Covid Survivor Musings, 4 weeks after scary time

Four weeks today I staggered back into the house, a Covid Survivor. All things considered, without a caring, committed partner, the story ending might have been different.

Despite Boris Johnson’s show-case attack and his Covid survivor status, I’m improving. Although as recovery proceeds, the journey still has bumps along the way.

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” ~Confucius

A Covid Survivor breathes on

When you’ve had the full, high-fevered, wheezing, all percussive-coughing version, it’s hardly surprising you feel weak. Above all, a key learning point is that ragged breathing and wracking coughs are better than no breath at all. Furthermore, within four weeks, things will improve.

For quite a few years now I have done breathing exercises every day using two patterns. Forty minutes of breathing on a five(three)-seconds-in and five(seven)-seconds-out pattern. It’s no surprise then, that I believe this practice supported my early recovery.

Don’t push it

After four weeks at home, I am only now reaching a point where I believe I can resume full-breath work. It’s important to realise that forcing things makes you erupt in arrhythmical, painful, hard-hitting coughs.

My advice? Explore your healing boundaries with care. In other words, as I inhale gently, I find the pinch-point where the tickling starts. If you ignore it, there’s a bout of painful coughing ahead. If you back off a gentle exhale will help you get back on track.

As you move ahead, the breaths get deeper (no rush) and the comfort greater. Now, at four weeks in, I aim to work back into my breathing plan once more.

Rash

I started to itch over my second weekend. In fact, it wasn’t too annoying at first. Then Monday arrived with a rosy, measles-like rash over my trunk and delicate parts of my arms and legs. I called our GPs, and they had me in straight away.

Armed with anti-histamine pills and skin cream, I spent the next 48 hours in diminishing discomfort. We had thought it might be an allergic reaction. Now, I’m not so sure. However, It may simply be a symptom of CoVid19. It is reported that it can follow “the respiratory manifestation of the disease”.

The rash is gone yet occasional itching remains. In my case, I apply a suitable cream.

“Only in the darkness can you see the stars”  Martin Luther King Jr

Dreams and disorientation

The first night home as a Covid Survivor, I went walk-about for a while. It was my place but bigger, with more floors and mountainous Scottish-West-Coast out the moonlit windows.

Dreams were block-busting weird events. I’m happy to report an angel arrived on my second night and helped settle it all down. By evening three, the strange, hallucinative stuff diminished.

Before and during the Red Zone, in the hospital and for the few days after my return, sleeping provided adventure and bewilderment in equal measure.

Exercise

As in the hospital, I resolved to keep working on my well-being. Naturally enough, Meg, my ever-patient wife keeps me on the right track, stopping me doing too much and insisting on a healthy diet. Imagine, no alcohol for the first three weeks.

When in the Red Zone the steps recorded by my watch were in the low hundreds. Today, I managed over 3 miles in total, plus the equivalent of 21 floors climbed (I took a slightly hillier route today).

Beyond this, I do stretching exercises every day and coherent breathing.

Sometimes taking a break from exercise is a good idea too. In a word, if you are tired, respect it. My goal is to be fit for 18 holes of golf. It’ll take a wee while yet.

© Mac Logan