If you clicked on this article hoping to use it to support some sort of agenda, I hate to admit it but you're probably going to be disappointed.
When one Reddit user asked people to talk about their personal experiences suffering with COVID-19, they probably had no idea that they'd highlight one of the most perplexing aspects of our current pandemic. People's experiences are wildly different.
Some breezed through it practically without knowing they were sick. Others legitimately feared for their lives or stayed sick for so long that it started affecting their mental health as well as their physical wellbeing.
Obviously those who have lost their battles with this pandemic aren't exactly available to hang out on Reddit.
Faking It For Family
I had it in early April, probably from working at a quarantine facility where we didn't have enough PPE.
Loss of smell was my only symptom for a few days. Then mild productive cough. Then fatigue, body aches, and trouble breathing. Never had a fever, indigestion, etc.
The scariest part was that at that point, no one knew how to manage it. My doctor had zero advice other than rest and fluids. Didn't know what meds to avoid, expected progression, nothing.
My family and friends checked in a lot. They freaked out if I acted too sick, so I pretended my symptoms were much more mild than they were. I only shared my real symptoms with my partner and my doctor. In that regard, it was very lonely.
Difficulty breathing lasted about 5 days, then started to get better. Fatigue was the last symptom to disappear, it lingered about 10 days after I'd tested negative.
I'm 25, an EMT, and was working reduced hours when I got exposed. No pre-existing conditions.
Participating In A Study
sick 1980s tv GIF by absurdnoise
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Our family had it, including two toddlers.
Toddlers: mild symptoms - mostly low grade fever. Recovered in a couple days.
Wife: fever, fatigue, loss of smell. Recovered in about a week.
Me: worse symptoms - prolonged fever, headaches, hallucinations, sweats, indigestion, general soreness. About 4 straight days of harsh conditions. Recovered in about 2 weeks.
I'm going to try to answer some questions:
- Yes, we were all tested multiple times. Our toddlers are 2 and 4 and due to the rareness of children contracting COVID, they are participating in a study about COVID in children. As an FYI to parents - watching your children get tested is NOT fun and my kids have been through it several times.
- Tough to describe my hallucinations, but I would have to say it was like I was daydreaming. I used to do drugs and it's nothing like that. Fever chills would interrupt it sometimes.
- My wife and I are in our mid 40s and relatively healthy. Neither one of us experienced breathing issues.
- My wife got her sense of smell back about a week after her negative test. She mentioned she could smell our daughter's farts.
- I don't know our blood types.
- I work from home full time and my kids stay home full time. My wife works from home mostly, but she does go to various hospitals a few times a week (she works in construction as a PM -- a.k.a. she builds hospitals). We're pretty sure she got at one of them.
- My wife got it first, then me, then both kids together. We don't smoke, drink, do drugs ( I used to) and are fairly healthy (work out at the gym and swim several times a week). The doctor said our healthy lifestyle probably helped.
- We do not have any lingering symptoms. We have all been tested for the antibodies and have donated blood (and our kids' bodies) to help with the recovery efforts.
- IDK what else to say except COVID is very real and can fck you up no matter your age. Stay safe people.
When The Doctors Get Sick
Initially dry cough.
Worsened with a high grade fever
Loss of taste and smell.
Difficulty breathing, had to go to the ED twice
Improvement only after 12 days.
Post illness shortness if breath and 5kg weight loss
I am a 33 year old Male doctor in Ireland. I was fairly overweight and had low T symptoms prior to this and had been on the Keto diet and exercise. I had prior to this lost weight intentionally. The hospital I worked in had a poor response to the pandemic with inadequate and improper PPEs.
This led to a HUGE number of medical personnel(and their families) getting COVID-19. Believe me we were pissed at the administration of the hospital.
I developed symptoms rather innocuously with a dry cough. The next day my wife also had the same symptoms. I got tested a few days afterwards and we both were positive. We were contacted by occupational health and surprisingly were told to isolate from each other, the reason being is that we 'may' have different strains of the virus. So I was in one room of my house and my wife in another.
We were both told to come to the hospital immediately if we had shortness of breath or worsening of symptoms. Twice in the space of five days I had trouble catching my breath at rest. The thing about the virus is that the breathlessness feels like you sprinted till exhaustion and are catching your breath...but you can't really. I felt this after a FEW steps and it is truly terrifying. Despite being a doctor and handling shortness of breath regularly, nothing prepares you for actually feeling it.
