By Joanna Lewis

MARCH 2020 did not start or end well if I’m honest. It began with my beloved old rescue Lab Beatrice being put to sleep in my arms. It ended with me feeling I was choking to death. This virus is a beast and I share my individual experience of fighting it, in case it’s of use.

My first tip would be not to ignore any symptoms, even if they don’t quite fit the profile at the start. 1. Take it seriously. For a week I made light of the sore throat, the hacking cough and aching limbs. “Have you got it?” people asked, as I struggled to speak on the phone. “Not me,” I rasped, “it’s just a cold that’s gone into bronchitis as usual.”

It wasn’t hard to convince myself. I’d been socially isolating since March 15th being slightly at risk. (And I’ve been practising social distancing all my life, being a boring academic.) Also, I didn’t have a temperature, so I thought. No red eyes, loss of smell or taste. Just my luck, I could still eat like a horse. But the cough got worse. The feeling of having talcum powder in my lungs grew. After I coughed up blood in the night and fought for breath after one prolonged fit, thinking this is it, I realised I might have to reassess the situation. Suddenly I felt like a character in Bronte novel, going down-hill rapidly after a night on the moors in a summer vest.

Turns out it was Jane Eyre meets Calamity Jane. My thermometer had broken and I did have a slight temperature. But I’d been self-isolating, I said to myself. I can’t have it! The problem was I’d done some really very non-isolating things in preparation! I’d popped into central London. I’d done a massive supermarket shop first thing on a Sunday morning when I thought it would be quiet – me and about half of Winchester were thinking the same! And I’d also gone and had my hair done… Moving on swiftly, so I did the NHS virus checker. It came back with a whopping very likely yes you have it.

My second tip would be: 2. Try to contain your anxiety and fear. I kept the news from my immediate family and boyfriend not to worry them. Everyone around me has stress. My mother is looking after my elderly father. Some of my friends suffer from anxiety in any case. Students are worried about their exams and futures. There is already grief from losing grandparents. My 87 year old uncle has been sent home early following a stroke because they need the ward for corona. A dear sweet man can’t have urgent cancer treatment because his oncologist has the virus and it’s too risky for him to go into hospital for treatment…

Fear is understandable. Covid 19 can be deadly: if you have chest pain and breathing difficulty you should follow NHS guidelines and seek urgent medical treatment. A prolonged temperature and /or cough are a cause for serious concern. When you get this strange feeling in your lungs, you cannot help but ponder, this is what is killing people; its killing doctors and nurses; and young people. Now that horrible little red and purple thing with sticky out bits, is trying to get me too.

But it’s important to your recovery to not to waste energy on worry – the vast majority of people who have it survive, just as in the flu. So don’t gorge on social media. Instead, let reliable friends and family give you the news and information you need. Rather than scrolling on your phone hunched over, do your amazing lungs a favour: sit up in bed, breathe deeply for five seconds then hold. Do that five times and then on the sixth do a big cough. The London hospital doctor that promotes this exercise recommends doing it twice, then lying down on your front breathing deeply. Remember your lungs go up to your shoulders and reach down your back – keep them warm and breathe into all parts of them.

I was lucky. My second week went into a different phase. Temperature went, lungs got less congested. But next, the little nasties went for my weak spots. So I had an endless headache, stomach upset and aching neck and ribs. For me, at this critical point it became about mind-set. My third tip would be to 3. Fight it mentally. I was furious. A lifelong animal lover and champion of the natural world, there was no way I was going to be got by some Chinese man making wild-bat stew because they’d run out of Chihuahuas. The origins of the pandemic are no doubt more complex but that version worked for me. I fought it with every cell I could summon.

I also had help from some amazing people who were practical, brave and no-nonsense. (Thank you Ruth and Jane) They helped me with my fourth tip. 4. Food is also your medicine. If you want to boost your immune system as prevention as well as recovery, then it has to be fruit and vegetables all the way. They can be tinned or frozen. Just get your levels of Vitamins and Minerals up, especially Vitamin C. Yes I was craving cake and chocolate but sugar is not helpful. Keep drinking fluids. Always keep a drink to hand. Hot water will work. Cough medicines are expensive but supermarket brand ones are fine. So are any kind of cough sweet if you can’t get your paws on the popular ones. Old fashioned remedies like steaming helped me. As did eucalyptus oil – a few drops in a hot bath or in a bowl of hot water – and something from the Health store called BroncoForce.

Finally, be prepared for a third phase –severe tiredness. 5. Do not try to do too much too soon. If like me your third week is chronic fatigue, then bear in mind you still need to follow all of the above. It is still trying to get you, lurking around. I made the mistake of wanting to do something practical so I started to defrost the freezer. It was taking too long and I was getting tired. To speed things up, I got a large hammer…. Now I only have one functioning drawer!

That aside, I’ve won this little battle. Of course it’s nothing compared to what others are waging daily in hospitals, care homes, hospices and looking after the vulnerable. Our heroes live amongst us on the NHS front line, in the police, the emergency responders, all volunteers helping those in isolation, and care workers everywhere. There are many more battles against the virus to come, and it’s taking people and livelihoods away in cruel, sudden ways. But up yours virus! We are survivors.

This just the beginning of this roller coaster.