With this blog post I hope to empower you on how to strengthen your immune system if you do become ill from COVID-19. Our hospitals and medical staff are being over run by those who are severely ill from this highly contagious virus. If you have difficulty breathing, have a temperature over 104, are auto immune comprised and exhibiting symptoms you need to go to the hospital. This is a new strain of virus to humans, which means our immune system does not quite have enough antibodies to fight it off. When someone is autoimmune comprised, the system can over compensate and attack itself.
This is timeline breakdown on both Eric (Blood type A- and age 45) and my (Blood type 0- and age 31) experience has been with different symptoms and what steps we took to fight it each day. Some of the days were a little unclear due to being so weak and experiencing extreme brain fog.
Day 1:
Eric:
Diarrhea and a tickle in the throat.
Ashley:
Feeling a little worn down and lymph nodes in the neck swollen.
Day 2:
Eric:
Sore throat
Ashley:
Mild cough
Day 3
Eric:
Fever of 100.4.
At this point we upped our water up to about ten 8 ounce glasses adding in Himalayan salt.
Why Himalayan salt and not Gatorade? Himalayan salt is cheaper and has no sugar content. Sugar creates inflammation in the body which wears down your immune system. I would suggest pedialyte as a better option than Gatorade if you don’t like the taste of salt.
What are some things we did to help with the intruding thoughts of him exhibiting symptoms?
We laid on the yoga mat and listened to a reiki session to clear our minds of panic.
Ashley:
Heavy coughing and anxiety over fear of possibly having virus.
Day 4
Eric:
In morning the symptoms seemed to be less. Extremely low energy and coughing. At night fever went up to 100.4. Shakes and chills started and lasted for the rest of the night. Slight pressure in chest, similar to a small child sitting on your chest, or a cat.
Here are supplements we incorporated at this time:
Liposomal Vitamin C: Absorption rate is higher than regular vitamin C.
Chaga Mushroom: Anti-Viral
Vitamin D3: Boosts the immune system creating the similar effects as sunlight, if you can not get outside in sunlight during this time. Don’t take high doses long term of this, maybe consume this every two days.
Sunlight. We laid out in backyard in the grass. Sunlight has been known to kill the virus. Each day we practiced our morning mediations outside.
Ashley
Weakened muscles, difficulty getting out of bed, and feeling like I was hit by a Mack truck.
Day 5
A pattern we have noticed with this virus is that the mornings and evenings are the toughest. Mid day our symptoms seem neutral. At night is when the fevers kick in and the overall body weakness. Body feels similar to that of running a marathon and not drinking enough water the next day.
Symptoms pretty much the same today. I noticed an increased desperate need for water. Without water by my side I feared death. Our breathing was never compromised, but we drank water every five minutes.
Day 6
Eric:
Great news. Fevers seem to have gone away but we figured out that his baseline temperature seems to be at around 99 degrees, so he is quicker to fall into the category of the low grade fever zone. (99.5-100.4) We read that 104 degrees is where you need to worry, he has not reached anywhere near that. So that gives us hope.
Ashley:
Continued fatigue. Upon much research, we ordered a humidifier. This dry cough is stubborn and needs to be watched. It feels similar to cotton mouth. I completely cut out my sugar consumption and all dairy products at this time. Dairy leads to a build up of phlegm and sugar can lead to inflammation. My brain became foggy. I lost track of my thoughts easier and it was hard to think logically. Every cell of my being was fighting this unknown virus.
To pass the time we watched funny television shows and cute animal videos. I learned quickly what my anxiety triggers were and developed quicker personal boundaries when things upset me.
Day 7:
We sat in on a two hour long mediation and reiki session held by Rachel Hammond to calm our anxiety. Half the battle of this has been to re-train our thinking that we will get through this and not die.
Here is her website:
Today we used the massage gun to help break up the phelm in the lungs and chest so it would not get trapped. You can also do this by gently pounding on your chest. Be careful of swollen lymph nodes around the armpit area, they probably sensitive at this time since lymph nodes swell in the area of infection.
We have not gotten tested because our symptoms are not severe enough, but this virus is satanic in it’s presence. Eric is a former athlete and came from a background of rigorous training, and we probably tried to power through a little bit more than we should. Seems like at 4pm each day, we are thrown in the depths of the couch trying to keep our eyes open. From 4-6pm, we chug water and vitamins. Wonder if this has anything to do with our Mayor’s dramatic delivery At 5pm? What outside privileges are being taken away today? Then strangely enough, by 7pm we gain strength and are able to cook ourselves dinner and talk until about 11pm and fall asleep.
Eric:
Still no fever, however, cough is starting to sound a little more in the chest. Lymph nodes in the lower region of the face seem swollen. At night, we did a shot and a half of tequila to clear out the chest a bit.
Ashley:
Pressure on chest. Trying to focus breathing on my lower stomach. I began to overthink my breathing and got freaked out by shortness of breath. Shortness of breath was caused by trying to over extend doing house chores, not simple tasks. I am stubborn and this virus has taught me several times to just chill out.
Day 8
Yesterday was a pretty great day symptom wise, until nightfall hit. Both of us got low grade fevers and I had a full on panic attack because I felt so worn down. But, I take comfort in the fact that each day we are getting better. Our coughs are starting to moisten, although I do think an upper respiratory infection will happen next.
Last night we chewed on some garlic to fight the infection from developing into our lungs.
Day 9- Today:
Both of our coughs are now in our chest. They sound robust and phelm filled. Breathing is not impaired and there is no shortness of breath. Today is the day for hot tea and blowing of noses. This feeling is a familiar one and not as foreign as the virus itself. A viral respiratory infection can not be treated by antibiotics, so we simply must wait it out and treat each symptom as it comes.
Here are some warning signs that I found on the CDC website:
If you develop emergency warning signs for COVID-19 get medical attention immediately. Emergency warning signs include*:
- Trouble breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion or inability to arouse
- Bluish lips or face
*This list is not all inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html
Other links we found helpful:
https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/article/lifestyle-articles/how-to-boost-immune-system/
Hope this helps all of you, please let me know if you have questions about anything. I’m here for you. We are all in this together and the best we can do is connect with others and spread positivity in this time of need.
ashleyvetere 
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