A woman in her late 30s who got coronavirus details what her symptoms were like every day\, and what she wished she had done to prepare

  • Kerry Lutz is a 39-year-old social worker living in Denver, Colorado who began showing coronavirus symptoms on March 21, including mild fever and body aches.
  • She was tested for COVID-19 on March 23, and has been holed up in her apartment ever since. The test came back positive.
  • Her advice to others is to assume you have been exposed, and have a plan for if you do get sick to help minimize stress.
  • Keep acetaminophen, a thermometer, Vicks ointment, and plenty of liquids on hand, find out which nearby urgent care facilities are in your health insurance network, and look into local testing options but do not expect to be tested.
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Editor's note: Kerry Lutz is a 39-year-old woman who lives in Colorado. She recently tested positive for COVID-19. This is her day-by-day testimonial of what the experience was like. (Note: This is not meant to be medical advice; if you are concerned about your health, contact your doctor.)

This has been a very intense week. I'm omitting many details for the sake of brevity and privacy, but in general I attribute a lot of my stress to having been ill-prepared to be sick. I'm under 40, not immunocompromised, and have no medical conditions that would put me in a high-risk group. To my knowledge, I've never had the seasonal flu. Although I had been preparing for a stay-at-home order for weeks prior to the onset of my symptoms, my focus had been on acquiring food and items that would allow me to comfortably work from home.

It turns out I was not prepared to actually be sick.

There is considerable emphasis on prevention of COVID-19 right now - as there absolutely should be - but based on my experience, I think it's also wise to be ready for an infection. It'll help prevent panic, particularly if you live alone like I do. Once you start showing symptoms, you can't leave your house for supplies. So, hopefully this post will be helpful. It's split into two parts: a timeline of my infection and a suggested preparation list.

Mild symptoms began

I started having symptoms the evening of Saturday, March 21. Mild fever, body aches centered around my lower back and hips, and a general feeling of uneasiness and dread. I assumed that I had COVID-19, but of course I couldn't be sure since seasonal flu is also going around. I also figured I would have no access to a test since they are not widely available in Denver outside of hospitals, so I decided to treat it as COVID-19 regardless.

Day 1: Mild fever, fatigue, and increasingly uncomfortable body aches that kept me awake.

On Sunday, March 22, I had no acetaminophen (Tylenol) and no thermometer in my apartment. After driving around to several stores that were out-of-stock, my kind supervisor found a thermometer at Target and delivered it to me.

Day 2. My fever remained mild (100 degrees), but my body aches got pretty bad.

When a friend delivered acetaminophen, I felt a remarkable improvement almost instantly. I emailed my doctor's office to check-in, ask a few basic questions, and inquire about testing. They responded with the expected advice (stay home for 14 days, drink fluids, etc.) and stated that they do not have testing available and do not know about any testing options in the community.

That afternoon, a friend sent me a Facebook post advertising a drive-thru testing facility at a Community Health Center in a nearby town. Convinced that this might be my only opportunity to get a test, I chugged coffee, got in my car, and headed over there. The nose swab itself was unpleasant, but the overall experience was excellent. Smooth, efficient, not scary, and I was promised a phone call with test results in 3 to 5 days.

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1. Acquire a thermometer, acetaminophen, Vicks ointment, ramen noodles, and plenty of herbal tea while it is still easy for you to shop.

Lots of stores and online retailers are out of stock, so place an order now while you are relaxed and healthy. I did a lot of panic googling this week; very unpleasant. Thus far I have not had a sore throat or much of a cough, but those are common symptoms, so it might be a good idea to add tissues and cough drops to your shopping list. If you have a humidifier in storage, take it out and clean it. If you don't have one, ask around to see who does in case you need to borrow it. If you are feeling extra anxious, you could buy a pulse oximeter at a drugstore. They are about $20-40. I doubt this device is necessary for most people, and I don't want to encourage needless panic-buying, but it was nice to be able to check my own oxygen.

3. Look up and write down the phone number for your doctor's office and find out which urgent care facilities/hospitals are in your health insurance network.

A lot of doctors' offices have special COVID-19 information lines. Plan to take advantage of telehealth services. Do not plan to drive to your doctor's office or to the hospital if you start to feel a fever. Most people with COVID-19 do not require outside medical attention, and many hospitals will not admit people without a doctor's referral anyway. Stay home and make phone calls if you have concerns. While you are at it, make sure you have a fully functioning cell phone. If yours happens to be on the fritz, just bite the bullet and buy a new one now. (My screen broke during my most difficult day.)

4. If you live with other people, consider where in your home you could self-isolate should you start to develop symptoms.

My understanding is that it is entirely possible to ride out COVID-19 and not infect anyone else in your household. You just need to be diligent and careful.

5. Make a plan.

If you are the primary caregiver for children, older adults, or people with disabilities, consider which of your friends or family members could come to your house and help out if you become sick and have to isolate. Extreme fatigue would make preparing meals, changing diapers, and keeping others safe and entertained exceptionally difficult. These activities could also put the people in your care at risk for infection. Also, don't forget about your pets! Find somebody who could take care of your animals in case you need hospitalization.

6. Look up testing options in your community, but do not expect to get tested.

Depending on where you live, you might have no access to a test at any point, even if you have symptoms. If you start to develop symptoms, calmly assume you have COVID-19, tell the people you have been in contact with recently, isolate yourself, start drinking fluids, and rest. Working yourself into a frenzy trying to locate a test will not make your symptoms end any sooner. Officially knowing that you have COVID-19 (over, say, seasonal flu) does not make you a public health hero. Stay home and contact your medical provider if you have questions.

8. Have tons of fluids on hand.

I am drinking water, tea, seltzer, and juice around the clock and still don't need to use the bathroom that much. This suggests to me that my body really does need this much fluid right now.

I suspect I got the coronavirus from one of a handful of friends who didn't realize they had it at the time because their symptoms were super mild and it was before we were seriously talking about COVID-19 in Denver. I will never know exactly where and when I got it, and it doesn't matter that much to me now. Just be aware that you may not think The coronavirus is in your community, but it almost certainly is. Avoid close physical contact with people in high-risk groups, even your parents. Especially your parents — call them instead.

Before I end this post, I have to say that I am completely overwhelmed by the number of friends and family members who have checked in on me, have offered to bring me things, and have kept me distracted. I'm so lucky.

Kerry Lutz is a social worker in Denver, Colorado who enjoys traveling the world, cycling, and acquiring curious items for her beloved costume collection.