The plight of Central Jersey residents during coronavirus: 'Unlike anything I have ever experienced before'
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Two weeks ago, Shakira Johnson was greeting others with a bow to keep the coronavirus at bay.
Today, she's dealing with a suspected case of COVID-19 that she describes as "unlike anything I have ever experienced before."
Johnson, CEO of Johnson PR and Events, or JPR, based in Rahway, an otherwise healthy woman who was not considered high risk, said she felt like she could have lost her life if she didn’t get medical care when she did.
She wants others to recognize the symptoms, so people know what to expect, including the implications of recovering at home.
After being home dealing with a cough, low-grade fever, headaches, and pain in her lungs and shortness of breath, Johnson went last Monday to the emergency room at Hackensack Meridian Health JFK Medical Center in Edison.
READ:Coronavirus: What it's like on the front lines at Central Jersey hospitals
"The trip to the ER was suggested by my doctor as my shortness of breath had become so extreme I was confined to the bed, unable to take care of my school-age children, and could not speak without shortness of breath and splitting headaches," Johnson said in an email.
She said the hospital delivered very good service and bedside manner.
"They ran a series of tests including performing a CT scan on my lungs, everything came back negative with the exception that my white blood cells were a little low indicating there may be an infection," she said.
Johnson said the doctor suspected she had COVID-19 but due to federal guidelines, he was unable to test her because she didn't fit all the criteria for testing. He told her that based on the federal regulations, she was healthy enough to recover at home and she was not to be tested.
She said the doctor expressed frustration that he could not offer the proper testing.
"With his hands tied on the test, he gave me two nebulizer treatments and a steroid injection to open up my lungs and curtail the inflammation and told me he would send me home with instructions on how to isolate at home," she said. "The medicine did not work immediately and when they discharged me I felt worse than when I got there. Mind-numbing headache, shooting pains and extreme tightening in my lungs. I was so dizzy I had to be wheeled out of the ER and had a hard time lifting my head."
After being home for about 48 hours, Johnson said she realized the lung pain and headaches intensified when she exerted herself in any way, so she spent all day in bed, limiting any movement or talking while also isolating from her family.
Friday, she indicated she was feeling better.
Going forward, she remains concerned about whether her husband and children have the virus and if they will be able to be tested.
Johnson isn't the only person who’s struggled to get tested.
More:Coronavirus: From closing doors to curbside pickup, here's what our local restaurants are doing
According to a Facebook post by Westfield Mayor Shelley Brindle, a town resident asked to share their story about testing positive for COVID-19. The resident had initial symptoms of fatigue, chills, and some aches that the next day developed into a fever, dizziness, lots more chills, and a slight cough and runny nose.
The resident went to the doctor and was given a flu test that came back negative. The resident then developed diarrhea but no stomach ache and thought that was a sign that the illness was not COVID-19 because of the mistaken belief that gastrointestinal symptoms are not associated with the virus, Brindle wrote in the post.
The resident's doctor suggested they go to an urgent care facility to be tested, but the on-call doctor there wouldn't administer the test because the resident's lungs sounded fine, they were under age 60 and had not been exposed to anyone who had tested positive.
The resident finally managed to get tested last Monday, and later received the positive COVID-19 test results.
The resident said the symptoms had stabilized to a slight fever in the morning, fatigue, problems regulating body temperatures and a cough with fever spikes of 100 to 101 degrees at night, along with diarrhea, the mayor wrote.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.