Lena Dunham
The Girls alum revealed that she contracted the virus mid-March in a lengthy message, which she posted on July 31. She experienced symptoms for 21 days, but didn’t “freak out” at first because she’s used to dealing with chronic pain. “Suddenly my body simply … revolted,” she explained. “The nerves in my feet burned and muscles wouldn’t seem to do their job. My hands were numb. I couldn’t tolerate loud noises. I couldn’t sleep but I couldn’t wake up. I lost my sense of taste and smell. A hacking cough, like a metronome keeping time. Inability to breathe after simple tasks like getting a glass of water. Random red rashes. A pounding headache right between my eyes. It felt like I was a complex machine that had been unplugged and then had my wires rerouted into the wrong inputs.” The Girls alum, who wasn’t hospitalized for the virus, added: “To be clear, I did NOT have these particular issues before I got sick with this virus and doctors don’t yet know enough about COVID-19 to be able to tell me why exactly my body responded this way or what my recovery will look like.”
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