Here's what it's like to get COVID-19

The other day, a friend sent me a link that read like a trip across the River Styx. 

It's a cautionary tale told in installments, in Twitter-speak, with a pathos and detail rendering it the gripping reality of a serialized Dickens novel.

Shiraz Maher is a London-based educator, historian, writer, and thinker — not a bumbling Orange Fool — who talks about the COVID-19 virus in real terms.

He contracted the virus and only after recovering enough to collect his thoughts, he wrote about his hellish experiences. 

And, as he is quick to point out, his case was considered mild.

So, if you read anything about this virus and hope to avoid it, then read this.

For context, Maher is the Director of the International Center for the Study of Radicalization, who specializes in the development of Islamic political thought.

He’s a revered intellectual and published author and not a doctor, a fact he readily acknowledges.

He's a coronavirus survivor.

And here’s his story, which he tells in two dozen tweets at @shirazmaher.

It reeks of common sense.

“I've been debating about whether to 'go public' on having coronavirus - which I kind of did inadvertently this morning. So, now I may as well share my experience(s) with you in order to help those who are worried about it or who are thinking they might have it. Here goes…"

“I was taking this thing pretty seriously from an early stage because of advice from my good friend, who  rightly identified the coming crisis. So I put my house in lockdown, I closed early, and I started taking precautions.”

“But you need to be constantly vigilant with coronavirus. All it takes is one careless moment, one unthinking touch of your face, accidentally touching a contaminated surface once and suddenly, boom, you've got it.”

“I'm 38 and have no underlying health conditions. I figured if I got it, I'd shake it. Here's how things have played out. Firstly, it's not the flu. Whoever originally said that, did everyone a great disservice. This thing is not the flu. It's a nasty, horrible, illness.”

“I started having symptoms about two weeks ago. The fever was mild and went very quickly. Is it Covid-19? Who knows, but I've shaken it quickly. Great. Then my lungs started packing up and my chest got very tight. This happened around 15-16 March.” 

“The cough was dry and unlike anything I've ever had before. It was much more extreme and pronounced than a dry cough you might have during a bout of the flu. It feels like there's something deeply lodged within your lungs, that they're (violently) trying to eject.”

“Of course, there's nothing to actually eject. The resulting cough is dusty, dry and painful. Much more scary is that you're unsure of when you'll stop coughing. You have no control over it. There were times I was worried I'd start vomiting because the coughing was so severe.”

“When you finally stop, it's a relief - but now you're in a new phase altogether. You're fighting to draw air into your lungs but your chest is tight and, frankly, your lungs are in distress. They're not functioning the way they should.”

“Your head is also pounding because of the violent coughing. I suffered terrible headaches after these coughing fits. The evening of Wednesday 18th was the worst day for me. I fought for breath for about 3-4 hours. It was horrific.”

“I called my doctor friends and told them. "Time to call 999" they said - so I did. It took more than 15 minutes to speak with a representative; that's how overwhelmed the emergency services are. I told them my BP and that I have coronavirus.”

“Ultimately they decided they couldn't respond to my call. I am not criticising the London ambulance service. They are doing superb work under incredible, unprecedented circumstances. I'm telling you this part of the story to underscore two things…"

“The first is that you should only call them in an absolute emergency. It's not a diagnostic service. The more unnecessary calls, the longer the delay in them answering becomes. Secondly, be prepared to take decisive action for yourself because they might not be able to help.”

“So I called my doctor friends again and started to take actions to lower my blood pressure naturally, at home. I spent the next 48 hours in bed and, only after this time, did my blood pressure return to anything vaguely resembling 'normal' (it was still high, but acceptable).”

“Now we're into the start of this week. Symptoms have slowly evolved into a less severe cough and my chest being less tight (although these get worse in the evenings). But I have lots of new symptoms: crazy abdominal pains and headaches. The lethargy has persisted throughout.”

“Today we're approaching the end of 2+ weeks since I first developed symptoms and about 11-12 days since they became particularly acute. For the first time, I feel like I'm starting to beat it but I'm nowhere near feeling 100%.”

“Coronavirus appears to have a completely different trajectory in different people. I can't spot a pattern. Although I'm only speaking publicly about it now, I've been whatsapping with lots of friends/colleagues who've also had it.”

“Some are shaking it off relatively easily. Others are suffering very badly. The most difficult part of this is the extent to which it takes hold within your lungs. There's just no way to tell what will happen at the start. You need to watch this symptom if it develops.”

“So that's my coronavirus story. It's a completely mad, crazy illness. It had made me feel more intensely ill than I've ever been in my life. On the Wednesday & Saturday of last week, I was genuinely fearful of what could happen if those symptoms continued to escalate.”

“I didn't want to tweet about my experience until I was more comfortable in my own assessment that I'm through the worst of it. And I'm sharing this with you now so that you can really think about the way this thing is hitting people.”

“Do you really need to go out right now? Is social distancing really that hard? Is it too much of an effort to wash your hands repeatedly, and to wash them properly, with soap?”

“I've lost several days of my life to this illness. Many, many other people will lose their lives to it. This virus continues to spread everywhere and you - literally, you - can help stop it with the most basic of efforts. Wash your hands. Stay at home. Do it now.”

So, wow. Just wow.

Maher was deluged with responses. People came to him like a seer.

And so he answered their questions, and here are a selected few of his insights.

“Did I take any medication? I only took paracetamol. Coronavirus is something entirely new and we don't know enough about it. I decided that if I was at home and self medicating, this was not the time to introduce new/unknown stuff to my body.”

“Drink water like you've only just discovered it. Take paracetamol. Also, I was advised to eat small meals rather than big ones. Big meals take energy to digest and you need that energy to fight the virus. Also, sleep, sleep, sleep. Let your immune system do its thing.”

“A couple of final points from me. (1) As I did not go to the hospital or use a ventilator, my case is classified as 'mild.' Remember that when you hear that most people will experience only mild symptoms.”

“There's a lot of real (and dangerous) rubbish out there about what you should/shouldn't do. Consult reputable medical sources and reputable public health bodies/officials. You have to take control of your health at this time. Be smart about it.”

“Aside from that, thank you to every single person who has sent me kind wishes. It's been overwhelming and very much appreciated. And thank you to the staff of the NHS, who are a beacon to the world.”

So, turn off your televisions and heed the advice of someone who’s been there.

Stay vigilant.

And STAY HOME.