I promised a thread of my family’s experience of coronavirus (GP confirmed). For context, I’ve had pneumonia & PVF previously, and my immune response is not the best (endocrine issue). I’m in a network of eight people who’ve had it. 1/

Before I start, please be aware that not everyone will get the same type/range of symptoms - it depends on how your immune system functions, and also how well you look after yourself during the virus. 2/

Of five in my extended household there’s been a real rage: one ‘felt his immune system working’ ; one had a fever (38.0) & cough but was clear in 3 days (11 yo); whilst my nuclear lot = 3 weeks of symptoms (2 are ongoing). It varies. 3/

Okay, those caveats accepted, here’s my/our experience:

Contracted 5th March. Three of us together got sick in next few days. Can trace it back to Italy (February).

First symptoms: 8th March (took at least 3 days to show, possibly more). NHS 111 would only discuss as flu.. 4/

D1: gastrointestinal, sore throats. D2-D9: headache, cold/flu symptoms.

First week is mostly cold/flu stuff - it’s mild at this point, but don’t be fooled by naysayers. Look after yourself.

After the first 9 days the temperature side of things started. 5/

The next few days were increasingly annoying. This was retreat-to-sofa time.

D10: temp low 37s. Burning cheeks. Tight chest. Whistle/wheeze when lying down.

D11: temp rapid cycling up & down. Shivers. Cough.

D12: temp mid-high 37s. Laboured breathing. Cough. Muscle aches. 6/

Then it started to behave like pneumonia. This is the can’t-get-out-of-bed bit.

D13-D17: Pain in lungs, crackle in breathing. Serious fatigue, very low energy (even to go to loo). temp low 37s. Headache.

Hard resting during these few days is *hugely* important to recovery. 7/

The virus begins to behave just like pneumonia - it cycles back to punish you if you expend *any* energy. So it’s a case of bed rest - I can’t stress that enough.

What else, beyond REST: Lots of fluids (1-2 pints of water daily) + Vit C + eat well. 8/

Give your body exactly what it needs to fight! REST. Look after yourself, and each other

Now, watch this! It’s the best information out there to date:

And here’s the graph on symptoms range from WHO:

(fin)

D18-23 included big fatigue, conjunctivitis (very mild), stomach cramps, bad joint pain, very mild tachycardia, mild lung and heart pain, and back to sore throat. No temperature though. It’s like it’s doing the rounds before it leaves! Today is first day I seem totally clear

Just adding latest from WHO:

Just shrinking it down to a single tweet to aid understanding...

Start: diarrhoea, sore throat
• Wk 1 (mild): cold/flu symptoms
• Wk 2 (sofa): temp, cough, fatigue
• Wk 3 (bed): fatigue, pneumonia symptoms > headaches, low > no temp, gastro, conjunctivitis (mild), bad joint pain, mild tachycardia, mild lung/heart pain. End: sore throat.

• Wk 4 (recovery): 2-3 ‘okay’ days, interspersed with occasional day down (temp + ‘corona cheeks’), mild heart pain, breathless w. exercise.

10 yo still w. mild symptoms despite full rest (faint on waking, headache, cramps, temp in low 37s, flushed ‘corona cheeks’) - ongoing.

• Wk 5 (recovery/relapse): ratio slipped to 1 good day in 3. Raised temp (37.1-37.3), corona cheeks, armpits. 10 yo still w. occ. heart pain.

10 yo’s dad’s recovered. So of the 8, it’s just us two left + original case now with PVF. Apparently 10-20% of cases last >5 weeks.

• Wk 6 (post-viral complications): Palpitations on waking seems to be the sign. Fatigue. Heart pain, chest pain, swelling at top of stomach, kidney pain. Not a secondary infection. Just everything still reeling from covid apparently.

Adding this great piece on what’s happening in long-recovery cases: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/04/how-does-coronavirus-kill-clinicians-trace-ferocious-rampage-through-body-brain-toes?fbclid=IwAR1KgWIPVtU_yi4AhOz1-l2I5fwjOVpaPqMfqhIEogcYGmVX3JLhS85g9Wg#

D47 here. Adding this on covid-19, clotting, and strokes:

https://twitter.com/cnnbrk/status/1253017343590105088?s=21 https://twitter.com/cnnbrk/status/1253017343590105088

Interesting illustrated piece on Week 3 symptoms. I did sleep in prone to assist lungs. So Week 6 organ inflammation means immune system’s still fighting. Wishing now when junior doc said to consultant “Did you *see* the x-ray?” I’d asked what he meant https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/VENTILATORS/oakvekyxvrd/index.html