Even with the number of COVID-19 cases rising dramatically, there are many young people out there thinking they are “immune” to the virus. While it’s true that many people experience very slight symptoms or no symptoms at all, not everyone is so lucky. Those who do experience symptoms of the disease say it’s not worth gambling with your health and ignoring the risk posed by the virus. Recently, a man took to Imgur to share what it really feels like to have COVID-19 in hopes to encourage people to take better care of themselves and others.

More info: imgur.com

Christopher, who wrote the account under the username of Ispentwaytoolongthinkingaboutthis, is a 43-year-old living in the Toronto, Ontario area. The man told Bored Panda that he started having symptoms at the end of March and knew he had COVID-19 after reading what symptoms people who tested positive had. While he initially described his case as “minor,” Christopher later realized that his case was much more severe than he thought. “I called it a ‘minor’ case because that’s what I thought it was, but after reading many comments on my post, I know now it was a moderate to extreme case. I didn’t go to the emergency room earlier because I was scared and that was foolish. My experience was just short of extreme, I feel stupid not getting emergency help sooner, and the ER doctors I did see said a ventilator would most likely have been used if I had come in at my worst, as at that time my oxygen was only at 88% and should be 95% or better. I purchased an O2 monitor on Amazon in mid-March,” he said.

Christopher is self-employed at a company called Living Wall Concepts that builds and maintains indoor vertical gardens (living walls). “It’s been hard keeping staff employed during this time, which adds to the stress of the illness. With being sick, we are focused on just staying in business and being a serviced-based industry, it’s hard in these times.”

Christopher told us that the worst symptom for him was a burning sensation in his chest and difficulty breathing.

“The burning would come in waves over 7-10 days and the fatigue was nothing I’ve experienced before. I would say the burning feeling was an 8/10 on the pain scale. The fatigue was worst for me in the evening between 7-10 pm. The brain fog was bad as well. It was like my IQ was dwindling by the day. A horrible experience to live with for weeks on end.”

The man recommends immediately seeking medical attention no matter how “minor” one thinks their symptoms are. He urges people not to take recovery lightly, too.

“This is a virus that is two steps forward, one step back for recovery. Just when you think you’re on the mend, it comes back and flattens you for a few more days with a vengeance.”

After 6 long weeks of battling the disease, Christopher says he’s doing much better; however, he’s still not fully recovered. “I would say I am at 75% currently and at my worst I’d say I was at 20%. After 6 weeks, I still have breathing issues and still have the slight ‘burning’ and heaviness in the top of my chest. It comes and goes, but at night, it’s far worse. I can feel I’m on the mend but also can feel it will be a long road to full recovery. My only main concern now is any long-term damage I may suffer, but time will tell.”

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