“At the wedding, everyone got infected, except for the newlyweds …”: 18 stories about where COVID-19 overtook and how it was treated

People who have already encountered the coronavirus are not actively sharing their experiences. And they clearly have a story to tell. To understand what we are dealing with, how we can resist and help ourselves, Healthy Food Near Me talked to those who had been ill and asked them to anonymously tell how it was. A variety of age categories, professions, hobbies, marital status and health conditions, and the result is the same – a positive test for COVID-19 and subsequent treatment. Perhaps some of the stories below will help calm down and show that the disease is not as scary as it is portrayed. Others, on the contrary, will understand the importance of all security measures a little more, and they will finally put on a mask. Take care of yourself and your loved ones, please.

Elena, 28 years old

My husband and I and two children live in a private house in the Moscow region, and we moved just before the announcement of the spring self-isolation regime. We were very happy that everything turned out so great, enjoyed life in a spacious house and walks in the nearby deserted forest. I got infected at the beginning of summer, apparently from one of the couriers, because we did not communicate with anyone at all, but ordered groceries and other goods with delivery. But we made sure that everything was non-contact, and everything that was brought to us was treated with an ultraviolet device …

It all started with a slight runny nose, I thought I had blown out in the forest, but then I started coughing violently – so that I could not sleep at all, there was a feeling of tightness in the chest, it was painful to breathe.

The doctors, unlike the couriers, refused to come to us, so I did not immediately find help, I did all the tests and research in the end for a fee. The test was positive and CT showed pneumonia. I was treated for almost a month before I felt more or less normal. Now I still periodically feel a strong weakness, right now it can suddenly cover, I have to sit down literally in the middle of the road to rest. The husband did not get sick, and the children did not either – or they suffered asymptomatic. Their tests were negative, but this is not an indicator.

Anastasia, 40 years old

I got infected during yoga classes – I know for sure, because our whole group got infected. One girl sneezed the whole lesson, but claimed that she had an allergy, moved away, and as a result left earlier, because the instructor asked her, but too late: everyone grabbed, including our teacher. Apparently, the girl had an active stage of the disease, because I felt the symptoms of malaise just a day later: I had a severe headache and lost my sense of smell, and then the temperature rose strongly. I live with my daughter, she also got infected, but she did not have a temperature, only her nose stopped smelling. Our yoga chat became a covid chat, everyone discussed who got sick and refused. Two people were taken to the hospital, but everything ended well. Both my daughter and I were sick like clockwork – two weeks from the moment the first symptoms appeared. Then they recovered and returned to normal life. Now I do yoga in the zoom.

Olga, 33 years old

Father-in-law went to the hospital for planned cardiac surgery. As a result, he was not operated on and was discharged home, as it turned out, with coronavirus. We all got infected and very amicably – my husband picked him up from the hospital on Friday and brought the virus to our home; mother-in-law, accordingly, met him at home and picked him up. My parents also got sick – apparently, the eldest daughter brought them, whom they took for the weekend. The first batch fell ill on Wednesday, the second on Thursday. My grandparents were the most ill, my husband and children were the least ill. I also had a hard time, our youngest child at that time was only six months old, he had only snot from his symptoms, but I almost went crazy with all these night feedings, diapers, dragging on my hands when I just wanted to fall and lie motionless , such a weakness was.

My husband helped as best he could, but he also had to work remotely. It was the worst month of my life.

Thank God everything is behind us, and I hope that we at least got immunity for all our suffering.

Alexander, 32 years old

I am sure that I contracted the infection in a child’s kindergarten, because I work from home, I order groceries and use public transport very rarely, but before my illness I had not traveled either on the metro or on the bus for a month. Although there is an announcement in the kindergarten that the entrance is only in masks, except for me and another parent, no one wears them. Educators who meet children have masks, but they are on the chin.

The room where parents change their children’s clothes is very cramped, everyone jostles with their elbows, it is not well ventilated, it’s really hard to breathe in a mask, and even without a mask it’s not very easy. In general, at first the child himself began to cough and his temperature rose, then the child recovered, and I got sick.

When the cough became unbearable and, in addition, the temperature rose, I went to a paid CT scan, it showed, I will now quote, “single foci of high and medium intensity inflammatory infiltration such as” ground glass “… bilateral polysegmental pneumonia, probably of viral origin.” Now I am being treated at home, I hope it will not reach the hospital.

