A paramedic who tested positive for COVID-19 has warned it can trigger unusual symptoms after she became infected without suffering a tell-tale cough or high temperature.
Kirstine Adkin, 24, first began suffering with headaches and back pain but initially put it down to stress at work.
But she soon realised her senses were so severely impaired that she couldn’t smell or taste even pungent foods like garlic, ground coffee or cinnamon.
Soon afterwards her condition swiftly deteriorated and she was left struggling to breathe.
Now the The NHS paramedic, from Poole, Dorset, has shared a diary she kept during her illness in a bid to make others aware of the less common signs that they may have coronavirus.
South Western Ambulance Service paramedic Kirstine Adkin, 24, has released a week-long diary of her symptoms after she contracted coronavirus without having a cough or a fever
The South Western Ambulance Service medic is now warning people to be on the lookout for less obvious symptoms and to heed Government advice to stay indoors.
She said: ‘I’m a 24-year-old girl working on the front line as an NHS paramedic.
‘I tested positive for COVID-19 and wanted to share my experience to warn others who display less ‘obvious’ symptoms like I did at first.’
She added: ‘I am now well and I’m feeling very grateful that I am able to continue to work when so many people are facing real hardship during this crisis – I’m one of the lucky ones right now.’
Dorset-based Kirstine decided to share a diary covering her week-long fight against the deadly virus which has so far claimed more than 21,000 British lives.
On the first day she described the ‘worst headaches I’ve ever had’ above both eyes.
These got worse and worse but proved to be the extent of her problems at the beginning of the week.
As the headache persisted the following day, she put it down to the increased stress at work due to the increased pressure during the global pandemic.
She later became achy but felt this was a common occurrence given her job as a paramedic involves her having to lift people up.
‘It’s not uncommon for me to get an achy back,’ she said.
‘However that night the pain in my back was so bad I realised that this probably wasn’t my normal aches.’
With no respite on the third day, Kirstine was forced to call in sick even though she had no cough or temperature.
But her back was still severely aching and her headaches had not subsided.
‘Later that day everything got worse, I didn’t leave bed, and by the evening I had some pains in my chest and felt a little breathless when moving around,’ she explained.
With an increased focus on cleanliness, the 24-year-old made the decision to disinfect all her surfaces in her bedroom when it became apparent that she ‘couldn’t smell a thing’.
She said: ‘I proceeded to smell everything around the house, but absolutely nothing!’
The fourth day saw the emergence of a ‘dry’ cough which was constant ‘for an hour or two’ first thing in the morning.
Coughing became less frequent as the day wore on but the biggest development for Kirstine was that she had now lost her sense of taste.
The feeling of aches and pains had disappeared on the fifth day but she still felt particularly worn out and tired.
In terms of taste, she said she could ‘literally eat cinnamon’ and ‘raw garlic’ and not taste a thing.
Her sixth day at home saw her mild symptoms disappear but the diary has been released to help raise awareness for those who may not be showcasing fevers or possessing long-lasting coughs.
Kirstine – who is now returning to work on the front line – said symptoms manifest themselves differently in each person and has begged people to obey the lockdown to protect NHS staff and key workers.
She added: ‘So no temperature for me, only a mild, mild cough. For me the other symptoms of COVID – headaches, muscle aches, fatigue, loss of smell and taste – were more prevalent.
The 24-year-old has released a six-day diary detailing how she went from a headache and a bad back to realising she had lost her sense of smell, sense of taste and being left breathless
‘Just goes to show that this disease affects each of us differently.
‘I know the Government guidance is a persistent cough or a temperature, but I had neither, so please don’t take the risk and stay at home if you start to develop the other symptoms too.
‘Fingers crossed my taste and smell returns soon, I’ve got three Easter eggs sat waiting for me.
‘Side note: Whilst I was still working last week there were so many cars still on the road. Blatant ignorance to the advice we’ve been given which is for our benefit.
‘I will go back to work next week, to help those that need it. Please stay home for me and all of us NHS/key workers and our families.’