POLK COUNTY, Fla — Covered in scrubs from head to toe and always wearing a mask, Polk County nurse Rebecca Guerin has provided in-home care to her patients during the coronavirus pandemic.
"I see six to seven patients a day. Nothing out of the ordinary. We have questions that we have to ask before we go into their homes to kind of screen them if they're sick. If they have a fever we don't go in. None of my patients have had symptoms," Guerin said.
But just about a month ago, she noticed something was off.
"I just started feeling crummy, like body aches, having a hard time breathing in my mask. When the nausea kicked in, I couldn't even finish my shift and had to call my supervisor," Guerin said.
Guerin said she had just seen a patient who hadn't been feeling well on Tuesday and Wednesday. By Friday, her symptoms were even stronger.
"Chills, fever, body aches, a headache. The fatigue set in," Guerin said.
Come Monday, she was in the ER in Plant City, barely able to move. Rebecca just tested positive for COVID-19.
"You would have thought somebody told me I had cancer. It was just kind of like a punch to the stomach because at that point, you just, you just kind of like wonder, 'Okay, who have I exposed? Who did I put in harm's way?' I have three kids," Guerin said.
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The next weeks that followed were an uphill battle in quarantine away from her family. With extreme, bone-chilling pain, Guerin said the virus destroyed her body.
"It just tears everything down and it happens so quickly. Some days I just wanted to close my eyes and not wake up. The pain that my body was going through was so bad," Guerin said.
Since then, she's been able to get out of bed and is feeling better, but not all of her symptoms are gone.
"I still can't walk long distances without getting short of breath. I can't eat certain things. I can't drink. My stomach is just so messed up," Guerin said.
While she prays none of the damage done is long term, COVID-19 changed her life.
"I did everything right. I wore the mask or wear the gloves, I hand sanitized, I wash my hands, I don't touch my face everything you're supposed to do and I still got it. This is what I'm going through. It is real, wear your masks," Guerin said.
Guerin still isn't cleared to return to work yet, but she's scared to go back. She said the virus is dangerous for those on the front lines.
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