My wife, daughter, and I caught the coronavirus in late February. We left on a one-week trip to Switzerland in the last week of February, with symptoms, but unaware that what we had was the SARS-CoV 2. Upon returning to Portugal, we stayed at home, although the population had not yet been ordered to quarantine.

It soon became evident that we had the coronavirus. My 50 year-old wife had a more severe case, with fever, pain, shortness of breath and other symptoms. We gritted it out at home, because I was afraid that we might be swallowed up by the hospital and never reemerge. The mortality rate for people intubated in the ICU is over 90%. At that time, we knew nothing about this virus.

I was symptomatic for about four weeks, with profound lethargy, sleeping thirteen hours each night and an additional two or three hours in the afternoon. For at least another month I would appear to be well on one day, only to have my symptoms reappear on the next.

Now we are well, and I have begun exercising again. I get out of breath after moderate effort, and do not know if it’s due to permanent lung damage or deconditioning. Time will tell. Hopefully, now we are immune.

Eric Sweet CdeP 1963

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