I Survived Covid-19: God’s Message
By: Christina Carr-Vassos
I survived Covid-19 by the grace of God. It started on Monday, March 16, 2020 with abdominal pains. I thought it was due to eating something I should not have. The next day, I woke up with aches and pains in my body, especially in my neck. A headache came with no relief as well. On day three I started to have trouble breathing. As an asthmatic I knew that my breathing difficulty had to get under control quickly or my it could take a turn for the worse. The emergency inhaler was not opening my lungs enough, so I began using nebulizer treatments every four hours which is asthma protocol. I still was not getting respiratory relief. By day four, I felt that I did not have a handle on my health. I was becoming ill and extremely uncomfortable quickly. I decided to go to the doctor with the hope that he could give me something to help my lungs. My doctor did not like the way my lungs sounded. He gave me steroids and scheduled breathing treatments for me to take every two hours when needed. This frequency of nebulizer treatments is used for more of an emergency regarding asthma. I was told to go home and rest.
As the week went on, I became much worse. I could say only three to four words before becoming breathless. I could not lift my head off the pillow and had two children to care for. I was very scared at this point. I began to think of a plan for my children and their care. I planned for who would take care of them as I contemplated going to the hospital. I had a fear that I would be admitted into the hospital and never walk out of there.
I have not had a relationship with God for months but knew he did not walk away from me. I asked God what I should do. Should I go to the hospital or tough it out at home? I began to cry heavily. I kept being pushed toward the hospital and knew that God was with me. Through my tears I called my mother and packed a bag ready to be in the hospital for a long time alone. I started to talk to God and pray through my tears. Asking God to get me out of this. I told God I will come back to him. I told him I would talk to him and want him in my life.
I know that God sent me to the hospital that day to hear one piece of advice that would save my life. As I met the doctor in the triage tent outside of the Emergency Room, I was breathing fast and felt dizzy. I was full of fear. The doctor asked me questions and checked my vitals and lungs. After her thorough exam, she stated that I have every symptom of Covid-19. Yet, my lungs were clear with 100% oxygen in them. I did not have pneumonia and therefore was told to go straight home and stay in quarantine to treat my symptoms. It would have been a liability to admit me into the hospital because I would infect a lot people and my breathing was not severe enough to risk that. She then spoke to me with a serious look and told me to stop taking the steroids. She repeated this to me three times, each time with more urgency. She wanted me to understand this information. As soon as she said this to me, my breathing slowed down, and my fear went away. I felt safe and for the first time since March 16th I felt that I was going to be okay. I left the triage tent and was able to make a phone call without becoming breathless.
I know that God was there with me. He sent me to the hospital to save my life. He took away my fear and showed me that I was going to get through this virus. That night I stopped the steroids and nebulizer treatments feeling confident that following the emergency room doctors advice would help me. The next morning, I felt as if I did not need any breathing medication besides my emergency inhaler. I still was having difficulty with my breathing, but it no longer felt like life or death. I continued to have days that I could not get out of bed, but I could see an end to this illness inside of me. I could see that I would be alive and fully recover.
Covid-19 was extremely scary and took a long time to recover from because I had it severely. Twenty-six days after I had my first Covid-19 symptom, I could walk 2 ½ blocks before having difficulty with breathing and my energy levels were increasing. I was also able connect with loved ones and have a full conversation, do my household chores with more ease, and could even read a book online to my students. My happiest moment after feeling the severe effects of Covid-19 was that I could tickle and laugh with my children again without feeling tired or breathless. These beautiful pieces of life that I took for granted are all thanks to God never giving up on his child even though I temporarily gave up on him.
I am now able to give others hope about this virus. I have spoken with several people who were living in fear about Covid-19. They have heard that I lived through it and now feel less fear toward it. God has a plan for all of us. I know that he brought me through this virus so that I could help others in this scary time. God has also reminded me that every day is precious and should be looked at as a beautiful gift even when times are tough. God is good and I give him the glory.