Anecdote:
We know a early/mid 30 something that had it (actually 2 of them). The one that got it first was the wife. Thin, healthy tennis player. Went home to South louisiana for mardi gras to visit her parents/friends. her hubby didn’t get to take off work so she went by herself.
She left the friday before mardi gras and came back the sunday after. Went out to eat a few times, visited friends, went to Ash Wednesday services, etc. At no time visited the French Quarter but went to one of the smaller suburb krewe parades at some point.
By the sunday she came back she was feeling poorly so she skipped work that next week thinking she had the flu. End of the week still no better so swabbed. not flu, not strep (NP later came down with it). Told it was ‘just some virus’ and rest/liquids/etc.
Didn’t improve over the next week and had lost taste/smell so didn’t eat either. She was ‘thin’ by 80’s standard to begin with. her hubby ‘mothered’ her into eating one can of blackeyed peas during all this.
She basically felt like crap, ran fever and slept all the tme.
The 3rd week, the pain began. Lower/mid back pain. At this point she returned to the doctor and demanded to be tested for woowoo. it was still a rigamarole to get tested as the CDC was still drag assing the whole thing.
By the time she actually GOT the positive result she was already feeling better.
Her hubby didn’t really get sick with it. It was ‘just the flu’ for him and lasted a little over a week.
The pain in her back the 3rd week was kidney pain. Her kidneys are still not 100% and she’s over 2 months out from being infected.
At no point did she have difficulty breathing and was never in the hospital.
We’re hoping her kidneys aren’t damaged long term.
And having not eaten for several weeks she looks like a heroin addict runway model now. As of 2 weeks ago her sense of taste/smell still hadn’t returned.
Sounds awful, but it’s good that your friend is feeling better. Hopefully, her body will repair itself sooner than later.