Ateneo guard Trina Guytingco shares her battle with COVID-19

Ateneo Lady Eagles' Trina Guytingco contracted COVID-19 in US. She shares her battle
Aug 2, 2020
PHOTO: Marlo Cueto

ATENEO guard Trina Guytingco hoped to have a breakthrough in her basketball career when she attended a three-day combine in Las Vegas in July.

But she wound up facing the toughest test of her life as she contracted COVID-19.

Three weeks back, Guytingco was upbeat with the opportunity to participate in the tryouts while also cautious of her welfare, especially with the United States being the country with the most confirmed cases in the world.

"I was very cautious with everything that I was doing - wearing a mask, washing my hands, practicing social distancing. I think I did a pretty good job, and I thought I was. When I went to this camp, I spent three days with just a whole bunch of women playing basketball," she told So She Did.

It was quite an experience, the 5-foot-7 winger shared, but when she got back home in Pleasant Hill, California, that's when she stared to feel unwell.

"A couple of days later, I started feeling sick. Then I received news that one of my teammates tested positive for COVID," she said. "I started to feel symptoms, started to have fever, a really bad headache, and there was sore throat, loss of appetite, just a lot of body aches."

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Without question, it was the toughest battle Guytingco has ever faced.

"For me, it felt like I worked out the whole day when I was literally at the bed the whole day," she said. "I was exhausted and my body was just like hurting and aching everywhere. Think of it like after a workout and you just did squats, a really heavy squat workout and then the next day, you can't walk. Imagine that feeling but all over your body. For me, it was just hard to walk around for a week. I was just 24 hours in bed outside of going to the bathroom."

It also took its toll on the mind of the 23-year-old.

"I can tell you there was a lot of ups and downs with my mental state. There were days when you think that you're going to be fine, take all those medicines, just rest and drink water. But there were days that you think why did this happen to me," she said.

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"It was just very nerve-racking and I didn't know what was about to happen just because when you have contact with (someone infected with) the virus, it just messes with your head. You keep on thinking about the tragic stories of COVID-19 like what if you deteriorate all of a sudden. It was a very rough week for me."

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    Before being tested for COVID-19, Guytingco had already self-quarantined, keeping a safe distance from her parents.

    "When I got sick, I had to treat myself like I had COVID. I treated myself like I was positive and my family treated me like I was positive. They did their best to wear masks, disinfect properly everything and anything I could've possibly touched, and I was just in my room for a whole two weeks," Guytingco said.

    "This was just a regimen that my mom made me do and what helped me get through this. Of course, I had to take Tylenol for my fever, and to help with my sore throat, I drank a lot of ginger tea with cinnamon. It burned but it felt good. I was also taking a lot of organic multivitamins. Aside from that, I took a lot of vitamin D and vitamin B, and I was taking probiotics for my stomach just in case. I was on a lot of stuff."

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    Two weeks later, the result came out and it was indeed positive.

    But now, she feels good as she did all she could to recover from this deadly virus.

    "I've been feeling amazing. Since I passed the 14-day quarantine mark, I've been able to go outside for a walk but, obviously, with a mask on," she said.

    Still, Guytingco knows that it's better to be safe than sorry as she continues to take everyday with precaution.

    "We still don't know how much this virus can get. I don't know when I'm safe," she said.

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      PHOTO: Marlo Cueto
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