Both times I immediately told my wife that I'm going to the hospital possibly for some oxygen and nebulizers. Thankfully with normal pulse oximetry readings and chest auscultations I didn't need either. But I had Xray changes showing Pneumonia in my right lung and was told to take antibiotics (at that time hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin for five days). I only took azithromycin as being a doctor I was concerned with potential side effects of the hydroxychloroquine.
One thing that scared me a lot was talk of the death rates. Even though I am a Doctor and the death rate compared to number of people infected was low, I still would think 'what if'. TBH when I was on my way to the emergency both times with shortness of breath I was fearing it getting worse and thought I could have died. Even afterwards I was frightened of getting worse a third time.
I rested a lot, drank plenty of water and avoided fizzy drinks. I stopped the Keto diet and focused on eating whatever I could to get energy, but I had a loss of appetite and the famous taste and smell loss. It is a strange side effect, it starts gradually and lasted for about four days before it gradually and completely resolved. You all would be surprised at the texture of many foods (some foods being 'sticky', 'sandy or coat the roof of your mouth quality). I couldn't believe how bad pizza and chicken tenders could be with this.
Throughout my infection I had a fever in excess of 37.5C(99.5F) for 12-13 days! It is so draining along with the cough. Initially it was dry but as i was recovering i would cough up flecks of pinkish purplish stuff in off white sputum. The cough itself lasted for five weeks and shortness of breath a week or so longer. But me and my wife thankfully are better, healthier and fully recovered. I haven't really noted any loss of stamina or weakness.
About my wife having COVID, she had mild symptoms in comparison to me and recovered quicker. None the less I was more concerned about her condition and would auscultate her (yeah I didn't listen to the occupational health about total Isolation, I wore a mask!) at intervals. The isolation from each other IMO was unnecessary and added to our stress.
I also was angry at the hospital I worked at for what had happened and how 70 of my colleagues were affected (yes 70 staff members!). The healthy staff members were severely overworked and at their breaking point. The worst part was that our administration started to call some of us back after a week of symptom onset! They didn't care at all, they just wanted the institute to run, even if it killed us. I thank God nobody out of us died. Naturally the ill will amongst us all remained and in a few months, en masse, 24 doctors from the department of medicine gave notices. They could only replace half of the number, quite frankly THEY DESERVED IT.
So. Much. Sh*t.
I sht my pants twice over three weeks. Then I sht five times a day, at least.
Dizzy, nausea, wake up to choking cough like trying to vomit, lasted a few hours each day.
That's it for me.
Chalk up one more for the pants sh*tting club. It was crazy.
My wife and I got her 80+ year old parents a long pacific cruise last Christmas. They left in January and we picked them up from the airport in early March. They were both coughing a lot. They stayed with us until they felt good enough to go home.
Her dad (had 3 preexisting conditions) ended up in the hospital with an initial pneumonia diagnosis but never went on a ventilator. Tested positive. Her Mom had a cough and headache. Also tested positive.
Mid March, my wife, my kids, and I, all got a bad headache for a few days. We were all really dizzy on the third day.
They all recovered quickly, but I had the only case that evolved into 2 weeks of constant constant sh*tting. I don't know where it came from. I was convinced my body was extracting sh*t from the air.
May Need A New Career
I tested positive 23rd of June. I'm still not back to work. I work in thermoforming, with a factory with no air conditioning. My doctor refuses to approve me to go back. I can't walk around for more than an hour without being sopping wet from sweat. Before covid, I worked 12 hr shifts in some heavy heat, that building could get over 100 degrees easily.
Started out with a cough, then got SOOO much worse. Runny nose, high fever, coughing, mucus with blood. Felt like my chest was being caved in, and legs and arms felt so weak. Actually sh*t the bed a couple of times because I literally couldn't move.
Became dehydrated, and vomited and passed out. Woke up at the hospital covid ICU wing. The covid had advanced to pneumonia. About 60% of right lung was filled with fluid pockets, left about 40%. Loaded down with antibiotics and oxygen. Got released 3 days later thankfully.
My cough still had not stopped. It's gotten better, but I still have fits where I can't catch my breath. I now have to use an inhaler and tessalon perles. I can taste most things again, but majority of my smell is still gone. I have to go on Friday for a stress test, my heart isn't right. While I was at the hospital, my heart started to pause while I was sleeping or something like that. Can't work, running out of savings.
If anyone knows any desk jobs in Charlotte, hook me up! I don't know if I'll actually be able to go back to work in my factory at all right now, and we need paychecks.
Y'all I'm high 20s in age.
Pretty Mild
Male, 30, no pre existing conditions or other significant risk factors.
Day 1: slight sore throat and a little coughing in the morning, couldn't really ever "wake up" from the morning.
