Remain positive it will pass - Nenagh man completes self-isolation

A Nenagh man who has just completed two weeks of self-isolation as a coronavirus precaution has offered encouragement to others facing similar situations.
Johnny McMahon (45) was tested for Covid-19 after becoming unwell and being instructed by his GP to self-isolate. Fortunately, the test came back with a negative result and Johnny is feeling well again now.
He had been in Dublin to attend a music gig on March 7th, when Ireland's coronavirus crisis was in its infancy with only minimal precautions being observed. By St Patrick's Day, the nation found itself in a very different situation and Johnny was naturally concerned when he began to feel unwell.

SYMPTOMS
“I went to bed with a slight sore throat,” he said. “The following morning I did the shopping with my wife and I had a constant annoying cough - it reminded me of when I used to smoke, like a morning smoker's cough but I haven't smoked in a few years now.
“The cough was getting worse and when I got home I just felt like I was going to get sick. Then my body was heating up. I had a severe headache, and also chills going through me along with pains in my muscles, a slight pain in my chest and into my back while breathing and just typical flu-like symptoms.”
Despite taking paracetamol and staying in bed, Johnny felt even worse the next day. He contacted his GP and explained his symptoms.
“She said she’d book a test for me and told me to self-isolate for 14 days, which is the standard protocol,” he said. “This was now Thursday, and I got word on the Friday of my test scheduled for Monday morning, March 23rd, at 10.30am.”

NEW ROUTINE
Johnny told of how during his self-isolation his wife, Tanya, had to sleep on the couch while he stayed in the bedroom with the ensuite. His wife and his two daughters looked after him, leaving food and water outside the door every day.
“I had a TV in the bedroom so that got rid of some of the boredom,” Johnny said. “I caught up on shows and re-watched some old movies and documentaries, but the days were long. I would read papers, magazines and just use my phone to stay in touch with people.
“I was sleeping a lot as I was just shattered from it and also very sick from it. I never felt this bad before with a flu-like dose.”
But after day 4, he began to feel a lot better. Johnny, son of the late barber Johnny McMahon of Silver St, told of how in the past he spent several weeks laid up with back problems. He believes the experience may have helped him through the two weeks of self-isolating.

MENTAL HEALTH
“It's very tough, especially on the mental side of things,” he said. “The main thing is to remain positive and know that it will pass, but that can be hard too.
“It was funny because we said to our new neighbour that if she ever needed anything to give us a shout, and now we were relying on her to get us stuff like bread and milk, and also my sister-in-law would pick up a few things from the shops too.
“This is something we’ve never experienced before so it’s a challenge in itself to be house-bound with the entire family. During my isolation I would update my situation on Facebook to help other people who may be going through the same thing. I heard stories regarding the tests that were scaring people, so I would write up how the test went just to reassure people it wasn’t as bad as it was made out. I also would pass the time doing quizzes online just to keep busy.”

COVID-19 TEST
Johnny went for his test at the community testing centre set up at the HSE's Derg Centre in Gortlandroe, where almost 1,000 Covid-19 tests have been carried out to date.
“It was eerie out there, like something out of a disaster movie,” he described. “People in aprons and masks in a makeshift laboratory. The test took only a couple of minutes altogether with a swab of the throat and inside the nose and I was on my way home again to self-isolate until the results were back.”
In the meantime, Johnny's condition improved day-by-day but he continued to self-isolate for the two-week duration as instructed. He had to wait eight days before being told that the test was negative.
“The results came back over the phone and I was told there was nothing detected and that when my 14 days' self-isolation were up, I could go back to normal, well as normal as can be with all the restrictions in place.
“After my self-isolation was finished, I started to do some bits around the garden to keep busy and it was so good to be getting out of the room that I had been in for the past two weeks. Being able to get around are things we can take for granted.

CHALLENGING TIME
“This is a challenging time for everyone worldwide but it's great to see the spirit of the Irish in helping each other in times of need,” Johnny said. “The majority are doing their part in stopping the spread, but we all need to work together on this and hopefully come the summer we’ll be over the worst and getting back on track to normality.”
Johnny recommended other people who are self-isolating in Nenagh to avail of the support of Coronavirus Community Assistance (Tipp North), which has over 150 volunteers to help people with shopping or household problems.
The group can be contacted through Facebook or by phoning Damian O'Donoghue - 0879590206.