I've had Covid 19 and here's my advice...
Folks from around the motu share their tips to coping with Covid and what they wish they knew...
I have a fair bit of anxiety around Covid 19. I have an immune compromised child and I’m very worried about how he will cope. And my husband and I are worried about how we will be able to manage his medications and treatments if we are sick. Preparing a Covid 19 kit and finding out what the virus has been like for other families has helped us feel a little more prepared, which helps with anxiety. So I thought I’d share the tips I’ve been given from folks on Instagram to help you with your preparation. I thank everyone who so generously shared their experiences with me…
Don't be afraid to ask for help! I was struggling and my GP was able to prescribe an inhaler and prednisone to support my recovery. Glad I didn't just soldier through, as I'm on day 12 now and still not recovered, so I would hate to think where I could have been without them. Hydralyte ice blocks got my three-year-old daughter through it - parents should stockpile those suckers. - Fern
The “point and shoot” Thermometer was worth every penny. I don’t know why I persisted with the under tongue one so long. They’re on GrabOne for about $40.
The thermometer is so easy to use that we can actually see the Panadol working on the fever - make sure you have heaps, like 500 on prescription, not a packet from the supermarket.
If you can, splurge on the nice tissues with aloe vera in them. Your nose will thank you when you’ve finished a whole box in 48 hours.
Again, if you can, buy an expensive Manuka honey. Lemon and honey is basic but it’s helping.
You cannot stock up on lemons weeks in advance. I tried. They do not last the way Panadol does.
My breathing is fucked - I’ve found a blue inhaler really helped. If you wouldn’t normally have one, ask your doctor if you can have one for your covid kit.
Finally, It’s all very well to say “oh the neighbour could help with the dogs” in your covid plan, but I would recommend actually going for a walk with that person and your dog. Our two dogs are 45kg each and I feel like people need a few pointers, which I can’t do when I’m stuck in bed. - Kat
Rest. All the rest. Even when you think you feel better, rest more. If you’ve got kids, release expectations about parenting them. Do what you need to do. To be honest I felt a little foolish as I was expecting it to be the “mild” illness everyone keeps talking about. I’m 30, otherwise fit and well, no underlying illness and an avid runner. I got completely floored by it and it terrified me. I’m so grateful I’m vaxxed and boosted. I’m day 11 today and still positive on RAT, attempted a 30 minute walk and my HR was 140 (equivalent to what it would be on an easy run!) and I was short of breath for some time afterward. I’m still really scared that I don’t know what’s happening with my body. - Kate
Nausea meds! I WISH I had got them from the doc. The only thing I didn’t get in my “kit”. Ended up finding some kids “tummy calm” with activated charcoal but it really didn’t cut it. - Courtney
Keep a diary of symptoms and meds taken and anything covid related. I got really bad and mum was able to tell whoever she called about how I had been managing everything. Also Panadol/ibuprofen for the headaches didn't do shit for me before I got really bad, Panadeine helped though. - Phillippa
Rest more than expected. It can feel exhausting to just stand up and cook, so take it easy. Stock up on super quick easy meals or freezer meals. We could have really used betadine, strepsils, Panadol. My Olbas Oil was great as my nose was perpetually blocked. Also would have been useful to have snacks - had the essentials but no nice snacks. - Josephine
Rest (which is really hard with small kids). Fatigue was the worst for me trying to look after kids with COVID and still feeling like I had to work at the beginning because my symptoms were ‘mild’. Part way through my work was clear about being able to take paid special leave. Realising that I was sick and this wasn’t lock down so getting support from others to get through was big. People loaned us toys for the kids which kept them pretty entertained along with a lot of screen time so I could rest. - Michelle
Have a network who can drop food off to you, or random coffees, or stand at the end of your driveway with balloons for your kid’s birthday. I can’t imagine how overwhelmingly hard it would be to be socially isolated and have Covid. I wish I had discussed expectations with my work about how I would manage it. I was the first in my workplace to get it, and that was stressful. They were really understanding, but I wish we’d discussed it in advance, for example, “you’re welcome to work from home if you feel well enough, but if you can’t because of your health or caring for others then you can take sick leave/carers leave”. It seems really obvious but I should have had that conversation, especially as I have a kid. Work was totally fine but the stress of raising it with them (combined with the shock of getting Covid) was immensely stressful. - Sophie
