The testimonies of patients who are overcoming COVID-19 can help us understand the harsh situation that they have had to live, what are the symptoms they have suffered and how they have coped with the disease. Undoubtedly, her recovery throws a significant dose of hope into the terrible moment we are going through.
Manel Sàiz has experienced the coronavirus in the first person. This 48-year-old sound technician from Radio Barcelona-Cadena Ser tells us how he is coping with this pandemic that is spreading to practically every corner of the planet.
Manel, how are you feeling?
Now I am fine. I have been home for 21 days, but fortunately I already lead a fairly normal life. I feel better and I receive telephone follow-up until I am discharged. If all goes well, I will receive it on March 30th.
How did you get it?
On March 1, I began to feel ill; He was very cold and felt a certain discomfort. I suppose that night I had a fever, but when I woke up I was somewhat better, so I went to work. At no time did I think it could be a coronavirus. The next two days I was feeling better and better, so I thought it was a normal catarrhal process. On the 4th, while at work, my boss sent us a statement stating that he had tested positive for coronavirus and urged all of us who had contact with him during the last two weeks to go home. He told us that Health would contact us and tell us how to proceed.
At no time did I think it could be a coronavirus.
That same afternoon, Health called me and they gave me the first guidelines: I had to stay home, take my temperature twice a day, wash my hands frequently and be in contact with them by phone to communicate any changes in my evolution. That day I began to decline; My head hurt a lot, I started having a fever and feeling very tired.
The next day (March 5) an EMS team came to my house to take the test and hours later (March 6) the diagnosis was confirmed: the test had tested positive for COVID-19.
How did you take the news?
It was a blow. I still wasn't feeling too bad, but I couldn't help but think that two days before I had been with my children, my ex-wife and my father, who had an operation a few months ago for a tumor in his lung. The idea of having been able to infect one of my loved ones was beyond me.
Did the symptoms get worse?
Yes. I have everything registered, just as they asked me in Health. From day 6 to day 11 I did not drop below 38ºC of fever, I suffered severe headaches, shivering and a lot of discomfort. I felt very weak and did nothing but sleep. The good news is that at no point did I have a cough or shortness of breath, which seem to be two of the most common symptoms. Yes, I have suffered from diarrhea, but only in two specific moments of the process, not constantly.
From day 6 to day 11 I did not drop below 38ºC of fever, I suffered severe headaches, shivering and a lot of discomfort
They say that the virus is affecting smell and taste, has it happened to you?
Not smell, but taste completely lost. The truth is that during those days I had no appetite and I barely ate - I lost 3 kilos - but the little that I put in my mouth tasted like nothing. I tried the Serrano ham, which is a very tasty food, and it didn't taste like anything.
I completely lost taste.
What indications did they give you from Health?
Initially, apart from the confinement orders, they recommended that I wash my hands a lot and little else. Then they changed the guidelines and recommended total isolation: being alone in a room, not sharing the bathroom with anyone, etc. The truth is that I live in a very small apartment with my wife and I couldn't allow myself to isolate myself in that way, but fortunately it doesn't seem that my wife has been infected. My parents and my children, either, so now I am much calmer.
Do they call you every day to check your status?
At first yes, but now they only call me once in a while to make sure everything is going well. The truth is that I have felt accompanied and very well attended at all times. I'm waiting for my medical discharge.
I felt accompanied and very well attended by Health at all times.
What do you think of the neighborhood initiatives to applaud the health workers and those who watch over our safety? Have you been able to participate in them?
For the first few days I was so ill that it even bothered me to hear my wife clap. Now I feel better and I go out to clap every day.
Have you ever been afraid?
Yes. More than for me, for all the people I had seen before I knew they had the virus. It is horrible to think that you have been able to infect other people without knowing it.
What would you say to those who are taking the order to stay home lightly?
That they collaborate as we are doing the others. This is not something that only affects one person; It affects us all and we are playing a lot. It is important that we all get involved if we want to get out of this. There are very selfish people.
Has this experience changed the way you see life?
The truth is that I consider myself an empathetic and unselfish person, who thinks about his environment and those around him. In this sense, I don't think much has changed, but maybe I do take my day to day in a different way. I do not know if it will be because of the seclusion, but I perceive that I do things more calmly; I don't go so fast and if I don't have time to finish something at that moment, I don't worry; I will do it…
What would you recommend to those who are now at home going through the same thing that you have gone through?
That they try to rest and sleep as much as possible, which helps a lot. And, once they feel a little better, keep in touch with their loved ones on WhatsApp or by phone and distract themselves by doing things they like: reading, listening to music, cooking or practicing any other hobby. Ah! A word of advice: gel sachets used to relieve pain from certain injuries were very useful for me. After chilling them in the fridge, I would roll them up in a cloth and place them on my forehead. It helped me control my fever. I comment on it in case it helps someone.
What is the first thing you are going to do when the confinement is over?
Sunbathe! My house is not very sunny and I need to feel the sun. It's what I miss the most …
