She shared this on her FB yesterday ... I shared it on my FB very early this morning and I've had numerous "FB Friends" either "re-share" it or thank me for sharing at. This is a first person account. It had nothing to do with Gonzaga Basketball ... other than for awhile (while this is up) I know some members of my/our Gonzaga family will see it. BTW my friend lives in Bozeman, MT and is in her late 40's. God Bless .... GZ
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My fast and furious personal journey with COVID-19.
As more of my friends and co-workers are hearing about my sickness, some have asked if I would share information on my health and the days leading up to and during my sickness. I’ve tried to reply to everyone, but I’m texting the same information over and over so here it is, all-in-one.
Firstly, I would like to start by saying we have not traveled. We made the decision to cancel our Spring Break plans the week prior. Secondly, I do not know who I was infected by. I’ve spent a lot of time on the phone with the Health Dept trying to figure this out. My number one priority has always been making sure others in my family, work and school community are safe. I've slept with my thermometer and calendar for almost two weeks. It has taken a long time but I’m currently at peace with not knowing the answer. Lastly, this is a serious and often unpredictable illness. I have always believed that knowledge is your greatest power, this is why I pushed so hard on my own testing.
March 14 and 15th - Took our little corgi to the dog park and watched the news.
3/16 Monday - Went for our normal afternoon dog walk. When I got back to the car I remember thinking I had a small tingle in my throat, it was not a big deal. I also noticed one small stream of water dripping from my nose. Again, no big deal because I was coming from the cold. The rest of the day was normal.
3/17 Tuesday - Things were normal until that evening. I fell asleep on the couch around 8:30pm (which is unusual for me) I woke up around 10pm to body aches and chills.
3/18 Wednesday (DAY 1 FEVER) - I woke up to chills, all-over-body-aches, pain in my neck and ears, a small dry cough that got worse throughout the day and now the most important symptom was a fever (101.6). I stayed in bed all day until I decided to call my doctor. I was actually transferred to the COVID-19 hotline. They told me to go to Urgent Care on Main or the hospital if I wanted to be checked out. I decided to go to Urgent Care that evening, I assumed it would be slower, it was. I was asked to wait in the back room with a mask. The doctor gave me a quick check-over and said he can’t test me for a Coronavirus because I didn’t meet the current testing guidelines, I had not traveled or had been exposed to someone with the Coronavirus.
The doctor put me on Tamiflu without testing me for anything. The clinic no longer did influenza testing on-sight and he wanted to get me started on something without having to wait for 12 hours to get the results back from the lab. I consented to the treatment. We picked up my prescription on the way home.
3/19 Thursday (DAY 2 HIGH FEVER) I was getting worse and had every COVID-19 symptom listed. After consulting with close friends I decided that I needed to go back to U.C. and insist they test me for strep and both Influenza strains. I was not only worried for my health but for the health of the school community that I work at. The new doctor listened to my concerns and decided to run a complete Respiratory Profile. If the RP test came back negative then she promised that she would send my sample to the Health Dept for a COVID-19 testing.
.
3/20 Friday (DAY 3 HIGH FEVER) Respiratory Profile came back negative so my test was already being forwarded to the Health Dept. I continued to feel worse.
3/21 Saturday (DAY 4 HIGH FEVER) Continued to feel worse, cough was worse, joint pain in my hands, body aches and headache. Mid-morning I received a call from the Health Department. I had indeed tested positive for COVID-19. This was really happening to me and #### was getting real, very fast.
3/22 Sunday (DAY 5 HIGH FEVER) Woke up to burning and slight tightness in my chest. Spoke to the hospital nurse and they instructed me to come in and get checked. My husband dropped me off at the hospital entrance and a nurse took me in the side door. I was admitted to the ICU for low blood pressure and later low oxygen levels. They started me with IV fluids as soon as I arrived. I was the hospital’s first confirmed positive case patient, to be admitted to Bozeman Deaconess.
3/23 Monday (DAY 6 HIGH FEVER) Being in the ICU was comforting, lonely and scary all at the same time. I was allowed to come home after my oxygen levels returned to normal and was breathing without additional oxygen. The hospital staff was professional and kind but it was so nice to be home.
3/24 Tuesdays (DAY 7 HIGH FEVER) I started web appointments with my family doctor. I was still experiencing burning in my lungs so my doctor prescribed a Z Pak (antibiotic) for possible pneumonia.
3/25 Wednesday (DAY 8 HIGH FEVER) All symptoms continued in addition to sweating. I was changing clothes at least twice a day.
3/26 Thursday (DAY 9 FEVER) All symptoms continued.Mentally feeling defeated.
3/27 Friday (DAY 10 FEVER) I credit my doctor for starting me on antibiotics when he did. I noticed that the burning in my chest was improving.
3/28 Saturday (DAY 11 FEVER) Some symptoms seem to lessen, and I stayed out of bed all day. The coughing, exhaustion and sweating continues.
3/29 Sunday (DAY 12) Woke-up fever free for the first time in two weeks.. Symptoms continue to lessen. Only low grade fever throughout the evening.
3/30 & 3/31 (DAY 13 & 14) It’s been another fever-free morning and afternoon. I have not taken a fever reducer for about 48 hours, letting my body burn off anything left on its own. I walked around our block today which felt good. I still need time to fully recover but know this battle is on my side now. My husband and kids are now all symptom free and doing very well. Feel free to send me a DM if you need to chat.
