Covid and me
This blog post combines my personal experience with Covid, the actions I took to help myself and the advice I’ve been giving to my clients. These are my opinions and based on personal experience and my nutrition knowledge. This should not replace medical advice from your GP or hospital if you need it.
It finally got me
So after two years of avoiding Covid, it finally got me. While my symptoms were by no means as severe as those experienced by some, they were definitely not mild despite my vaccine status and catching the more mild omicron variant (I think/assume).
My biggest fear around Covid was never the impact the virus would have on me at the time, but it was that the virus would trigger a Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) relapse for me. One of the many factors which contributed to my CFS the first time was a viral infection. While my recovery has definitely taken longer than my partner (see below) and other people I know, which may or may not be a consequence of my medical history, I don’t feel like I have been left with any big lasting health implications which is obviously a relief.
What happened
My partner tested positive first after a weekend where we had seen a lot of people and been out to the shops so it’s difficult to say where he ‘picked it up’. He felt a little groggy, we tested to know for sure and there was a faint second line. We immediately took action to try and isolate from each other as much as possible, but despite our best efforts about 5 days later I woke up with a very sore throat and tested positive too.
My partner was ill with cold and flu like symptoms for about 3-4 days but continued to test positive for 11 days.
I was much more ill for much longer but tested negative after 8 days. Which just goes to show how differently this virus is manifesting in people’s bodies and the test is not an accurate reflection of being ‘in the clear’ - more on that later.
Symptoms
As I’ve said, my initial symptom was a sore throat, bit of a headache and fatigue. The sore throat then gave way to a runny nose and a cough. The cough was definitely the worst symptom and the one which lingered the longest. In fact some days, even now, weeks later, I still have a little tickly cough at times and find my voice can sound a little hoarse if I talk for a long time.
In addition to these main symptoms, I noticed some systemic symptoms occurring. For example, my nails which had been very strong started breaking, my skin lost its glow and I suffered from brain fog - which was a symptom for me with my CFS. I wasn’t hugely surprised by these additional symptoms, hair, nails and skin are always the first things to be compromised when our body is under pressure, as they are considered non-essential by the body. And the brain fog was just a reminder to me that I couldn’t simply ‘keep going’ and I needed to rest and give my body the time it needed to fight this virus.
What I did
The main thing I did was to rest, keep up my fluid intake and eat when I felt hungry. Nothing revolutionary but all essential to help the body tackle the virus.
The biggest advice I always give clients with Covid is to rest longer than you think you need to, even if you feel better and/or start testing negative. I believe that a negative covid test doesn’t mean your body is covid free - it just means the level of the virus is not sufficient enough to register on the test and probably that you’re no longer contagious. A negative test doesn’t mean you’re ‘well’ and can just go back to normal. Pushing yourself when your body is still battling a virus will just mean it take even longer for your body to recover.
I tried to drink fluids regularly - water, herbal tea, smoothies and soups to keep my body hydrated and when I felt hungry I would eat. Often it was simple or bland foods, but I tried to add fruit and veg when I could and of course protein which is essential to support the body’s immune system and recovery.
I tried to keep meals light to lower the stress on my digestive system, picking well cooked foods and blended foods over raw which provide valuable nutrition without the pressure on the body to digest foods from raw to access their nutrients.
I also tried to stay calm and positive, not stressing about the fact that I had covid and what might this do for my CFS/health in general. I know stress dampens our body’s natural immune response so adding to your stress load while you’re unwell is never going to support or aid recovery.
I did this by trying to meditate when I could and even when I couldn’t I would focus on my breath and making my exhale longer then my inhale - which has been shown to calm the nervous system - even if it was just for a few breaths a day. I didn’t push myself to do things until I felt absolutely ready, I watched trashy TV in bed, napped when I needed to and focused on getting quality sleep each night by going to bed early and making sure I switched off.
I stopped exercising and took a good 4-weeks to get ‘back to normal’ with my exercise routine. Again, because exercising - beyond walking/gentle yoga can add stress to the body and again dampen the immune system. It’s important after any illness to give your body time and slowly build back up to where you were at before. If you find your symptoms are worse the day you exercise or the day after, reduce what you’re doing back down again.
What do I recommend other people do if they catch Covid…
Rest and rest longer than you think you need to, even if you’re feeling better / testing negative
Keep yourself well hydrated
Keep food light and nutritious as much as you can but don’t deprive yourself the odd treat while ill
Focus on staying calm and trying to minimise stress in your life while ill - as much as you can
Resist the urge to get ‘back to normal’ too quickly, your body has been through a lot, give yourself time - speak kindly to yourself and try to avoid putting pressure on yourself
Get sunlight into your room by opening the curtains even if all you’re planning on doing is staying in bed as this will help sync your body’s natural circadian rhythm and sleep patterns
When you feel able to, get some fresh air by sitting in your garden or at least opening the window
Slowly build activity and work back up to normal levels