Early last week Jack informed me that he was experiencing some symptoms of COVID-19, which he’s been keeping me updated on. Jack wanted to share what he’s been going through with you all, and I thought it best to present it in a Q&A format. The following conversation has been lightly edited for clarity:
Spartan: So if you had to point to a moment that you suspect when you would have been exposed to the Coronavirus, could you guess when or where it was?
Jack: Honestly, I have no idea. In the last month, I’ve been off my property only 3 or 4 times: twice to the grocery, once to Lowes and once to a food truck that came to our neighborhood. In public, I wore a mask and maintained social distancing, literally not even touching anyone.
Spartan: How long ago did you first start noticing the symptoms?
Jack: Looking back on it now, it was at the end of last month. I exercise regularly–a half hour of yoga and core work every day or two–and at the end of June, I had to stop halfway through a rather easy routine because I was winded. I wrote it off to it being 95 degrees outside and me being in a room that was heated by direct sun. Then, about five days later on another hot day, I walked to our corner mailbox. When I got back to the house, I was winded.
The big thing, though, was when my wife commented that our dog was particularly farty and stinky that day. I couldn’t smell a thing, and that’s when I knew something was wrong.
I’d lost my sense of smell, and then realized I had also lost my sense of taste.
Spartan: How is your wife feeling? Is she experiencing any symptoms?
Jack: Thankfully, she’s fine. No symptoms. And she’s tested negative… Although, we’ve learned the tests are not reliable.
Spartan: So what was it like trying to get yourself tested in the Philadelphia metro area? What are conditions like there these days?
Jack: I had a lot of trouble finding an available test. The Pennsylvania state government sites were booked. After about five days, I was able to find a walk in clinic that was doing “short swab” tests (just sweeping the nostril), but it took insurance payments. My wife found a state-sponsored drive in test at a local church which did the “long swab” (into the nasal cavity). I’ve since been told that the short swab tests are basically useless due to the high frequency of false negatives. Even the long swab has a 1-in-4 chance of producing a false negative.
Both my tests came back negative, with results available in 2-4 days. My diagnosis was made by my doctor based on my symptoms, particularly the loss of smell and test, which is apparently unique to coronavirus.
Spartan: How was your doctor holding up? Is he/she getting enough resources to handle the caseload?
Jack: They’ve moved to a complete tele-medicine practice, unless you have an immediate need, like a cardiogram for prescription renewal or something that needs a blood draw. They’re getting PPE, but they cannot get COVID tests, which is why they referred me to a state-sponsored test site. Overall, they’re holding up well, but they have expanded their “office hours” to tele-meet with patients. Our immediate community isn’t a “hot spot”, but we have had more than 3,000 cases and nearly 100 coronavirus deaths since the pandemic started.
Spartan: What have you been doing to ameliorate the symptoms you’ve been feeling?
Jack: Resting, primarily. I become short of breath and fatigued by things as simple as talking for more than 2-3 minutes. Under doctor’s orders, I’m taking zinc, which has been shown to slow viral load, and vitamins B, C and D to help boost the immune system and mineral absorption.
Also, using more ginger, lemon and garlic in foods, as a “grandmother’s remedy” measure. I also have to more-or-less force myself to remember to eat: with no sense of smell or taste, I don’t have anything whetting my appetite, so I am only reminded to eat when my stomach growls.
Spartan: What’s the worst part about this stretch you’re going through… or what would you say is the most challenging part of this experience?
Jack: Three things: 1. worrying about infecting my wife and neighbors; 2. not having the strength and stamina I’m used to; and 3. not having a test confirm that it’s COVID. If I tested positive with what my doctor described as obvious symptoms of the disease, how many others are slipping by?
The most challenging parts will be the two weeks of isolation I’m facing and having to intentionally slow down on my “day job”, in which I talk to people a lot on the phone. Thankfully, writing for the greatest news website in the whole world, NationalZero [Editor’s Note: The management of National Zero explicitly un-endorses this statement, because this site is complete shit, lol], only takes reading and typing, but in my everyday job, I’m talking to clients, which I won’t really be able to do until I regain my breath and stamina.
Spartan: Any parting words of wisdom from your experience to readers who may find themselves in the same situation?
Jack: If I can get it–a healthy, middle-aged male who practiced the public health recommendations–anybody can. Watch yourself for symptoms.
And by the way, I’ll be happy to answer questions in the comments, as they come up.