As some of you may know Paul Reynolds, Commercial Development Manager for CEMEX UK, tested positive for Coronavirus and has been recovering at home with his partner, Karyn, who also had the virus.

Thankfully, Paul and his partner are feeling much better.

He has kindly shared his experience of having the virus below – it is a powerful story and one that we are sure will be helpful to those who have been feeling anxious about the virus and its impact.

As an RRT we would like to send Paul and Karyn our very best wishes; we are so pleased they are both recovering well. Thank you for your story Paul.

Paul Reynold’s Experience of the Coronavirus

Firstly, thank you so much for all the messages and support wishing myself and my partner a speedy recovery, I found it very genuine, supportive and heart-warming to know I had the support of my colleagues.

So how did we contract the virus? 

My partner, Karyn, manages a section of a care home that normally provides respite for Dementia patients, however, following a local care home becoming infected with COVID, they took in ten patients, all of whom had contracted the virus (of the ten sadly four succumb to the disease). Contrary to public belief, the home where Karyn works was well provided for regarding PPE and they have a policy of isolating patients, as well as limiting deliveries and visitors to the site. However, whilst PPE does offer some protection, it is essential that the team are all responsible for keeping everyone safe. For example, safely disposing of PPE once it has been used, or when removing a glove causes the contaminated area of the glove to come into contact with the skin, washing hands is still a necessity.

What symptoms did we show? 

Prior to having a test Karyn complained of feeling extremely tired and exhausted. Then three to four days later she noticed that her temperature was rising. For myself, I kept smelling a musky smell and was a little tired, and then again, three days later my temperature started to increase. I also had aches to my limbs, similar to flu-like symptoms, and generally feeling weak. Later into the virus we both suffered from a loss of taste, suffered some breathlessness and developed a rash. Thankfully neither of us had a tightening in the chest.

Testing positive and managing the virus

 When either yourself or a loved one tests positive, it is extremely concerning as it confirms for you that you are on the start of a journey to which none of us know the outcome. The information that we see on the news shows some terrible outcomes with a scary death rate and pictures of normally health people leaving hospital in wheelchairs after spending time on ventilators, and you hope to be one of the lucky ones. However, it is worth remembering that thankfully the majority of us will make a full recovery, and if you follow the NHS advice I believe you can significantly limit the effects of the virus on you.

• Chill – Totally relax and do not get stressed. Let your body focus on fighting the virus. That does not include alcohol, again your body does not need to waste energy cleaning your blood when it has a virus to fight.
• Temperature – Control your temperature with Paracetamol or Ibuprofen. If your temperature continues to rise, then call 111 (Karyn peaked at 40.5°c and I at 39.8°c).
• Hydration – Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and flush the virus through the system. The recommendation is that urine should be clear.

Coming out the other side

There appears not to be a test that can confirm that you are free of the virus. There is every possibility that once you have had the virus your lungs will cough up dead Coronavirus cells which will give a positive reading, but you are not infectious to others.

The Government advice is that you self-isolate for seven days, or until symptoms subside. Both Karyn and I began feeling better after a week, with temperatures dropping back to normal levels, but then the virus appeared to come back for a second time a day or so later. My recommendation is that you should self-isolate for a minimum seven days and only come out once your temperature comes down into the 36°c range for a minimum of 48 hours.

I am now feeling much better and I hope to be back with you next week. We have been lucky, we have both had the virus and come out the other side unscathed, but for anyone feeling complacent, do not underestimate this virus, no one can guarantee the outcome, and trust me it takes an awful lot out of you. I certainly would not want to go through this again or learn that any of my family, friends and colleagues have been struck down with it.

Dealing with the self-isolation 

This is probably the hardest part of the virus, and I cannot thank everyone enough for their messages. Try to occupy time with watching movies, reading and doing quizzes. Don’t be tempted to do emails as they can cause stress, remember you need to relax.

I hope this insight is helpful, and thanks again for your support.

Take care and stay safe.

Paul Reynolds