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My husband works as a doctor for the United Kingdom National Health Service (NHS) and I work in the media industry. One day, my husband started having a little bit of headache, and a bit of temperature. We didn't think it's anything to worry about.
He took time off from work and was resting. It went on for about two days, and then he started suffering from severe fatigue. He felt like he had no energy.
Around this time, I started developing a high temperature as well, but I was fine and my energy levels were fine. Soon, I started getting severe fatigue and it was actually quite concerning for us. So, we decided to get tested. Both of us were positive for the novel coronavirus.
Mild Symptoms at First
I was able to do all household chores, and continued working from home. I felt this is it for me and that I was recovering; to my mind, these were all the symptoms that I would face.
Then one night, out of the blue, I woke up around 3 am with a severe backache. Within a span of one hour, my body temperature rose from 37°C to 40°C (103 degrees fahrenheit).
Thankfully, because my husband is a doctor, he continued to do the necessary assessment. He was checking my pulse rate, and was making sure that my chest is clear. He was still rather concerned.
My symptoms included high temperature and severe body aches. I started coughing as well, and I had a blocked nose, which is why I was struggling to breathe but I wouldn't say I had any severe breathing issues.
The sudden increase in symptoms made me worry for myself as well.
NHS Helpline Number '111' Guided Us
Within a few hours, we received a call from our local doctor, who arranged for antibiotics in our local pharmacy to be collected. This was essentially the electronic prescription that we received and got a friend to pick up the antibiotics.
Thankfully, after one dose of paracetamol, my temperature subsided.
I was cold, I had a blocked nose, I was coughing – all of my symptoms remained the same apart from my temperature, which was under control now, a relief for both me and my husband.
We had the antibiotics delivered a few hours later that day but, by that time, I felt a lot better. I could drink water, I had some orange juice and that's when we decided that
there is no real need for me to take the antibiotics. But, I was still taking paracetamol every six hours.
Monitor Symptoms & Don’t Panic
One very important thing I'd like to mention is that throughout this symptomatic phase, we made sure that we strictly self-quarantined. We did not step out
of our house for three weeks.
This is the main takeaway from our experience. I would want to request everyone to make sure they stay safe and stay indoors because this is the only solution I see at this time. Staying indoors is possibly the best thing we all can do for ourselves and those around us.
And if you do contract the novel coronavirus, it's important that you do not panic and understand your symptoms. If you do start to show symptoms, it's very important that you do not immediately go to the hospital. First, make a call to the doctors, to the hospitals and make sure that they come to you because you do not want to pass this deadly virus to other people around you. So, stay safe and stay home.
(Disclaimer: As per WHO guidelines, the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is a virus and, therefore, antibiotics should not be used as a means of prevention or treatment. However, if you are under treatment for the novel coronavirus, you may receive antibiotics because bacterial co-infections are possible.)
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