Aggies that have contracted COVID

3,703 Views | 31 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by ToddyHill
armyboxer
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Maybe this is already on the site but a good buddy of mine suggested that I start a forum regarding my experience with getting Covid. I know there are many articles and research from many different experts posting information about COVID. Please read those articles and stay informed. I am not a Dr. but thought if I can help one person become more informed/cautious and not catch this scary virus then great.

I caught a very severe sore throat April 15 and thought no big deal. Just thought it was a cold because I had been in quarantine like most people. The sore throat got worse and my breathing was starting to get sketchy. Shortness of breath had me concerned big time. I was very fortunate that I had another great Ag to lean on regarding all the research and findings throughout this process. My ex-wife. She recommended I go get a Covid test and also have the Hospital run normal test.

I went into Tx Health in Dallas 4 days later. They did a blood test, EKG, and chest x-ray that all came back normal at that time. They sent me home and my COVID test came back positive. I was very fortunate to have already purchased a new Thermometer (mine was an ear thermometer 15 years old) and a pulse oximeter. The pulse oximeter is one of the most important devices you will need with Covid. Every Family should get one. it measures Blood Oxygen Levels and Pulse. They say that Blood Oxygen Levels below 90 are in the danger zone.

I tried to fight off this virus at home like so many have done and are doing. However, 4 days later my breathing was dramatically worse, and my blood Oxygen Levels were dipping. I was getting a bit nervous. Once again, I leaned on my Covid side kick that recommended I go back to the Hospital and have them run the tests again.

My blood pressure was 194 over 145 when I checked in and my normal blood pressure is 125 over 80. They ran all tests again and this time I asked them to run a CT Scan. The CT Scan came back and showed that I had pneumonia in both lungs. The chest X-ray did not pick it up. The blood work results this time were quite different. My white blood count was way too low (can't fight off infection), my liver enzymes were dramatically elevated (one good thing about Covid is no more drinking - ha), hemoglobin counts were above normal, and the D-dimer blood test showed my blood clotting KPI's were severely abnormal on the negative side. Meaning I was a candidate for a major blood clot that could cause a stroke, etc. I had no idea Covid contributed to all of this.

They checked me into the Hospital to observe and make sure nothing serious was going to happen. They put me on blood thinners, oxygen (as precaution - 2 Liters per minute), pulse oximeter machine, IV (for hydration and vitamins), and heart monitor. The first two days were the scariest for myself and my family. You have NO control over what this virus does to your body regardless how heathy you may think you are. I also had GI systems with a distended stomach the entire time I was in the Hospital (8 days). I found out that about half of the Covid cases involve GI issues. They ran another Covid test 4 days prior to my exit and it was still positive (day 14 after first symptom).

I checked out of the Hospital May 2 (now day 18 since my first symptom) with countless amounts of different drugs (vitamins, blood thinners for next 12 days, cough suppressant pills, etc.) and have been home since. Have not left my house at all since for anything. I have been very fortunate that many friends and family have been able to go to grocery and pharmacy for me. Thank you all.

I am now on day 37. During this entire process I had an issue with Gout in my foot. I thought initially it might be a blood clot, but the Dr. at Texas Health informed me that it was Gout. He did not feel it was related to my Covid. Gout is a function of Purines (mostly red meat, protein, etc.) in your diet and I am thinking that I went crazy with eating some great food when I got out of the hospital and most likely overdid my protein consumption. Ha. What is interesting is that he put me on prednisone (steroid) for the Gout. The entire time I was on that drug my cough was nonexistent. The day I stopped taking those pills my cough came back, so my Physician prescribed an inhaler that is steroid based. Cough mostly gone.

I plan to go in tomorrow to run another Covid test to make sure it comes back negative. My physician recommends having at least two tests to confirm. Apparently many who have contracted Covid think they contracted it twice but never got a negative Covid test prior to their second Covid test that came back positive.

I did read about Hydroxychloroquine (old Malaria drug) and actually got the drug prescribed with the plan to use it early on in my process. However, two days later I read many articles from various experts globally who all claimed it did nothing to help with the symptoms. I am not a fan of most if not all drugs so chose not to take it. Not sure if it makes a difference or not. I am taking zinc lozenges that seem to make a bit of a difference.

