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A former Deal GP who contracted suspected Covid-19 while working in an A&E ward has spoken of her coronavirus experiences both on the ward and at home as a recovering patient.
Dr Stephanie De Giorgio was treating people with the killer respiratory condition at Queen Elizabeth Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) in Margate before she became unwell on Monday, March 16.
Dr Stephanie De Giorgio is recovering from suspected Covid-19
Although Dr De Giorgio and her family have suffered symptoms consistent with the Covid-19 virus, neither she, her husband or daughters have a confirmed diagnosis.
They haven't been tested because they have not been unwell enough to be admitted into hospital as inpatients.
The East Kent based doctor has recorded video exclusively for KentOnline to answer questions about what it's been like, how the health service is managing and what you can expect if you become unwell.
She said: "Before I became unwell I was seeing lots of people with respiratory symptoms such as coughs and colds as I always do but it became clear we were seeing people who could potentially have Covid without a travel history.
"At the time we were only swabbing people with a travel history - I wasn't involved in that - but the department had a really well rehearsed routine with 111 and patients would be isolated and swabbed and sent home, or they were being swabbed in their cars if they have a travel history.
"Since I've been unwell things have changed quite significantly and the department is working in a very different way and working incredibly hard to make sure that people are kept safe and well.
As a doctor on the front line I was working with a surgical mask, gloves and apron. That was what was recommended at the time for patients who are unwell but not having certain kinds of procedures undertaken. Those procedures are called Aerosol Generating Procedures and they tend to be the patients who are having tubes inserted into their throats or are on ventilators and so doctors doing those kinds of procedures might have the kind of PPE that you might be seeing on the television with certain kinds of masks and visors and hoods over their heads.
"This PPE that we have in general practice and in the A&E department and on wards when we are not doing AGPs is what Public Health England has recommended. I know some colleagues are feeling that they'd be more comfortable with visors and long sleeved gowns and discussions are ongoing about that at the moment."
She said the symptoms she had have been unlike any illness she has had before. "I started feeling weird and happened to be checking in my doctors bag to get ready for work. I took my temperature and it was really high.
"I have to confess to being initially quite scared even though I'm a doctor and know all about it - or perhaps because I'm a doctor - and I know all about it, I was really nervous and had a little cry. I suffered from extreme fatigue, unlike anything I've ever had before and I fainted on the kitchen floor and felt very wobbly on my feet. I had a headache and even on day 12 my fever is going up and down and it is getting really tiring.
"I think it's normal for everybody to be very fearful when they have seen stories on the news..."
"I really wanted to get through to day nine and day 10 because we know that people who do get worse tend to get worse around day seven to nine. That was a time I want to get past and I did and I was very grateful.
"Interestingly enough I have asthma and it hasn't affected my chest at all."
Her husband, also a doctor, has had shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle aches, gastrointestinal issues, significant nausea and has developed an odd sense of smell which experts have been seeing in some confirmed Covid-19 cases. Their youngest daughter has had slight symptoms and eldest has had no symptoms at all.
Dr De Giogio, who now lives in Whitfield, said it was the fear she felt when she first started feeling ill that inspired her to start her daily updates on twitter.
She said: "I think it's normal for everybody to be very fearful when they have seen stories on the news and its dominating every part of our lives now. It's normal to be scared and I was too but the important thing to remember is that the vast majority of us will have unpleasant, and really unpleasant symptoms but we will get better."
With antibody tests now being offered to NHS workers, the health service will know for sure who has had coronavirus. Where it is presently understood that past patients are unlikely to contract the virus again it means Dr Ge Giorgio will return to the wards.
She said: "Once I am better I will be going back to work and seeing patients I know that my team in A&E has been changed into the team that are seeing the patients who are well enough to walk in with respiratory symptoms. I will be going back wearing full PPE as we have to make sure I'm still not exposed because we don't know whether once you've had the virus you're immune to it - the science is still out on that, and so anyone who has had had symptoms, shouldn't presume that they are immune to it and should continue to take all the precautions we're asking people to do, washing hands and keeping your distance from people so they don't spread it to other people because we simply don't know at the moment whether you can catch it again.
"The thing to remember is that most of us will get better. We'll feel awful for a while but we will get better."
It's been quite weird being home watching things develop and not being able to take part but it is a marathon and not a sprint as people keep saying so once I'm better and once my husband is better and we've had no symptoms for 48 hours, we will be heading back to the NHS workforce.
Dr De Giorgio said there is no pattern with Covid-19 but common symptoms include:
These things can go on very mildly but if they seem to be worsening significantly and you are becoming more and more unwell you are unable to talk in complete sentences, or you're extremely short of breath just sitting still then you need to call for help - 111 or 999 if you are extremely unwell.
