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My Best Tips for Covid Recovery

January 5, 2022

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I'm Ashley! A body positive mother, entrepreneur and speaker who has spent the last decade building better body love and empowering others to do the same.
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Omicron snuck up on us this season, and she is spreading rampantly! We were graced with her presence right over Christmas break and to be honest, it kicked my fully-vaccinated butt. Haha, but the fun thing about being stuck in bed quarantined alone for 10 days is you do a looooot of reading on the virus that is ruining your Christmas and while I still wish I didn’t get it – it seems with this new strain it’s VERY likely most people, vaccinated or not will get it. Luckily it seems to be less severe, most people are less likely to be hospitalized, but it’s still VERY transmissible and no fun. I felt awful for a solid 2 weeks! Right now most Covid patients will be batting this virus at home, unless you are a high-risk and very sick human – you will need to be home alone fighting this. I felt really overwhelmed with all the information out there I found while trying to get help for myself, so I thought I would share everything that helped me in one place so if anyone is as confused as I am, it would hopefully help! 

My goal in covering this topic is just to share my experience, everyone is obviously different and I have ZERO medical background. But I will share what helped me, and I would of course recommend talking to your doctor first!  

I want to share about my experience, which symptoms I had/continue to have, and which medications and treatments were helpful. I’m hoping I can help break the stigma around getting this sickness, and reiterate the importance of being prepared in case your home gets hit with positive cases (which sadly, seems likely!)

We were very fortunate that none of my children or husband contracted it this time around. We are all vaccinated, and I was two days short of getting my booster. My husband and son had also had it back in September. Because I was really sick, and we also had family trip coming up that I didn’t want to miss, we decided to quarantine away from each other in hopes it wouldn’t spread. Which did work! No one else caught it except for me. I was able to quarantine in my room during the communicability period (when a person is contagious), but sadly it was the week of Christmas, which was the worst part of this whole thing. 

 

INITIAL SYMPTOMS

A lot of people have asked how I knew to test. For me, I woke up that morning with a dry throat and by the end of the day my voice was practically gone. I wasn’t coughing, and I wouldn’t say my throat even hurt. I was up late the night before, so I assumed I was just tired. It wasn’t until later that evening that I started feeling achy, and got the chills. I keep a supply of rapid home-tests, so I took one as a precaution, and sure enough it was positive. 

 

ADDITIONAL SYMPTOMS

Throughout the 10 days that I was quarantined, and even now (2.5 weeks out), I have experienced an ongoing slew of symptoms. Some that I was expecting, and others that I didn’t know were a thing! It felt like every day there was some new weird side effect- so much fun! haha

  • Dry Cough
  • Headaches
  • Congestion
  • Sinus Pressure
  • Chills/Fever
  • Difficulty Sleeping
  • Extreme Thirst
  • Leg Cramps
  • Side Cramps
  • Rash
  • Heartburn
  • Vertigo
  • Hair Loss
  • Eye Twitching

 

THINGS THAT HELPED

Because it’s a virus, you can’t cure it. You just need to manage the symptoms and for me there were SO many. Here were a few things that really helped! 

1.Warm drinks as much as possible (this helped with the throat soreness, warm tea would be the best medicine to calm my coughing that wouldn’t stop)

2.Laying on my stomach (this helps make sure the junk doesn’t settle in your lungs causing pneumonia, stomach is best, side is ok, avoid your back as much as possible)

3.Walking every day (This was SO hard, but about every 2 hours I was getting up and walking around my room, or if I felt up for it – outside. This also helps keep lungs working and laying in bed increases your risk for blood clots, another high risk side effect from covid!) 

  1. Drink as much as possible! Preferably drinks with electrolytes to increase hydration
  2. Run a humidifier 24/7. Stand right over it a few times a day and breath deep! 
  3. Test your oxygen levels a few times a day, and seek medical help if it drops below 94

 

MEDICINE BALL TEA–no sugar added (Starbucks copycat recipe)

Juice of 1 lemon

Local Honey to taste

Peach Tranquility Teavana

Jade Citrus Mint Teavana

See the viral reel HERE to send to your friends!

 

HELPFUL SUPPLEMENTS I took daily 

Baby Asprin: My doctor recommended this to prevent blood clots 

Quercetin: Immune-support 

Melatonin: Sleep assistance

Zinc Kids/ Zinc Adults: Immunity booster

Vitamin D3 Kids/ Vitamin D3 Adults: Immunity booster

Vitamin C Kids/ Vitamin C Adults: Immunity booster

Magnesium: muscle cramps 

 

HELPFUL MEDICATIONS 

Mucinex: Congestion and sinus-pressure

Tylenol: Fever-reduction and pain-relief

Children’s liquid

Children’s chewable tablets

Adult

Ibuprofen: Pain-relief

Children’s liquid

Children’s chewable tablets

Adult

 

HELPFUL EQUIPMENT to monitor for safety/provide comfort

Fingertip Pulse Oximeter: Measures blood oxygen levels. 

I would test my levels every couple of hours, or if I felt like something was off. It provided so much peace of mind. A lot of people don’t realize their oxygen levels are low, until it’s too late. I was instructed by my physician that if your level drops below 94 that you need to go to the ER. There is no “toughing it out” when it comes to oxygen, so seek help immediately if your numbers are lower than they should be. 

Neck & Shoulder Heating Pad: Headache relief, and comfort, I would also use this on my leg and side cramps and it feels like a warm hug when you’re so lonely! 

Nebulizer: Helps clear lungs and aid with breathing- to be honest we didn’t ever end up needing this but I was so glad we had it in case things got scary! 

 

MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY INFUSION

Because of my bout with Viral Meningitis and a TIA stroke in 2020, I qualified for antibody treatment. I pray that someday soon this will be available to everyone, but for now it’s only for individuals with potential high-risk complications. Check with your doctor if you think you might be a candidate. 

I don’t know the exact science behind antibody infusions, but basically the antibodies block the virus from entering your cells, which will lessen your symptoms and risk of needing interventive treatments. 

The treatment was done at the hospital, it was very simple and straightforward. I didn’t have any side effects apart from being reeeealllly tired after. 

I did notice a considerable difference in how I felt about 24 hours later, although it still took me a few more days to feel like I could function. 

 

HOMEOPATHIC INTERVENTIONS

I believe in a healthy balance of Western medicine and homeopathy. And while these products are not proven treatments (besides the humidifier), they were beneficial in my recovery and comfort.

Breathe oil was so helpful in clearing up my sinuses and I love this humidifier diffuser that I have had for a couple years. I kept it running 24/7. I also think Doterra’s cough drops are THE BEST. They help so much! 

See all the Doterra recovery products HERE

 

MENTAL/EMOTIONAL ASPECT

The mental and emotional effects of this illness were equally as difficult for me to manage. It’s super important to take steps to preserve your emotional well-being while you’re recovering. Phone calls with family/friends, choosing uplifting media (podcasts, books, shows), halting negative thoughts, meditating, etc. Whatever helps restore a peaceful mindset in you. 

If you have a family member or friend who contracts Covid, make sure you check in with them often and do what you can to lift their spirits and show them love. Love can’t cure this sickness, but it certainly makes things better for everyone. 

 

Wishing you all the best health in 2022– we will get through this together.

XO, ASHLEY

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hey!

I'm Ashley Reeves!

I'm a body positive mother, entrepreneur and speaker who has spent the last decade building better body love and empowering others to do the same.

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