Does Anyone Know Anybody Who Has Had the Virus? Share Your Experiences

[Thomas McCurnin]

I happen to know two people.

One 50 year old male, who contracted the virus in New York City either at a bar or the subway prior to lockdown. He described the symptoms as this: Imagine a really bad cold. That's a "1." Now remember the worst flu or sickness you've ever had with fever, sneezes, coughs chills etc. That's a "10." Coronavirus was a "100." He said, "I thought I was going to die." He was totally out for two weeks.

One 30 year old male, who got the virus from his job in Los Angeles, The symptoms were fever, cough, diarrhea, chills and really bad asthma. Not nearly as bad as the 50 year old. He was totally out for a week.

PS None of my friends were tested which were unavailable except for critically ill. No question though that this was the virus based on the symptoms

[Kevin Jenness]

My son, his wife and 3 year old daughter probably had it (did not get tested). The little girl had one really bad night where they discussed taking her to the ER, then had symptoms like a really bad cold. The parents were seriously sick for nearly two weeks with flu-like symptoms. My son said one day he couldn't raise his head off the pillow without getting a blinding headache. They are early 30's and in excellent health normally. Not something an old person wants to be even close to.

[Stan Calow]

I know a ton of people who were sick January-March, but none who were sick enough to get tested so none of them know if it was COVID or not.

[Rod Sheridan]

My daughter, who is an ER nurse had the same experience in January.

She was tested afterwards for influenza for work purposes and was negative for that. They did not test for Covid-19 however now she's considered a probable case.

Her best friends Mom now has it and it's doubtful that she will survive, tough because absolutely no visitors.

Regards, Rod.

[Dan Hunkele]

My next door neighbor (76) died March 31st from pneumonia. His wife, same age was hospitalized five days later and is a confirmed case of Covid-19. She is recovered and home, says she feels like she might at 96yrs, but is getting better. Her husband was never tested but she is sure he had the virus. She feels they got it in a doctors office waiting room before the shut down.

[Jim Becker]

AFAK, I had it end-of-March/early April, but until I can actually get an antibody test, there's no way to know for sure. Fortunately, the one "feature" I didn't get was the pneumonia part. Still, it was the worst sickness I've ever had in my memory. No other family members have had it, at least symptomatically, and until antibody tests are readily available, we'll not know for sure. I do know a number of folks who have had it, but fortunately no deaths to-date. I worry most about my mother...she's about to turn 90, has pulmonary compromises and lives in a skilled nursing facility in her life care community. So far...they have kept it out of there.

[Jerry Thompson]

I believe I had it. I'm 77 but it was not as debilitating as I was led to believe. I had a fever, cough, runny nose and generalized aches. The fever left when my body had enough antibodies to fight it. The other symptoms left after 5-6 days. I had no way to be tested to find out for sure that I had it.
I will return to my part time job as a home health RN on May 4th.

[Bruce Page]

I woke up Saturday, March 28th with a temperature of 105 and intense rigors. My temperature fluctuated between 104 & 101 all day. Sunday it was a little more under control, hovering between 102.5 and 99.9. It remained at 99-101 the following 1½ weeks, gradually returning to normal. I didn’t have any breathing problems, loss of smell or taste. I experienced light dizziness if I turned or moved too fast and had a mild headache.
I talked with my Doctors the following Monday morning and they confirmed that I was likely experiencing the early stages of Covid-19.

The rigors I experienced that first morning were unlike anything I had ever felt before.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Don't get me started on the lack of testing.


New York state did random testing of 3000 persons. 14% showed antibodies of CV-19, even though they had shown no symptoms. Even though they had no symptoms, all were contaiguus at the time of infection. This is what is so bad, carriers don't know they have virus and are spreading it

[Thomas McCurnin]

It also might mean that the cough or flu they had back in November or December was not an ordinary cough, but the coronavirus.

I had an awful flu in November, with a fever and bad cough, and trouble breathing. I finally kicked it after nearly 3 weeks. Perhaps it was the coronaviruis? Perhaps its been here longer than we suspect.

Testing is key, and we are simply not there yet, and I wonder how States are going to reopen without a test to figure whose got antibodies and who doesn't.

