COVID DIARY DAY ONE

The following is from an email we received. We are convinced the individual has been in the hospital and has tested positive and we have agreed to publish his diary unedited:

Rumpole thank you for publishing my diary. You have a lot of information to covey. I hope this can help.  I am a lawyer. Approximately 50 years of age. I have a long term GF but I live alone. I am being a bit vague because I do not want my identity released. 
Health: Mostly good. Should lose ten pounds. Have a Peloton I've been using. Borderline hypertensive and taking one med (diuretic) which seems to work. Biggest issue is I have a hiatal hernia which means I have severe acid reflux when I sleep. I am in danger of asperating small particles into my lungs and I had surgery scheduled which has been canceled because of my diagnosis. 

Onset: I returned from overseas last Friday because of the border closing. I was feeling achy sick the day before and I wore a mask and purchased the seat next to mine to keep people away (no attacks- it was a two seat row in first class). I brought my own food and drink on the plane so I would not interact with the flight crew. Two doses of Tylenol on the plane and I slept. I had no fever when I landed and I went straight home. The next day I awoke with a fever and a dry cough. I went to the ER. I tested negative for the flu but the chest x-ray showed signs of  pneumonia so I was tested. I am positive as of the day I am writing this. It is not a surprise. I feel sick in a way I have never felt before. 

Saturday night. I was discharged from the hospital after getting an antiviral treatment for pneumonia. Before I left the doctor told me that the pneumonia was "slight" or "atypical" and commonly called "walking pneumonia". We reviewed self isolation and I went home. The test results will take a few days but we are assuming I am positive. I called a family member who went shopping for me on Sunday and left the bags outside my door. 

Sunday. My fever returns with a vengeance reaching over 102 and I am debating going back to the ER. I am coughing but I do not feel short of breath. Getting up requires effort as does simple tasks like making a cup of coffee. I take Advil which does a good job of taking the fever down to 99. I drink some soup- clear broth- and have a few glasses of OJ and a piece of pound cake later in the day but I have no appetite. My fear is my acid reflux. 

I go to sleep and wake up choking. I am having an acid reflux attack and I spent the next hour vomiting and coughing uncontrollably. By four AM the burning in my chest and throat has stopped but I am lying on my bathroom floor unable to summon the strength to get back to bed. Eventually I stagger into my bed a total mess. One of my cats- Targa- is worried and she circles me trying to rub against me. She's always been the sympathetic one. Bonsai, her brother, eyes me suspiciously, as if I am doing all of this to catch him and clip his nails which he hates. Eventually he comes over as I am lying in bed and gives me a sniff before taking up his spot at the foot of my bed.

I sleep most of Monday and feel 100% better. My fever must have broken while I slept  because I am soaking wet and shaking uncontrollably. A warm shower helps although I am afraid of falling as I am weak. I am able to hold down food and I drink most of my gallon of OJ. I am also taking Zinc and Vitamin C, but who knows what helps? 

Monday night I have an appetite and make a grilled cheese but even doing that exhausts me. I ache all over and the cough hurts. They gave me a narcotic cough suppressant which I take and knocks me out. 

If this is as bad as it gets then I can handle this. I never have a problem breathing. My GF actually brought me a portable O2 sensor which I use on my finger and my O2 saturation never drops below 97% even when I am coughing. The real change is that I have no energy reserves. I get tired quickly and hit a wall and literally have to find a place to sit down or I feel I will collapse. Doing laundry is a chore- pun intended. I can't bring myself to look at my office emails. I text my assistant to read them and call me and we answer the most pressing ones. She reads- I respond and she types and sends them out. But I can only concentrate for 30 minutes at a time. 

I've been writing this for about a half hour and I am tired so I am signing off. 
Thanks for allowing people to see what this is all about Rumpole. And you can call me "Covid-Carl". Carl or CC for short.