Panadol, nurofen, tissues, soup, honey lozenges, rest-rest-rest-rest, ask for help, accept help, order takeaways, a million hours of screen time, give yourself permission to take it easy, don't overdo it when you start to feel better. - Eva
Get supplies like Panadol/throat lozenges/inhalers and have them at the ready so you feel mentally prepared. Fans at night to keep kids temps down. So much of it is tempering the anxiety - thankfully our 13 year old got it first, so we had an idea of what to expect from the younger ones (and ourselves). Our neighbours have been lovely checking in on us, even though we’re new to the area. Murphy’s law, isolation was supposed to end for four of us today, and the remainder of us tested positive yesterday so it’s almost another full week in isolation. Try book grocery slots at New World as you can grab a slot and still change your order ahead of them picking your groceries - no such luck with Countdown. Thankful we have the privilege of a full pantry and kids who can help each other make food while we are convalescing in bed. It’s been better/worse than I expected in different ways, having friends to talk to has been a necessity. - Mere
Painkillers, anti inflammatory and easy meals. It’s brutal. We have three kids 10, eight and three months. [I wish we’d had] more snacks and ready meals as the older two have had to fend for themselves. - Ash
Make sure you have hydralytes, paracetamol and ibuprofen. Rest more than you think you should - just stay in bed. The fever should break in a few days, unless you are immune compromised or it worsens. But take it super easy and listen to your body. Covid is EXHAUSTING. I wish that I had known how raspingly sore my throat would be. I made myself endless honey lemon drinks, it felt like my throat was bleeding. - Emma
Rest as much as possible. Eat and drink whatever you can. Being prepared definitely helped. [Having a] thermometer, Oximeter, pain killers, regular medicines. Having someone organised to drop off things. [I wish I’d known] that it could take several days to test positive (I was day four) and that you test positive for a while (longer than day seven). Work wanted a negative test before returning. - Katherine
I have it right now. [You need] pain relief, tissues, Vaseline for your nose, lots of fluids and someone to drop off prescriptions, milk etc... - Emily
Be vaccinated! I was triple dosed so had it very mildly and didn’t give it to my husband or toddler even though I wasn’t able to isolate from them. Just took Sudafed for a couple of days. Have some RAT tests at home to test your close contacts. - Rochelle
Lots of painkillers, make sure you REST for at least a week, have easy to eat/make meals or snacks. We moved the couch outside so I could still lay down but have some fresh air. Keep a water bottle next to you at all times. Tell people!! Everyone is soooooo generous, we got heaps of stuff dropped off even though we said no we don’t need anything. - Karina
Take paracetamol and ibuprofen as soon as you wake up. Keep the meds regimen for a few days at least. Drink loads of water. Coke. Whatever helps get fluids in. Rest. Then rest some more. After that, do more resting. I went for my first walk today (seven days after first symptoms) - heart rate went up to 120 and I felt dizzy. I went super slow. Then I rested. Am about to take Panadol again as the headache is back. Streaming services, audiobooks, calm music, lots of fresh air. Get sun on your tits (this one purely anecdotal of course) from the safety of your back yard if you have one. The sun felt amazing. Then rest. - Em
The best thing (apart from my stash of panadol and nurofen) has been kindy dropping off a craft pack to help keep the kids entertained. The isolation is worse than a level four lock down as you can't even go to the supermarket or pharmacy for an outing. - Claire
Plenty of berocca on hand! The absolute absence of any kind of energy was rough but I’ve started having 4 x berocca throughout the day and what a difference! - Sarah
I have just had covid (I’m also pregnant) along with my husband and 22 month old daughter. My tips are: Be as stocked up as you can on key things like pet food, toilet paper, and pamol. It will ease the burden if people need to grocery shop for you.
Have someone lined up in advance to pick up groceries and agree to do the same for them when needed so there is no hassle trying to organise it.
If you can afford it a thermometer and a pulse oximeter are great peace of mind and knowing if you need medical attention especially for young children who can't tell you if they feel very unwell.
Get into a routine of cooking and doing the chores just once a day and everyone in the house has to help. Then you don't spend the entire day cooking and cleaning or stressing because your entire house is trashed.
As soon as you can go get into bed and stay there, if you have young kids lie in bed while they sleep.
Make sure you have all three vaccines ASAP. I believe this made a big difference to how badly we were effected. Our daughter 22 months unvaccinated was the sickest in the family.
Having RATs on hand is extremely helpful. Our daughter woke up in the morning with a fever which prompted us to test her and we were the first to alert daycare.
