I began COVID-19 symptoms the week of March 7th and became very ill starting March 18th with fever, shortness of breath, aches, chest pain, rash, tightness in the throat, and fatigue. I’m still experiencing a lot of these symptoms 70 days later and have the entire time (these and other symptoms come and go and vary in intensity).

I tested negative for COVID -19 with a nasal swab twice (late March and late April) and negative for igg antibodies in mid-May. I have done 3 rounds of antibiotics, a 16-day course of prednisone, and increased vitamin intake significantly. Nothing seems to help and I am getting scared that this will only progress and end in chronic illness or death.

I have seen/spoken to multiple doctors and none seem to have a strong sense of what is going on. I am not a person with any prior conditions that would normally impede recovery from a virus. I’m 44, a runner, and I have never smoked. I eat as healthy as possible and do not drink alcohol or do any kind of recreational drugs. My biggest health issue prior to COVID -19 was likely that I tend to be dehydrated because as a teacher I do not usually drink a lot of fluids during the day so I will not have to often leave the classroom to use the restroom. I also had not been taking many of the vitamins that I have since learned are important for battling this virus.

I’m hoping to hear positive stories from around the world of people who have successfully recovered from coronavirus after experiencing long-term (40 plus days) symptoms. I realize that countries such as China and Italy are ahead of the US in terms of the virus timeline, and I’m wondering if the doctors in those countries have realized people are still struggling with the virus for a much longer time than was originally predicted and if there are treatments being prescribed or developed with the specific needs of this population in mind.