If you’ve managed to escape the grips of COVID-19 so far or don’t personally know anyone who’s tested positive for it, it can be hard to imagine the challenges of coping with it day-to-day. Yet, in light of the seriousness of the pandemic, we’re sharing the story of a mom whose life and family were impacted by the virus. It’s the story of our very own Dr. Carolyn Word.

Dr. Word’s COVID-19 Experience 

Despite being cautious, the majority of her immediate family came down with COVID-19, leading them to spend a total of 26 days in quarantine. 

It all started when her three-year-old daughter, although masked all day at preschool, was exposed. Dr. Word said, “We put her in quarantine and decided to test the whole family in an abundance of caution.” She, her husband and her other two children initially tested negative. 

Even still, everyone except her husband Robert got sick. He was spared because the decision was made for him to live apart from the family so he could return to work sooner. The rest of the family progressively fell ill. Symptoms ranged from cough, dry throat, and nasal congestion to fever, fatigue and headache. Dr. Word also experienced loss of smell and taste.

Beyond the physical symptoms, other challenges came with the situation as well. The family was separated due to quarantine, which was especially difficult around Thanksgiving and Christmastime. For Dr. Word, there was also the anxiety of trying to balance caring for her first priority—her children—while still trying to work via telehealth. And, that’s not to mention an often-overlooked effect of isolation. Dr. Word said, “The moment I knew we had a positive COVID test, there was a shame that came with it, as if we’d done something wrong. And I’m a rule follower.” 

Despite the challenges, though, the family tried to stay positive, eat healthy, play card games, enjoy crafts and do their best to take care of one another. Now that her family has recovered from COVID-19, Dr. Word has some words of wisdom to share.

Dealing With COVID-19: What You Can Do

If you come down with COVID-19, keep these three things in mind. 

1. Make Healthy Choices: Be as active as possible, do deep breathing exercises for good lung expansion, drink lots of water, make healthy food choices and take vitamins. Besides that, do your best to keep your mind sharp with reading and other activities and keep your spirits up by video chatting with family and friends. 
2. Be Prepared: While you don’t need to hoard supplies, you should be sure that you have the vitamins and medications you need on hand, especially if you have a condition such as asthma. It’s also wise to have a pulse oximeter, which measures your oxygen levels and can help you monitor the status of your health. 
3. After COVID, Consider Plasma Donation: Some who recover from COVID-19 have antibodies in their blood, which can help people currently fighting the illness to fight off infection more efficiently. Once you have fully recovered from COVID-19, consider donating convalescent plasma as Dr. Word did. 

While there’s still a lot of mystery surrounding COVID-19, we do know that everything from its severity to the recovery process varies from person to person. Therefore, it’s important to continue to be extra cautious (for ourselves and others), and to know how best to handle it if impacted by the virus. From everyone here at Charleston Allergy & Asthma, stay safe and, if you have concerns or need information about coping with asthma and COVID-19, don’t hesitate to reach out!