This post puts together our experiences and findings in hopes it helps others if/when this bug comes knocking.
"The best defense is a good offense"
We’ve always thought ahead with a lot, so not to be blindsided when something occurs. In this case, COVID… In the Summer 2021, a handful of people in our circle got the bug (who cares about variant). We gathered data on their treatment protocols, how the recovered and the speed in which they recovered. It was more trusted than what we read about in the news as we saw the results and our peers recover issue free. With few exceptions, they rode the same treatment trains – some just started way late in the game.
Instead of waiting till we “got sick”, we began taking a all the needed vitamins and minerals a good 4-6 weeks before we got the knock on the door from COVID. We feel this made a huge difference.
Timeline
My wife had been complaining about really bad sinus pain and congestion. Our allergies are bad, especially this time of the year in Central Texas. Ragweed is high and it’s dry and dusty. So, we thought sinus infection. That Saturday she woke up to find out she could not taste or smell her coffee.
We knew. I woke up that morning feeling lousy myself. Later that day I tested positive (Day1).
Day 1 – Tired/achy/Congested. Developed chills before going to sleep. Didn’t sleep all night. Chills, a severe headache and intense body aches made for one of the most uncomfortable nights ever.
Day 2 – Highly congested, on/off mild fever. Heavy, deep phlegmy cough. Lost taste/smell
Day 3 – Very congested, heavy coughing, peak fever of 100.5
Day 4 – Mild congestion, mild cough, tapered to almost no cough later in day. Moderate fatigue. No fever.
Day 5 – Moderate fatigue, some body aches, no fever, occasional wet cough, little to no congestion
Day 6 – Cough
Day 7 – 75% better or so. Some fatigue/cough
Day 8 – Increased fatigue but feeling better overall, occasional cough
Day 9 – Pretty much feeling normal, occasional cough & minor fatigue. Had lungs checked for Pneumonia (valid concern). Dr. prescribed an anti-biotic to fend off any bacterial pneumonia due to the presence of a cough and a steroid to keep lungs open.
Over a week into this, I feel pretty much normal with exception of some fatigue, an occasional, semi-wet cough and an upper body that feels like it was beaten by a gang armed with baseball bats. My wife’s symptoms were different then mine… the only one we had in common was the wet cough. The notorious fevers never happened. Mine were mild and sporadic and ended day 3. It was very hard to sleep during this time. The cough made it difficult, if not the sheer soreness of my body, but get as much rest as you can. The loss of taste and smell was demoralizing. I probably lost 5+ pounds during this solely because nothing was appetizing. Everything tasted like lumps of salt and bitter. I had to force myself to eat, even small amounts. And it goes without saying – get lots of fluids in you. Check your O2 saturation (see below) a few times a day. Mine stayed in the 97-98 range which was good. Anything 92 or under – go to the ER. The cough was what I was not counting on to keep its intensity. It’s your body’s way of getting the sickness and all out, but it was relentless at times. Just when you thought it was gone… it said hello again.
Stuff to have on hand
- O2 Pulse Oximeter
- Monitor your O2 saturation and pulse. Anything roughly under 92 – go to the ER.
- Multiple thermometers
- Nebulizer (Nice to have)
- We used this a few times a day. Mixed silver solution in with saline solution.
- At home rapid tests (if you can find them now)
- Mucinex/Robatussin
- Advil or Tylenol (Tylenol did nothing for us, however)
- dayquil/NyQuil
- Cough Drops
- Ginger
- Slice up ginger and boil in a pot. Strain liquid into mug. This helps ease the cough/sore throat.
Vitamins/Supplements* we took.
*note, some of this may be hard to find online or in stores these days.
- Pure Encapsulations – Pure Defense w/ NAC – 4/Day
- Pure Encapsulations – Multivitamin 950 w/ NAC 4/Day
- C 4x1000mg multiple times a day
- Zinc 50mg 2x/day
- D3 4-5x (5000 IU)
- NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine) – 2x day (take one extra if you take Tylenol)
- Quercetin 500mg or 800mg 2-4x/day
- B12
- L-Lysine – 1x/day
I may add to this post in the coming days and weeks as more may come to mind. I hope this helps someone in some way. Just know, this virus effects everyone differently. It's not a one-size-fits-all guide, but there are common themes found in many other recovery experiences.