I could not breathe. What I wish I had known about new variants before I got COVID-19.

What a ride! Two years into the pandemic, and I finally got the Rona. I had been researching, educating and assisting others through COVID-19 and long hauler’s with really decent success, so I thought I was prepared. I was not. Here’s what happened, including how I literally could not breathe one night, and what I wish I had prepared ahead just in case… Please read and share with loved ones as you feel called.

Disclaimer: My lungs, brain and energy are still recovering, so this won’t be my best writing. However, I am also attempting to recover from perfectionism, and I want to capture it while it’s still fresh. So, here I go, fatigue, brain mush and all…

Symptoms began June 25th. It started off mild, and I tested negative for flu and COVID-19, so I thought I had some off-brand virus. Starting the morning of day 4, symptoms started to get downright brutal, and so I tested again. The result was a strong positive for COVID-19 within seconds. Ha, not off-brand after all. In a way, I was relieved to finally get it over with and add some natural immunity to my vaccine immunity.

That same night, I had the worst sore throat of my life. I have high pain tolerance, and it was excruciating to swallow for about 12 to 15 hours. A friend who had a similar experience aptly described it as “razor blade swallows.” It was far worse than strep. Do you know how many times we swallow in a minute? So, I spit in a trash can all night. This meant no drinking water, eating or sleeping for me.

I normally try to do the all-natural thing, but I have never in my life been so happy to see Tylenol and a bottle of Chloraseptic analgesic (numbing) throat spray that my friend dropped off the next day. Yes, that stuff has totally unnecessary carcinogenic sweeteners and dyes, but preventing the suffering was worth it.

Note to fellow natural medicine fans: Clove oil – my usual go-to for throat numbing – was too irritating and not effective enough. Slippery elm was useless once it became severe. Self-lymphatic drainage took half a day to start to work, but did eventually help. (Big thank you to the body worker who sent this link to me!)

I also had a slew of other unpleasant symptoms like diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, severe body aches, headache, a 102-degree fever, major congestion, yellow mucus, a relentless cough and the infamous loss of taste and smell (which returned after a few days, thankfully). 

It’s like my immune system saw a menu of all of the possible symptoms for this critter and said, “I’ll have everything except vomiting, hospitalization and death!” 

Just when I thought I was out of the woods…

I heard that there are only 2 to 3 really bad days, so at the end of the 3rd brutal day, which was day 6 of symptoms, I thought I was over the hump. Yay!

Around 9 pm that night, I started coughing in rapid-fire retching spasms. I have had plenty of nasty coughing attacks, but  I had never experienced anything quite like it. I literally COULD NOT INHALE AT ALL. It felt like my lungs were glued shut or like I had a plastic bag shrink-wrapped over my head. I was on all fours as I fought for even just a teaspoon of air, which I was unable to achieve for what felt like minutes. 

I’m going to be real. I was terrified. I peed on myself. Apparently, in survival mode, urinary retention is a very low priority. I was in a surreal fog of single focus begging my body for just… one… breath… 

Please, body, please little air sacs, just one teaspoon of air! You can do it! Please… 

I couldn’t get even one teaspoon in for what felt like an eternity and then finally I got my little teaspoon of air, then a little more and a little more until my lungs let a full gasp in. I was coughing my head off and pushing the air out faster than I could get it in, but I was finally gasping and getting some air in. It eventually settled down and I could breathe again. I called a good friend and cried like a baby.

He wanted to take me to the ER, but I was so exhausted. I was terrified it would happen again, but I didn’t have the energy and didn’t want to take up hospital resources unnecessarily. I texted several nearby friends asking if anyone had an asthma inhaler to spare. Thank god, another close friend did and dropped off a little bag that night. 

Much like the Chloraseptic and Tylenol, I had never been so glad to see an inhaler in my life. I have also felt such deeper empathy for people with asthma, COPD and other pulmonary disorders. 

I was shaking for hours, which is a good thing. It is how our nervous system resets itself, so I let myself shake. Then, I meditated with vagus nerve stimulation so I could sleep.

