MUM STRUCK DOWN WITH COVID - FOR THE SECOND TIME:
A MUM who was struck down with Covid-19 during the height of the first wave of the pandemic claims she has now been diagnosed with it again.
The 50-year-old, from Cardiff, said she suffered with breathing difficulties and a high temperature in April and tested positive two days after a drivethrough test in Whitchurch.
The woman, who doesn’t want to be named, also needed a short spell at University Hospital Llandough when her symptoms took a turn for the worse, but over the following days she made a good recovery.
However, after feeling feverish and going off her food earlier this month, she was advised to go for another test, this time at the UK Government-run testing centre at the Cardiff City Stadium.
And, to her shock, she tested positive for a second time.
“I couldn’t believe it. One side of me thought I had to have it again because of my high temperature and my loss of taste and smell, and then the other side of me thought, ‘Well, I can’t get this again’,” she said.
“How unlucky am I?”
The woman, who is a key worker, said she was given her first positive result over the phone on April 12 following a short bout of ill-health.
“I had a bit of a cough, sore throat and a high temperature. I didn’t know if I had Covid, but the doctor said I looked a bit red-faced, took my temperature and then told me to go home and book a test,” she recalled.
“Back then, the testing was a lot different to how it is now. It was open windows, talking to the person [without me wearing a mask]. She just gave me the swab down my throat and that was it.
“I had a phone call on April 12, two days after the test, to say that it was positive. I went into a bit of panic mode and was worrying about everyone else around me.”
She feared that her husband, children and grandchildren would contract the virus from her.
“When you’re fighting a temperature, your body is fighting and is exhausted. I have mild asthma and my breathing got a bit worse,” she said.
“I rang my GP and they wanted me to go into hospital to have a few more tests like a chest X-ray and an ECG.
“I was put on a drip and given antibiotics to come home with. They wanted me to stay in overnight but I didn’t want to.
“The hospital looked like a crime scene. All the staff were wearing full white suits and PPE. You are put in a side room and you don’t see anyone unless someone comes in to see you. It’s almost like you’re a prisoner.” Within a couple of days of being discharged from hospital, the grandmother said she began to feel better and returned to work.
She added: “It hasn’t been a very good year. I was diagnosed with breast cancer a year ago, which led to me needing an operation and radiotherapy.
“I was supposed to get married but that had to be cancelled, so we had a lockdown wedding in August instead. “We were thankfully allowed 10 people inside City Hall for that, followed by 30 people in our garden. It was a lovely sunny day, so we were lucky in that respect.” For the past couple of weeks, the Cardiff resident added that she has been “off her food” and developed cold-like symptoms. “However, I then went on to develop another temperature, a cough and completely lost my taste and smell.
“Everything aches. It’s like flu. My whole body hurts to touch. This time I definitely feel worse than the last time.
“I booked myself a test this time on the Covid Government site. This time it was a completely different ball game. It was so regimented and there were people everywhere directing you, you had to wear and mask and gloves and do the test yourself and put it into a vial.”
The woman, who was told by email and text that she was Covid-positive this time around, believes that her cancer treatment may have played a part in her getting the virus twice.
“My immune system must be down,” she said.
“In work we also had the blood test to test for immunity. The three or four of us who had been positive in the past didn’t have any immunity, which was strange.”
In conclusion, she warned people not to take the virus for granted.
“As with anything medical, don’t ignore it. A test takes five minutes.
“It’s better to be safe than sorry” she added.
“Every day I’m getting better, I’m coping with it. I’m taking paracetamol and plenty of water and staying indoors.
“You have to ride it through to protect yourself and others.”
Everything aches. It’s like flu. My whole body hurts to touch. This time I definitely feel worse than the last time