Another problem: My friend who did have it so bad he went the hospital--his fever went up and down during the same day, and sometimes he had no fever at all. So if one thinks they can figure out if you're sick using a thermometer, well, they may have missed their mark.

[Scott Winners]

I will return to my part time job as a home health RN on May 4th.

I am a full time Home Health nurse and I know I had an unusual Upper Respiratory Virus in early March 2020. I get my flu shot religiously and still get a couple or three garden variety URVs (Upper Respiratory Viruses) every winter. I had a hum-dinger this spring. While I was on a vacation, praise Jesus.

It started Wednesday night, I had bloody snot. Pretty unusual unless I get behind running the humidifier next to the wood stove, which I wasn't behind on. I was already wearing a cloth mask in public off the clock, though we only had one case down in Anchorage at the time. Thursday morning I felt fine and didn't have a temperature, so I went in to work.

I saw one guy first thing in the morning feeling fine, he is still COVID19 negative 6 weeks later. At my second stop I was wrapping up when my head started spinning and my nose started running. I measured both that patient's temperature and mine while I had my thermometer and out and got out of his house as fast as I could. I kept telling myself "I don't have a fever, I don't have a fever" but put a mask on anyway when I was the third stop of the day because I felt like a dog's breakfast. All three of those folks are still COVID negative actually. I only had three that day and did all my charting at home, and then took a serious nap.

Friday morning I felt good, only had one visit, no temperature, wore a mask anyway, that one is still COVID negative, charted from home and started my vacation. Saturday afternoon my head was spinning again. Sunday and Monday I was good, Tuesday my head was spinning and and my nose was running like a hose. Wednesday I felt a little off but nothing crazy.

Thursday afternoon it hit, I felt like I got hit by a truck. I sat down in my arm chair and just didn't get up for a couple hours. Still no fever all the way through, I had started measuring my temp morning and night on the Thursday the week before when I was working. While I was in that chair for those couple hours I couldn't even have got up to pee if I had needed to. My own thoughts didn't even make sense, I just had to sit down and, uhh, be very disoriented and woozy and wait it out.

Friday morning I was a bit depleted, but otherwise OK, and it was better and better from there with good sleep, good nutrition and good hydration. I checked in with Occupational Health at my hospital Monday AM, no fever, no problem and my employer had all the nurses in an N95 mask for every patient interaction by the time I returned from vaca. IIRC I did 65 hours that first week back. None of my census has tested COVID positive.

I think I will either test positive for having had Covid or we also had some other atypical URV running around Alaska this spring. Typically in summertime my immune system will crawl out of my body to go kill squirrels while it is waiting for something to do inside my body. I haven't had to spend two hours in an arm chair fighting off a URV since I was 7 or 8 years old. If I don't test positive when a reliable serum titer test is available I will be surprised.

Thanks for doing your part to flatten the curve, to all y'all. I am happy to take care of folks with Covid or HIV or HepC or tuberculosis or ebola even as long as I have appropriate PPE. Flattening the curve has given the manufacturers a little time to ramp up production on N95 masks, which I need to keep me and my family and my other patients safe from this thing.

[Scott Winners]

Another problem: My friend who did have it so bad he went the hospital--his fever went up and down during the same day, and sometimes he had no fever at all. So if one thinks they can figure out if you're sick using a thermometer, well, they may have missed their mark.

This is probably going to prove to be true. There is plenty of evidence to support this hypothesis, especially with the growing huge number of folks who test positive for having had COVID and never had any symptoms. There is no question it is killing folks with underlying health problems.

What we don't know are the long term effects from having had it - like folks who had rheumatic fever as a kid and suddenly pop up with severe cardiac issues around their 60th birthday; and we don't really know how many strains or mutations of the thing are out there for sure either. The last reputable source I saw a month or so ago identified two known strains, one more severe than the other. I do remember one was named "L", but I don't even remember what letter they assigned to the other.

The number of strains is one of the bugaboos with coming up with a vaccine. To come up with an effective vaccine the folks in the lab are going to have to find something all the strains have in common, and then come up with a vaccine that will work on all of them.

It is a fascinating time to be living in. My microbiology prof in nursing school was a PhD endocrinologist, but her hobby was epidemiology and I caught that 'bug' from her. I am deep in the weeds keeping up with data from the Alaska Dept of Health and keeping my patients negative with basic stuff like bleach and handwashing and masking when social distancing is not possible. So far so good on protecting my patients, but I fully understand the need to manage this and put it behind us.

