Unique Symptoms When Infected With COVID-19
Experience of being isolated at home and in hospital
Fever, coughing, flu, fatigue are common symptoms that Covid-19 sufferers usually feel. When infected with COVID-19 in May 2021, I felt other unique symptoms that may be rarely felt by other sufferers:
• blurred vision
• could smell but mixed with other odors such as musty smell
• drinks tasted extremely sweet that they are unbearable
• foods tasted bitter and salty
I finally caught Covid-19 too! Even though I always wear a mask when I leave the house. Even though I always keep social distance. Even though I often wash my hands. Even though I always avoid the crowd. Even though …
Why was I still infected too? Naturally, I would like to know, from the total patients infected with COVID-19 in Indonesia, for example, from January to April 2021, what percentage of patients that:
• always adheres to health protocols
• sometimes adheres to health protocols
• does not comply with health protocols at all.
I couldn’t find the data on the internet. Has no one researched it yet? Is it considered unimportant? There are data on the total number of infected patients, the total recovered patients, the total number of patients who died, both daily and during the pandemic, from the national, provincial, to district/city levels.
I don’t know exactly when I was actually infected COVID-19. At the end of April 2021, I had the flu. I considered it was normal. I had no strange symptoms. I still tasted the delicious food and slept well. Suddenly on Tuesday, May 11, 2021 — for reference, think of it as the first day — I had a fever and felt very tired. I began to suspect. That night I had an antigen test, the result was positive. Even though I was ready, whatever the outcome, I was surprised too. My wife, two sons, and one daughter underwent the same test, and the results were negative. That night I immediately isolated myself.
Day 2, Wednesday, May 12, 2021. My wife and daughter had a fever. Most likely got it from me. We agreed to inform this in WhatsApp groups and stated that we did not accept guests this year's Eid.
Day 3, Thursday, May 13, 2021, Eid. That night we went to the ER at the Provincial Hospital to undergo a PCR test. All three of us — my wife, my daughter, and I — had X-rays and blood samples taken. But, unfortunately, maybe because it was still the atmosphere of Eid, the PCR test service didn’t exist yet.
Day 4, Friday, May 14, 2021. X-ray results were:
• my wife and I: there were infiltrates in the left and right lungs.
• my daughter: there were infiltrates in the right lung.
The infiltrates are an abnormal radiological picture of the lung in dots or spots with indistinct boundaries. In this case, the infiltrate indicates pneumonia, which is inflammation of the lungs caused by COVID-19 infection. Common symptoms of pneumonia are coughing up phlegm, fever, and shortness of breath. Luckily we weren’t breathless. Symptoms we experienced:
• me: flu, cough, itchy throat, fever
• wife: cough, itchy throat, fever
• daughter: only fever.
Even though we hadn’t had a PCR test yet, looking at the X-ray results, I was almost certain that all three of us are infected with COVID-19.
Day 5, Saturday, May 15, 2021, at 10:00 AM. We went to the Provincial Hospital. A sample of mucus is taken from the nose and throat for PCR testing. We got the results at night. We were positive for COVID-19!
The three of us had symptoms in common: fever, fatigue, and no appetite. High fever, 38–39°C, causing sleep accompanied by nightmares. My wife and I had a cough accompanied by an itchy throat. There were other symptoms. I was the only one who felt it, namely:
• flu and headache,
• could smell but mixed with other odors such as musty smell
• all food tasted bitter and salty
• sweet drinks tasted so sweet that they are unbearable
• blurry vision.
What to watch out for is hypoxemia and hypoxia. They both describe emergencies due to a lack of oxygen in the body, so they are often misunderstood as the same term. Hypoxemia is a condition where the oxygen level in the blood is below normal. At the same time, hypoxia is a low level of oxygen in the body’s tissues which is an advanced condition of hypoxemia. Thus, both are events that cannot be separated from each other. Hypoxemia and hypoxia cause various symptoms, such as shortness of breath, chest pain, cold sweats, coughing, confusion, and blue skin.
