I was a bit like that in March, bit different now as spoke to a few people who've had it and in the words of one of the arl old school reds in our work who has had it "I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy"
I can certainly believe that, especially if pneumonia was the cause. By all likelihood I had it here in London at the start of March. Had the symptoms - dry cough, achy muscles, night sweats, tiredness. Cleared up after a few days and it was no worse than a common cold in all honesty. But it's the pneumonia that is the absolute killer/distressing element of this disease but it's certainly not the only flu like virus that can cause that. Thankfully I've not had it this year but I have had double pneumonia when I was 15. I specifically remember it was the morning of Liverpool's World Club Final against Sao Paulo in 2005 when I turned to sh*te. It had descended from a flu like condition I had had for a couple of days before where I was suffering from awful fatigue and achy muscles far worse than anything from what I had earlier this year.
It completely wiped me out - I was choking up rustic coloured mucus from my lungs and literally could not speak for 2 and a half weeks. Heart rate must have been well over a hundred on a consistent basis. I couldn't keep food down, not even yogurt so I was basically living off full fat milk the whole time. The effort of coughing up sh*te from my lungs and being sick also caused my throat to bleed. On top of all that I suffered from episodes of delirium and confusion through lack of sleep (at best I was only getting 2-3 hours of interrupted sleep every night from the week before Christmas until just after New Year's Day.) I remember when I did finally come out of it I was getting 12 hour sleeps in regularly! I could go to the toilet for a piss and what would come out would be heavily concentrated urine (yellower than anything). At the time, it didn't scare me (naivety/ignorance of youth) but when I recount it, it does scare me now. Though I always remember telling my mum how bad I felt. My problem is I don't let on how bad I feel when unwell but I clearly remember telling her 'I really don't feel well'. Those words exactly. Looking back it certainly scares me now. The heart rate, the danger of not processing food and drink properly, confusion, not talking, rapid breathing. All that could easily have led to the danger of sepsis and septic shock and organ failure.
For sure, I would not wish any of that on my own worst enemy.
I got a pneumococcal jab not long after that. Other cases of pneumonia might not be as bad, but for me it's comforting to know that I've had the jab to prevent most viruses out there from causing that. (Ok, I know it doesn't stop me entirely from ever getting pneumonia again but it reduces it). But obviously, the pneumococcal jab doesn't prevent COVID-19 induced pneumonia as COVID-19 obviously didn't exist in 2005! So when it is ready to go, I certainly will be taking that vaccine. There is no other option for me.
Logged