FWIW please do NOT inject yourself with lysol or give yourself a bleach enema. Disinfectants are powerful chemicals that kill everything in their path, including your own healthy tissues. Plain old soap and water will kill this thing; you don't _need_ to bleach your laundry but you do want to not breathe the thing in to your body.

[Brian Elfert]

Pretty sure my aunt and uncle both had it about a month ago. Most of the time they don't want you to go to the doctor unless it is bad. My aunt called nurse line and was directed to see a doctor. I don't know if she had a test or not. My uncle came down with same thing, but milder.

I suspect I may have had COVID-19 first of the year. Shortness of breath, 104 fever, cough, and all that. No loss of taste that I recall. Rapid influenza test was negative. Started Tuesday afternoon and didn't go back to work until the next Thursday. I stayed home two extra days because I was so tired. It took a good two plus weeks to fully recover.

[Jim Becker]

New York state did random testing of 3000 persons. 14% showed antibodies of CV-19, even though they had shown no symptoms. Even though they had no symptoms, all were contaiguus at the time of infection. This is what is so bad, carriers don't know they have virus and are spreading it

What's scarier is that testing in some other areas has shown higher percentages that that...some at 30%. A study in Iceland put it close to 50% of asymptomatic infections that had recovered. This is one of the scariest things about this particular virus. It's also why they are now discovering that infections started much earlier than previously was suggested. It was here in North America, spreading silently in communities simply because folks didn't know they had it. It's also why masks are now suggested/required. Even though casual masks are less "protective" than medical grade masks, the idea is that they help hinder expelling the virus into the air by an asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic individual, potentially reducing the chance of infecting others nearby. IE...my mask helps to protect you and vice versa.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Jim,

there was a study in a small village of over 3,000 in northern Italy where they were able to test the entire population. 54% of the village tested positive asymptomatic. A nursing home in San Diego tested similarly this week.

It's those who are pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic who IMO we need to be worried about. They can unknowingly infect others. A photograph in the local newspaper and the accompanying article talked about the 50 or so people protesting at the county courthouse about the stay-at-home order by Idaho's governor Little. They and their signs clamor about personal liberty or Freedom. If you think the governor's stay-at-home order restricts your personal liberty or Freedom, try being intubated in an ICU bed or staring at the inside of a coffin.

Darwin and Wallace developed and promoted the idea of "natural selection". I'd suggest natural selection/survival of the fittest isn't restricted to just being the strongest, the loudest or the most physically fit.

I am not scared or fearful but I am cautious. I am home alone while my wife has been away home schooling 3 grandkids in central California for 6 weeks. I go out 1 or 2 times a week shopping for groceries. When necessary, I go out to pay bills. Yesterday I traveled to HD and a local nursery to buy some more tomato and pepper plants to get into the ground. In my sparsely populated county, we had our 14th Covid-19 death yesterday. All of the deaths have been in the 70+ age group of which my wife and I are members. There are 2 families in the area that have more than one restaurant, one has 12 in a 30 mile area and one has 2 in town. While we usually eat out 1 meal a week, since the stay-at-home order was put in place, I have been getting 2 take out meals a week, one from a restaurant of each family to support them. Once every 2 weeks, I drive across the Snake River to Riverport Brewery where I have a 1/2 gallon growler filled with River Rat Red, IMO, a fine scotch ale.

A new neighbor sewed 28 masks for her husband, his coworkers at WSU and U-of-I and for me. When I go out I wear that mask as the last paper ones I had in the shop I sent with my wife 6 weeks ago.

Until there is a vaccine or highly successful therapy treatment available for Covid-19, I will continue to live cautiously.

[Jim Becker]

Spot on, Ken.

I was really dismayed today when I was driving my older daughter to work. (food market) It's a really nice day out (a good thing) and people were out and about walking, etc. (also a good thing) Sadly, it seemed that almost 75% of them didn't have masks. Some were even standing outside of places open for take-out without masks and close to others also waiting for their orders. I guess it's become normal to not care about others.... :(

[Frank Drackman]

Unfortunately I know three people that tested positive & all have died. Two in their 80's & one in 90's.

[Frederick Skelly]

Jim,

there was a study in a small village of over 3,000 in northern Italy where they were able to test the entire population. 54% of the village tested positive asymptomatic. A nursing home in San Diego tested similarly this week.

It's those who are pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic who IMO we need to be worried about. They can unknowingly infect others. A photograph in the local newspaper and the accompanying article talked about the 50 or so people protesting at the county courthouse about the stay-at-home order by Idaho's governor Little. They and their signs clamor about personal liberty or Freedom. If you think the governor's stay-at-home order restricts your personal liberty or Freedom, try being intubated in an ICU bed or staring at the inside of a coffin.

I'm a strong believer in the old adage that "your rights stop at the end of my nose". But public health is one of those areas where, to me, that adage doesnt apply. Im tired of quarantine, but I support it for the greater good that I personally believe it does.

But if I was out of work and struggling, I might not see it that way. Likewise if I was homeschooling kids and trying to get in 40 hrs of work to keep them fed and sheltered, it might look different. I dont know. I'm not taking sides. I'm just saying there ARE two sides. (I'm ignoring the selfish "I'm bored and want to go out" crew.)

YMMV.
Fred

[Darcy Warner]

I'm a strong believer in the old adage that "your rights stop at the end of my nose". But public health is one of those areas where, to me, that adage doesnt apply. Im tired of quarantine, but I support it for the greater good that I personally believe it does.

But if I was out of work and struggling, I might not see it that way. Likewise if I was homeschooling kids and trying to get in 40 hrs of work to keep them fed and sheltered, it might look different. I dont know. I'm not taking sides. I'm just saying there ARE two sides. (I'm ignoring the selfish "I'm bored and want to go out" crew.)

YMMV.
Fred

3 kids, all in school, paying all my business overhead, trying to get work done for several customers, setting my equipment up so I can make windows and storm windows for an old train depot (getting tired of spending money on setting up) still buying some equipment, I have large transformers to buy and wire, moulder parts to buy and I am covering my wife's nail salon overhead for her.

I also go do all the shopping we need.
Not much has stopped around here other than restaurants, bars, dumb places no one even went to before and salon's.

Too much manufacturing around here for much to change.

[Larry Edgerton]

One, a good friend. https://www.stonefuneralhomeinc.com/obituary/Robert-Hughes

[Larry Edgerton]

Jim,

there was a study in a small village of over 3,000 in northern Italy where they were able to test the entire population. 54% of the village tested positive asymptomatic. A nursing home in San Diego tested similarly this week.

It's those who are pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic who IMO we need to be worried about. They can unknowingly infect others. A photograph in the local newspaper and the accompanying article talked about the 50 or so people protesting at the county courthouse about the stay-at-home order by Idaho's governor Little. They and their signs clamor about personal liberty or Freedom. If you think the governor's stay-at-home order restricts your personal liberty or Freedom, try being intubated in an ICU bed or staring at the inside of a coffin.

Darwin and Wallace developed and promoted the idea of "natural selection". I'd suggest natural selection/survival of the fittest isn't restricted to just being the strongest, the loudest or the most physically fit.

I am not scared or fearful but I am cautious. I am home alone while my wife has been away home schooling 3 grandkids in central California for 6 weeks. I go out 1 or 2 times a week shopping for groceries. When necessary, I go out to pay bills. Yesterday I traveled to HD and a local nursery to buy some more tomato and pepper plants to get into the ground. In my sparsely populated county, we had our 14th Covid-19 death yesterday. All of the deaths have been in the 70+ age group of which my wife and I are members. There are 2 families in the area that have more than one restaurant, one has 12 in a 30 mile area and one has 2 in town. While we usually eat out 1 meal a week, since the stay-at-home order was put in place, I have been getting 2 take out meals a week, one from a restaurant of each family to support them. Once every 2 weeks, I drive across the Snake River to Riverport Brewery where I have a 1/2 gallon growler filled with River Rat Red, IMO, a fine scotch ale.

A new neighbor sewed 28 masks for her husband, his coworkers at WSU and U-of-I and for me. When I go out I wear that mask as the last paper ones I had in the shop I sent with my wife 6 weeks ago.

Until there is a vaccine or highly successful therapy treatment available for Covid-19, I will continue to live cautiously.

