By Sharon Challenger
For many people, they are unsure of where they may have contracted Covid-19, and they also do not know if they may have spread it to others. In the beginning of the outbreak contact tracing was not in place. Even at this time, it is often difficult for the professionals to follow the patterns of contact people had before and during their illness.
As of January 29, 2021, six hundred and twenty people in Haddam and Killingworth have contracted Covid-19. In an effort to find out more about how it has impacted our loved ones, friends and neighbors, HK News reached out to see if anyone would be willing to share their experiences.
Each person was asked how they contracted Covid-19 and what their experience was like. They were also asked if they had any advice to share for others who may fall ill. All chose to remain anonymous.
1st Respondent (Higganum, female age 45-55)
When asked how she contracted the virus, she said that her sons contracted it first on a Monday. She promptly arranged to have a PCR and Rapid test done. Both tests came back negative. The following day, Tuesday, she developed a cough and a low-grade fever.
On Wednesday more symptoms appeared including sore throat, body aches, and headache. Another rapid test was performed which came back positive for Covid-19.
The following day, she lost her sense of taste and smell. All her symptoms progressed rapidly, the worst being extreme body aches. She was admitted into the hospital and received an infusion of manmade antibodies (bamlanivimab). https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-authorizes-monoclonal-antibody-treatment-covid-19. Upon completion of the infusion, she returned home. Her physician ordered the use of a steroid inhaler along with Albuterol.
Five days after the diagnosis, she continued to suffer severe body aches. She was unable to sleep due to the pain and 1000mg Tylenol provided little relief.
Upon advice from Doctors and Nurses, she continued to take 1000 mg Tylenol every 8 hours, and 400 mg. Motrin at 4-hour intervals. An Albuterol inhaler was used every 2 hours, along with a Steroid inhaler twice daily. Over the counter medicine included daily doses of Vitamin C, Vitamin D3, Zinc, Airborne, and Mucinex DM.
She was advised NOT to lay on her back and instead lay on her side or stomach when resting. To facilitate recovery from Covid-19, she stressed the importance of getting a lot of rest.
2nd Respondent (Haddam, male age 60-70)
When asked where he may have contracted the virus, he suspects it may have been from a co-worker. He self-quarantined immediately and does not believe he passed it along to anyone else.
Before falling ill, he followed the recommended precautions, wore a mask, and washed his hands frequently. However, he mentioned he often wiped sweat off his face after he removed his mask. As a result of the illness, he is more vigilant about hand washing.
His first symptom was a cough which he thought was simply a cold. The cough, however, was followed by a headache which appeared after a family gathering. When he took his temperature and learned it was 100.3, he self-isolated from others. There was a three day wait list at CVS for Covid testing, so his doctor referred him to Middlesex Urgent Care in Old Saybrook. They administered a PCR test, and the results were positive for Covid-19.
His symptoms progressed rapidly, and the dry cough continued to worsen. In addition, he suffered from body aches and fevers which would come and go. His temperatures ranged from 99.7 to 101.3 and would return to normal only to jump back up again. Breathing was difficult and inhalation felt like being squeezed. Feelings of exhaustion forced him to rest in a recliner for two weeks. Getting up and about was difficult and breathlessness occurred with the slightest exertion. He was advised by his physician to monitor breathing difficulties and if the condition worsened to report it immediately.
He did not get admitted into a hospital and received no specific treatment. To ease symptoms, he relied on Tussin DM, Ibuprofen PM and lots of rest.
Symptoms that continued to linger include cough, body aches, tiredness, and shortness of breath even with mild exertion.
When asked what advice he would give others who fall ill, he emphasized, “Wear your mask” and “Wash your hands!” In addition, “stay hydrated and get plenty of rest.”
3rd Respondent (former Haddam resident age 73)
The details of his experience with Covid-19 were provided by his daughter. This gentleman had been living in a CT nursing home for five years before he fell ill in May 2020. The facility had been in lockdown for two months, but it is questionable as to how careful they were being. He reported to his daughter that not all the staff wore masks during the quarantine.
There wasn’t a phone in his room and in order for him to call his family, he had to use a phone in a hallway which put him at risk of being in close contact with whoever was passing by.
When the first case of Covid appeared in the facility, the family was notified. Within a couple days, the number jumped from one to seven. Within a week there were over fifty cases.
She said the weekend her father contracted Covid, the staff assured her that he was fine. They reported that he did not have a fever but was on oxygen to help ease his breathing. An automated phone system was used to update families on their loved one’s conditions.
The reports led the family to believe he was alright that, “he was stable.” Then on a Monday her mother received a call from a nurse insisting she needed to come see her husband that day.
When mother and daughter arrived at the nursing home, they had to put on all the protective equipment before going in to visit. His daughter said her father was aware they were there, in spite of going in and out of consciousness. Her mother tenderly cared for her husband by combing his hair and washing his face. She then trimmed his mustache and beard which had been neglected for two months.
Preparing to leave, her mother said goodbye and promised to return the following day. She then left to go speak with the nurses. While out of the room his daughter told her father that she loved him and that “if he was ready to go, he did not need to worry about mom,” that she would take care of her.
