Risa interviewed Amanda Thebes back in July 2020 when she was at week 14 of her Covid-19 recovery journey. At that point she was starting to feel better, but she couldn’t get over her symptoms completely. When Amanda first started feeling under the weather, she presented with the classic symptoms of Covid-19 like cough and difficulty breathing. She didn’t think much of it for a few days, but when she realized that she wasn’t getting any better, she decided to go get tested.
Getting tested was not easy to say the least. When Amanda was able to get a test, all of her tests came back negative even though she had all of the symptoms of Covid-19. At the time, doctors started giving diagnoses based on chest x-rays and symptoms because the tests were not reliable. Several doctors gave Amanda a Covid-19 diagnosis despite her negative test results because her chest x-ray and symptoms clearly pointed to the virus. Of course, there was nothing her doctor could do except advise her to go home and isolate herself from other people.
It was around week 5 when Amanda finally started to feel better. However, she noticed that whenever she over exerted herself she would suddenly feel sick all over again. Her main recurring symptoms consisted of extreme fatigue, difficulty breathing, and chest pain that she described like glass in her chest. It was super frustrating especially because medical professionals downplayed her symptoms and didn’t believe that she ever had Covid-19. Her frustration led her to two facebook support groups Covid Long Haulers and Survivor Corps. The people in these groups validated her recurring symptoms when medical professionals did not and were extremely supportive in her recovery.
It took a long time, but Amanda is much better now. In this episode, she shares tips to support your recovery from Covid-19 and wellness tips. Moving purposely, eating well, and getting high quality sleep are some of the tips that she shares. Whether you are recovering from Covid-19 or other set back in your health, remember to take baby steps. Start slow and most importantly, forgive yourself as long as you are trying your best.
What’s In This Episode
1:03 Introduction to Amanda
1:30 Amanda’s Covid-19 journey
2:07 Covid-19 symptoms
2:49 Getting tested
7:32 At home treatment
8:11 Prescriptions from the doctors
9:44 Diagnosis based on symptoms
10:38 Amanda’s week 5 of Covid-19
12:08: Lasting symptoms
13:12 Supporting recovery
15:02 Bump in recovery road
16:08 Facebook group: Covid Long Haulers
17:11 Amanda’s reoccurring symptoms
18:27 Facebook group: Survivor Corps
19:33 Recommendation for Covid-19 long haulers
22:13 What to do for overall wellness
24:28 Advocating for yourself
27:38 Covid-19 and Epstein Barr virus
31:29 Antibody test