This. My business is all gone for the time being as my customers are sheltering in their summer cottages or are in fear of their economic future and have cancelled, at least for now. I miss my kids/grandkids but am not willing to compromise their safety to see them. I bought a Trail bike when this started and spend my days exploring the state forest that I live in when its not snowing. I believe it will be a different world socially and economically when we come out of this and have been doing a lot of reading of the financial nature to figure out which way to duck. May be time to retire/semi retire. I am appalled at a lot of the ugly I am seeing, but also happy at sme of the kindness I am witnessing.

[Rod Sheridan]

Larry, please accept my condolences on the loss of your friend Robert, reading his obituary, he sounded like a wonderful man............Regards, Rod.

[Frederick Skelly]

One, a good friend. https://www.stonefuneralhomeinc.com/obituary/Robert-Hughes

I'm sorry Larry. Mr. Hughes sounds like a good guy who I'd have enjoyed knowing.
Fred

[Ken Fitzgerald]

One, a good friend. https://www.stonefuneralhomeinc.com/obituary/Robert-Hughes


Larry, sorry to hear about the loss of your friend.

[Rod Sheridan]

This. My business is all gone for the time being as my customers are sheltering in their summer cottages or are in fear of their economic future and have cancelled, at least for now. I miss my kids/grandkids but am not willing to compromise their safety to see them. I bought a Trail bike when this started and spend my days exploring the state forest that I live in when its not snowing. I believe it will be a different world socially and economically when we come out of this and have been doing a lot of reading of the financial nature to figure out which way to duck. May be time to retire/semi retire. I am appalled at a lot of the ugly I am seeing, but also happy at sme of the kindness I am witnessing.

Sounds like a lot of fun riding the trails Larry.

ou're doing the right thing by staying isolated, nest week is week 6 of work from home for me, so far so good although I miss seeing neighbours, friends and family.

The internet is keeping many of us in contact, I've been using FaceTime which I never used before this.

In my conversations we're all noticing how much ore money we have in our pockets as we're no consuming or spending. I believe this will affect our spending patterns in the future, in addition to the reluctance we will have to being in groups in public.

Keep safe..........Regards, Rod.

[Jerome Stanek]

I had something went to an urgent care place and got some expensive meds that didn't tough it went to my PCP and he sent me to get Xrays said it was pneumonia but it was in both my lungs and he wasn't sure It was the worst I felt since the one flu back in the 80s that everything hurt including my hair. Wife said I was a big baby until she got it. My daughter and niece also had the same thing.

[Stan Calow]

In my conversations we're all noticing how much more money we have in our pockets as we're no consuming or spending. I believe this will affect our spending patterns in the future, in addition to the reluctance we will have to being in groups in public.

Some economists are predicting that Americans will be saving more money in the future having experienced this, and anticipating another. I know that I've paid more attention to conserving resources (like TP). However we seem to have short memories when it comes to being prepared for disasters. We've already seen how all the lessons of the 2007-9 financial crisis have faded.

[Tom M King]

A neighbor, and really good friend, just lost his last family member last night to it. He had two children. His Son was killed in an accident, years ago. His Wife died about 6 years ago from a long lasting, very rare disease.

His Daughter died on a ventilator last night. She was 51, and seemed to be in pretty good health, the last time I saw her. She was a regional sales director for a major chain store, and always bright, and cheerful. She never woke up after they put her under for the ventilator.

[michael langman]

I'm sorry to hear about your friends sister Tom. And your friend Larry.

These are terrible times to live in. Hopefully they will get better soon, but not for the losses.

[John Makar]

No issues here, but kid[2] is an ER doc. He has tested positive, but never experienced any symptoms. His GF is also ER, so far tested negative, but came down with the flu and spent 3 days in misery. At his hospital they moved all ERs to the ER, and backfilled ICU with other specialties. They were busy, but never overwhelmed, ended up working standard rotations. They are winding down, never had shortages of supplies or ventilators, but went to a rationing system early; one mask per week, with replacements available.

[Thomas McCurnin]

Update. My young nephew who supposedly had it pretty bad, did not have it. He got tested today and there are no antibodies present. So, he either didn’t have that virus or a false negative.

