Helen James said she knew she had it before the doctors told her.
“I never doubted it was the coronavirus,” the Sedona resident said. “I had all the regular symptoms but thankfully no problem breathing.”
Being that her husband is a corporate pilot, James said she’s sure it was contracted from him. Her husband returned home from a week-long flight rotation around the end of March. Within 24 hours of returning home he fell sick and slept most of the day and night.
“That was very unlike him since he is normally healthy and rarely ever gets sick,” she said. “I immediately called my nurse practitioner and she warned me to stay quarantined and separate from him. If he had problems breathing she said to go straight to the emergency room. All it took was a hug and kiss because the following day I started to feel weak, dizzy and tired. I knew I had it, too.”
At first James said she was very tired, with body aches along with a little vertigo. Then she got the chills, a fever and headaches followed by a dry cough. It went on for a few days and she and her husband both started to feel better but then they would have a bit of a relapse.
“One of the worst symptom was my loss of taste and smell, which lead to a loss of appetite,” she said. “It still has not fully returned.”
James said that when she realized she wasn’t getting better and was starting to feel a little worse, she decided to go to Urgent Care in Cottonwood since she does not have a primary doctor.
By then her husband was fine and he had already returned to work. Urgent Care had her wait outside by her car until staff were ready to conduct the tests.
Staff first tested her for flu since they needed to rule that out. That test was inconclusive. They took her temperature, which came back at 102 degrees F. They then they took a throat culture.
“They said it could take up to a week for the results,” James said. “Three days later I received a call with a positive result for COVID-19 — the first positive result at that facility. I was told to stay quarantined and call 911 if I had problems breathing since I was at home alone.”
Having already been self-quarantining, James said her daily routine didn’t change much after officially being diagnosed. She said it hasn’t been easy, but friends kept her entertained on social media with jokes and music.
Family members and other friends have taken turns calling her and checking in to see if she needed anything.
Now, she is on the mend as most of her symptoms have subsided.
“There were good days and bad days but overall I was getting better every day,” James said. “Thankfully after 15 days I’m symptom-free except for a lingering dry cough. Right now I’m feeling good and at about 90%. I don’t feel like going out hiking but happy to be able to get out and do short walks in the neighborhood. This virus seems to weaken the lungs and breathing can be more difficult.”
“I rarely watch regular TV and avoided watching the daily news since it was scary,” she went on to add. “A little fear is good and that’s what it takes to keep our public safe and for everyone to follow the guidelines, because they work.”
