Tips for Families to Fight COVID-19

I am sharing this experience with hopes that maybe it could help someone looking for information or suggestions to help treat Covid within a family. I am not a doctor or acting as a professional with the treatment we followed with advice from doctors and nurses we spoke to throughout Covid because there isn’t much out there about what to do if your family gets Covid-19?       

Last year really threw our family some curveballs, so it was no surprise that the week before Christmas break we found ourselves in quarantine after my husband tested positive for Covid-19. He was treating a bad cold all week long with some cold/sinus medicine, but woke up on Friday to find that he had no taste or smell.  At first, I panicked – what do I have to do? What do my kids have to do? Do we force daddy to live in the basement? What is Christmas going to look like?

I was grounded by a friend who explained the actual process to follow after testing positive for COVID-19. The first thing that was stressed was that my husband started symptoms almost a week before testing positive, which meant that he was not contagious at the time of the test.  Apparently, the shedding process occurs 48 hours prior to developing symptoms, when we were most likely already around him. So, we were all presumed to be positive; however, when I went for my first test, which was sent out, it came back negative. Later that week, my oldest son, Lucas (14) lost his sense of smell and taste and his test came back positive on Christmas Eve. (Lucas shared his Tips for Teens with COVID) What a great present, right?! The next couple days, my stomach didn’t feel very good, but I just contributed to the variety of eating done during Christmas. I also started getting headaches and developed cold symptoms. That led me to believe that I could have possibly tested too early or maybe I caught it from Lucas. My other two children had some symptoms of colds- Mollie (11) suffered sinus/ear pain and was complaining that even her teeth hurt. Jaxon (9) was suffering from a bad cold, had some nose bleeds and also lost his taste/smell for one day. The doctors said that they didn’t need to get tested, but to keep them in quarantine. I went back for another test, this time I took a rapid, which came back positive. Although I thought Mollie was crazy about the teeth hurting, that was also one of my symptoms of COVID that mostly came out when brushing my teeth. No one in our house had a fever, pretty crazy because that’s what everyone is looking out for! 

We were totally prepared (enough toilet paper and all), making sure to always stock up on vitamins and alternative health care. Here are some of the strategies that we used to fight COVID-19. 

First, the kids always take vitamins and eat a balanced diet. They take Vitamin C, Elderberry, and a Probotic daily. We added some Zinc and also were told to take Zyrtec to help dry out the fluids. Prior to Lucas testing positive, he was taking Mucinex DM, which helped a little, but his doctor suggested the Zyrtec instead. We were also told to take Flonase to also help with the excess fluid. At one point, Lucas developed a rash on his face, which I researched to find it could be a Covid rash. We were told to give him a Benadryl, which helped clear it up, so we didn’t have to worry about it. If it didn’t clear up with Benadryl, we were told to notify the doctor. He also suffered from bad congestion and compared the feeling to having jumped in a pool and having water up his nose. 

My husband mostly suffered from cold like symptoms and we just treated him with vitamins and extra Zinc. There were nights that I was waking up with a headache and also a lot of back pain, right down my spine. I made sure to do a lot of stretching, I swear by my favorite products to reduce stress, which really came in handy to help fight Covid. If you don’t have any of those products, one suggestion that I found helpful was to stretch often and every 10-15 minutes move around the house.  Although it was difficult at times when I found myself taking naps mid afternoon, I felt that it was very helpful. if you look at the vitamins below, the Vitamin D3 we just started within the last year along with the Zinc, but the Lypo-Spheric Vitamin C is a must have if you are looking for a good Vitamin C supplement. We were taking this 3-4 times a day during Covid, otherwise just once a day. There were also times in the past when we felt a cold or sore throat coming on that we would take Lypo-Spheric throughout the day and it kept us healthy. 

Here are some of the vitamins and supplements that we took during Covid-19. I contribute a lot to my clean eating habits and most know I follow a Keto lifestyle (low sugar) . I do  practice Intermittent Fasting, but when I tested positive for COVID one of the first things that I researched was if I should continue to practice intermittent fasting when positive with COVID and found the answer was no. Your body needs more protein and food for energy. Therefore, I made sure to eat more frequently, but was still following my regular, clean diet.

Another favorite that I can’t say enough about, especially helping with headaches during COVID was Ultima Replenisher, which you can find at CVS as well. The Ultima Replenisher formula contains Vitamin C (Calcium Ascorbate) which supports a healthy immune system, protects the cells from oxidative stress and contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. Calcium to support muscle contraction and nerve function. Phosphorus to deliver oxygen to muscles, Selenium as an antioxidant support, Zinc for recovery and neuron support, Magnesium for preventing muscle cramps, Potassium for cardiac muscle support, Sodium for muscle contraction and nerve function and Chloride for osmotic pressure support. 

We are just about a month past the first positive result. My husband is still having some cold symptoms, but feels much better. The little kids have fully recovered and I am mostly just short on breath when exercising, which I am told could last a couple more weeks . Still 26 days later, Lucas can’t taste or smell fully, which he states that it’s just not 100% yet. We are told that this could last up to 6 months. Before returning to work and athletics, we made sure to get everyone checked (following protocol of 10 days after the first symptom). Since we had layers of Covid in the house and didn’t get the younger kids tested, they had to follow my quarantine schedule. Thankfully, they all had a clean bill of health and Lucas had got an EKG to make sure that there were no heart issues before returning to sports. My sister sent me this article that really had me seeking more information about student athletes have heart damage linked to COVID-19

One of my favorite Christmas gifts that was great for Covid was a Light Therapy Lamp (notice the quartile calendar behind it..lol). This lamp offers the lacking vitamin D that we suffer in Winter months.  One of my biggest fear of the virus is what’s called Post- COVID Syndrome, which apparently could result in hair loss. I found this Post Covid Hairloss Podcast very helpful and the suggestions she offers to help fighting the virus.  

I am not dismissing the virus at all, but honestly feel that our healthy lifestyle helped us manage it and have a successful recovery. Many people are living in fear of the virus rather than taking control of their health. It’s important to find balance in both— know your risk and be prepared with the right tools to fight COVID. Again, I am not a doctor or an expert, but I have invested a lot of time in researching both studies and listening to experts in the health field on podcasts. My advice to families who get covid is to note the date and type of symptoms because it’s 10 days from when the symptoms started that you will have to stay in quarantine. Also, if there are layers of Covid, like ours. Once the positive cases reach 10 days, they are allowed out of the house, but the others must stay in quarantine. Also, it’s recommended that if a child was not tested and didn’t show any symptoms that they follow the guidelines for the last positive case in order to come out of quarantine. My strongest advice is to take control of your health, that should be at the top of your list to fight any virus or disease. Stay safe and definitely reach out with any other advice or tips that helped your family fight Covid-19. 

Additional tips offered from a friend, M. May-“I would add a few things that seem like common sense, but when Covid sets in, sometimes that goes with the brain fog! 1. Take help when it is offered (errands, meals, etc)…if it is not offered, ask! 2. Get some fresh air, stand outside and just take a few breaths when you can bc it really helps! 3. Sit up, do not lay on your back and move around (lots of people make the mistake of resting or staying in bed and risk for fluid retention or clots occur if you do not move. 4. Talk to someone, reach out and vent and know that you are not alone. Quarantine can be very isolating!”

Thanks to those who have reached out and I couldn’t agree more with what M. May stated about reaching out to others and know that you aren’t alone. We had a great support system and really appreciated those who dropped off meals, ran to the store (esp. my sister for Target pickups) and to others who were so kind during those crazy weeks. It was very hard for someone like m to ask for help, but it was defiantly needed and appreciated!