This virus for me was nothing like the normal flu. No runny nose, no drainage, no mucose, etc. I did run a fever (high about 102) which is not normal for me. I typically do not get a fever even with the flu. It was a blood, respiratory, and heart related virus. Scary.

Many asked where I think I contracted it. Who knows? I did not get out much, but I did go to grocery, basic errands, etc. However, I was not very diligent about wearing a mask, washing my hands, or touching my face. It would be very easy to touch a grocery cart that someone with Covid had touched and then touched my face without washing my hands first. I strongly encourage everyone to be diligent about washing your hand and not touching your face/mouth. You do not want to catch this virus.

Thanks for listening. Feel free to reach out if you have any additional questions.

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Harkrider 93
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Any heat flashes, loss of taste or smell?

Curious if you were a little off with other things besides sore throat.

Thanks for sharing!
Florida Man
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Thanks for the post and welcome to TexAgs. If you don't mind sharing what year did you graduate (or how old are you?). Was the low oxygen reading what finally got you to go to the hospital or some other symptom? How low did your oxygen reading get?
Duncan Idaho
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Aside from the cough, how are you feeling now?

pbrancazio
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Thank you for posting and glad to hear that your recovery is progressing. I wish you well.
armyboxer
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How cool is this. Forgot to post but getting the Legendary Jackie Sherrill to send a shout out is Awesome. What a great guy. Gig Em.
armyboxer
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eric76
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armyboxer said:

I was very fortunate to have already purchased a new Thermometer (mine was an ear thermometer 15 years old) and a pulse oximeter. The pulse oximeter is one of the most important devices you will need with Covid. Every Family should get one. it measures Blood Oxygen Levels and Pulse. They say that Blood Oxygen Levels below 90 are in the danger zone.
I ordered one the morning I was diagnosed with overnight delivery. They said that they had them on hand, but after I placed the order, they said they were out. It finally got here yesterday after I was already out of isolation.

I'm glad that I didn't need it.
00AGof3
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How old are you? Hope you're feeling better!
Florida Man
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Helping out with pics.



Florida Man
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armyboxer
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53
armyboxer
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No heat flashes, no loss of smell or appetite per say. I was not that hungry for 7-10 days due to the conditions but never lost my appetite.
FlyRod
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Thanks for posting this very detailed and personal account. Folks need to know it's not just the "elderly" who get this.

Best wishes and thoughts for a speedy and FULL recovery.
armyboxer
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Feeling much better now.
armyboxer
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Very fortunate that my oxygen levels never dipped below 90 very often.
BadMoonRisin
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Hope you feel better. Thanks for sharing.

Also, for those of you that have a samsung galaxy phone with a pulse oximiter on it under the Samsung Health app, I read a paper that it is accurate within +/- 4%...so if you get alarmed by a reading of 88-92ish, wait a bit and take it again.

For that reason i would recommend that you get an actual pulse oximiter for personal use if you are worried about it.
Dolphin Roper
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Glad you are on the path to recovery! I actually had a somewhat similar experience to you. I will share my post from a few weeks ago:

"My husband and I both have been dealing with COVID-19, and it has been very tough.

I became sick first and unfortunately ended up with a pretty severe case, especially considering age (Class of '00) - had pretty much all of the symptoms (fever for two weeks getting over 103 at times, body aches, fatigue, insomnia, loss of taste, loss of appetite, stomach issues, dry mouth, chest pain, cough, shortness of breath, etc). I was sent to the ER around 10 days into the illness as my symptoms were continuing to get worse and I had gotten back positive COVID test results. I was diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs in the ER and, due to the severity, was admitted to the hospital for several days. My oxygen levels stayed high enough that I didn't have to go into ICU. Pneumonia is expected to take 4-6 weeks to fully recover from, and I am regularly doing breathing exercises and checking oxygen levels at home until I get another chest x-ray. I finally received two negative COVID tests last week after 3+ weeks of testing positive.

My husband (Class of '99) had a much milder case with body aches and headache, stomach issues, and low grade fever. He had symptoms for about 10 days and the symptoms basically disappeared overnight one night. "

We have two young kids who never had any symptoms and received negative antibody tests a couple weeks ago.

