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Vernon resident and doctor say she has case of Covid-19

Mar 20, 2020 | 3:52 PM

Michelle Regnier is describing her experience with what she and her doctor believe to be a case of COVID-19.

The Vernon resident, co-owner of Spirit Fest annual retreat and Travelling Tarot, has posted a blog of what she has gone through the last few days on her Facebook page, and is urging others to take the precautions seriously.

Regnier tells Vernon Matters she never actually was tested but her doctor felt she did have the virus.

“The guy I talked to this morning (Friday) from Interior Health said they don’t need to test me as I fit all the criteria and testing is reserved for people who have been out of the country,” said Regnier.

What started as a cough and sore throat led to something much more severe with heavy coughing, vomiting, a sleepless 24 hours and pain.

While she has seen improvements, her fever was back again today.

Here is Michelle’s posting:

Here is my reality: To my family and friends near and far and to the community of my beloved Vernon, I have the COVID-19 virus and I sincerely hope that this sickness just stops and goes away, too many lives have been taken.

My wish is for my fellow Canadians to start taking this pandemic seriously!!! Please stay in your homes!!! If you have to go out to get food or medicine, please wear surgical gloves and a mask!!

I will now relate exactly the time-line of my illness and what’s been happening:I began feeling “unwell” late Thursday night, March 12. I just felt off, no identifiable symptoms, just an overall feeling of unwellness and tired.

Friday morning started the cough and sore throat, some sneezing but not much, not much of a runny nose, either, but cold-like symptoms, for sure. I just wanted to sleep, and I did, all day.

Saturday the 14th, I woke up with headache and severe sore throat and coughing like I have never coughed before!!! Difficult to keep liquids down cause I would cough so much, I’d puke everything up, does that hurt the throat and stomach muscles!

By Sunday the 15th, I was coughing almost non-stop and barely able to catch a breath, low-grade fever began this morning and it came and went. Oh my god, the lungs and surrounding ribs hurt so much, never ever had such pain! The pain is horrible, even Tylenol 3 did nothing to diminish the pain.

It’s also been impossible to sleep the last 24 hours, and if I managed 10 minutes here and there, it was sitting up; there’s no way you can lay down, or at least I can’t cause it felt like my lungs were filling up with liquid whenever I did lie horizontally.

Monday the 16th my husband wanted to take me to the hospital but I was just too weak and sick, I just wanted to try and sleep…. sleep and cough, more like cough and pain.

Tuesday the 17th is when the flu started and later I was to find out that there are three levels of the sickness and I was between one and two.

Late afternoon when my lungs felt white hot and breathing was more difficult, we followed protocol and had an ambulance take me to the hospital, I needed help so bad!

Protocol is this: Vernon Jubilee Hospital says to call 811, you can’t just show up at the hospital because they have certain procedures to follow, next phone 811 (can take up to three hours to talk to someone) but the recording says to call 911; so now you know to just call 911 if you are having trouble breathing.

After a few hours of 2 litres of oxygen, tests and lung X-rays, I was allowed to go home with strict rules and a piece of paper to place on my fridge that states all the do’s and don’ts. The doc says, ‘Yes, you seem to have COVID-19 here is a prescription for penicillin and a puffer to open the airways in your lungs.’

I asked if the blood test was enough and if they need to swab my throat and nose. He said they aren’t swabbing everyone cause they don’t have enough test kits. There was an older gentleman in the next room who had just come back from out of the country with my same symptoms, he was being tested, and, I presume, because he was just travelling? Either that or maybe he was in a further stage than I was at the time? Anyway.

I self-isolate from my entire family, I haven’t seen my husband or sons or even my brother, sister and niece for days.

Taking the medication was difficult to swallow as they are huge capsule horse pills! and my throat is inflamed to say the least.

The 18th is when I am in level two and maybe level three is looming? Not sure at this point. Now not only am I non-stop coughing but now I’m puking; not sure if it’s actual puking stomach contents like a normal flu or puking up crap from my lungs, either way, this stuff start to leave my body. At this stage, I have never been so sick and so sore all over in all my life!! And I still can’t sleep more that 10 minutes at a time.

The 19th is when my coughing starts to break up in my lungs and I’m spitting it out! I feel as though I can now see a light at the end of this horrible, horrible sickness. I can breath a lot better, my coughing has lessened and I am actually out of bed and walking around my room. I’m still in quarantine, of course.

I was on the phone this morning with a gentleman from Interior Health that asked me how I’m doing; he tells me that if I was given penicillin and the protocol paper then that means I don’t need the swabbing done because the doctors have already confirmed that I have this virus. I asked him why they aren’t swabbing everyone, he said that I have all the symptoms and the swabbing was for those who fell into “some” of the criteria. He used his math skills to find out where I am and what level I’m at with the virus.

They figure I contracted it around the beginning to the first week of March. I can’t believe how fast this moves in the body, it really takes a lot out of you! He figures I’m at level three now and warns me that I’m not out of the woods yet and to watch my breathing because it isn’t over yet, according to the math and my symptoms.

So this is where I’m at now and I urge everyone, especially anyone who has been in contact with me before my symptoms began to please self-isolate!!!

Keep up with nutritious foods and tons of liquids and tons of rest!! We are facing unprecedented and uncertain times. Peace be with you all.

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