nevermind. I do agree with out on the gut biome being important and that in general we should be looking after ourselves and our health. It’s the best thing to do for both our immunity and out general mental wellbeing too as a healthy body usually equals a healthier mind too. Hope you and your family are well ❤ 🙂
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Thank you, Kitty. Yes, we are all well. I hope you and yours are, too, and remain so 🌷🌻
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Thank you, and yes we all are ❤ 🙂
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❤ ❤
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That would be something!! 😀
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Such a powerful and important reminder of why we are all doing what we are doing – thanks so much for sharing this Clare xxx
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The poor woman whose post you have reblogged, Clare! It is inexplicable why some people are so badly affected and yet others are asymptomatic. I hope the researchers can find the key to ending the pandemic and making it safe for people to resume a normal life again. At the same time, we have overcome so much else, I am confident there will be a solution.
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Thank you, Helen. I felt so sorry for her! She and her GP must have felt awful when they realised the hospital was leaving them to cope on their own.
I am sure there will be a solution. Many countries are working on it and I am sure they are quite close to being able to produce either a vaccine or other medication. I have been amused (ironically) to see that research into malarial drugs is being done, specifically quinine and hydroxychloroquine. Until a few years ago I was taking that medication every day for my rheumatoid arthritis but had to stop, as long term usage is harmful.
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It was certainly shocking that the young woman was left to fend for herself. The story also highlights the fact that without adequate testing it is difficult to manage the situation our societies are in.
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Very true.
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Very scary!
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Oooh, yes it is! I hope you and your wife are keeping well and in good spirits, Kevin 🙂
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We are, thank you. Likewise for you and yours, Clare. 🙂
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Yes, thank you, Kevin; we are all fine so far 🙂
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This really gives a human face to the statistics. Thanks for sharing it, Clare. Hope you and your family are well.
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Thank you very much, Jolandi; we are all fine so far. I hope you and Michael are well too.
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Glad to hear, Clare. We are too, and very grateful for that.
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🙂
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Scary 😖
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Yes!!! 😮
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Oh….it is very scary.
I am very glad that she has survived.
Dear Clare, I Hope you and your family are well.
Greetings from the beautiful Rhine-Highlands / Germany…
Rose
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Yes Rosie, it is very scary. We are all well so far as I hope you are, too. 🙂
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It’s as sobering account, particularly as government kept telling us that young people aren’t at risk.
I’m almost a hermit at the moment, and after reading that I’m not planning on becoming more sociable in the next few months.
Hope you are all staying well.:-)
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I agree – an extremely sobering account. The young woman’s next post is about the economic problems and her fears that we are heading for such a down-turn that we may not be able to come out of for many years. Also sobering. How we manage to play one fear against the other and survive both physically and economically is going to be very difficult. Her most recent post is a walk through a deserted Paris where she hears birds and sees beautiful avenues of flowering trees she has never noticed before. A very interesting young woman.
We are well, though anxious. I had the letter from the NHS on Friday telling me I am a high-risk patient and I mustn’t leave the house for 12 weeks. This has entailed a lot of re-organisation especially as I am my mother’s carer. It was her 90th birthday on Friday so I misbehaved and gave her a quick visit to wish her a ‘happy birthday’ 😮
Richard and my brother will be taking it in turns to do her shopping. I will take her orders and distribute duties. I am ‘the hub’. I have found a volunteer from Mum’s village who will collect her medication from the surgery and deliver it. My sister has said she’d be only too glad to tell her work she has to go on leave to look after her Mum if either Richard or Andrew fall ill. If you remember, my sister works for the ambulance service. Mum is coping well on her own and seems very well.
I hope you and your family are keeping well. Becoming a hermit sounds like a sensible decision. Take care, Simon.
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This is painful to read. And for her to be alone with this during this time must have been so frightening.
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It’s a very difficult read. How lonely she must have felt and what a wonderful doctor she has!
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👍
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