Existential Life Matters: My Lessons Learnt: Experience Of Being Inflicted with Coronavirus Symptoms

In this blog post, I wanted to share with you my lessons learnt following experiencing severe Coronavirus Symptoms. This is with the hopes that by raising further awareness, so that someone's else's is much easier than mine. Also, to share a story of hope and an optimistic outlook especially during this complex and challenging time. Thankfully, we starting to see and hear more stories about people who have been able to recover and overcome the battle of being afflicted with a viral infection.

Disclaimer: The information, I am sharing is based on my personal experience and for educational purposes only. Always consult your Health Professionals for medical guidance including Emergency Services (if required). Do not wait to seek medical help if you are very concerned about your health. Also always remember if choose to use any homely natural remedies to ensure you are well informed about the products before consuming them.

Background and Context:

In my previous blogpost I shared a detailed experience of what I went through as a result of experiencing severe coronavirus related symptoms. I was informed by an Emergency Services Doctor that my symptoms were similar to what 95% people had also reported to emergency services.

So far, my symptoms have consisted of the following:

Cold Symptoms, on and off chills and rising temperatures. Intolerance to cold temperatures and room temperature drinks (or anything that felt cold)

Chest pain (pressure and congestion)

Back pain (pressure, including difficulties with deep breathing)

Sore throat, dry mouth and throat

On and off headaches and lower abdomen pain

Breathlessness in the chest and upper throat

It has been an up and down roller coaster ride of challenging trials and tribulations. Including moments and day's when I felts as though I was on the road to recovery. To only be hit again with the viral infection symptoms. The most challenging times have been when during the night time and colder temperatures. This is when it appears that the viral infection is most active and aggressive.

I know understand what some people who have experienced the moderate and severe symptoms have been going through. This virus can challenge your mental and physical strength. Due to its complex and overwhelming nature.

Health wise, I am someone whose immune system is already compromised and I also have two underlying health conditions: a chronic illness known as Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue and Hypothyroidism. Initially, I was apprehensive about the potential impact of coronavirus including whether I could withstand its storms healthwise.

MY LESSON LEARNT: Knowing what I know now, this is what I would have done proactively in the beginning to potentially minimize my symptoms from progressing into something more serious:

1. Treat initial cold symptoms more aggressively like flu symptoms. Reason being is that is it easier to become susceptible to catching the flu, or the current viral infection when your immune defense mechanism is down. It did not take long for my cold symptoms to escalate into full blown pneumonia symptoms.

Initially, I assumed my cold symptoms and eventual chest infection would go away. What I didn’t expect was the additional impacts of other symptoms, such as the severity of the breathlessness. It felt as though I was dealing with, managing and treating 5-6 symptoms all at the same time.

2. Increased natural hot water drinks, with homely remedies such as lemon with fresh ginger, vinegar, black pepper, fresh turmeric to 3-4 cups or more to keep hydrated. Also, to help boost my immune system and to fight off the cold.

I usually buy the above ingredients as part of my monthly shopping list for my cooking and hot water drinking routine. Unfortunately, I had become inconsistent with my routine of drinking hot water with natural root based remedies on a regular basis, prior to being inflicted with a viral infection.

I found that drinking the above hot water remedy helped me to remain hydrated. It ease sore and dry throat symptoms.

As I was intolerant to room temperature and cold drinks the hot water remedy above helped.

3. Used Hot Water and Vicks Steaming Inhalation more regularly especially first thing in the morning and evening before temperature decreased and to minimise symptoms from escalating as a result of exposure to coldness. Other hot water inhalation mixer, I used was with hot water, vinegar, lemon, ginger, lemon. It helped to clear my nose, airways and chest pressure.

It would have been beneficial to implement a hot water steaming routine, during the initial stages of develop cold and flu symptoms. To help clear my nose, airways and lungs. Hot Steaming has become my new normal now. I have become familiar with the nature of the beast (coronavirus) and when it's likely to be trigger and potentially become aggressive. I counteract it by being proactive earlier with hot steaming to minimise escalation of symptoms to breathlessness.

My Malawian Grandma (on my maternal side) used this hot steaming remedy for us when we were younger, with root based ingredients to help us ease cold and flu symptoms. She also used to drink 8 glasses or warm water everyday, including eating root based ingredients raw, with plant based foods. She didn't eat much meat from what I recall. In her 80's she visited U.S. and was examined by a Dr. who informed her she was the healthiest person he had seen at her age. This is what has also motivated me to apply these natural measures so far, to help ease my symptoms.

This virus thrives, or becomes more active and aggressive during cold temperatures. During heightened states it becomes more aggressive by triggering off chest pain, tightness, back pain and restricts airways in the throat and lungs. It escalates very quickly before you even know what is happening.

There are some days when just regular hot steaming didn’t work. I found leaning over a boiling pan more alleviating and it seemed to provide more relief and cleared my airways. Obviously, health and safety is the highest and most essential thing to consider. I wouldn’t recommend this, but at the time I was desperate for to try anything that could ease my breathing. There are safe hot steaming products which you can purchase online via Amazon for instance.