I never had another episode quite that bad, but ended up needing an inhaler for 3 days to help with the wheezing and gasping. After the fact,I remembered reading that the breathing crisis often happens 5 or more days into the process, so often catches people totally off guard as was the case with me.

Early in the pandemic, I was advising people, especially vulnerable populations, including my mom, to obtain asthma inhalers before they got sick. However, I had admittedly grown weary of staying up to date with variants and was focused on other areas of research like gut health, autoimmunity, toxic mold, chronic Lyme, other “stealth infections” and mental health. The last I had heard, Omiocron was supposed to be milder. I even thought, “Cool! I’ll have this variant or one that’s even more chill.” I was only beginning to hear the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants were evading vaccine immunity but had not followed up on the details.

So, what happened to the more mild Omicron strains? What the heck did I have? At first, I thought that I had an older variant. After digging a little deeper, I discovered that, while strains like BA.1 and BA.2 are indeed milder,  BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants -especially BA.5 – not only thumb their nose at jabs (other than maybe preventing death), but they also infiltrate the lungs and wreak havoc much like the old school original strains.  

If you’re interested in learning more, check out this video. Dr. John Campbell out of the UK seems to be doing a balanced job of keeping up with the latest greatest COVID-19 research.

Here are some of the supplements I knew to have on hand:

Note: For optimal quality and efficacy, I order most of these online.

• Andrographis paniculata tincture by Woodland Essences or capsules such as Andrographis EP80 Extra Strength by EuroMedica (a powerful antiviral herb that has been shown in studies such as this one to slow viral replication of the Rona)
• MegaViron by Microbiome Labs  (supplement formula with many of the ingredients that have the most evidence behind them – also has a little Andrographis, but not enough)  
• NAC (I like brands like Thorne, Douglas Labs, Integrative Therapeutics and Pure Encapsulations)
• A neti pot with baking soda and salt 2-3 times/ day (see online recipes for proportions so it doesn’t burn)
• Colloidal silver nasal spray and manuka honey nasal spray (you can alternate the two)
• Raw local honey and/ or elderberry and honey syrup for mild cough phase (DO NOT BUY ELDERBERRY WITH CANE SUGAR)
• Cordyceps Sinensis mushroom capsules or powder, such as Doctor’s Best brand Ultra Cordyceps capsules (to modulate immune response and calm cytokine storms – I waited too long on this and really regret it.)
• Nebulizer with saline (homemade or store bought) and food grade hydrogen peroxide, such as Essential Oxygen Brand.. A little goes a long way, say 1 tsp peroxide per 8oz saline (some people also swear by 1-2 drops of Lugol’s iodine solution)

Food Preparedness:

• Bone broth (if you’re not veg). I prefer homemade, but like Bonafide (frozen) or comparable gelatinous brands if purchasing in a health food store.
• Organic raw green juice with all veggies and no fruit (I lived off of juice and broth – I only ate 3 solid meals in 8 days)
• Organic, grass-fed, wild, etc nourishing groceries or, even better, some homemade soup already cooked in the freezer for just in case, as you will not feel like cooking the 2-3 really bad days or the post-COVID-19 fatigue days.
• Avoid sugar, gluten, dairy (except ghee) and processed foods.

For more mild strains, this is enough. However, you won’t know if it’s bad until it gets really bad, which can happen very suddenly and late at night when it’s more challenging to get help. 

Here is what I wish I had prepared ahead…

If I had known to obtain the following at the onset of symptoms, I would have saved myself so much suffering, so please spread the word, so we can at least spare others.

• Over the counter: Chloraseptic or comparable numbing throat spray 
• Over the counter: Tylenol (the plain kind with no dyes)
• Prescription required: ASTHMA INHALER, such as albuterol (You can ask your doctor what she or he recommends). Note: I advised many clients and my mom to obtain inhalers preemptively, but I did not for myself. That was a huge mistake!
• Prescription required: Cough syrup with codeine (I tried Delsym and it helped, but I desperately needed sleep to heal, and this is what really did the trick. I have tried to only use the bare minimum necessary to sleep on nights when the cough is really bad.)