Day 2-4: fatigue, body aches, headache that made it hard to process information, pretty mild respiratory symptoms.
Day 5-7: slight fatigue
Day 7-10: no symptoms
I had a very mild case
The Smell Of My Pillow
I had it in mid march (New York Resident) and am fine now.
First 3 days (Friday-Sunday) I had extremely mild symptoms. My throat just didn't seem quite right. I was sneezing due to the window's breeze more easily than I should have, since it was too early for allergy season. I also inhaled the water I was drinking multiple times over the weekend. I noticed, but thought I was being paranoid.
Day 4 (Monday), they sent everyone home to work from home at around noon. I waited in a crowded grocery line (since this was the day they started limiting how many people could enter). Around 3 hours later it had clearly spread to my lungs from the upper respiratory track. I could feel the fluid in my lungs. My breathing wasn't steady (felt like sandpaper rubbing on sandpaper) and it was clear I was sick.
I started coughing up sputum on day 5 (Tuesday). I'd cough once, clear the fluid from my lungs and breath normally, and then it'd slowly get worse over the course of an hour until I coughed again. Repeat.
Day 6 (Wednesday): Fever. This was the first day I actually felt sick. You know normal fever symptoms, fever, muscle aches, sweating, etc.. I called out sick (remember working from home at this point anyways).
Day 8 (Friday): Was feeling better. Halfway between better and sick,. I resumed working.
Day 9 (Saturday): Woke up to the smell of my pillow, and was promptly weirded out. I didn't notice when my small/taste disappeared, but I definitely noticed it came back... Everything from my pillow, my shirt, the wooden table, etc. smelt. It wouldn't be for another week or two before the loss of sense of smell/taste symptom was discovered so I had no idea what was going on at the time. Anyways, at this point I felt better again.
Day 10+: A bit of coughing persisted for a couple days after that, but I felt healthy again. I never even came close to needing to be hospitalized, though, so lucky me.
- dubanx
Pool Water
pizza pool GIF by Party Down South
Giphy
Fever, terrible headaches, sore eyes, fatigue, cough, shortness of breath, loss of taste and loss of smell. Also had this weird burning sensation in my nose (similar to when you get pool water up your nose).
How Long Every Day Felt
Girlfriend and I both [25 y/o] tested positive for COVID in late March. No pre existing conditions, we are both in excellent shape and eat healthy as well.
I was sick for 28 days straight. Longest most taxing illness of my life.
Over that time I had 3 different rounds of fevers and couldn't get out of bed for most days.
The thing about Covid was just how long every single day felt. There was a couple times I felt so sick I wasn't sure if I was going to make it.
My girlfriend was sick for a solid 10-12 days but was not nearly as ill as I was.
I had fully lost my sense of smell from Covid. Until 2 weeks ago when I fell 6 feet and got a severe concussion.. my sense of smell returned. Crazy and makes no sense to me, but I am incredibly thankful to be able to smell trees and flowers and food.. man!
Anyways, now we both have antibodies and are feeling back to strength. We ran 27 miles this past Saturday.
- ouijib
COVID Improved Things
My response might get buried ... but I had these warts attacking my hands and fingers for years. Lasers, freezing, squaric acid, all kinds of stuff... nothing worked. Then I caught COVID in March, I was sick for two weeks... stomach problems... persistent cough... my running ability was impacted clearly for a while... but whatever happened in my body literally killed every wart I had. So I am in the minority in saying COVID definitely helped me.
My derm was very clear with me when I first met him about treatment. He's like "We can freeze these and use lasers, but you need to know that this exists because your immune system is not fighting it off like it should". Maybe the Covid kicked everything into high gear and my immune system got the picture?? All I know is I can tap my fingertip on a table, it doesn't hurt anymore, and I can't believe they're gone. It's like a second chance to have hands
None Of The Same Symptoms
I felt like I had the flu and only got tested because of the pandemic. My flu-like symptoms lasted 3 days before I recovered but I've had no sense of smell for over a month
I had my daughter tested when my results came back positive and hers did as well. She, however, never developed so much as a low-grade fever
My girlfriend tested positive also, but her primary symptom was headaches
As someone who has had the flu twice and the swine flu once, either of those were much worse for me.
Terrified Of Getting Sick Again
Started off with a cough and then progressed to fatigue, chills, dizziness, and a mess of other symptoms I can't even remember. I never had a fever nor did I lose my sense of smell/taste.
The thing that was the hardest to deal with was the fatigue. I would debate drinking water because that meant I would have to walk to the bathroom (I have a bathroom connected to my bedroom).
