What can I say really? For the first time I’m posting after along time and the reason was the whole pandemic (Cov-19/SARS) was too much for me to deal with in my mind.
In mid July 2021, I believe that there was a third wave that hit and I was unaware and being back at work in the gym and training again, we are rigorous about cleaning on the hour every hour plus our members clean gym equipment after use. I don’t know how I got it but I did! To be honest it didn’t come into my mind, I thought it was a lupus flare up as it started with achy feeling in my shins and feet at first and gradually into my upper thighs, especially my Quadricep (upper thigh muscles). I checked my temperature at work and it was normal, didn’t have any sore throat or anything else. As the day went on I started to feel malaise and the pain in my legs increased in which I had to sit down at work on reception and plodded on until closing time, by then I had to be taken home by car with a friend (I wore my mask) in fact I always wear my mask and careful with washing my hands and sanitising. That evening I felt bad and went to bed, 2am woke up feeling so unwell and by bed clothing and sheets were soaking. I crawled out of bed took 2 paracetamol and checked my temperature it was normal! When I awoke at 8am I felt bad and had a tremendous headache, by this time I could hardly walk due to the body pain. My eyes felt sore, I put that down to not sleeping well and the next day I had done a lateral flow test as I had to wait for someone to collect me one and bring it to me. Done it and they went and dropped it back on behalf of me so it could sent to the lab. I received a text message 2 days later to say I was positive and I kind of knew by then because I felt like I had really bad flu. I couldn’t walk, eat anything and by day 2 I had no taste or smell at all. My temperature was a consistent 39-40 degrees centigrade for the whole 12 days I felt so bad, I had lost 1 stone (14kg) in 8 days I was severely weak upper and lower body. It wasn’t until week 4 that my appetite came slowly back and thankfully I’m eating well but I still get days when I feel covid symptoms come and go and during the day my feelings of wellness fluctuates (sometimes feel ok and not) still severe weakness in my legs, especially my upper thigh muscles (Quadriceps).
During feeling so unwell I had bad pain in my chest and coughing a lot from day 2 of being positive.
Day 10 I had to call NHS 111 as advised by my GP or call the ambulance to come to me as she had called me to see how I was.
I have to say the NHS is a god send and we in the UK are lucky to have it but unfortunately NHS 111 this time wasn’t good in the sense that the GPs they book to contact you back are not that helpful at all, plus I waited more than 5 hours for a GP to call me and unfortunately I couldn’t wait any longer.
The paramedics were so lovely and I had to be really bad to call an ambulance in the first instance and they told me day 10 is the most critical day of having Covid. I had been getting much worse, I honestly thought I was never going to get better. Once the paramedics left they went to my GP surgery which is on the road I live on and came back to say that I must stop taking Mepacrine and Hydroxychloroquine and other medicine for my Mixed Connective Tissue Disease and Lupus. I can only restart taking them once I felt better. During week 4 I restarted taking my medications.
I just wanted to share my experience although I didn’t want to go into too much but I really do hope that everyone stays safe and as well as can be. If you’re living alone please reach out for help, it’s not a sign of weakness or disturbing anyone, in fact it could help you in more ways than you could ever imagine. I am this individual and I close off from people when I’ve got ill from lupus flare ups etc because I just manage and hope for the best, this is because we’ve conditioned ourselves due to our autoimmune diseases and everything that comes with it and also due to lack of understanding because we may still look great on the outside!
If you read my long post and survived it, thank you!
Stay safe, stay well and thank god for life.
Effects of Hydroxychloroquine on COVID 19
Methotrexate, steroids, COVID-19
Lupus & covid 19 vaccine 
Covid 19 injection with lupus 
