Item
41 days
Title (Dublin Core)
41 days
Description (Dublin Core)
A personal account of the pandemic.
Date (Dublin Core)
Creator (Dublin Core)
Type (Dublin Core)
text story
Controlled Vocabulary (Dublin Core)
Curator's Tags (Omeka Classic)
Curatorial Notes (Dublin Core)
Date Submitted (Dublin Core)
05/1/2020
Date Modified (Dublin Core)
11/21/2020
2/25/21
11/16/2021
Date Created (Dublin Core)
4/29/2020
Text (Omeka Classic)
It was 41 days from when I first called my primary care doctor’s office with symptoms until I received my test results that I was currently negative for COVID-19.
It started like a flu-like illness. I came down with a sudden fatigue, chills, night sweats. That shifted to a cough and a severe shortness of breath I can only describe as a corset being squeezed around my ribs. I would lie down and it felt like my five year-old was sitting on my chest, pressing into me preventing my lungs from fully expanding. I would try and walk up stairs, but we be so winded and light-headed I would have to stop and almost crawl up the last few. I called my primary doctor on Monday, March 16th. The woman I spoke to took my information and apologized saying a nurse would call me back, but she couldn’t say when. I didn’t hear back. I tried my asthma albuterol inhaler and it didn’t help. Tuesday, I called my pulmonary specialist and was able to fully describe the issues I was having, the worst being shortness of breath and back pain that would not improve with the use of my inhaler. I was told I had to stay home, they couldn’t test me for COVID and I couldn't be seen in the office. I shouldn’t go to the ER unless I had a high fever or couldn’t breathe. It felt like a dry pneumonia filling my lungs preventing me from filling them with air. There was no mucus, only a dry cough and a sore throat. I lost my appetite, I lost over 10 pounds.
Over the next few weeks I would slowly get better. I would call the COVID hotlines, I would check for updates on testing wondering what it would mean to be finally told a possible diagnosis. While on a follow up call with the nurse I explained my illness and that I continued to have issues with a cough, shortness of breath and pressure on my back pressing on my lungs, even weeks later. I was told possibly COVID, but I was not tested.
On Thursday April 23, I saw a post in a local online group that my city finally had a testing site set up. We were encouraged to call a number and see if we were eligible. I called the number and was a bit surprised to hear I was confirmed for an appointment to get a COVID-19 test later that day. I got the test, a double nose swab and was told I would be called in 24 to 48 hours later. I waited. On Sunday, April 26th at about 8:30pm I received the call. I was negative. 41 days after I first called to report my symptoms.
It started like a flu-like illness. I came down with a sudden fatigue, chills, night sweats. That shifted to a cough and a severe shortness of breath I can only describe as a corset being squeezed around my ribs. I would lie down and it felt like my five year-old was sitting on my chest, pressing into me preventing my lungs from fully expanding. I would try and walk up stairs, but we be so winded and light-headed I would have to stop and almost crawl up the last few. I called my primary doctor on Monday, March 16th. The woman I spoke to took my information and apologized saying a nurse would call me back, but she couldn’t say when. I didn’t hear back. I tried my asthma albuterol inhaler and it didn’t help. Tuesday, I called my pulmonary specialist and was able to fully describe the issues I was having, the worst being shortness of breath and back pain that would not improve with the use of my inhaler. I was told I had to stay home, they couldn’t test me for COVID and I couldn't be seen in the office. I shouldn’t go to the ER unless I had a high fever or couldn’t breathe. It felt like a dry pneumonia filling my lungs preventing me from filling them with air. There was no mucus, only a dry cough and a sore throat. I lost my appetite, I lost over 10 pounds.
Over the next few weeks I would slowly get better. I would call the COVID hotlines, I would check for updates on testing wondering what it would mean to be finally told a possible diagnosis. While on a follow up call with the nurse I explained my illness and that I continued to have issues with a cough, shortness of breath and pressure on my back pressing on my lungs, even weeks later. I was told possibly COVID, but I was not tested.
On Thursday April 23, I saw a post in a local online group that my city finally had a testing site set up. We were encouraged to call a number and see if we were eligible. I called the number and was a bit surprised to hear I was confirmed for an appointment to get a COVID-19 test later that day. I got the test, a double nose swab and was told I would be called in 24 to 48 hours later. I waited. On Sunday, April 26th at about 8:30pm I received the call. I was negative. 41 days after I first called to report my symptoms.
Accrual Method (Dublin Core)
2842