SOUTH MILWAUKEE, WI — Stephanie La Philliph didn’t sign up for this.
As of Thursday, La Philliph is one of the many Wisconsin residents presumed to have the new coronavirus. On a normal day La Philliph, 35, lives with her 3-year-old daughter in South Milwaukee. On a normal day, La Philliph works as a bar manager for a local restaurant.
Public health orders issued by Gov. Tony Evers have shut down schools, closed all nonessential businesses, closed restaurants and bars to dine-in service and restricted people’s ability to travel. In Wisconsin, the latest numbers show that 2,756 people are confirmed to have been infected with the new coronavirus.
Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters. Don’t miss local and statewide news about coronavirus developments and precautions.
Today, La Philliph is off work and isolating at home as she fights through her symptoms. She’s sent her daughter away so she doesn’t catch the virus. The days alone and her symptoms “are like a 100-pound animal on my chest,” La Philliph told Patch.
In reaching out to Patch, La Philliph said the psychological toll has been exacting, though she believes she will overcome COVID-19.
“I’m in the process of trying to change my depression and turn this into a positive for myself and for others,” she said. “I want to come out of this and donate plasma to give antibodies to help fight this evil monster.”
Path To Infection
The state ordered dine-in bars and restaurants across Wisconsin to close their doors at 5 p.m. March 17 to help prevent the spread of the virus. Many restaurants switched to carryout, curbside or delivery options to keep their businesses open. They fielded skeleton crews brave enough to interact with people while risking infection.
La Philliph said she went from bar manager to pickup-and-delivery driver overnight.
“The delivery services we offered placed us a little closer than we should have been to other people,” she said. She finished her work shift March 29. The next day, she would realize her path to infection had already started.
On the morning of March 30, La Philliph said she woke up feeling “a little strange.” By the next morning, she said she woke up feeling violently ill: Vomiting, sore throat, chills, a high fever and body aches wracked her tired body. But those were secondary to her breathing trouble.
‘Not Fully Treated’
Fearing the worst, La Philliph sent her daughter to live with a loved one so she wouldn’t get infected. Once her daughter was moved to a safer home, she reached out to a doctor via Aurora Health Care’s E-Visit — a telehealth option many patients are using amid the COVID-19 pandemic to pursue treatment.
After the telehealth visit, La Philliph said she received a phone call from a doctor at Aurora later that day saying her “breathing and fever were very concerning to him.”
La Philliph said she was admitted at a local hospital, where nurses administered a battery of tests including a blood-oxygen-level screening, which determined how well her lungs were functioning. Doctors said her oxygen levels weren’t to the point where she needed breathing treatments but, based on her job and life situation, urged her to self-isolate.
When she asked doctors whether she had COVID-19, she said she was told “I more than likely possessed COVID-19, but because of my age and lack of underlying health issues, and my [blood-oxygen-level] screening, they weren’t willing to administer a [COVID-19] test when they figured it was positive.”
Doctors told her she would be able to take care of herself at home with antibiotics and an inhaler, she said. “For now, I’m living and telling a story, being one of those not fully treated because of the lack of testing and medical assistance for my age group — but on the verge of things perhaps to get worse,” she said.
‘Every Day Is A Struggle’
La Philliph said her symptoms began to worsen in the early days of her isolation.
“After a couple of days, my fever and body aches worsened,” she said. “I also developed more symptoms, such as lack of taste and smell.”
Once a person with an active lifestyle and physically demanding job, her body now began to tire easily. La Philliph said her symptoms are like a roller coaster: One day they’re better, another day they’re so challenging she suffered coordination problems.
“It’s not just the flu. It’s not just pneumonia,” she said. “This is the worst time you’ve ever felt everything hurt or cramp or nauseated — times 100 — and I can see why the older population are affected, because it is hard on my body. Every day is a struggle.”
Her doctor put her on watch over concerns that her breathing problems may lead to a fever spike. Then, she would have to be hospitalized.
‘I Miss My Daughter’
La Philliph told Patch that she has had a number of people check up on her during her self-isolation. Some people have left gifts on her front porch. Surveillance cameras allow her to see people come and go. “I get joy seeing people at my door,” she said.
Click Here: geelong cats guernsey 2019
The most difficult part, she said, is not being with her daughter. “I miss my daughter more than anything, and I hope that she is OK.”
Seeing The Light
On Thursday, La Philliph told Patch she envisions one day being symptom-free.
“I’ve been feeling more on the upswing of things, the hard-to-breathe symptom is still stalking me, and I hate it,” she said. Her fever and body aches that have dogged her for the last week are gently subsiding, she said.
“I’m at the stage now where once I have a day with no symptoms, I can get out of isolation three days later,” she said.
La Philliph wants people to know not to take COVID-19 lightly. “This is the most different and difficult type of illness I have ever faced, and I don’t wish this on anyone,” she said. “Stay inside, wear masks, say y’all to your loved ones, do what you’re told, don’t take risks. We are in this together.”