Lena Dunham suffered from coronavirus for 21 days

Lena Dunham is opening up about suffering from the coronavirus for 21 days in a lengthy social media essay that she star said she was ‘reluctant’ to post.

The Girls star revealed that she was diagnosed with COVID-19 in March and detailed her experience on Instagram Friday.

The 34-year-old said that decided to make her medical battle public in the hopes of getting people to take social distancing more seriously and stop treating lives with such ‘carelessness.’

Her COVID story: Lena Dunham is opening up about suffering from the coronavirus for 21 days in a lengthy social media essay that detailed her brutal symptoms in the hopes that she can convince 'careless' people to social distance

Her COVID story: Lena Dunham is opening up about suffering from the coronavirus for 21 days in a lengthy social media essay that detailed her brutal symptoms in the hopes that she can convince ‘careless’ people to social distance

‘My Covid Story,’ she captioned a seflie which sees Lena wearing as mask, along with several written slides.

‘I don’t want to unnecessarily add my voice to a noise landscape on such a challenging topic, as an unfathomable number of people have lost their lives to COVID-19,’ she began in the long essay.

‘But seeing the carelessness with which so many in the United States are treating social distancing, people jogging without masks and parties on Instagram, I feel compelled to be honest about the impact this illness has had on me, in the hopes that personal stories allow us to see the humanity in what can feel like abstract situations,’ she continued.

Before describing her symptoms, Lena cautioned readers that the virus will ‘alter the bodies and lived experiences of so many who are infected’ in unknown and unpredictable ways.

Speaking out: Lena said she was 'reluctant' to tell her story but decided to make her medical battle public in the hopes of getting people to take social distancing more seriously and stop treating lives with such ¿carelessness'

Speaking out: Lena said she was ‘reluctant’ to tell her story but decided to make her medical battle public in the hopes of getting people to take social distancing more seriously and stop treating lives with such ‘carelessness’

Complications: Lena, who is already immunocompromised, has been vocal about people wearing masks and staying at home to protect people like her who can't gamble with their health

Complications: Lena, who is already immunocompromised, has been vocal about people wearing masks and staying at home to protect people like her who can’t gamble with their health

Lena, who is already immunocompromised, said that she felt ‘blessed’ to have ‘entered the experience as a ‘sick’ person.’

‘Otherwise,’ she said, ‘I don’t know how I would have tolerated crossing that threshold from well to unwell.’

Detailing her symptoms, Lena said it started for her with ‘achy joints’ but since joint pain is a symptom of her ‘usual diagnosis’ she didn’t think much of it.

‘But the pain was soon joined by an impossible crushing fatigue,’ she recollected. ‘Then, a fever of 102.’

'Suddenly my body simply ¿ revolted. The nerves in my feet burned and muscles wouldn't seem to do their job,' the Girls star wrote in a powerful part of the essay

‘Suddenly my body simply … revolted. The nerves in my feet burned and muscles wouldn’t seem to do their job,’ the Girls star wrote in a powerful part of the essay

On the other side: Lena said her symptoms lasted for 21 days and was able to be treated by a doctor without being hospitalized; she tested negative for COVID-19 after a month

On the other side: Lena said her symptoms lasted for 21 days and was able to be treated by a doctor without being hospitalized; she tested negative for COVID-19 after a month

Adding: ‘Suddenly my body simply … revolted. The nerves in my feet burned and muscles wouldn’t seem to do their job.’

The HBO star said that her hands went numb, red rashes covered her body at random, she had headaches and described being unable to ‘tolerate loud noises’, caught in a cycle where she couldn’t sleep but didn’t have energy to be awake.

‘I lost my sense of taste and smell,’ she wrote. ‘A hacking cough, like a metronome keeping time. Inability to breathe after simple tasks like getting a glass of water.’

The award winning writer painted a picture for readers: ‘It felt like I was a complex machine that had been unplugged and then had my wires rerouted into the wrong inputs.’

The award winning writer painted a picture for readers: 'It felt like I was a complex machine that had been unplugged and then had my wires rerouted into the wrong inputs.'

The award winning writer painted a picture for readers: ‘It felt like I was a complex machine that had been unplugged and then had my wires rerouted into the wrong inputs.’

Lena said her symptoms lasted for 21 days and was able to be treated by a doctor without being hospitalized. She tested negative for COVID-19 after a month.

She acknowledged that her ‘hands-on’ experience with a doctor was a unique ‘privilege’ not afforded to many.

‘I couldn’t believe how intense the loneliness has been, in addition to the illness,’ Lena revealed.

Despite her full recovery from the virus, Lena said her symptoms lingered. A notion echoed by actess Anna Camp who similarly said that after she was COVID free she still had symptoms.

'I couldn't believe how intense the loneliness has been, in addition to the illness,' Lena revealed.

‘I couldn’t believe how intense the loneliness has been, in addition to the illness,’ Lena revealed.

Dunham’s hands and feed stayed swollen, she had a persisting migraine and continued fatigue even being negative for the coronavirus.

‘The doctor determined I was suffering from clinical adrenal insufficiency – my pituitary gland had almost entirely ceased function – as well as ‘status migrainosis,’ she said. The latter meaning a ceaseless migraine.

That was in addition to a whole host of other complications from her other medical issues like arthritis.

‘And there are weirder symptoms that I’ll keep to myself,’ she said, uncharacteristically private.

Lingering effects: Despite now being negative for the virus, Lena as lingering symptoms and was diagnosed with 'clinical adrenal insufficiency' as well as 'status migrainosis'

Lingering effects: Despite now being negative for the virus, Lena as lingering symptoms and was diagnosed with ‘clinical adrenal insufficiency’ as well as ‘status migrainosis’

Lena said she didn’t experience these symptoms before the virus and with the uncertainly on the long term effects of COVID-19, doctors can’t tell her anything firmly about what she may experience moving forward.

She is concerned about the ‘serious long-term health consequences’ of the coronavirus and lauded the experts moving a warp speed to contain the spread.

Lena then slammed people who aren’t taking the virus seriously and assume it is ‘like passing the flu to your coworker’ and implored people to take ‘appropriate measures.’

Lena ended her statement: ‘It is critical we are all sensible and compassionate at this time … because, there is truly no other choice.’ 

Lena ended her statement: 'It is critical we are all sensible and compassionate at this time ¿ because, there is truly no other choice.'

Lena ended her statement: ‘It is critical we are all sensible and compassionate at this time … because, there is truly no other choice.’

source: dailymail.co.uk