There are hypoxia sufferers who appear healthy and do not have any symptoms. This state is called happy hypoxia. According to a lung specialist from Persahabatan Hospital in Jakarta, Erlina Burhan, happy hypoxia occurs due to nerve damage that delivers tightness sensors to the brain. As a result, the brain cannot respond because it does not know that there has been a lack of oxygen in the blood. Normally, when there is a lack of oxygen, the brain will signal to the body to take in oxygen as much as possible by breathing rapidly, so it looks congested.
Happy hypoxia is very dangerous! The person concerned does not realize that the oxygen level in his blood drops below normal, which can cause organ damage, even death.
Day 11, Friday, May 21, 2021. For me, there was no progress after a week of self-isolation at home, shortness of breath, measurements using an oximeter showed oxygen levels in the blood decreased below normal. Considering that I also have hypertension, I asked to be hospitalized. Unfortunately, the provincial Hospital and General Hospital were full. If you wanted to join, three patients shared a room. Fortunately, there was a private hospital where one patient had recovered. Even without Wifi, I was very grateful to occupy a spacious room equivalent to a hotel room, complete with an en-suite bathroom with hot/cold water, AC, and TV.
I have never been hospitalized before. Quite surprised when the oxygen mask was installed. Oxygen masks are very refreshing, useful for increasing oxygen levels in the blood. I didn’t expect it to be infused too. This is very inconvenient and restricts movement, for example, taking a shower, defecating/urinating, brushing teeth, performing ablution, praying, etc. From noon until late afternoon, cough medicine, antiviral, and antibiotics were injected through an IV. Morning, afternoon, evening, eat and drink regularly, take medicine, check body temperature, blood pressure, and oxygen levels. Health gradually improved.
Day 14, Monday, May 24, 2021, started feeling healthier. Appetite increased, foods from the hospital four times a day — morning, afternoon, evening, night — were always eaten. In addition, the nurse took a sample of mucus in my throat and nose for a PCR test.
Day 16, Wednesday, May 26, 2021, I felt so healthy. High appetite, body temperature decreased to 36.3° C, and blood pressure reduced from 160/90 to 140/80. Using the oxygen mask, the oxygen level was 99, excellent. I wanted to go home but wasn’t allowed to because the PCR test result was still positive.
Day 18, Friday, May 28, 2021. A nurse replaced the oxygen mask with a lighter oxygen hose. Oxygen level 99, still good. The nurse took a mucus sample for the PCR test again. Unfortunately, it turned out that the hospital did not have a PCR lab, still waiting for the results from other places, which were so many samples that had to be tested. The good news was that my wife and daughter were self-isolating at home; the results of the PCR test were negative.
Day 19, Saturday, May 29, 2021. The infusion was revoked. It was fun because I could move more freely: take a shower, defecate/pee, brush my teeth, perform ablution, pray, etc.
Day 20, Sunday, May 30, 2021, at 8 PM, I got info that the result of my PCR test was negative. What a big relief! Ten days in the hospital were more than enough. Before going home, I was provided with nine kinds of medicine for one week, including cough and hypertension medicine, various vitamins, appetite enhancers, antibiotics. Then, for recovery, I was asked to continue self-isolation at home for fourteen days.
Days 21 to 27, a week at home, I felt very lethargic and tired, unsteady when standing or walking. During infection with COVID-19, I lost 5 kg in weight. High appetite, ate a lot three times a day, but the weight did not increase significantly.
Day 30, Wednesday, June 9, 2021, although it had reduced, I still felt lethargic and tired. Research results in several countries show that more than half of Covid-19 survivors experience fatigue for weeks or even months.
Health is a blessing that is often overlooked. We miss him when we’re sick. When we are healthy, we are not grateful for it. Forgive us, O God.
Thanks for reading. Hopefully beneficial.