It took about two weeks to recover although my cough hasn't gone away. Overall, it was awful. I'm terrified of getting sick again.
- FiboMath
Both me and my girlfriend had it. She got it first and then I got it like a couple of days later. It started with the throat not feeling right. And eventually I got a relatively mild fever. The worst part was probably the feeling that you're breathing, but your body is only getting like 70% of the oxygen it needs. Its not that I can't breathe, its just that it doesn't satisfy my body, if that makes sense.
I got all better approx. a little more than a week later. Then when I went back to work and was picking up a box of bananas to move them, my body reacted to it like I had been running on the tracks for an hour. I was beat after like one box. I move another, and I'm so tired I wanna lie down.
I told my boss I couldn't work because my body was exhausted when doing any physical work. 2 weeks after that day and I was all better.
But... something is different. I don't know if it's that my antihistamines are less effective or what it is, but sometimes it feels like I have something in my airways that needs to be cleaned or something. Like I want to cough it out cause its blocking the pipes, but its so far down, coughing doesn't help.
And also, I've had a brain fog every once in a while. More than usual. When it happens, it's like how you feel when the weed's worn off, but there's some of it in your body still. That kind of fog.
COVID Toes
Got tested only because in March upon arriving home from school 10 of my 12 roommates tested positive. I was positive but didn't even know I had it. I had some weird red bumps/dots on my toes that later became a known symptom but at the time I had no idea it was a result of COVID.
Also lost my sense of taste, but again did not know that was a symptom until after I had already recovered. I am 22 and know a lot of people my age who have tested positive, or after the fact positive on the antibody test and my experience is pretty similar with all of theirs as well
120 Days Later
120+ days later and I'm still experiencing extreme fatigue, random gastro issues, heart palpitations, aches and pains, random rashes, and no doctor wants to deal with it. 🤷♀️
I'm 26 female.
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But we should also be prepared and ready to ask the right questions to have a leg up on the competition.
"What is THE best question to ask on a job interview?"
A company's history or information about a past employee were suggested subjects appropriate for questioning.
Prior Knowledge
"When you were interviewing here, what would you have liked to know before you joined?"
"This worked for me. I asked my interviewer a question about how she had personally dealt with a company policy she had just explained. She bragged about her stellar adherence to the policy. I nodded my approval. I got the job."
A Previous Employee
"One that has always gone over well for me:"
"What were some qualities that the previous employee in this role brought to the job that you would like to see carried forward?"
"Another good thing to do is research the company you are interviewing with and you can ask things about what they may be involved in or you could drop that while reading about the company, you wondered this."
Hypothetical questions were suggested as helpful examples of inquiry.
Indicators Of How Companies Treat Employees
"A question that landed me a job once was: 'If I asked your direct reports about your management style, what do you think they'd tell me?' Stumped a hiring manager and he emailed me personally to tell me about it, no one ever asked him that question but got the job.
"In my current interviews I'm asking 'what did your company do for its employees during [the virus] to improve their day to day, work life balance, etc.' and I ask 'Is there anything your company adopted during [the virus] that they plan to keep post [the virus]?"
"These questions give a lot of insight into whether a company treated their employees well."
Past Performance & Adjustments
"If we were currently sitting in my 1 year review, what would I have done in this year for you to say I excelled in my role?"
"If I could snap my finger right now and change anything about your job or the company, what would it be and why?"
The following questions about a prospective company may not be answered from initial digging on their website.
Measure Of Success & Career Trajectories
"How is success measured in this role?"
"What are some possible career trajectories within the company that could stem from this position?"
Being A Solution
"Ask them what is the biggest problem you can solve for them in your first six months with the company. Similar to 'don't think of a purple hippo,' this forces them to imagine you succeeding in the position."
Simply The Best
"Who is your best employee and why is he/she the best?"
"You will then face 2 situations mostly:"
"panicking CEO who can't answer you 'Bob who works 17 hours a day for a slice of bread' so the fear in their faces must be a big nono for you"
"entusiast CEO who actually follow their business and can tell you who is an added value for the company and why."
– ThePiz91
My experiences with job interviews are different than others seeking work in office environments.
Having had a years-long career as a dancer, my "interview" was the dance audition, where hopefuls dance in small groups of people at a time after learning a routine and then awaiting their fate after the panel evaluates their performances.
The question I may or may not have asked in such a scenario earlier in my career was: "Did I make the cut?"
I did not make the cut. And I learned never to ask that again.
I remember the worst date I ever had. My biggest regret is that I stayed for the entire thing. I should've left as soon as I realized this was not going well, which was basically at hello. But he was paying so I drank, a lot. I'll keep names and dates to myself to protect the innocent.
