From a fever to a dry cough, coronavirus is known to be associated with a range of unpleasant symptoms.
Now, one coronavirus patient has warned about a lesser-known version of the deadly bug, which she’s calling ‘gastro coronavirus.’
Historian and author Dr Fern Riddell suffered with debilitating stomach pains, without the usual respiratory symptoms.
On Twitter, she explained: “Hello, I’ve not been here because I am on day 33 of #Covid 19, and for the last 26 I’ve been the sickest I’ve ever been in my life.
“I feel really lucky not to have had any respiratory symptoms, mine have been purely gastric, but even with mild to moderate symptoms, it’s horrible.”
Dr Riddell explained that for the first 10 days her symptoms were mild, but that things quickly escalated.
She said: “On day 10/11 I went down hill really fast. It was like I’d been poisoned. Full body shakes and aches, serious dehydration (6 litres of water a day plus dioralyte), overwhelming nausea, awful diarrhoea, extreme fatigue.
"You feel so, so ill. And it’s terrifying. I don’t remember much of the next 14 days.”
Even 23 days after her symptoms started, Dr Riddell continued to be plagued with stomach issues.
She added: “As of the last few days I’m able to stay hydrated and not take any of the other meds, but I’m still stuck with bad stomach issues, 23 days after they started. It’s exhausting.”
Dr Riddell’s story comes shortly after a study revealed that digestive issues ‘could be first sign of the disease’.
Researchers from the Wuhan Medical Treatment Expert Group for COVID-19 analysed coronavirus patients in the Hubei province of China.
Their analysis revealed that nearly half of patients presented with digestive symptoms, and claimed that this was their main issue, rather than a fever or dry cough.
The study also revealed that patients with digestive symptoms had a longer gap between onset of symptoms and hospital admission.
These patients also took longer to be discharged than those without digestive issues.
