PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla — “It was probably the worst type of sickness I’ve had as an adult,” Hans Wohlgefahrt said. “For some people, it may be so mild, but you just never know how you were going to get it and how it’s going to affect your body.”
More than 500,000 people in Florida have tested positive for COVID-19. Over time, doctors have discovered that most cases of COVID-19 can be managed at home.
“Most people with COVID-19 have mild illness and can recover at home without medical care,” the CDC website states.
Many of those infected with the coronavirus don’t even show symptoms and wouldn’t know they have it unless they were tested.
That wasn’t the case for 44-year-old Hans Wohlgefahrt.
“Back on June 21, which was Father’s Day, I had started feeling ill,” Wohlgefahrt said.
Out of precaution, he hadn’t seen his parents in person since the start of the pandemic.
“My dad is 90 years old, and my mom is around 85; so that’s why we were being so careful,” Wohlgefahrt said.
But for the first time since March, Wohlgefahrt decided to spend Father’s Day with his parents. He says he still kept his distance and wore a mask. But after his visit, he didn’t feel well.
“I had typical flu symptoms,” Wohlgefahrt said. “I started running a lower kind of fever, and I just didn’t feel quite right; and so I went and got tested as soon as I could."
It was three days of waiting for his results. Wohlgefahrt says it was the longest three days of his life.
His results came back positive.
“I felt like I was doing everything right,” Wohlgefahrt said. “I don’t know how I contracted it.”
He says he was worried, but almost immediately the concern for his own health shifted to his parents.
“I had socially distanced when I saw them and wore a mask the whole time, but just the fear of my parents getting sick was really you know kind of devastating to me during that period where we didn’t know,” Wohlgefahrt said.
Both his parents got tested. Their results took a lot longer to get; about eight or nine days. But thankfully they both tested negative.
Wohlgefahrt’s roommate wasn’t so lucky. She and Wohlgefahrt both quarantine at home. Her symptoms, though, were a lot less severe.
“It was really wild because she’s older than me,” Wohlgefahrt said. “It was like a typical flu for her and she got over it quickly, while mine lasted for about three weeks.”
Wohlgefahrt said he started to feel sicker as the days progressed, which is not uncommon in COVID patients.
“You just don’t know how it will affect your body, so it was a little scary,” Wohlgefahrt said. “I just did the best I could to get a lot of rest and eat healthy and just try to figure out how to not get any sicker than I was.”
Doctors suggest if you’re recovering from home to get a lot of rest and stay hydrated, as well as take over-the-counter medicines, such as acetaminophen, to help you feel better.
Wohlgefahrt says he alternated between Motrin and Tylenol every three hours to try and get his fever down.
“I was sicker longer than I thought I would be,” Wohlgefahrt said. “That started to scare me.”
No matter what he did, Wohlgefahrt says the way he was feeling progressively got worse. Wohlgefahrt says he even lost his sense of taste and smell for a while.
“The first week felt like just a normal flu, and then I started getting higher temperatures the second week,” Wohlgefahrt said. “Some of them were quite high; so after I told my doctors, after the fact, they were like you should have gone to and emergency room.”
The CDC urges you to stay in touch with your doctor in case your symptoms escalate to the point you need to go to the hospital.
“My friends and family, and you know the work that I do, all of that is so important to me and when you’re having those moments where you are thinking you might lose it all,” Wohlgefahrt said. “I’m young and healthy and I felt like I was being safe and suddenly couldn’t quite understand that I was in this situation.”
Wohlgefahrt had a fever for two and a half weeks.
“Nights were really difficult for me because that’s always when the fever was the highest for me and it made it difficult to sleep well and be comfortable,” Wohlgefahrt said.
He says he stayed in communication with his doctors, who voiced concerns.
“They were worried about me for a couple reasons,” Wohlgefahrt said. “I’ve had high blood pressure since I was in my 20s, and I maintained it under medication; but I was having a really rapid heart rate, and they explained to me they’ve seen that in some other patients.”
While a lot of COVID positive patients experience problems with their lungs, the virus can actually attack any organ.
“They [his doctors] basically recommended if I had trouble breathing or experienced the heart rate problems to go to an emergency room right away,” Wohlgefahrt said.
Fortunately, he never had to be admitted to the hospital.
Wohlgefahrt decided to share the news of his positive test results and recovery updates on social media.
“I felt that was the fastest way to let my friends know that if they had any contact with me it would be a good idea for them to get tested,” Wohlgefahrt said.
During his recovery, Wohlgefahrt was also contacted by a contact tracer.
“It was a very in-depth call. The thing that I found a little odd about it was that it was almost a month after I had received my results,” Wohlgefahrt said. “It seemed a little bit like past the point of being able to do any good.”
He says at this point, if he had somehow transmitted the virus to somebody else, it would be too late to stop the spread.
“I think actually putting it out on Facebook reached a lot more people more immediately, so hopefully stopped the spread of this,” Wohlgefahrt said.
To his knowledge, Wohlgefahrt says none of his friends got infected.
After finally reaching three consecutive days without a fever, Wohlgefahrt got re-tested. To his relief, his results came back negative, but the fear of the virus returning is in the back of his mind.
“I definitely would not want to get this again,” Wohlgefahrt said. “But I think that’s a reality now. Doctors seem to think that there is a lack of consensus on antibodies and how long they might last.”
For now, Wohlgefahrt is counting his blessings and trying to spread the word about the importance of taking precautions, like wearing face masks and social distancing.
“I see a lot of people who seem to want to ignore the reality that we are facing,” Wohlgefahrt said. “Our life has changed, and you know we need to change with it until there is a vaccine and taking all the precautions you can.”
Wohlgefahrt still questions where he contracted COVID-19, but he hopes more people will start taking personal responsibility, not only for themselves, but for other people.
And although Wohlgefahrt has tested negative he’s still not feeling 100 percent.
“I’m feeling much better, but I’m still experiencing fatigue,” Wohlgefahrt said.
In the next couple of weeks, he will be getting an EKG, chest x-rays and bloodwork done so doctors can get a full analysis of where he’s at.
“I hope I’m OK and I don’t have any after-effects from it, but I think it’s smart for people especially since we know so little about this to follow up with their doctor,” Wohlgefahrt said.
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