Maria, 30 years old

I was ill in the month of May. The first thing that I felt while going to work was severe fatigue. On the second day in the evening, in addition to fatigue, there was also a temperature. The next day I was sent home from work, and I immediately went to the doctors. The state of health worsened, the temperature rose. And in principle, the rest of the symptoms began to gradually appear in the form of coughing, sore throat. Approximately on the third or fourth day, I began to appear directly strong sensations in the nose in the form of pressure, gradually the sense of smell disappeared. All this lasted about 6 days. I was prescribed antiviral and antibiotics – they did not help. A slight cough and a slight sore throat, which were, nevertheless, disappeared somewhere on the fourth or fifth day thanks to the pills. And the state of wild weakness and pressure persisted to the last. Well, the loss of smell. I remember clearly that only on the sixth day of illness, I felt a little better when I was already actively taking antibiotics. And then the restoration gradually began.

But the complete recovery process, in my opinion, took me about 2-3 months, because after the main stage of the disease, stable temperature rose somewhere every two weeks, my condition worsened, there were bouts of nausea and dizziness.

It seems to me that now I have only more or less recovered from this disease, although I was ill in May.

Julia, 28 years old

It was a hot summer (it was June outside). My husband and I left my daughter with an overnight stay with my parents and in the morning we came to pick it up. Mom began to complain of discomfort, she had an active runny nose. At the same time, she wore a respirator, and we only met on the street (our parents had a country house), in general, we contacted for no more than an hour, leaving my mother to be treated. After a couple of days, she started coughing, which made her doubt it was a simple cold. The test confirmed – she has a covid. By the way, my mother is a doctor, and the other day before the illness she looked at a patient with a cough, but a negative test. A couple of days passed and my husband fell ill with very similar symptoms, a day later – my dad, another two – me. As a result, the whole family fell ill.

It is noteworthy that absolutely all (including an asymptomatic 4-year-old daughter) – the test showed a positive result. Except for me. I had it stubbornly negative, although all the symptoms, including loss of taste and smell, coincided.

We spent a month in isolation (waiting for 2 negative tests for everyone), fortunately, there was no hospital. However, weakness and general fatigue remained for a long time, and the loads became more difficult to endure. My mother and I noticed that the sense of smell has not returned 100 percent, so even after 3 months I feel the usual perfume very muffled.

Victor, 54 years old

I got sick with coronavirus in the hospital. But I entered there with a leg injury – I blocked the roof at the summer cottage and fell unsuccessfully. As a result, he broke his ankle with a displacement – in such cases, surgery is always required. I was given it and left to watch for a few days, there were 4 more men in the ward with me, one of whom performed the operation on the 2nd day of my stay. The doctor gave him an antipyretic, and then he was transferred to another department (as we were told later, they did a test for covid and it turned out to be positive). On the fourth day, I began to feel bad, but linked it to the injury. There was no temperature, but the weakness was terrible. On the fifth day, the temperature rose, and I began to cough: the test was eventually done right in the hospital, and my covid was confirmed. Therefore, I stayed in the hospital for 2 weeks – not only with an injury. The pain was not too severe, but the cough persisted for at least a week, as did the temperature of 37,5. Now I don’t even remember about covid – everything is over. But the leg has still not fully recovered.

Olga, 49 years

I work for a large enterprise. At the height of the coronavirus, we were ordered to take a COVID-19 test. The results were supposed to come a few days later, during this time I managed to get sick with a sore throat, and when I was practically cured, the result came – positive. I felt normal: the sore throat was almost gone, there was no temperature or withdrawal symptoms in my body. I called the doctors, they came and prescribed drugs. It was forbidden to leave the house. For several days I just sat at home – without any symptoms. Then the second and third tests were taken – this time negative.

I returned to work, but now I follow the safety rules much more carefully: I use an antiseptic, wash my hands, and constantly wear a mask.

There are a lot of places where I could get infected: I go to work by public transport, and more than 500 people work at the enterprise per shift.

Ira, 25 years old

Our whole family became infected at a wedding in Veliky Novgorod. Then, in general, everyone fell ill, except for the newlyweds themselves. On the way back, my husband stopped smelling and taste. I developed symptoms the next day. We were just celebrating our daughter’s birthday. The temperature rose, I wanted to sleep all the time, it was hot and cold. We didn’t even think about covid. The last one to get infected was her daughter – she started having snot, she became more capricious, did not want to eat much and slept badly.

