Donna
SPRINGFIELD, VIRGINIA — August 14, 2020: When we were at a restaurant the first week of March, a friend who works at a private firm, said, “In a couple of weeks we're going to be shutting everything down. I'm telling you, cities are going to shut down. They're trying to develop the vaccine right now. Store up on everything. Get Lysol and things you might need.”
We were all thinking, “What are you talking about?” But, we had a bit of insight so after that, I was cautious.
I never thought I’d get COVID-19 because I was the one telling everybody to do this and do that and be cautious. Then in the middle of March, I got sick. I just thought there's no way. I wasn't even sure if it was COVID-19 because it wasn't talked about that much at the time. It was scary as hell.
March 25th I started not feeling right, something felt off. When I woke up the next day, my head was pounding and my back hurt. I have a high pain tolerance and I'm pretty tough. But, this thing knocked me down that weekend for about 3 days. My temperature was around 103, 104, and sweating. My lungs, coughing, and breathing were getting worse. It was scary! I couldn't get out of bed. I couldn't breathe. I crawled from my bed to the shower to take a hot shower because I was freezing. Afterwards, I couldn’t catch my breath. That's when we called the doctor.
Ambulances and firetrucks arrived that night around 09:30PM. I sat downstairs in the pouring rain. The medics stood far away shouting, “Mam stay there. We’ll come to you!” I thought, “This is crazy.” It felt like I had the plague or something. I watched them suit up. Then, I crawled my way up the steps into the ambulance. On my hands and knees That evening I tested positive for COVID-19.
That night in the hospital sitting there, I feared I was going to die. “Am I ever going to get home again? Am I ever going to see my friends and family again? It's very lonely!”
The next day they gave me hydroxychloroquine and said that it was protocol. At that point I felt so bad I would take anything. My oxygen levels always remained stable and never dipped to where I needed a ventilator. I stayed in the hospital for about five days the first time.
For two months, I went back and forth to the ER four times, getting COVID-19 tests and blood work, CT scans, EKG, etc. They found out that I had blood clots, a pulmonary embolism and tachycardia. My heart rate would jump to 170, 180 out of the blue. It was a roller coaster. One day I felt good, the next day I would crash suddenly. It was like a big wave slamming in my face and knocking me back down. I just couldn’t get my health back!
This doesn't compare to anything catastrophic that I've experienced in my life. This was the worst thing I’ve been through. I never had my life threatened like that. I never thought it would be me.
I didn't see the light at the end of the tunnel in the beginning. One night, I hit a turning point. I didn't know if I'd make it or not. I was so scared. I've always been competitive. I told myself, “I need to take this by the horns, set my mind straight, and be mentally tough. I just gotta turn the corner, be positive, take it and roll with it.” I had to make a pivot. I took a 180, because if I didn’t turn and flip it there, I could have been buried in all the negativity and the sickness. That's what I've been doing ever since. Staying positive and having a lot of positive people around me made a difference for me.
I wouldn't have made it through without JoAnn, my partner. She was by my side every minute with me on this journey. She spoke with the doctors daily because I was not could not. She did everything. She ended up getting COVID-19 but not too severe. I’ve read stories of people leaving their spouse because they got COVID-19, I don't understand that because It only made us stronger. For me, that's what’s supposed to happen with partners, relationships, and marriages. We battled together!
Once you go through an experience like that I think it puts life into perspective for you. I've always been a big advocate of “you only have one life” but until you brush that surface of maybe dying and being that scared you start to really believe it. My outlook on the future has changed. I'm going to start enjoying the simple things again in life.
I visualized the day that I was going to feel better. I'm a big boater and I wanted to be on the water. I've always been on the water and I thought am I ever going to be able to get on my boat again? Am I going to be strong enough to do that? For me, that was my goal, to feel healthy enough to do that. I had to be mentally tough.
A week ago was the first time that I got back on the boat and on the water. To have the wind on my back and the sun on my face was the greatest feeling. My soul was finally fulfilled.
PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS: Hypothyroidism
SYMPTOMS: severe headaches, cough, loss of smell and taste, ringing in ears, pain in back, joint ache especially knees, chest pain, vision issues, fatigue, fevers, chills, night sweats, rash, insomnia, pulmonary embolism, blood clots, tachycardia, hair loss, breathing issues, bilateral pneumonia, high blood pressure
TREATMENT: hospitalized 4x, IV fluids, hydroxychloroquine, Z pack, oxygen, beta blockers, blood thinners, 2 different types of inhale (qvar and albuterol), high blood pressure meds