Age: 59.0
Sex: M
Vaccine: COVID19
Symptoms: Cough, Dyspnoea, Dyspnoea exertional, Electrocardiogram, Emotional distress
Clinical narrative: I received my second Pfizer booster for COVID-19 on 4/22/2022. On 6/7/2022, I began occasionally having shortness of breath. I felt like I had run up two flights of stairs, though I hadn't exerted myself. This would only happen for a few seconds at a time; I would struggle to catch one or two breaths and then my breathing became normal again. At about 6 PM that evening, I began to feel like an elephant was sitting on my chest; it was very difficult to breathe. I then developed a strange, dry cough that kept increasing in frequency. I then started feeling like I was in a refrigerator. I had the chills, but I was also sweating. I checked my temperature, and it was over 100. The coughing and difficulty breathing really bothered me. I didn't lose my senses of taste or smell, though, and I also didn't lose my appetite. I called my sister, who is a nurse, to get her opinion. She told me that it sounded like I had COVID-19, and she told me that she would pick me up to take me to the ER. I then remembered that I had a home COVID-19 test, so I took it, and it yielded a negative result. Despite the negative result, she told me that she still thought that I had COVID-19, and she insisted on taking me to the ER. She then picked me up and took me to the ER. At the ER, I was PCR tested for COVID-19. The result was positive, and I was put in a room for isolation. I underwent blood tests, an X-ray, and an EKG. During the process, they checked my troponin levels. I was then moved from the isolation room to an ER suite. I was then given a saline IV line. I sat there with the IV line for 2 hours. A doctor and an advanced nurse practitioner then came to explain my test results. They told me that they would like to give me monoclonal antibodies. According to the test results, I was positive for COVID-19, but my heart function was normal, and my lungs were clear. When they suggested that I get the antibodies, I asked them if it would help me get over COVID-19. They then told me that it would reduce the severity of my symptoms and reduce the recovery time, so I agreed to get the monoclonal antibodies, which were administered intravenously. I sat in the suite for another 2 hours, so the staff could make sure I didn't have an adverse event after receiving the antibodies. After the 2 hours were up, I was then discharged. My sister then came to pick me up, and she took me home. During the following four days, my symptoms improved. My cough became less severe and frequent and my breathing was much improved, On 6/9/2022, my fever finally broke. This may or may not be related, but I will mention it just in case. On 6/5/2022, I noticed that there was a white bump on the tip of my tongue. I told my dentist on 6/11/2022 about the bump, and he prescribed me chlorhexidine mouthwash. I used the mouthwash 3 times a day whenever I would brush my teeth, and the bump finally went away about 6/30/2022. When I called my internist's office and spoke to his nurse practitioner, she told me that I should be fully recovered by 6/30/2022 or 7/1/2022. She also said that if any of the symptoms returned, I was to either call the doctor's office, or if the symptoms were severe, I was to go to the ER. Since then, I have recovered and I feel like my normal self. I don't have any residual physical symptoms, but it was mentally jarring. I now always wear a mask in public, protective eyeglasses, and gloves. I also use lots of hand sanitizer. I practiced these precautionary measures before I was infected, but it apparently wasn't enough. Now I've pretty much become a hermit. I now have my groceries delivered instead of going to the stores. I also have stopped going to the barber shop and hardly ever leave my home. I guess you could say that having COVID-19 was emotionally traumatizing.