Shortly before Christmas, 43-year-old Juliana Shain from Simi Valley tested positive for COVID-19. Five days later, the same would happen to her fiancé.
“I felt like I was beaten up. I felt really hungover,” she said. “We had aches and pains, then coughing and then sneezing. At the end, we really had trouble breathing.”
Fears of being hospitalized soon struck. Internal medicine specialist Dr. Aamir Iqbal of Agoura Family Practice says he receives several calls a day from frantic patients.
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“If you tested positive, it’s a great moment. A lot of people get very scared and nervous about what’s going to happen,” he said. “What should I do? Either my husband tested positive or my husband tested positive or my child tested positive and now I live with them.”
Iqbal’s first suggestion is to buy an over-the-counter pulse oximeter.
“It’s a small device that attaches to your finger and has a percentage at the top of the screen,” he said. “If you get below 94%, it starts throwing some flags. And any number below 90% is a big red flag.”
He suggests hydrating with drinks such as Pedialyte or Gatorade. Shain’s doctor told her to take a cocktail of supplements.
“The doctor gave us a lot of vitamins,” she said. Shain started taking vitamins C, B12, D3 and zinc.
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“Some of these home remedies can really help. We know they can’t hurt you,” Iqbal said.
He also suggested over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen, mucus thinners, and a baby aspirin to prevent blood clots.
“While baby aspirin does not equate to a complete blood-thinning drug, it may offer you some protection,” said Iqbal.
Studies show that sleeping on your stomach helps get more oxygen to your lungs. Iqbal said if it’s comfortable give it a try, but he tells his patients it’s not a requirement.
Some advice online include waking up every two hours to get your blood circulating. To that, Iqbal said that quality sleep is much more important. As for eating more bananas, avocados, or asparagus, he said that good nutrition is important, but food alone cannot stop the worsening of symptoms.
A month after her infection, Shain is back at work
“I feel exhausted, and I still have some brain fog,” she said.
She hasn’t accumulated enough energy to take away her Christmas decorations and Shain had to postpone her wedding day. But she is grateful that she is on the mend.
Just be nice to yourself. Take it one day at a time and you’ll get through it, ”she said.
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