Maggie AstorCompte certifié

The cough, headache, and nausea improved slooowly over the next few days. I’ve been basically okay since this Saturday, April 4, just still really tired and can’t smell. Food tastes like nothing. I avoid scales, but I can tell I’ve lost weight. 13/x

I also want to talk about the mental side of this. Frankly, much of the past two weeks is a blur of anxiety. Fun fact: Panic attacks make you feel like you can’t breathe. This is bad when you’ve been told to stay home “unless you have trouble breathing.” 14/x

Compared to many other people, we were so lucky. We had the “mild” version, paid sick time, supportive friends and family and colleagues. Yet it was still one of the most profoundly isolating experiences of my life. 15/x

At one point, I told my therapist I’d gotten many check-in emails prefaced with some form of “sorry to bother you.” I said, “But they’re not bothering me — they’re reminding me that things still exist outside this apartment,” and started crying so hard I couldn’t speak. 16/x

I am really grateful to people like @elizashapiro who went through this earlier, shared advice, and promised me the illness wouldn’t last forever when it truly felt like it would. I’m sharing my experience now to try to pay it forward. 17/x

This community, sadly, is only going to get larger. So I’m happy to answer any questions anybody has, and to talk to anyone who’s going through similar. Please don’t hesitate. 18/end

God this sounds awful. I'm glad you're recovering. Thanks for sharing your story. What kinds of supplies do you think ppl should have on hand to help cope and deal with symptoms? Fever reducers, of course. But anything you felt really helped, or that you really wanted?

More fever reducers than you think you need. You'll run through Tylenol really fast, especially if multiple people in your household are sick. Cough medicine. OTC dextromethorphan helps somewhat, but it's very possible you'll need something Rx. For us it was benzonatate. 1/2