0/10
Big Brother Reaction GIF by Big Brother After DarkGiphy"Went to brewery, date said I had hairy arms and that meant I was horny, said "you look really awful in this light" and then tried to dig out of that hole by saying in his native language that was a term of endearment long term couples said to each other. 0/10 did not date again."
Lucky 13?
"My wife wanted to plan our 13th wedding anniversary. I was excited because usually, I plan it. She bought us some new disc golf discs and after a quick supper, we went to play. We hadn't played in forever. We were laughing and I had a great time. She served me with divorce papers and told me that the date was a test to see if she still had feelings for me. I also learned that she was having an affair that started well before our anniversary."
- rmorlock
Two Hours from Home
"Not necessarily a date but a person I was dating invited me to his parent's house for the afternoon. He wanted to introduce me to them and show me the house he grew up in. I thought it was super sweet and had no problems going. He was also in the middle of moving and needed to pick up a few things, so it really didn't seem that unusual."
"Yeah, we got there and it was awful. His entire family was there. They traveled from hours away too. This was not just meeting the parents, it was meeting the ENTIRE family. Even worse? At some point, this idiot told his parents that he had proposed. We had been dating TWO months. I spent the entire afternoon dumbfounded and just playing along."
"We were two hours from home and I had no cell service, no way to leave at all. We ended up spending the afternoon brainstorming wedding ideas and planning an Alaskan honeymoon that his parents planned to gift us. His brother even called to say congratulations! We drove back to his apartment in silence. When we got there, I got in my car and left, didn't even bother grabbing my stuff. Weirdest experience ever. I have no idea how he broke it to his parents that we weren't getting married."
You're Cut Off!
"Got set up on a blind date once between mutual friends. She shows up to the restaurant already a little tipsy, orders multiple appetizers and only takes like one or two bites from each one. Then she proceeds to order 3 or 4 more drinks and is visibly drunk at this point. She gets up and says she's going to the bathroom and staggers off. About 15-20 minutes go by so I try to call her several times but no answer."
"Finally I decide to pay the check and just leave. About 2 hours later I'm sitting at home and I get a call from an unknown number. It's the police department. She was picked up on a DUI on her way home after she ditched me and gave the cops my number to see if I could go bail her out!"
- mox44ah
Sorry?
Bbc Three Idk GIF by BBCGiphy"Well, I gave this answer on a different topic, but it ties in with this. We were out on a date, we had been seeing each other for a while, close to a year maybe. She gets a phone call. Suddenly she looks destroyed. Her fiancé had just died in a motorcycle accident."
What in the world? I mean how can we ever expect to pair off with the dating pool being inundated with liars and nut jobs? I'm going to delete my apps.
Girl, Bye.
Sassy Beyonce GIFGiphy"Had a girl openly flirt with the bartender in front of me. She says she wasn't. But handing him her own phone and asking for his contact info in front of her date seems like it to me."
Crazy!
"Came out from a movie, late at night, and date's Camaro was stolen. Apparently, he called his WIFE (that I did not know he had) and let her know where he was and what happened. She showed up and realized he was on a date! She started chasing ME around the parking lot telling me she was going to kill me. Saved by the cops who showed up just in time to take the auto theft report."
Hey Mom
"Met a girl at a country bar one night in my 20s. We were both pretty drunk but hit it off pretty good. Ended up getting her number and we agreed we'd go on a real date. Fast forward to the date, she gets in my vehicle and... she looks almost identical to my mom. I was mortified. I was polite and we went for lunch where I found out she also had a boyfriend she "wasn't sure if she was into". Never talked to her again."
- SgtGo
Liars...
"When I was in college many years ago, before the advancement of cell phones and social media, I was chatting with a girl I met on a BBS who lived on Long Island, NY. I was 18 at the time, but lied and said I was 22 because she said she was 25. We spent a few weeks emailing each other, as well as calling each other."
"We even exchanged pics. When we finally met up, things blew up. Turns out we both lied about our ages: She was really 33, and lied because she thought she looked younger. She admitted she sent a college photo to me. We still had dinner together, but it was awkward as hell. We never spoke again."
Doubles
Kill Me Now Season 1 GIF by FriendsGiphy"It was a double date. She was more interested talking to the other girl throughout the whole thing. Found out later from the other guy that his girl cheated on him with my date."
Ummm... I think I'm just going to stay single. That is a handful of crazy. Why can't people just be honest? I swear the search for love warps people's brains. Be careful out there people.
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