COVID-19 Recovery Tips

Regular readers will know this blog is usually dedicated to prosperity and success strategies.  Today, we’re taking a little bit of a departure because I’ve been slogging through a recovery from COVID-19.  And as you know, health and wellness are vital when it comes to manifesting prosperity.  So I thought it would be helpful to share some tips on what’s working for me.  NOTE: I’m not a doctor, and don't even play one on TV, so this is NOT medical advice.  Please see your healthcare providers for that.  These are just tips from a layperson about getting back to a healthy lifestyle after you experience the coronavirus.

First the bad news: There’s a strong possibility your recovery will be painful, frustrating, and take a lot longer than you wish.  (Don’t want to affirm that, and hopefully this won’t be the case with you.  There are many different levels of impact with this disease.)  In my case, and from many I’m hearing about, it’s been wearisome and quite challenging.

For those that don’t know me, I’m 61 years old and until recently, been in the best shape of my life.  I’ve been HIV positive, but undetectable since 2006.  Because of that, I’m currently taking an antiretroviral medication, and also taking a statin drug to maintain a healthy cholesterol level.  For the last ten plus years, I did cardio 20-30 minutes every morning and a one-hour resistance training six days a week.  I played softball weekly on a couple championship Masters-level teams.  In early February I started experiencing shortness of breath.  Then it became so severe that simply doing a 30-second plank had me breathing like I had just run six blocks.  It progressed to the point I was having difficulty breathing only lying in bed at night.  I started self-isolating and there were several nights I got up to unlock the deadbolt on my front door and brought my cell phone next to my bed, just in case.  I went from an energetic athlete to someone who got so winded making my bed, I would collapse back into it.  If we share a coffee sometime, you can hear the arduous story of how I finally found out it was COVID.  But let’s skip all that drama and look at how you can best recover if you do have it.

First, know that you can be “over it,” but feel worse than when you actually had it.  That’s because of the damage the virus can do to your lungs and other organs.  If you can’t breathe well, you don’t take in enough oxygen, which makes you feel even more exhausted.  Don’t self-medicate with junk food to try and get energy.  You get a quick sugar high but ultimately feel more run down.  You eat more, exercise less, gain more weight, which makes for a vicious cycle of declining energy.  And your lasting memory of COVID-19 will be the 19 pounds you gained during isolation.

From my perspective, being intubated in the ICU looked like a path to certain death.  (I shouldn't even say that, but just being real, that’s how I actually felt.)  So I started forcing myself to do anything that made me force more oxygen into my lungs.  Literally the longest I could do cardio was one to two minutes at first.  I built up a minute or two more, as I could.  Some days were easier than others.  Some I simply couldn’t muster the energy to do anything.  You need to get your lung capacity back as quickly as possible.  Some important steps in the process:

• Keep an oximeter in your home. It seems at least 40 percent of people with COVID-19 don’t even get a fever.  So the thermometer isn’t the crucial item to have, the oximeter is.  This is the most reliable way as a layperson to know if you pass the danger zone and need to go to the hospital.
• When you’re feeling simply exhausted and just want to go back to bed, try doing some form of cardio exercise. (Even if it is only a minute.) Often this will get enough oxygen in your blood that you feel less lethargic.
• No matter how wasted you feel, maybe the best thing you can do is get outside. Sunshine and fresh air are incredibly helpful for your recovery.  Wear a mask around people, but get to a park bench, a boat dock, or somewhere you can just soak in some rays and breathe clean air.  Your weak lungs may cause you to breathe harder wearing a mask.  Find one with a filter that allows air in, like this one.
• Take Mucinex or a similar product.  The more mucus you can cough up from your lungs, the better you will breathe.
• Work up to some resistance training if you can. I got ripped off on a lot of home exercise equipment I ordered during the quarantine.  But I did finally get this home gym.  If you can swing it, pay the expedited shipping fee or the wait is quite long.
• Get a device specifically designed for lung exercises. I’m using this one and this one.  Don't really have a recommendation of one over the other, trying both to get better.  Don’t beat yourself up if you barely register at first.  It takes time, but it’s worth it.
• If you’re having trouble breathing in bed, try switching to sleeping on your side or stomach.  This seems to help.
• Make sure you’re taking a multivitamin and getting maximum recommended allowances of Zinc and Vitamin D. Both are showing lots of anecdotal evidence of lessening duration and improving recovery.
• Another reason you may still feel sick or light-headed is dehydration, which happens often with fevers. So make sure you drink lots and lots of water, and maybe supplement with a healthy supplement to rehydrate.  Don't buy one of those sports drinks filled with sugar.  Get LMNT, I swear by the stuff.  I arranged a free sample pack for you here.
• When you’re feeling exhausted, don’t just veg-out with Netflix. Practice some Sudoku puzzles, crosswords, or other brain teasers. Better mental clarity keeps you more positive for recovery.
• Dial down the news coverage. Focusing on the daily case and death counts doesn’t help anyone and won’t make your recovery any better.  (And will probably deter it.)  Replace some of that with positive podcasts and reading.  Keeping your mindset positive makes a huge impact of recovery.

Anyway, that is what is helping me.  Like you, I wish it was quicker, but it is what it is.  But being proactive about building up your immunity, lungs, and energy will get you there quicker.  If you have any other suggestions, please share them in the comments below.

Peace,

- RG

P.S. And please share this with anyone you know who is fighting COVID-19 themselves.