For two days we suffered at home, and then I took us all to the doctor. The therapist had a long queue. We could only get to the lore. But thank God, all doctors need to be tested. The next day they called me and said that I had a positive test. By that time, my temperature had already subsided, but I stopped feeling smells and tastes. But her husband suddenly, on the contrary, she began to rise. When the temperature rose above 38, I decided to call a doctor. As a result, he was sent for a CT scan, and it turned out that Lesha had pneumonia with 32% lung damage, although he did not even cough. My daughter and I were left at home alone, my husband was treated in the hospital.

After the illness, I started to have complications. Something similar to rhinitis or sinusitis. The nose was constantly stuffed up, it was impossible to lie down, she could only breathe through her mouth.

It lasted 2 weeks for sure. And I, it seems, began to feel smells and tastes only in the third week after the onset of the illness. And then, in my opinion, the sensitivity has recovered only 95-98%. For example, I still do not smell the smell from my mouth. 

Anna, 30 years

To be honest, I do not know from whom and where I could have been infected. It was already August, everyone relaxed and stopped wearing masks.

There were no patients in my environment, and I still never hug or kiss anyone on the cheek when I meet.

On the first day, a runny nose appeared, the next day the throat turned a little red, then a cough and an insane headache began. But I have chronic laryngitis, so I blamed it all on that. After the back began to ache. I didn’t really understand what it’s connected with. I thought I was just overtraining. But everything became clear the day I stopped smelling. Food tasted last. The temperature was stable – around 37. But the most unpleasant thing was that my back and knees hurt so much that I did not sleep for about four nights. I canceled all work for two weeks, completely isolated myself, did not go anywhere, did not contact anyone. I did not go to doctors, since I myself have a medical education and there are many specialists around me. She did not take antibiotics, only vitamins C and D and drank four liters of water a day. 

There were no complications, so I let my immunity cope with the virus. But I don’t recommend that anyone do that. In any case, you should definitely see a doctor. I started smelling again after two weeks, and the taste of food began to appear a little later. After that, I gradually began to return to life, since the weakness was wild, but it quickly passed away. And I checked, now I have antibodies.

Vladimir, 59 years

I got sick with my wife in the first wave. Where and how I got infected – I have no idea. I got sick first. One late evening, the temperature rose sharply to 38 degrees, a doctor came, took PCR, a few days later came a positive test for covid. We strictly observed self-isolation and all quarantine measures. They did not leave the house unnecessarily – only to the store, and then strictly wearing masks and gloves, they thoroughly washed their hands. Several times we went to the dacha for the weekend, but in a private car. Nothing else. I was ill at home, but quite badly. There is nothing to compare with, the disease is serious, exhausting the body.

Everything lasted about three weeks. Feels like it flew into space and came back.

Then two negative tests to confirm recovery, and it was possible to return to a more or less normal life. But it was hard to recover, for a long time there was a feeling of weakness. Therefore, my wife and I made a decision to leave for the summer cottage until September, where in the fresh air the body coped better with the consequences. Now I already feel well enough. I follow the precautions almost as strictly as in the spring. Although, of course, I want to believe that there are enough antibodies in the blood, and the disease will not recur.

Ilya, 38 years old

The whole family has been ill: daughter, wife and me. They got infected at the end of May, when it seemed that the epidemic was gradually disappearing, and the good weather and the sun called to walk and enjoy life. They began to behave frivolously: often leaving the house without masks, not keeping a distance, in general, behaving as if there was no longer any covid. But he was and quickly reminded of himself. My daughter’s illness was almost asymptomatic – there was only a slight sore throat. If not for the test, we would never have thought that she was sick with something. The wife spent several days with a temperature of 37,5 and a slight cough, generally coping with the coronavirus without any problems and consequences. And I fully felt all the insidiousness of this infection. Violent cough, pneumonia, hospitalization, long recovery. It was hard: days and weeks of illness, without much improvement, exhaust physically and put a lot of pressure on the psyche. After this, I am ready myself and I advise everyone to obediently follow any instructions: a mask, gloves, even a spacesuit, if this helps not to get sick.

From the “pluses” – during the illness and recovery, he lost more than 10 kilograms.

But I don’t want anyone to try this way of dealing with excess weight: sports and healthy eating are definitely more enjoyable.