Even if you can work from home try not to and take sick leave instead. It's really hard to work and have Covid and parent at the same time.
Stay hydrated. Drink hydralyte or poweraid plus lots of water. Omicron seems to be extremely dehydrating. - S. Turner
Rest as much as you can, orange juice is amazing, only thing my daughter "ate" for days. It's unpleasant. - Laura
If you are a parent, make sure you have easy fast meals to get out and make... like two minute noodles or frozen packs.. or if you are in the position to, get Uber eats delivered. Powerade is your bestfriend too. I'm a three litre a day water drinker and I couldn't get through one litre. Powerade was so good to just sip on. If your friends offer help take them up on it! Keep up with pamol/brufen if it's really bad too. And REST…throw the mattress on the floor and give the kids screen time…do whatever you can to rest. - Kendra
Rest rest rest, let partner take over house/kids and just let everything go in order to rest. Also drugs - mucinex or other mucus demolishing drug, ibuprofen, paracetamol. Tissues, rubbish bin, chapstick, lots of fluids and keep eating. Go hard on creature comforts - TV, good food, comfy blankets, books, candles etc. - Emily
Lots of rest. Drink loads of water. Steam inhaling/sinus rinse. Throat lozenges. Paracetamol. Loads of tissues. Lemon/honey drinks. Let others help you.
Still in the thick of it but that is what has helped so far! Oh another thing that helped was having a bit of a stash of groceries and medical stuff (electrolytes were good too).
I do recognise the privilege in being able to have a stock of food / medicine in the cupboard/fridge/freezer though. Especially these days with the cost of things! - Cherie
Rest more than you think you need to in the following days, the fatigue has been hard to shake. Currently day 10. Wish I had pre-made freezer meals for during recovery. - Kirsten
Lots of easy to make and quick dinners! We live rural too so no easy delivery meals. I let the kids have free reign on screen time because I just couldn't do anything for a good four days! After I was out of isolation and better, my friend also got it so I dropped around a hot chicken some buns and coleslaw just because I knew how bloody amazing it would have been to not have to worry about at least one meal! - Kathryn
Lie down and rest as much as possible. The tiredness is rough. Hard with kids but it’s the only way some days to make it. Lots of TV for the kids. Also make sure you keep up the pain relief on time! When I’ve forgotten and it’s crept over a few hours from last taking it I’ve really felt so much worse! And also get a decongestant nasal spray - that’s saving me. My husband says the decongestant nasal spray is 100% more important for him than anything else we got - Amy
What’s getting us through is lots of Panadol and ibuprofen, Betadine throat gargle, vitamin C and lots of vitamin D, thermometer, online grocery order, doorstep drop offs of meals and treats, texts and calls checking in, unlimited kid screen time and lots and lots of rest, the exhaustion is next level. I would recommend getting a kit together of recommended medicines and vitamins so it’s all there ready to go when you need it. Have people you tell so that they can support you with meals and any shopping. Let go of any time restrictions on screens for kids, rest as much as possible. Keep positive, it can feel pretty awful but it will pass! - Anna
Cold and flu tablets with decongestant, especially if you have to parent while trying to recover. Rest as much as you can (whatever is possible in your situation), don't rush back to doing all the things. Don’t exercise even if you feel fine. Don’t “power through” if you’re working from home, take the sick leave. Even if you have kids and think it's pointless because you can't truly rest. I over prepared with all the “covid kit stuff”, didn’t use a lot of it, but it helped me feel more in control. The only thing I wish I had done is we don't ever do online groceries, so would have been a good idea to set up online accounts with Countdown or whatever before hand and set up your normal shop. It was super stressful trying to do this while sick and tired knowing that all the slots book out so quickly. Would have saved some time and stress [if I’d done that in advance]. - Terri
Cannot stress the importance of rest enough…my husband and I were both sick at the same time, [our] two kids also got it but thankfully one before us and one after. We had days where neither of us could really get out of bed - throw out any guilt of kids spending days on screens when you have nothing left to parent with. [It has been] over two weeks since I was sick and [I] still get tired very quickly and need to consider my plans carefully so as not to overdo things. - Monique
Activities for kids, a [portable pulse] oximeter was very reassuring, panadol and nurofen were crucial - Rebecca