Her father passed away before they got back home, less than one week after contracting the virus.
4th Respondent (Higganum male, age 65-75)
In spite of taking precautions, i.e., wearing a mask and good hygiene practices, he contracted Covid-19. His symptoms included shortness of breath, low oxygen levels, body aches, cough, congestion, low pulse, extreme fatigue, and blurry vision. The symptoms progressed rapidly and as a result a family member called an ambulance. He was admitted into a hospital where he remained for six days. While there he received oxygen treatments and Remdesivir. Doctors monitored his liver and kidney function after each injection of Remdesivir.
Weeks after returning home, he had to be readmitted into the hospital. Tests revealed that he has lesions on his pancreas and is suffering with Pancreatitis. It is not certain, but doctors think it might be a complication of Covid-19.
5th Respondent (Haddam female, age 70-75)
It remains a mystery as to where this resident contracted the virus. She explained, “I had been taking all of the recommended safety precautions – masks, safe distance from others, hand washing, limited ventures from the house. I did go to the grocery store and the gas station utilizing all of the above precautions.”
Her initial symptoms, a sore throat, minor headache, and lethargy, led her to believe she was suffering with a cold. Both she and her husband were tested at her physician’s office parking lot. Her test came back positive, his negative.
Her symptoms progressed moderately, and included, reduced appetite, total exhaustion, difficulty breathing , loss of taste, and a mild rash on her face. Her most severe symptom was the exhaustion.
She was not admitted to the hospital because her oxygen levels were within the low normal range. Her insurance company provided her with an oximeter which she used and recorded oxygen levels several times a day. A nurse called daily for 2 weeks to check on her progress. She remained in quarantine for 2 ½ weeks.
She explained, “To date I am fine with no lingering symptoms. It did take about 6 weeks to regain normal strength.”
Her advice to others who are ill, “It is important to rest and not try to push yourself to do too much.” She added, “Although I had a pretty full pantry a friend dropped off a daily paper, soup, bread, and special drinks. This kindness was essential to my recovery.”
6th Respondent (Higganum female, age 65-70)
Like the others, she suffered with fluctuating fevers, cough, sore throat, body aches and extreme fatigue. Her symptoms lasted for around ten days. While she never lost their sense of taste or smell, she had no appetite and as a result lost ten pounds. The fevers lasted for seven days and “could be 102 degrees at 3:00 a.m. and 99 degrees at 5:00 a.m.”
Since recovering from Covid-19, she has noticed that she ability to walk several miles a day has been impacted. Prior to Covid-19, exercise never troubled her, but now she feels pain in her toes when walking.
In addition, she has suffered from copious amounts of hair loss, and break-through post-menopausal menstrual bleeding. She is trying to schedule an appointment with her physician for a check-up to find out if her symptoms are Covid related.
She remarked, “It was a scary experience overall but so glad that it’s over. Lingering questions are can we get it again? Are we immune and for how long? If we got it again would it be worse or easier to get through?”
For those who have suffered with and survived Covid-19, many questions remain unanswered. Even the experts do not know if those affected will have lingering side effects in the future. It will take time, patience, and a lot of research, to unravel the mysteries of Covid-19.
7th Respondent (Killingworth female, age 50-60)
Unlike many people who contracted Covid-19, this individual did not have the typical symptoms, of fever, cough, and body aches in the beginning. One of her co-workers fell ill on Wednesday, March 11, 2020 developed a fever and body aches and was sent home. On Saturday, March 14, she developed a headache, chills, and body aches, but she did not have a fever or a cough. She thought the aches might have been the result of working outdoors, and the headache, perhaps allergies. A slight tickle in her throat caused her to lightly cough, but it was not that bothersome. However, over the next few days her headaches worsened. She explained, “my head felt like it was going to explode with pressure.”
On Tuesday March 17, she received notice that her co-worker had tested positive for Covid-19. Initially she hesitated about going for testing because she was already following her doctor’s orders to self-quarantine. However as more of her co-workers began to fall ill, she decided to have her physician arrange for her to get tested.
The following day she traveled to New London to receive the test. Coincidentally, she developed two of the typical symptoms, loss of smell and taste, the same day.
She received the results of her test on Friday March 20: positive for Covid-19. She reflected, “It was a terrible frightening feeling not knowing what the future was going to mean and to hear my family all together having dinner, watching TV together, and joking while I was isolated in another part of the house.” In addition, she learned that her coworker had to be hospitalized due to respiratory distress. The news was overwhelming.
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While not much in life is certain, one thing is certain, Covid-19 is one of the most mysterious viruses we have ever been faced with. A friend of mine is a physician who has published several articles in journals about the Coronaviruses. She told me that while researching Covid-19, she felt like she was “getting whiplash.” Experts in the CDC, WHO, and NIH were issuing statements only to retract them hours later.
It may take many years before we know all the facts about this virus, and time is not on our side. We still have outstanding questions about the 1918 pandemic, so it seems we may have a long wait before we thoroughly understand Covid-19.
More information regarding Covid-19 and the lingering effects can be found below:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-26/brain-deficits-nerve-pain-as-covid-torments-infected-for-months
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-long-term-effects/art-20490351