4. Sleep sideways more, or on your stomach. As sleeping on your back restricts airways and makes it difficult to breath. I only realized this much later after I watched a video on Youtube from a Health Professional who recommended this. I have watched other videos from Health Professionals on Youtube and Co to help me learn more about natural treatments, prevention measures and how to treat pneumonia and breathlessness. Reason being is I can’t take paracetamol (react adversely to it), so I have had to be creative in how I manage and minimize my viral infection symptoms.

5. Other remedy I used:

Echinacea - a traditional herbal cold remedy which reduces the severity and duration of colds. I took drops of this helped ease sore throat and clear the airways a little bit.

What I have learnt from this viral infection is that you will end up experimenting with different treatments (including professional health input) to find out what works best. What your body is responsive to or not. As I highlighted earlier, it feels as though you are treating numerous symptoms. Also for the fact that there is no known vaccine or cure to date.

5. Keep Warm to protect your chest: Wearing layers of clothes, blankets, a cloth or scarf to protect your chest all the times helps to minimise aggravation of symptoms. Minimal exposure of the chest to the cold, even if you feel hot can exacerbate chest pain, pressure and breathlessness issues. I folded a mini blanket and placed it underneath my top to protect myself and to keep my chest warm at all times. Use vicks and any other homely remedies for your chest.

Early evenings appear to the worst and when the viral attacks are aggressive. Morning time, I would usually wake up with moderate and manageable symptoms. In the afternoon, if the temperature outside was warmer, my symptoms would ease until early evening.

This is where regular hot water steaming throughout the day (with natural remedies) helps to have at least a good night’s sleeps. During my trials and tribulations, I also came across hot water steaming products on Amazon. Unfortunately, at the time when I was searching for products they were sold out, or held on a waiting list for several weeks.

OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK BEYOND FEAR AND DOUBT: Beyond thinking of the worst that could happen.

1. You get used to a daily routine, when you start to understand the beast and its patterns. I started to get used to daily routine of how I could minimize the potential adverse attacks of this beast. I wanted to fight and to not be vulnerable or feel defenseless to it. Since I didn’t know how much or how far it could push me. I didn’t know physically what I could be withstand, as feeling breathless and attacked can leave you feeling helpless.

For instance, I used to get early initial warning signs of the chest starting to tighten up or a sharp shooting pain, this is when you don’t want to wait until symptoms become aggressive to breathlessness. Use hot steaming regularly until symptoms clear. Until you feel like your body is starting to relax. Implementing this method, alleviated my symptoms.

Medical Guidance and Advice: You also want to ensure at each stage that you are in regular contact with Medical Professionals and do not leave anything to last minute. Also do keep in mind that Hot Steaming Remedies may not work for everyone, it's best to find out from your medical health care professional if it is okay to apply this method; especially if you have a complex medical health condition.

2. Somedays you feel like you have recovered which may not be accurate. Continue with homely remedies, which you feel are helping to include any medical guidance you have received from your Health Practitioner. For some people with minor symptoms it takes between 7-10 days to start feeling better. Unfortunately, as I was inflicted with pneumonia it is taking much longer for my symptoms to clear. Fortunately, I have not been coughing repetitively or had consistent high temperatures.

4. Avoid stress, listen to motivational and inspirational information to help you to remain calm. As this virus does test your mental and physical ability. In the moment of experiencing the attacks you feel powerless.

5. Mentally when you have the ability Healthwise to manage independently, you start to realize that the attacks will soon pass, and you have the willpower to fight every day. Do not get me wrong, in the moments you still feel like it's never going to end, but it does, and you come through it. Do not let is escalate to the point where you feel very powerless, do everything you can minimize it was escalating. This includes contacting your Health Professional services if you are concerned for further guidance.

6. Regular daily deep breathing exercises helps lung function. I medicate, do Yoga on alternative days. I also do deep breathing through the hot steam routines just to ensure that body feel relaxed.

7. Exercise regularly, helps with lungs and improve in breathing. I found exercise helped to also keep me mentally positive and to see as though I could fight though the toughest challenges.

8. Drink and eat healthy food and drinks especially warmer or hot foods/drinks during the time you are feeling unwell.

I am continuing to fight through with remaining symptoms, I still have good and bad days. I am in my 4^th week and part of me felt as though I had fully recovered. Unfortunately, that has not been the case as soon as the temperatures decreased, I was back again to having a sore throat, chest pain, pressure and milder symptoms of breathlessness. I am holding to an optimistic outlook that the worse it potentially over and will continue to fight through until I am fully well again.

Tomorrow is not promised. I can only focus on doing the ultimate best of what I can do today. I hope you are too and continuing to remain safe.

The best advice that an Emergency Doctor gave me was to have faith, hope and belief that I would be well again and not to think the worst. To believe that I was going to be well and that I would recover. I would like to leave you with the same message.

To end, please note that what I shared is only for information and educational purposes only based on my own personal experience. There are no cures at the moment, the homely remedies, I used were intended to help alleviate my symptoms. Always ensure you are well informed about any homely remedies prior to taking them and with consultation and guidance from Health Professionals.

Thank you to all the Health Professional

and Frontline Key Workers, without you. Including Health Professionals who have been involved my direct Health Care and Well Being.

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