‘Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever feel normal again’

“I tested negative for COVID-19 on Oct. 5. Four days later, I tested positive. I went to the ER once, but was sent home with steroids and Albuterol, and was told to buy a nebulizer. I continued to get worse with a fever, cough and flu-like symptoms. So I went back to the ER, and this time I was admitted to the isolation unit.

“When I hadn’t improved and then got pneumonia, my family was very worried. I also have COPD, so the pneumonia was scary for all of us. My lungs were a mess. I had difficulty breathing. Because I felt so bad for days, I wouldn’t even talk to anyone. I wondered if I would ever come home.

“After a week with no improvement, the doctor started me on Remdesivir. After five days, I improved tremendously. I was so happy when I was able to get out of isolation. I hugged my family like I’d been gone years instead of weeks.

“Finally, I was able to go home with a walker and on oxygen. I still have what feels like vertigo. I trip and stumble a lot, so I have a cane that helps. My husband and our 17-year-old grandson, who we’re raising, also had COVID. It wasn’t as bad as mine, but I’m so thankful they recovered. We have no idea how we contracted it, unless at a drive-through restaurant, because we went nowhere. And we followed all protocols.

“It’s been about two months since I got out of the hospital, and I still have residual effects. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever feel normal again.”

— Kaye Sneed