David's experience with the coronavirus

David, Thank you so much for making yourself available. It's really appreciated. Um, yeah. So you've had, um you've had covid

When did you have covid where it started? Let's think now, about the third week in No, The second week in November. No, Sorry. The first week in November

Oh, gosh. Yeah. Um, and just tell me about it

How how were you affected? How did you What was, uh I was just feeling a little bit under the weather. And then my son in law, who's from Nigeria, he cooked what they call a spicy soup. It's like a pepper soup, and it's really spicy

So I had some, and I've I've had it loads of times because he lives with us and it tastes really nice. But on the it was a Thursday evening, uh, when I tasted it, I couldn't taste it. It was an old taste

Told me wife. I said, I said, I can't taste this food. And I was feeling a bit sniffly and under the weather

So you better get a, uh, a test. And just over the road from where we live, it's a test centre. So they managed to get me booked in there Friday over did my test

And then on the Saturday morning it come back saying it was positive. Uh, and from there, I just sort of went down quite a lot. I started coughing really bad

I I think I was in bed for about three weeks. In the end, uh, I couldn't eat at all. I wasn't eating anything

I was just drinking loads of fluid. I was having a lot of Leuco and I was having yoghurts. Uh, and then I was trying to get soup back down, but I couldn't Maybe five or six spoons and that was it

So, no, I couldn't really eat anything whatsoever. And I had really bad headaches. Yeah, Did did you have a temperature with the temperature? But I only had a temperature for a couple of days, and then the temperature come down

Uh, and I just had no energy at all. I didn't want to do anything. I just basically stayed in bed Once I managed to get out of bed

After about three weeks, I tried just mooching around a bit and doing a little bit of things, and it just basically took it all out with me, and I ended up back in bed again. So yeah, it's, uh That's really long, isn't it? Did anybody else get it in your family? All of us. We all ended up with it

My wife was off work for a month. Uh, when she went back, she still wasn't 100%. She was She didn't have a temperature or a cough or anything

She just, uh no energy. I had a cough for six weeks. I still not got my full energy back now

Um, but the cough, I just could not I could not shift that cough. I thought it was gonna have it forever. And I run the doctors, and they said It's just one of them things

Basically, you've just got to wait. So I was just drinking loads of manu honey with hot lemon, and eventually I got rid of it. The energy levels, it was just non-existent

It just weren't there at all. It was an effort to just go to the toilet that it's just you can't imagine, isn't it? You sort of take everything for granted. Yeah, well, I'm one of the shielding ones

Uh, so I when I initially got the test result back and he said it was positive it it worried me quite a bit because I've been warned off the hospital because I I taken one injection one week and two injections the following week, and I I inject myself because I've got steroids in my knees and my ankle and basically it takes my immune system away. So the injections are immune suppressant. So I haven't got my immune system and I've got asthma, so I was quite worried about it

But as it's happened, uh, I think it was quite fortunate. Although I can say it must have been mild. What I had I did feel really And I had to go to, you know, uh, the last week in December I think it was, uh, she had to drain my knees and inject steroids, insulin, And she was asking me about it

Uh, my doctor I won't mention her name, but, uh, and she said that I was lucky. Really? Because with everything that I go through and the injections and that it could have ended up a lot worse, but it was quite fortunate. So yeah

Yeah. So you didn't have to go to hospital or I mean a few times when I was getting a little bit worried. My chest was wheezy and I was coughing

But I thought if I asked him, I would have gone. But I didn't want to go. I'll be honest with you

So I was just sort of like just open it. It go away and eventually I just started gradually getting a little bit better and better. But the cough, I just I was

I think that's why I have such a bad headache. I just could not stop coughing. Did everybody else recover? OK, yeah, the only one who didn't get tested because it's my granddaughter

She's only six months. She lives with us. But she was poorly

She had a bit of a running hose and stuff. My son in law, he got poorly. My daughter and my wife, we all got

They run me up, you know, the track and Trace. To be honest, they were getting a bit of a pain then because it was ringing up all I know he was only doing the job, but I think somehow, because my wife had had it and then my son in law had it and my daughter had had it. And they've got to say who had been there, so they obviously they sent me

So I was getting track and trace ringing me, saying that I've got to isolate. And I was trying to explain to him I already am. I've got covid

Uh, he's shown up on track and Trace. I said, Yeah, that's my daughter. I said she lives with us

He went all right, but and then I'd get another phone call about my son in law on the track and trace. And then I'd get one about my wife, and it just it went on for a good few weeks. To be honest, we were just ringing

I would, anyway. But I know they're only doing the job. I don't think it was working very well

That track and trace No. No. And when you feel ill, you don't want to be hassled, isn't it? Yeah

Now, now, when I feel pretty much all right, I've just not got my energy levels back up, but, uh ok, yeah. So you're not working. Are you Shielding? No

Well, I was shielding and, uh my boss was being a bit funny in the beginning when I told him I've got a letter of N SI said, I need to go and shield So he said to me, He said, Well, what are you going to do about your wages? So I said, Well, you, you claim furlough? He said, Well, no, you're on the sick. So for the first month, I think it was I was just getting sick pay In the end, I rung up and I said, What's happening? I said, I need to be on furlough So he put me on furlough. I think it was on furlough for about three weeks, and he rang me up and said, I'm sorry, I'm gonna have to let you go So I said, Well, you can keep me on furlough

