ALBANY, N.Y. –
It started with a fever March 25th.
“I was sicker than I’ve ever been in my life,” Staff Sgt. ViMarie Pedro said. “I struggled to even get out of bed.”
There were hot sweats, cold chills and complete exhaustion. Two days later Pedro, a recruiter with Albany Recruiting Battalion’s Bear Mountain Recruiting Company, was diagnosed with COVID-19.
Pedro’s primary care provider advised her to go to a drive-through mobile testing site at the Anthony Wayne Recreation Center in Bear Mountain, New York. How she made it there being as sick as she was is a miracle, she says, but the mobile testing site confirmed what her provider suspected during their phone call.
“I had the usual reported symptoms of coronavirus to include a dry throat, a dry cough and trouble breathing,” she said. “I was also incredibly nauseous, had horrible stomach cramps, was vomiting like crazy, and had a migraine headache so bad behind my eyes, I couldn’t handle bright lights.”
The Rockland County, New York, native said she wasn’t the only one sick in her house, though. Her partner, Jennifer, was just as ill.
“It was crazy,” Pedro said. “We were in the bathrooms throwing up at the same time,” she said, “and when we weren’t getting sick, we were so weak we could barely get out of bed.”
Pedro’s fever lasted about four days and eventually broke with some acetaminophen. Zofran, an anti-nausea medicine, along with an antibiotic and over-the-counter medications helped with all her symptoms and allowed her to rest, something Pedro said she desperately needed.
“The fatigue I felt was unbelievable,” she said. “I’ve never felt so exhausted in my entire life.”
Coronavirus has impacted countries, communities and families on a global level and taken many lives. Pedro says being 27-years old and in excellent health probably made a difference in her recovery, but she knows just how devastating the virus is for the elderly in our world.
“I lost my grandmother a week ago to COVID-19,” she said. “She was 73 and had preexisting and underlying medical conditions. She wasn’t unlike so many in our aging population who couldn’t fight and beat this virus.”
Pedro and Jennifer have fully recovered and truly understand how important it is to follow all the health guidelines that communities are enforcing. Following the protocol can save lives.
“I don’t leave the house now without a mask and gloves,” Pedro said. “If everyone followed the rules, stayed home and only left their homes when absolutely necessary, we’d all be better off.”