Sending love to you and your family ~ Mikel
------
My fast and furious personal journey with COVID-19.
As more of my friends and co-workers are hearing about my sickness, some have asked if I would share information on my health and the days leading up to and during my sickness. I’ve tried to reply to everyone, but I’m texting the same information over and over so here it is, all-in-one.
Firstly, I would like to start by saying we have not traveled. We made the decision to cancel our Spring Break plans the week prior. Secondly, I do not know who I was infected by. I’ve spent a lot of time on the phone with the Health Dept trying to figure this out. My number one priority has always been making sure others in my family, work and school community are safe. I've slept with my thermometer and calendar for almost two weeks. It has taken a long time but I’m currently at peace with not knowing the answer. Lastly, this is a serious and often unpredictable illness. I have always believed that knowledge is your greatest power, this is why I pushed so hard on my own testing.
March 14 and 15th - Took our little corgi to the dog park and watched the news.
3/16 Monday - Went for our normal afternoon dog walk. When I got back to the car I remember thinking I had a small tingle in my throat, it was not a big deal. I also noticed one small stream of water dripping from my nose. Again, no big deal because I was coming from the cold. The rest of the day was normal.
3/17 Tuesday - Things were normal until that evening. I fell asleep on the couch around 8:30pm (which is unusual for me) I woke up around 10pm to body aches and chills.
3/18 Wednesday (DAY 1 FEVER) - I woke up to chills, all-over-body-aches, pain in my neck and ears, a small dry cough that got worse throughout the day and now the most important symptom was a fever (101.6). I stayed in bed all day until I decided to call my doctor. I was actually transferred to the COVID-19 hotline. They told me to go to Urgent Care on Main or the hospital if I wanted to be checked out. I decided to go to Urgent Care that evening, I assumed it would be slower, it was. I was asked to wait in the back room with a mask. The doctor gave me a quick check-over and said he can’t test me for a Coronavirus because I didn’t meet the current testing guidelines, I had not traveled or had been exposed to someone with the Coronavirus.
The doctor put me on Tamiflu without testing me for anything. The clinic no longer did influenza testing on-sight and he wanted to get me started on something without having to wait for 12 hours to get the results back from the lab. I consented to the treatment. We picked up my prescription on the way home.
3/19 Thursday (DAY 2 HIGH FEVER) I was getting worse and had every COVID-19 symptom listed. After consulting with close friends I decided that I needed to go back to U.C. and insist they test me for strep and both Influenza strains. I was not only worried for my health but for the health of the school community that I work at. The new doctor listened to my concerns and decided to run a complete Respiratory Profile. If the RP test came back negative then she promised that she would send my sample to the Health Dept for a COVID-19 testing.
.
3/20 Friday (DAY 3 HIGH FEVER) Respiratory Profile came back negative so my test was already being forwarded to the Health Dept. I continued to feel worse.
3/21 Saturday (DAY 4 HIGH FEVER) Continued to feel worse, cough was worse, joint pain in my hands, body aches and headache. Mid-morning I received a call from the Health Department. I had indeed tested positive for COVID-19. This was really happening to me and #### was getting real, very fast.
3/22 Sunday (DAY 5 HIGH FEVER) Woke up to burning and slight tightness in my chest. Spoke to the hospital nurse and they instructed me to come in and get checked. My husband dropped me off at the hospital entrance and a nurse took me in the side door. I was admitted to the ICU for low blood pressure and later low oxygen levels. They started me with IV fluids as soon as I arrived. I was the hospital’s first confirmed positive case patient, to be admitted to Bozeman Deaconess.
3/23 Monday (DAY 6 HIGH FEVER) Being in the ICU was comforting, lonely and scary all at the same time. I was allowed to come home after my oxygen levels returned to normal and was breathing without additional oxygen. The hospital staff was professional and kind but it was so nice to be home.
3/24 Tuesdays (DAY 7 HIGH FEVER) I started web appointments with my family doctor. I was still experiencing burning in my lungs so my doctor prescribed a Z Pak (antibiotic) for possible pneumonia.
3/25 Wednesday (DAY 8 HIGH FEVER) All symptoms continued in addition to sweating. I was changing clothes at least twice a day.
3/26 Thursday (DAY 9 FEVER) All symptoms continued.Mentally feeling defeated.
3/27 Friday (DAY 10 FEVER) I credit my doctor for starting me on antibiotics when he did. I noticed that the burning in my chest was improving.
3/28 Saturday (DAY 11 FEVER) Some symptoms seem to lessen, and I stayed out of bed all day. The coughing, exhaustion and sweating continues.
3/29 Sunday (DAY 12) Woke-up fever free for the first time in two weeks.. Symptoms continue to lessen. Only low grade fever throughout the evening.
3/30 & 3/31 (DAY 13 & 14) It’s been another fever-free morning and afternoon. I have not taken a fever reducer for about 48 hours, letting my body burn off anything left on its own. I walked around our block today which felt good. I still need time to fully recover but know this battle is on my side now. My husband and kids are now all symptom free and doing very well. Feel free to send me a DM if you need to chat.
Sending love to you and your family ~ Mikel
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