Be prepared. Have a plan for groceries and supports in case you need something. Being isolated at home all of a sudden is hard because supermarket deliveries are generally days away! Knowing I had panadol and a tonne of tissues, toilet paper and vitamin C and lemons and those comforting things was awesome, because I used it all. I’m still sick 10 days later so it’s not been a super quick recovery like some people. I think loads of people brush it off like a small cold and some people do have that, but I found just going with the flow and resting was the best thing I could do because it got me bad! - Stevie
Rest rest rest! I got sick on the Monday and then tested positive on the Tuesday and ended up having 2 weeks off work. I am a nurse in Auckland and because I am a critical worker, I had to do daily RAT tests from day 5 because as soon as I tested negative they wanted me back at work. I tested positive all the way through to day 12 then I finally tested negative. And my mindset was OK well I’m stuck at home so why not do all the jobs I can’t do while working. Big mistake! I am now nearly four weeks down the line and still having really bad fatigue, headaches, body aches etc. I think if I had rested more I would have had a better recovery. I also have three kids and just carried on as if I wasn’t sick and I totally should have accepted more help. - Tania
Sore throat and fever seem to be the most challenging symptoms. [Get] Ice blocks and cold drinks, cold flannels, Manuka honey lozenges. Go hard with the paracetamol and nurofen - don’t skip a dose of either. Also incubation times can be quite long. Lots of people I know (including us!) had family members come out of isolation thinking they’d managed to dodge the bullet, only to test positive a couple of days later. Extend your isolation if you can (even if not totally, but lay low, work from home if that’s an option for you). The fatigue is next level and lasts for quite some time. Don’t plan any activity for a while after you test positive. I was a bit low on groceries so maybe pays to stay well stocked. Also kids pamol and nurofen - I thought I had enough but with two kids both sick they churned through it pretty quick. - Victoria
Ibuprofen worked well for me, paracetamol didn’t do anything. Unfortunately my headache was so bad I couldn’t read for three days so just watched Netflix and read when my head felt better. Coconut frozen juicies were good on my throat. [I’m] still recovering and I had it a month ago! - Sophie
Accept ALL the help. Accept ALL the meals. Especially if you have kids. TV is a totally appropriate babysitter for a seven day isolation. I didn’t have any of the typical symptoms. I had a really minor cold, like pre-Covid I would have hit the office with it - barely registered! But oh my gosh the fatigue. Exhaustion. Like worse than early pregnancy. Worse than post-partum with a newborn. And I’ve had twins. I spent a lot of time in bed. Or on the couch. Just wiped out! So I wasn’t expecting that. And neither was my poor hubby who basically worked two full time jobs for a week looking after me and the kids, and working from home. - Lindsay
Rest even if you feel fine. Rest more than you think you need to. I'm on day four and felt better so went for a drive around the block (to escape my children) and am now back in bed with oxygen saturation levels down at 93 - after sitting on my ass in a car! - Michelle
I hope that helps. It can feel really overwhelming trying to work and parent knowing Covid 19 is lurking around corners. What’s helping me and my anxiety right now is knowing I’m doing what I can to avoid it and that’s really all I can do. I can’t do more than that. So it’s out of my hands…
When I can’t control something I think about what I can control. I can minimise my risk. I can prepare. I can plan. I think about what I’m afraid of:
my babies or husband needing hospitalisation,
not being able to care for my kids because I’m too sick,
Long-Covid.
I give space for those fears. Then I think about what I know to be true.
If anyone is hospitalised in my family we have made it through before and we will hopefully make it through again. Doctors know a lot about Covid 19 and how best to treat it. 2.
We have a support network to help us through. I have family and friends I can call on and Eddie’s care team at the hospital to help us through.
We are starting to learn more about Long-Covid and possible ways to avoid it. I will do my best to do what is recommended - rest - to try to avoid Long-Covid.
We are also planning as much as we can to be ready if it does strike our household. And we are doing what we can to support others who don’t have the ability to prepare in advance, and those who cannot take sick leave or annual leave from their jobs.
So while there’s a lot I can’t control, and that scares me, there’s a lot I can control - and that gives me comfort.
Arohanui friends. Reach out for help if you need it. Give help if you can.
Emily x
Thank you so much for sharing this! It’s really helpful! And thank you so much to the person who mentioned the “point and shoot” thermometers on Grabone. I’ve always wanted one for the kids, but could never justify the price tag, so am getting one now! 💛
Thanks very much for compiling this. I am so anxious about Long Covid, probably more than Covid itself