Coronavirus Infection Shocks RN

We have all read that the pandemic with coronavirus spreading over the globe is like a bad flu. Well, for those with compromised immune systems for whatever reason and age, even the regular flu can be deadly. With COVID-19, for many, it is just flu-like in symptoms in the early stages. If your immune system is compromised, the virus' next stage is pneumonia because it targets the lungs. From there, it can become fatal as your body tries to protect and defend but ironically, overworking itself, which creates other bodily impacts.

Medical professionals are on the front line. Despite protections, they risk being exposed to the virus and some, like Lisa Merck, RN, are infected. For her, she had gone to Hawaii to attend a medical conference on the virus. Unknowingly, it was there she got infected!

Her symptoms were just sniffles on her last day there. Not thinking much about it, they boarded the plane back to the mainland. While on the plane, she began to experience aches on the left side of her body. After she arrived back home, her muscles began to ache more, her joints hurt very badly. There was a stabbing pain, knife-like. Being a RN, she started to think it some sort of bug, like the common flu.

As days passed, her breathing became impacted to a point of a shortness of breath and she felt very tired. It was at this point, she went into the ER. Whenever she stood, she felt like fainting. While there, the coronavirus test was given. Days later, the result came back positive.

While her experience lack the fever aspect, the key giveaway was that her breathing was impacted to the point that she needed to go to the ER due to shortness of breath. For Lisa, who is middle age, in good health, was surprised about the impact of this virus. Her symptoms gradually became worse over five days.

While your symptoms may differ slightly as can your incubation time (from 5-14 days), when you start to have trouble breathing and a shortness of breath, with or without a fever, go to your health provider. That seems to be the critical factor that differs from regular flu and coronavirus.