Like millions out there this holiday season, I ended up getting COVID-19. I was vaccinated back in May and was due to get my booster but kept getting scheduling conflicts. So that left me susceptible and sure enough I got it from a friend who didn't no he was exposed yet.
My radar was up because he got sick the day after we were together. I monitored myself for any symptoms and on day 4, I started to feel a tickle in my throat but no fever. Out of abundance of caution, I got tested and it came back positive.
Thankfully, it was pretty mild for me. The tickle in the throat was gone the next day never turning into an actual sore throat. Then day two brought mild body aches and fever but those went away the next day. Then day 3-7 was cough and sinus symptoms but milder than a cold. I never really lost my energy level and kept my sense of taste and smell. By day 8, I was pretty much symptom free except for a lingering mild cough, but that may also be from the holidays with lots of dairy-filled treats around which aggravates my cough.
With me living a pretty healthy lifestyle and having been vaccinated, I wasn't too worried, but I still took necessary precautions. This included following my typical cold & flu regimen plus adding a critical device as outlined below. Note, these were specific to me based on my own research and health. Please do your own research and do not follow this without proper medical advice.
Pulse Oximeter ($20-30 from Amazon)
- This monitors blood oxygen levels which is one of the most dangerous aspects of COVID. If it attacks the lungs, it will show up in reduced blood oxygen levels. I'm no health expert but have read/heard that 95% or greater is good. 90-95% is so-so and should be monitored. And less than 90% is troublesome. You should first try to focus on deep breaths for a period of time to try to bring this up. If it doesn't get up on its own, seek medical attention.
- My go-to for this is Tylenol. It seems to be the most effective with the least side effects. Advil seems to work better for injuries for me but not body aches and fevers. Aspirin is also pretty good but I tend to need to take it with food to limit side effects which isn't always possible when sick.
- For me, Sudafed works the best at reducing my runny nose and sinus issues. Note, this is now behind the counter at the pharmacy because the active ingredient, Pseudoephedrine, can be used to make the drug, crystal meth. They have a 12 hour and 24 hour version that work great. It is also now sold generically which is often substantially cheaper than the name brand Sudafed.
- Benadryl works great at reducing any allergy symptoms that may be worsening the sinus and congestion issues. I like to take prior to bed because it also can make you drowsy which helps me get to sleep while the medicine goes to work overnight.
- There are combo drugs out there like Cold & Sinus pills or Nyquil that combine several ingredients into one. Be sure to monitor the active ingredient labels and don't duplicate any ingredients across different medicines (like being sure not to take Tylenol and Nyquil)
- This was an important medication for me as it was the cough and congestion that lingered the longest for me. I'm never really sure if they are helping but they don't seem to give me any side effects. So in the off chance they are working, I'll take it.
- The best blend for me when I am sick is Vitamin C, Zinc, Vitamin D, and Quercetin. I found a new all-in-one multi-vitamin on Amazon that includes these ingredients plus a few others that has worked pretty well. I also like Airborne and other vitamin products. I prefer pills over lozenges or tablets that dissolve in water because it is easier for me to stick to a routine that way.
Comments
Post a Comment