Well it was inevitable, like thousands of other Australian’s right now I became ill with COVID. On New Year's Day no less.
For perspective, I don’t know how or when we were exposed. But it seemed to affect my husband a few days ahead of me, which had initially seemed like just an allergy for him. But we knew something was amiss when he slept for 12 straight hours on New Year's Eve.
Many details about first-hand accounts of COVID have really felt suppressed and hard to come by so far (at least in Australia) so I thought you might value my personal account, to know not only what to look out for, but remove some of the fear and anxiety around becoming ill with COVID and provide some insight into how, as a health professional, I approached this for myself.
DAY 1
Mid morning Saturday (New Year’s Day) I started to feel really fatigued and had a headache all morning. I was so tired, I just had to lie down. Which for anyone who knows me, is just not like me at all. I usually go, go, all day. So this was the first clue that something wasn’t right.
I laid down to have a rest, but I literally couldn’t get off the bed for the rest of the day. I did do a COVID rapid antigen test and it came back as negative. I thought ‘wow that’s strange’ but my husband was positive… so I knew it was just a matter of time.
Being a naturopath and nutritionist, I’m a huge proponent of being prepared, and jumping onto any kind of viral illness early and COVID is no different. It’s the best chance you have, in those early stages, to give your body additional resources to reduce risks and support your body through the process.
I immediately reached for my antiviral liquid herbs, additional zinc & vitamin C, my favourite antiviral nasal spray and some quercetin. I always have these on hand for colds and flus and I was able to start on this regime three times a day. If you would like more detailed information on what these products are and how I took them, send my team an email here and we will forward you the details.
That night the sweats and body aches and pains really kicked in. Every inch of my body hurt.
I grabbed some homeopathic pain tablets and took one every hour and went to bed having also taken a strong analgesic/muscle relaxant (pharmaceuticals) as my headache was so bad. That night, I actually slept quite well.
DAY 2
Sunday, again I didn’t do much and barely left my bed. I was taking all my supplements but I started to get the feeling of a lump in my throat. This is commonly my weakness, along with my chest and a cough. I’ve had strep throat a few times and it felt just like that.
I recalled that one of my patients told me that the antiviral nasal spray we make got rid of her strep throat and impetigo so I thought I’d better add that in. I did 2 sprays in each nostril and put my head back, lay down and could feel it burning my throat as it went down. I thought this must be a good sign…. I continued to do this religiously for the next 3 days and my sore throat was completely gone. Having this day as a resting day surely made a huge difference too.
DAY 3
Monday. I was definitely starting to feel better. At this point, I added in some lysine and olive leaf capsules to help with the virus. I still felt tired, but now the cough had kicked in. So, I grabbed our cough mixture and took the day one and night one. Taking an antihistamine at night dries me up sufficiently to stop the cough and help me get the rest I need. Sleep is so important to any healing process.
DAYS 4-6
I continued to take my herbs and supplements and listen to my body, resting when I needed to rest. But I was able to jump on and off the computer to get work done and function. I continued to improve across these days.
ONE WEEK LATER
I’m now 7 days down the track and feeling pretty much back to normal but the fatigue is still lingering. To address this, I’ve now kicked in with the electrolytes and B vitamins and acetyl-l-carnitine to help support my energy.
My best advice is, make sure you are stocked up with the things you need to be able to boost yourself quickly. I feel that it’s inevitable that we will all get this at some point, but remember, by the time you know you’ve got it, you will not be able to leave your house or think about what you should be taking when you are hit with this. Be prepared and write out what to do so you have it there. I find that when you are in the thick of it, you don’t think straight so it helps to have it all ready to go.
If you need any help with your protocols, make sure to reach out.
Our antiviral herbal mixes are available from the clinic and everything else is available through our patient portal online. Be ready and know that you will likely get COVID at some point – you just need to ride the storm. Always let us know if you need us.
I hope that hearing my first hand experience helps you to plan and prepare for yourself and your family should you be faced with COVID. But also to know that you’ve got resources and support at hand from myself and the team here if you need it. You don’t have to ‘do nothing’ and just wait to see if you’re one of the unlucky ones who needs to go to hospital. There’s plenty of natural immune support available to empower yourself with the tools to have on hand to give you the best chances possible of overcoming it at home and, ideally, with no long term implications.
On the topic of long term impacts… remember, once you feel well - your work does not stop there. Continue to nourish and support your body with quality sleep, quality food, hydrate frequently and make sure you’re getting ongoing healing nutrients (and/or herbs) to support your body, reduce inflammation, improve gut health and rebuild your strength and vitality.
Wishing you all the best.
Regards,
Carolyn.