Maybe, And he just said, No, no, He said, I'll have to let you go Anyway, he said, I'm gonna make you redundant. So that was it, Really? So I I'm so sorry. So what? What field were you working in? What did you do? I work in manufacturing a lot

Uh, I work for a company called I Was there for quite a long time, but I got made redundant a while back. I was doing a manufacturing welding, welder, fabricator, but it was a really well paid job. But my doctor asked me to leave because of my asthma

And I won't leave because it was a well paid job. So in the end, when I got made redundant, my wife said, I don't want you to go back. Uh, welding

I've not done gone back to doing the welding. I've ended up pretty much doing a driving work. And then I ended up in a glass factory working there

So now it's, uh I don't know what I'm gonna do at the minute. It's a There's just not a lot out there at the minute with all this covid going on because there's that many people losing their jobs, isn't it? So it's just, uh, just trying to get everything sorted out and then get myself back on my feet and then yeah, So what would be your What would you say are your main worries at the moment? Uh, assuming you are worrying, you might be just totally chilled. I'm not too worried, to be honest

Uh, we're doing OK, uh, the mortgage is getting paid and stuff, so it's it's not too bad. Oh, that's OK. Yeah

Yeah, my wife. My wife's done a good job. So, uh, yeah, it's OK

That. Mm. But yeah

Definitely wants it. I I've worked all my life. Really

I've never really been on the dole, so I know that I will find something again. It's just wait until everything gets sorted out. Yeah

Yeah, it's, uh what was I thinking now? Sorry. Um, you mentioned Was it on the phone call? You mentioned the appetite. You You're not very hungry

Don't fancy eating. I didn't when I was actually, I didn't eat at all. Uh, and I start to get my appetite back now, but not as much as what I used to

I just didn't feel like eating full stop. Nothing at all. Even if they had a favourite meal, they had a nice steak or something

I just I just wouldn't want it. Sounds horrendous. So now my appetite went full stop, and I was just trying to eat a little bit of soup, and I was just drinking bottles of and then I was trying to have some uh, a yoghurt

So they were taking vitamins and all. Mm, Yeah, that's what I was just doing, really Having vitamin drinking, Luca. A little bit of yoghurt and soup

And that was it. Yeah. Is there anything you would find helpful at the stage you're at now? Uh, I couldn't really say I mean, because I've I've had I've had all my family around me to support me and help me out

My brother and he was fetching food and dropping it on the doorstep and stuff for us. And, uh, anything we needed, he was doing so we didn't have to leave the house, but, uh, these I think you can get, uh, you can get help by getting food brought to your door, can't you think? Organisations and things. But I was quite fortunate to have my family around me, and it was all helping me, so I didn't Really I can't really think where I would have needed the because I had it

Yeah, Yeah. Do you think it has has affected your confidence? So I was talking to somebody, and she said that, um she just feels, you know, she should be better now. Basically, she struggles with not being able to, uh, I'm actually getting out at the minute, because I was, uh I ended up a little bit worried and with what was going on and stuff, and I say I was one of the shielding ones, and I was quite surprised that I caught it because I was really, really careful

I didn't go anywhere. I didn't really go near anybody. Uh, so I mean, I I was I was probably overly cautious, and I ended up catching it, but, uh, well, I still don't know where we got it from

Um, we're not 100% sure. So you mentioned about, um, losing your job? Uh, David, how did this affect you? Or did it have an effect on you? Uh, yeah, it had a It had a massive effect on me, to be honest, uh, I was struggling by not seeing me, my own Children and my grandchildren and my mum and dad. Anyway, uh, because of the lockdown, Uh, when I lost the job, that had a massive effect on me, uh, confidence and everything

Really, because I was just thinking in the back of my head. Am I going to find any more work. And, uh, yeah, it affected me in a big way

I'm on a I'm on tablets now, which are helping me out and speaking with healthy minds and, uh, Ruth as well she is helping me out. And then there's another organisation. Yeah, but yeah, he, uh he was sad

Yeah. Yeah, I can see. And I'm sorry

I'm sorry to to ask, but did sort of What are the main thoughts that sort of go through your mind? Uh, I I sort of felt useless. Hm. Uh, to some extent, uh, just I don't know

I just thought, Where am I going to go from here? Am I going to find anything else and Oh, yeah. It was that. Yeah

Yeah. Sorry about that. Oh, it's OK

Like I said, I'm getting there now. I've got I'm getting the help that I need, so Yeah, yeah, yeah. And they will get better

They will get better. It's a lot of people are in situations, You know where it's It just feels there's no end to it at the moment, doesn't it? But, I mean, I'm looking at me. My family have been dead support and is out and everything

And, uh, I just think there's a lot worse people out there, and I know that he is. So I'm not a person. Sometimes I have a little bit of a to myself and stuff, but and then I think you know what? Sort that out

These people out there a lot worse And people who need you, isn't it? People who need you? You don't mind, You know, we go through it together sort of thing. You don't mind, Uh, you're not being at your best at the moment.