My Two-Month COVID-19 Experience

When my symptoms confirmed a coronavirus diagnosis, I began searching for anyone in my network who had gone through the virus that I could lean on for advice.

For some context, I am 47-years old. I have no underlying health conditions. I am an active fitness swimmer. While I knew friends who had tested positive, they were with relatively mild symptoms (a couple of days at most). To my surprise, I didn't find anyone in my orbit who was similar in profile to me that had experienced more than a week of symptoms.

It was then I decided to document my journey. Here I share my symptoms. What I took. And why. Understandably, the thought of contracting or contracting the coronavirus causes fear. It brings on anxiety. We fear for our loved ones. We fear for our own health. Through sharing of my story, I hope it can be of help should you or anyone you know contract coronavirus.

June 27 (Saturday): My wife Alli, 9-year old twin boys and I were in Florida. I was waiting to ride up an elevator up to our hotel room when another person came off the elevator. He was coughing. Neither of us was wearing a mask. I tried to cover my face with my shirt. My instinct, this was my exposure point.

June 29 (Monday): I had a mild headache in the evening and took ibuprofen.

June 30 (Tuesday): I had a mild sore throat in the afternoon. My wife Alli (a cardiology nurse) suspects I have COVID (2 symptoms; headache, sore throat). We self-quarantine to our hotel room. We both take 80MG of Pepcid in the evening. Medical support for taking Pepcid: https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/86893

July 1 (Wednesday): I wake up with fever, body ache, and fatigue (from July 1-11, I had these three symptoms daily with fever in the 99-102 range). Alli and I continue to take 80 MG of Pepcid 3 times a day. On July 15, I back off the Pepcid to 80 MG a day until July 18 when I discontinue taking Pepcid. I take Tylenol as needed for body ache and my fever. I begin taking 3000MG (tablets) daily of Vitamin C on July 1. We make the 12-hour drive back to Charlotte. Back home, I move into our guest room to hopefully decrease the viral load on my family.

July 2-4 (Thursday, Friday, Saturday): I take the COVID test at my doctor's office in Charlotte. It comes back July 4th as positive. On July 4th, our 9-year old twins test positive (one has a fever for a day, the other has no symptoms).

July 8 (Wednesday): I find a medical clinic in Charlotte that will allow COVID positive to get Vitamin C IV drip. I go for 3 days (July 8, 9, 10) and get 12.5 grams (July 8), 20 grams (July 9), 12.5 grams (July 10) of Vitamin C drip.

On July 8th, at the recommendation of a Dr. Charles Bens, a holistic doctor I trust, I begin taking: 5000IU Vitamin D, 750MG Olive Leaf, 22MG Zinc, 85MG of the H2 and 50MG Silver.

July 10 (Friday): I'm experiencing a chest cough when I talk. I get an Xray. My pulse ox is 98. The Xray comes back clear.

On July 10th, Alli's COVID test comes back negative. Alli has never had a symptom.

July 11 (Saturday): For the first time since July 1st, I do not have a fever. My body aches mildly. I decide to swim 20 minutes in our home pool believing the exercise and sun will be good for me.

On July 14th, having gone three days without a fever, I reduce the Vitamin D to 1000IU and Vitamin C to 2000MG of softgel. I also cut back other supplements from July 8th in half.

July 21 (Tuesday): To my surprise, my COVID retest comes back positive.

July 27 (Monday): My COVID retest comes back negative. I’ve been without symptoms since July 11th.

August 3 (Monday): I leave our home bubble and swim 40 minutes with our local group.

August 21 (Friday): I donate my platelets and plasma.

I've been asked often how long it took to feel fully recovered? The fever symptom went away on July 11th. I felt sluggish through July and most of August. The lingering cough stayed with me until early August. Towards the end of August, it's the best I've felt.

My COVID experience has been real but trivial compared to the suffering and heartbreak so many others have experienced. My family and I have been blessed for our outcome.

If my story can be of help to others, that will be the greatest joy for me to have come from this experience.