[Frederick Skelly]

Update. My young nephew who supposedly had it pretty bad, did not have it. He got tested today and there are no antibodies present. So, he either didn’t have that virus or a false negative.

Good news Tom!

[Nicholas Lawrence]

Doctor thought I had it. Test said I do not. No information about what test, false positive/negative rate, etc. Symptoms apparently range from death to not even knowing you have it.

[Todd Trebuna]

I know several people. The experience has varied. Some have been very sick, some have barely known they were sick at all. I work at a Hospital and I know of two patients that died within 24 hours of testing positive. The test was for surveillance and they were asymptomatic when the test was administered. They tested positive, became symptomatic and died very quickly after showing symptoms. I wear a mask all day. I wear a mask wherever I go, except home. I do not want to get this. If you’re lucky you will have 0 or minor symptoms, but there is the potential that you will be very
very sick for a long time. The recovery on this is long for a lot of people. We have employees still out because they are still testing positive over a week later.

Ps. My whole family was very ill Late December. I got tested and was inconclusive. Some kind of virus spread through my workplace and it was powerful. Not sure what it was, but it was bad. We’re all wondering if it was Covid, even though that would be way early.

[Rob Luter]

A supplier of mine had it, along with his wife. He described it as two weeks of harsh cold/flu symptoms and serious fatigue.

[Brian Elfert]

I am currently under quarantine for possibly having COVID-19. I become pretty ill in a hurry Wednesday morning with a number of symptoms that matched COVID-19. I mentioned it to co-worker and she said I should do one of the online surveys to see if you have symptoms of COVID-19. My clinic has such a survey so I filled it out and it said to call the clinic. I talked to a nurse for a bit and she finally said I should go take a COVID-19 test which I was able to do Wednesday afternoon.

I don't think I have it, but no test results yet. I was back to about 70% of normal by Thursday morning and about 90% this morning although I had a headache. I haven't felt good enough to go back to working from home since Wednesday morning. My employer is paying me through what they call COVID-19 pay instead of me having to burn up PTO. I expect to be back working Monday as long as I don't get worse again.

I got a badly needed new air pump for my Sleep Number mattress via UPS today, but it turns out I can't use it as the remote didn't come with the AAA batteries and I don't have any in the house (even already in things). I was really tempted to break quarantine to go get the batteries, but I decided I better wait for my test results.

[Jim Becker]

Brian, perhaps a friend or neighbor can pick up some AAA batteries for you and leave them outside your door? 'Hope your test is negative, but I'm glad you're taking it seriously. Even a mild case can spread to others so the isolation is necessary.

[Nathan Johnson]

Can you add batteries to a grocery order using Instacart or Shipt?

[Brian Elfert]

The grocery delivery services are all running days behind. (I have food for a good two to three weeks.) Late last night I recalled I had a battery organizer still packed away from when I moved in 2014. I found the organizer and it had three AAA batteries in it. They expired in 2017, but they work.

My sleep number bed is now firm again. I didn't realize just how much air had slowly leaked out over several years. It was four or five months ago I realized the mattress needed a little air, but the pump was dead. I inquired about a pump back in February, but stock was gone due to all the issues in China. The pumps finally arrived from China at the seller this week and he shipped them out to a huge list of back orders. I would have much preferred a pump made in the USA, but I bet even had I paid double for a real Sleep Number pump it would not be made in the USA. (My 15+ year old pump doesn't say where it was made.)

[Osvaldo Cristo]

I know three people confirmed with corona virus.

Two are friends and ex-colleagues from my previous employer. Both from Sales team. One spent a few days in a room in the hospital and another one was close to death spent two weeks on intensive care in the hospital. Both are fully recoverred.

The third one is my childhood best friend. He was against the quarantine and made a series of abuses. He got the virus. For his luck he is fast recoverring at home with just some antibiotics. He was at the hospital for a couple of times just to make clinical exams and follow up.

I know a number of suspected cases. Two of them were tested with negative diagnostics. Perhaps five, or more, also had syntoms but they were not tested as doctors judged it wasn´t enough grave. All of them recoverred.

No fatal case in my relatives and friends. Thanks God!

[Todd Trebuna]

Work at a Hospital, know two people. One reported loss of smell, tested positive and never had another symptom. Another person described it as the worst possible case of the Flu imaginable. She’s recovered now though.