Like you, I was on a ton of medications - several strong antibiotics after the pneumonia diagnosis, as well as hydroxychloroquine, zinc, etc, and blood thinners a few times while hospitalized. My chest x-ray also didn't show much at the ER, but the CT scan clearly showed pneumonia. Very scary few weeks!
Jock 07
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Wait you were told you can't drink anymore? Is that permanent? That's one of the scariest things I've heard yet.
agsalaska
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I am waiting on results right now. I have a sore throat which started with extremely painful lymph nodes in my neck. Never felt anything like it and they are still very sore. I have had bad body aches and some mild stomach issues. No fever but I never run a fever.

I have no idea if I have it or not. Doctor said that whatever it is it is almost certainly viral and this thing comes in all shapes and sizes.
The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you never know if they are genuine. -- Abraham Lincoln.
Harkrider 93
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would you mind sharing some of the first symptoms or things that may have happened that were off at the very early stages?
Windy City Ag
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Quote:

Wait you were told you can't drink anymore? Is that permanent? That's one of the scariest things I've heard yet.

NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I read about the Gout (which is totally new to me) and it is pretty common for Docs to swear people off the booze to deal with Gout . . has to do with Uric Acid levels or some such thing.
armyboxer
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No. The Dr. did not tell me not to drink any longer. My liver enzymes were affected by this and were high so choosing not to drink.
armyboxer
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Sure. Severe sore throat and shortness of breath were my early symptoms. Simply taking a walk was difficult. Then slight fever set in and my chest was a bit uncomfortable. All together promoted me to go in.
agsalaska
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armyboxer said:

Sure. Severe sore throat and shortness of breath were my early symptoms. Simply taking a walk was difficult. Then slight fever set in and my chest was a bit uncomfortable. All together promoted me to go in.
Thanks for that.

I havent had much in the way of shortness of breath, but the sore throat is off the charts. I have never felt anything like it.

I hope to get my results today. I am leaning towards not having it. But who knows.
The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you never know if they are genuine. -- Abraham Lincoln.
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Windy City Ag
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Quote:

My liver enzymes were affected by this and were high so choosing not to drink.
Smart choice . . .
agsalaska
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JJMt said:

Hoping you don't have it also. It's a weird time when one hopes that a severe sore throat is "only" strep.
To be honest I cannot decide if I want it to be positive or negative. If it's positive this is certainly manageable. I am one of those that believe in the end most of us will have to get it. I would rather get it now than later. And I have never had strep so I would be pretty surprised if thats it.

The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you never know if they are genuine. -- Abraham Lincoln.
armyboxer
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Understand your situation but you really do not want to get this. I would get tested if you remotely believe you might have it. Getting ahead of the game is the key to managing everything. Just my 2 cents.
agsalaska
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armyboxer said:

Understand your situation but you really do not want to get this. I would get tested if you remotely believe you might have it. Getting ahead of the game is the key to managing everything. Just my 2 cents.
Oh I have been tested. I should have the results tomorrow. My dad had it in March and it kicked his ass.

I have had two friends in Temple who had it and both were very mild. One guy told me that he would not have even missed work from the actual sickness but of course had to for 14 days.

That's what is so crazy about it. For some people it is very difficult. For some it is not. For a few it kills. Crazy.

The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you never know if they are genuine. -- Abraham Lincoln.
FlyRod
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OP thank you again for your detailed description of what you went through. Your comments seem very much in line with what I've been reading about the inflammation component of this virus. We're learning so rapidly about the multiple pathways this thing atracks people, it gives me hope for at least some treatment possibilities in the short term.
ToddyHill
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Army,

Glad you're feeling better. I too tested positive for Covid 19. I work in an Essential business so we never closed. I was infected by a co-worker. There are ten of us who were affected.

You make a great point about the Pulse Oximeter. I'd never heard of this device until I read about it on the Covid forum. They are essential!

I did not need hospitalization, but this virus kicked me to the curb. I was released a week ago and am slowly working on building my stamina. Yesterday I had a couple of episodes where I was so light headed I had to stop and rest.

Good luck on your recovery.
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