I prefer natural always and see conventional meds as a last resort, but sometimes you need stronger tools. I wish some of these products didn’t have so many unnecessary toxins in them, but it is what it is.

As I previously mentioned, even though I tested negative days ago and my fever has been gone even longer, at the time of writing this, my energy, brain and lungs are still recovering. It is common to need an additional couple of weeks to recover after the virus itself has resolved.

Examples of the pulmonary and mitochondrial support that is helping with post viral recovery (and to prevent long COVID): 

• Ozovita oral ozonated oil 
• Gaia brand Plant Force Liquid Iron
• Alchornea and andrographis by Woodland Essences or other reputable brand (to knock back possible secondary infection) 
• Prescription required: Nebulizing glutathione
• Neti pot 2 times/ day
• Resveracel by Thorne (mitochondrial support)
• Phosaphatidylcholine
• Administered in a Naturopath’s or Functional Medicine Doctor’s Office: IV ozone, glutathione and vitamin mix
• Significant investment (about $1,500) most beneficial to people with chronic complex illness and biohacker/ optimal performance types: Red light therapy (I have my own lamp)
• Moderate investment most beneficial to people with chronic complex illness and biohacker/ optimal performance types: Sleeping bag sauna (I have Heat Healer brand. They run around a few hundred dollars.)

Why else might I have gotten so sick and who is at risk that you are not hearing about in the news?

Beyond the sub-variant, one of the other reasons I believe I had a more severe case is twofold.

First, I was dealing with a lot of stress over the previous two months. My mom experienced a serious health crisis that needed a lot of my support, and, at the same time, there was an extremely disruptive ongoing stressor in one of my businesses. In an upcoming article, I will explore the biology of stress and its impact on COVID-19 case severity via the vagus nerve’s role in immune regulation. It’s actually quite fascinating!

Secondly, I was still recovering from a history of toxic mold and lead paint exposure, which I have yet to share here, because I was not ready. Just know that the combination of the two made me frighteningly ill for a long time. I have made incredible strides. It’s definitely a process to disentangle from both lead and mold.

Furthermore, especially those of you in Hawaii, if you suspect you have mold in your house, you need to find out via an ERMI test (not a HERTSMI) here or here, then deal with it safely and effectively. This is one of my areas of expertise, and I am available for consults on the matter, so reach out if you need help. Toxic mold can stay in your body for many years and can make COVID-19 worse in sensitive people.

This is why I especially recommend that people be prepared who have very expressive immune systems, such as those of you with a history of autoimmunity, toxic mold, Epstein Barr Virus, Lyme/ Tickborne illness, etc. We are also at higher risk of long hauler’s, which is why treating underlying conditions, as well as mitochondrial support, are crucial.

My readership ranges from people who already have a lot of background knowledge and people who are relatively new to all of this, so I understand if some of the above recommendations feel unfamiliar or overwhelming. And, it’s also important to recognize that everyone is different and one size does not fit all. This article far from covers every possible scenario. Health struggles are best handled with one-on-one customized work.

Futhermore, this educational material meets shared lived experience, but is not medical advice. It is important to work with competent practitioners. I have a strong personal preference for evidence-based Integrative and Functional Medicine. Don’t even get me started on the horrors of how conventional medicine is mishandling long COVID patients.

In conclusion, I thought I was prepared for COVID-19 and I was not. The impact was such that I have a deep desire to help people prepare for the worst while still hoping for the best. This has also deepened my empathy for those of you who have endured severe cases or watched your loved ones endure and even perish. I wish I could give those of you retroactive big hugs, and I am so sorry for your pain.

For those of you who haven’t had COVID-19 yet, please prepare yourself. Don’t suffer the ways I did, okay?

Update: Since so many people have been reaching out since I first shared this post, I have decided to offer single one-on-one consults for COVID-19 prep (I normally only offer longer programs). For most people, 30 to 60 minutes covers their questions. Contact me here if you are interested in learning more.