CLEVELAND — Grace Grannan of Cleveland had a mild case of COVID-19 in early December.

 

What You Need To Know

  • Cleveland Clinic doctors sayidwhile treating COVID-19 and flu symptoms at home, be sure to get lots of rest and hydrate

  • Avoid high levels of caffeine and alcohol

  • If your COVID-19 symptoms interfere with your breathing, it may be time to seek further medical treatment

 

"On the first night, I just started feeling a headache and I felt just all around bad, like chills and body aches. Then the following, day I ended up calling my health care provider, and they got me tested right away. And 12 hours later, my test came back positive."

As a health care worker herself, Grannan has treated many COVID-19 patients over the past year. When she tested positive, she was tasked with treating her own symptoms at home.

"It was weird. I felt bad not even being able to work at all, and it was weird considering how much we gown up and everything to go in those rooms, and then thinking to myself that I am this now patient with COVID-19. But it just was motivating to know that I was going to be able to be back to work, and I wasn't too sick. Thank goodness.”

Grannan said she was lucky to have a mild case, but made sure to take the necessary steps to keep herself healthy.

"I just stayed at home I quarantine by myself for the full CDC recommended 10 days. I checked my temperature every day. I just drank a lot of water, ate healthy foods and just stayed at home. I never had a fever thankfully, but I did get some headaches, which I took tylenol for, and to stay at home got a lot of rest.”

Cleveland Clinic Family Medicine Dr. Donald Ford said there are two important things to do when treating yourself for a virus like COVID-19 or the flu at home.

The first is rest.

"Rest for most people in these circumstances is not too much of a challenge because people tend to feel rundown and fatigued, and if presuming you're not working from home. There may be lots of time to sleep and take naps, and that's good because really that's what needs to happen.”

The second is to hydrate.

"Hydration is always important, and we always stress it because a lot of the symptoms that occur with these viral illnesses actually work against hydration, all the elevation of temperature, sometimes accompanied by diarrhea mucus production. All of these are things that take fluid from our bodies,”

Ford said it's important to drink more fluids than you normally would: Lots of water and sports drinks with electrolytes to help your body hold on to the fluid.

Ford also said to stay away from things that dehydrate the body like caffeinated beverages.

“Although it's not harmful to have a cup of coffee or soda when you're feeling ill, you don't want to use that as your main source of fluid because it's actually going to end up dehydrating you somewhat. And certainly we encourage people to avoid alcohol.”

Ford said there are certain indicators that may require you to seek further medical treatment.

"But when breathing becomes difficult, even at rest, that's a concern and that's when we really should should should get a closer look and and see what's going on with that and see if additional medicine, or even hospitalization would be advised.”