It’s been several days since Stephanie Spears has been feeling at least a little better after her battle with coronavirus (COVID-19).
“I had the feeling at times that death was knocking at my door and I wanted to answer, but I refused to,” Spears said.
Spears began feeling ill in mid-March.
“I thought maybe I just had the flu,” she said.
Tests would confirm that she had coronavirus.
“I started to feel worse. I think I probably went, maybe, like five days not eating anything. All I wanted to do was just sleep,” she said.
She was never admitted to a hospital but did make a speedy recovery, which she credits her son, Marino, for.
“It had gotten to the point, at times, where my son would have to sit in a bathroom with me. If I was taking a shower he had to wash my hair for me,” she said.
She also received an oxygen concentrator from her cousin, Valery, who is a caregiver.
“I would use that when the cough got really bad and I felt like I couldn’t breathe,” Spears said.
Spears still has a lingering cough but she expects to be back to normal in no time. For now, she’s offering advice to those in a similar situation.
“Follow not only the doctor’s orders but your body’s orders and pay attention and know it’s going to be an experience that you’ve never had before,” she said.
Spears did have an underlying condition. She was previously diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.