Shortness of Breath: “I Can’t Breathe!”
By: Bimbola Chicforlyf
My story is to warn you that covid19 is serious and nobody is immune to it and my account might be a valuable resource to those that are unfortunate enough to catch the virus.
With me being really careful and practicing all the necessary precautions, I did not think it could happen to me , but the truth is: you never know.
When the pandemic started ravaging America in early March, I would watch the news everyday and feel sad and scared – with death toll rising, number of positive cases climbing and dozens of cruise ships adrift at sea with no place to disembark. I would think about all those people and silently prayed for them.
While many people stayed home to stay safe, I couldn’t.
As an advanced new born care specialist, I had to care for the new born of physicians so they could work, and I also continued with my passion of taking food and groceries to some senior citizens and friends in my neighborhood, (an act I have enjoyed doing for years now) and I absolutely adore the look of gratitude in their eyes all the time they see me. Just this time, I was leaving whatever I had for them on their porch, no contact whatsoever. Also as one who loves hosting and entertaining friends, I was still calling my friends to come taste food and pastries – just this time, Yetunde and Moji would stay outside in their cars. However, in all of this, I was practicing all the precautions, I washed my hands severally and would use 91% rubbing alcohol to disinfect all items I got from stores and those delivered to the house.,
I started seeing formites where i used to see objects (like the elevator buttons) making every surface and interaction feel like potential bearers of infection……….To help wrangle my fear, I even researched proper hand washing techniques….. oh well, the unknowability of it all forced me to question whether my reaction matches the gravity of the situation…..but you can’t be too careful, I thought aloud.
My illness started Friday, 8th of May (five days after the asymptomatic physician I came in contact with tested positive), with a tingle in my throat and a headache from hell that made me jump up in pain around 2am. I made some warm tea and took tylenol. I felt better and went back to sleep.
Day 2, then came the chills, body aches, with extreme fatigue. I had one bout of diarrhea too, but that didn’t last long.
Then it seemed like I was improving.
Day 3, the fatigue became much more serious with shortness of breath.
It was frightening and I was really worried.
I tried to perform percussion on my back using the long back scrubbing stick in my bathroom as my only option. I also was also doing the breathing exercise like continuously.
The hospital told me to keep taking tylenol and to call emergency if symptoms became life threatening.. (here in the US we don’t have isolation centers. You are to isolate in your own home and call emergency if you are dying – tightness in your chest or unable to breathe). My doctor said his major worry was my continuous shortness of breath; that if it became serious – with just myself and two little girls in the house????????. This worried me the more and I started thinking of my kids, my husband, my parents, my siblings and some very good friends that my absence will depress a great deal.
Day 4, was very bad, hardly slept at all, headache back in full swing with no taste, no appetite and I was really fatigued, pains on knees and arms.
My head was so stuffed it was like a river of mucus running out of my nose and down my throat.
I then remembered I had a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, I mixed some parts with warm water and gargled with, few minutes later my throat felt better, It worked like some magic and I continued through out the day- that was how the sore throat disappeared.
Day 5, I was taking tylenol every six hours because my body was asking for anything to take away the misery and I was begging and pleading to God to end all of this.
Sweetheart was worried sick with him being thousands of miles away from us at this time, but he would stay on the phone and watch on the nest camera all day and all night, he asked I start steam inhalation by covering myself and a pot of boiling lemon, lime, turmeric and ginger which I did, he also suggested I tried cinchona bark, neem leaves and bitter cola .
I ordered all these but they won’t be arriving soon enough.
Day 6, my friends had just found out I was sick and were really worried as they couldn’t see me, but immediately Mojisola heard, she got some cinchona bark and brought to my door, she pleaded with me to boil immediately and start to drink.
Friends and family from all over the world were suggesting all forms of remedy and people started leaving at my door things ranging from Vitamin C, D, aboniki, ginger, food, fruits and just about anything anyone thought could help and they would send a message or call to let me know it was there. (I am indeed blessed with good friends) My pilot friend and his wife would come leave me stuff as early as 5am, I am indeed grateful to all these people. The senior citizens I do give food were concerned and asking what i needed, my 80 year old senior friend called and was asking what food he should make for me????????..all this brought tears to my eyes and I felt so humbled.
Shortness of breath continued and was making me so miserable, I was really weak as I hadn’t been eating.. I struggled to get up and boiled the cinchona bark Moji had brought. As it was boiling I gently placed my head near the pot to inhale the steam, wow! Just the smell of that boiled bark instantly made me hungry and I drank a cup, it restored my lost appetite, I was hungry for the first time in days.
I ordered some dry arthemisia leaves having read about it sometimes
Day 7, was about the same except I slept most of the day, then woke up at 3am and was ravenous, ate a bowl of spicy hot ‘asaro” and felt much better. Took a hot shower and felt better still.
I continued with the steam inhalation, then came the neem leaves and bitter cola, these were the most bitter substances I thought I ever tasted in my life and I told Sweetheart I couldn’t take these things but he persuaded me to keep trying.
My chills and shortness of breath-although still persistent, felt improved.
Day 8, shortness of breath almost landed me at the emergency, but I was also afraid of being on ventilator and tubes. I began to cry; I felt so helpless and alone, and although friends and family kept on calling and sending messages; I couldn’t answer.
Day 9, I reintroduced the cinchona bark and continued to do the steam inhalation spaced out in the morning and at bedtime.
Day 10, Arthemisia was delivered. The instruction says to add to hot water and drink. When I did, oh; a sweet aroma filled the air, but as the cup met with my lips I screamed in horror.
If I ever thought the neem leaves were bitter, it will only be on level one on the scale of bitterness while this arthemisia wormwood leaves will be on a level 20.
Sweetheart urged me to take it. I told him I would then have to stop the neem and bitter cola, he asked why and I said, well, anyone who is able to combine all these will be capable of committing a crime.. ..he laughed his heart out.
Day 9, I was seemingly on the mend. Arthemisia worked some wonders. It made me sweat out a lot, that I had to shower several times. It seemed the bitterness restored my lost taste and appetite became normal. Truly, God has blessed us with some natural herbs.
I slept the night through for the first time in days and I had an amazing lunch. Food has never tasted so good.
But one very weird thing I experienced with this arthemisia is, ..few hours after drinking it, I started getting a feeling I would call the sick hornies????
At first I just attributed it to being bored since I couldn’t do anything else, but then each time I managed to sip the drink again, I felt same way, yea this arthemisia thing was doing wonders in my entire system and i was feeling it all over, it was making me really horny despite not feeling so well.
By day 14 most of my symptoms had completely gone away.
Recently I thought to even read the label on the arthemisia now that I am well.. look what I saw in the pictures. (Sexual kini?) “abalajo’…
Covid 19 is real and it is pretty irresponsible to go about speculating it is a hoax.
My name is Bimbola Kasumu. bimbola chickforlyf on Facebook.
I am a writer and you can read more from me on fb and www.chick4life-uncensored.com.
Share this: