I'd like to share my experiences of the last couple weeks with the virus. I had the virus myself and also had the direct experience of going through it with Karine my partner who had quite a different experience from me.
I know many people might be experiencing fears and anxiety about the virus itself (in addition to other things) so I took this opportunity to share and to bring more clarity to what one might go through with the virus. I'm writing about what we went through as 2 healthy people with generally good immune systems so please take this into account. Friday March 13- Karine and I spent the day in nature, walking in the snow, not coming in contact with anyone. On the way home Karine started to feel cold and a bit weak. Saturday to Sunday Day #1-2 for Karine
During the night Karine had felt her digestive system not so good and felt bloating and stomach pains. Karine woke up in the morning with pain in her whole body, headache, fever and feeling very weak. this lasted for around 2 days in which she rested and stayed in bed. Monday to Thursday Day #3-6
Karine's fever mostly went away. She started to cough and to have difficulties to breath. Mostly she felt better other than her breathing and coughing. On Wednesday she got her test back and the result for Covid-19 was positive. Friday to Tuesday March 20-24th Day #7-11 Karine continued to cough and had increased difficulty in breathing. In addition she started experiencing panic/anxiety attacks in which she didn't have enough air, she also felt dizziness and nausea during these days. Wednesday March 25th- Day#12
After deciding to call the emergency number in France, Karine spoke to a doctor who recommended to go see a local doctor. The Doctor in town made sure that there is no infection or pneumonia in Karine's lungs and that she has enough oxygen in her blood. The doctor told her that she's physically fine and not in danger. She continued to say that the symptoms should pass within the next few days and that Karine has to be patient. Going to the doctor brought a peace of mind knowing that there is nothing physically wrong which helped the feelings to shift from this point on. Thursday to Monday the 30th Day #13-17 The panic attacks became less strong and the breathing got a bit better. The coughing continued but it felt like the worst was behind us and the feeling is better and better every day. Eran's experience: Tuesday to Wednesday March 17th-18th- 3 days after Karine's symptoms had started I got a fever which lasted for 2 days. I also experienced some weakness and just a feeling of being sick. After the fever passed I didn't have any coughing or difficulty to breath. The days after I felt mostly healthy physically but very tired emotionally from the long days of recovery and supporting Karine. I was feeling a bit helpless in my ability to help and not knowing when the situation will come to an end. Every time something got better there was a setback soon after and it became very tiring and hard. What were we doing to get better? We were both taking large doses of Vitamin C (over 10 grams) every day in powder form. We were also taking Vitamin D (around 10,000 iu every day). Karine was taking Bach flower remedies and some homeopathic remedies. On day #9 Karine started taking a medication called Hydroxychloroquine to help reduce any possible inflammation in the lungs. Nutrition: We were eating mostly vegetarian with large amounts of vegetables including vegetable juices every day. We avoided any dairy and ate smaller meals with close to no sugar and no processed food. My insights... As you might notice, my experience (2 days of fever) and Karine's experience were very different. Since she is very sensitive, she experienced many more of the symptoms and challenges regarding this virus. I also noticed that our emotional well being had a great effect on the physical symptoms and I have no doubt that Karine's respiratory issues are connected with her fears and anxiety. The fear of dying that she had experienced during the first few days is directly linked with the lungs and the breath which is the foundation of our life.
During the first few days we were also doing some emotional healing work regarding past experiences and Karine recalled old memories of times when she was afraid to die. She looks at her experience with this virus as an opportunity to heal and clean those past experiences of almost dying and being afraid to die that emerged through this experience.
Until today we are still asking what more is there for us to learn from the virus and from our experience and I'll be writing more about that next time...
My recommendation to healthy people is to try and reduce your anxiety and fears in any way possible. For me the symptoms of Covid-19 are not so different from what I know about the flu or similar viruses but the fear and anxiety surrounding this virus can make the experience much worse. It's known that stress and anxiety have a deep effect on our immune system and the ability of our body to heal and sometimes taking care of your emotional health can be more effective than any medication or supplement.
If you do have the virus, try to allow your body to go through it with a lot of patience and compassion. The greatest difficulty came during the days in which we thought it was over and the symptoms continued which brought a feeling of helplessness and despair in addition to the physical difficulties. I would recommend to ask for help and support from anyone who would be able to help you, asking for medical support or for emotional support if you feel you need it. I hope this can be helpful and I would be happy to answer any more questions you might have about what we experienced.
Feel free to share this with anyone you know who is fearful or anxious as it can be very calming to read about a real experience and not just the numbers you read about on the media. We continue to pray for any of those who are still sick or who have passed on and sending our prayers to all their loved ones. We also continue to pray for all the healthcare workers and those supporting those are sick during these days.