Oksana, 26 years old

We were ill in the spring, during the first quarantine, together with my boyfriend. I’m 99% sure that I got infected in a hypermarket near the metro, since neither I nor he went anywhere else. Only in this store for groceries. And there are always crowds! And, by the way, I was wearing a mask and gloves, but it didn’t help. Initially, I did not understand at all that it was covid, since there were symptoms of pharyngitis, severe, persistent and atypical sore throat for me. One day the temperature was 38, the rest of the time was about 37,2. There was no cough at all. But my young man completely lost his sense of smell and taste, a severe cough and a headache appeared. He usually never coughs. The temperature was kept low, 37-37,5. We sat at home for a long time in self-isolation. And when they recovered, they passed a blood test, and he confirmed the presence of antibodies. We both recovered quickly enough, CT scan showed that everything is in order with the lungs, but I felt a number of changes in the body, which I associate with the transferred covid. For example, my allergy sharply worsened.

Zinaida Alekseevna, 80 years old

My husband and I were ill. We still don’t understand how we got infected. We have our own estate. We hardly left the house. But there are two options: the first – the husband went to the store for groceries (bandage, gloves – he followed all the precautions).

The virus could be on the products or on the husband’s clothes, and the second version of the infection is contact with neighbors.

But none of the neighbors showed the coronavirus. It may have been asymptomatic. As a result, I got sick in a mild form. Nothing hurt. At first I had a slight temperature 37. But, at the insistence of the children, I went to see a doctor and I was hospitalized. In general, in the hospital I was in a normal state, only I was very weak. After discharge, the weakness persisted for another three months. Only now I stopped feeling it. I don’t drink extra vitamins, I live a normal life.

Anatoly Ivanovich, 79 years old

I live alone in my house. Children rarely come, and we only began to call each other during quarantine. I myself go to the store, I stopped communicating with my neighbors, because I followed all the instructions for self-isolation and personal security measures.

I suspect that I got infected in the store.

The temperature did not rise immediately. The first two days was low, and then until 38 and did not get confused by the usual means and medicines. My children live in Moscow, they got worried, they called me an ambulance, and I was admitted to the hospital. They did a computed tomography of the lungs, it turned out that the lung damage was already 40 percent. In the hospital, the temperature continued to hold. There was severe shortness of breath. They kept me on oxygen all the time. As a result, he spent a month in the ward. But the doctors say that I recovered quickly, given my age. However, after being discharged, I remained short of breath, so I continued to use the oxygen bag for home treatment. I still have weakness, the doctors warned me that it could last up to 5 months. Despite the restrictions, the children came to me and still take turns “on duty”, live with me. They say that they were very scared when they took me to the hospital.

Elena, 27 years old

I got sick when the quarantine was canceled. For the first few weeks, there were so many people on the street and on public transport that perhaps I got infected there. 

In general, I tried to wear a mask, but sometimes I did without it and without gloves, which is probably why I got infected.

There is no reliable information that I had contact with the sick for sure. At that time, no one of my acquaintances was sick, if only without obvious symptoms. Since I am allergic, I did not immediately notice the “cold symptoms”. Mom made me take the test, but when I felt better. I passed the test in a regular clinic, free of charge. It was then that I found out that I had been ill. I hope that I have not infected anyone during my sick wakefulness. I have no quantitative indicators, but I feel that after the illness I have less energy, I started to get tired faster and I want to sleep more. Or maybe I just want to go on vacation?

Yuri, 32 years old

I was ill in the middle of summer, at the moment I do not feel any side effects of the disease. Although it seems to me that I do not feel smells and tastes as keenly as before. I’m pretty sure I got the infection in the office. We have an open type and about 80 employees work there. Several other people fell ill with me over the course of several days. I wear a mask on public transport, but not in the office. Although it is still impossible to exclude the option with a metro or a train. The temperature lasted about 38 degrees for three days, there was no taste and smell for about 2 weeks. There were also strange phenomena like “stars in the eyes” when, for example, one had to run after a small child in the house. Later I read that the coronavirus can aggravate old sores, and I had problems with the retina.

Irina, 40 years old

Medical director of the Nearmedic network of clinics

“It is best to take an antibody test 21-30 days after the first symptoms of the disease. An anti-RBD antibody test will show whether or not you have protective immunity against coronavirus. If these antibodies are enough, then you can live – even if you get sick, then in a mild form. When vaccine trials are completed and mass vaccination begins, then in order to understand whether you need it, it is advisable to retake the antibody test. There is a possibility that by that time your level will be insufficient, and vaccination will be shown to you, despite the fact that you have been ill earlier, ”explains Dr. Melnik.

Do not lose your vigilance and be healthy!