Shortly before Christmas, Juliana Shain, 43, of Simi Valley tested positive for COVID-19. Five days later, the same thing would happen to her fiancé.
“I felt like I had been beaten. I felt really hangover,” he said. “We had pain and then coughing and then sneezing. Really in the end, we had trouble breathing.”
Aamir Iqbal, an internal medicine specialist with Agoura Family Practice, says he has received several calls a day from frantic patients.
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“When you’ve tested positive it’s a great time. A lot of people are very scared and nervous about what’s going to happen,” he said. “What do I do? Either my husband tested positive or my spouse tested positive or my son tested positive and now I live with them.”
Iqbal’s first suggestion is to buy a dust oximeter without a counter.
“It’s a small device that attaches to your finger and has a percentage at the top of the screen,” he said. “When it goes down from 94%, it starts throwing some flags. And any number below 90% is a big red flag.”
He suggests hydrating with drinks like Pedialyte or Gatorade. Shain’s doctor told him to take a cocktail of supplements.
“The doctor gave us a lot of vitamins,” he said. Shain started taking vitamin C, B12, D3 and zinc.
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“Some of these home remedies can help you. We know they can’t hurt you,” Iqbal said.
He also suggested over-the-counter medications, such as acetaminophen, anticoagulants, and baby aspirin, to prevent blood clots.
“While baby aspirin is not equivalent to an anticoagulant medication, it can provide you with some protection,” Iqbal said.
Studies show that sleeping in the stomach helps get more oxygen to the lungs. Iqbal said if it is comfortable to try it, but he tells his patients it is not a requirement.
Some online tips include waking up every two hours to circulate blood. Iqbal said quality sleep is much more important When it comes to eating more bananas, avocados or asparagus, he said good nutrition is important, but eating alone cannot stop the symptoms from getting worse.
A month after his infection, Shain returns to work
“I feel exhausted and I still have a bit of brain fog,” he said.
He has not accumulated enough energy to take away the Christmas decoration and Shain had to postpone the wedding day. But, she is grateful to be ready.
“You just have to be kind to yourself. Take it one day at a time and you’ll get over it,” he said.
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