I’ve had some readers ask about my friend with the coronavirus. If you scroll down, you’ll see we had a conversation with her on March 27 about 10 days after her symptoms appeared overnight on March 18^th.  So I checked back in yesterday with my dear friend, who also happens to be my sister-in-law, Katie O.

Katie had just gotten home from a walk when we chatted. I, on the other hand, had just gotten up from a nap.

Mary: So first of all, how are you?

Katie: It’s been 29 days. I’m still not completely well. I don’t have all of my stamina back. I can only do shorter walks, for instance, instead of my longer ones. And my taste and smell isn’t completely back…maybe about 90%.

Mary: Wow, this thing has dragged out a long time.

Katie: I have never been this sick before.

Mary: We talked before about the cough, the lack of appetite, the low-grade temperature. What other symptoms did you have?

Katie: Yea, some symptoms would dramatically escalate and then other ones would just persist. One thing I didn’t mention was the shooting pains in my chest. It was like a hot, fire-y wire. Those just took my breath away and made me want to collapse. Those lasted about four days and were what prompted me to go to the ER. 

Then, there were a lot of stomach issues. It would range from just having an unsettled stomach to nausea so bad that I had to lay in the dark all day.

Mary: Could you eat?

Katie:  I had no appetite at all. I forced myself to get food down to get nourished so my immune system would strengthen.  I had smoothies and lots of hot tea.

Mary: So how was your stamina?

Katie:  I was pretty weak and had no energy. It exhausted me to shower and get dressed, for instance. I did it, but it was really hard. And then there was this underlying anxiety that something would happen and the disease would take a turn for the worse.

Mary: I think we were all fearing that.

Katie: I was also so dehydrated. No matter how many liquids I got in me I never felt satiated.

Mary: What were you drinking.

Katie: Well, water of course. Hot tea with lemon. Some soups. My lips were so parched, no amount of chapstick helped.

Mary: How does it feel to have had the disease that is so deadly and just devastating the entire world?

Katie: Well, they need to get a vaccine, that’s for sure. I’ve read about the medication Remdesivir. Some patients have responded in that it’s shortened how long they’re sick. But it doesn’t prevent it.

But to have a disease so deadly? I feel unlucky and lucky. Dang, there’s some sense of strength that I am immune and can go out in public. I wouldn’t be afraid to go on an airplane if things open up. But why did I get it, and Bill (her husband, my brother) didn’t? I don’t know?

Mary: Speaking of Bill, on a scale of 1 to 10, how good of a care taker was he. Oh wait, let’s not go there.

Katie: (laughs). He has done the cooking.

Mary: Thank you for sharing Katie!!!