NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Cavanagh Baker may no longer have COVID-19, but she would continue recovering from health complications caused by the virus more than three months later.
The local luxury fashion designer was in isolation for about six weeks in Alabama after testing for COVID-19. However, she would later be diagnosed with a small blood clot and conditions that caused swelling of the heart and lungs.
“It literally felt someone was stabbing my chest with a knife. My chest was tender to the touch and I felt bruised all throughout,” Baker described to NewsChannel 5.
The 27-year-old had no known underlying health conditions, although she’s now being tested for any autoimmune diseases. She said she only started feeling better two weeks after doctors in Nashville finally gave her the right treatment and medication for a diagnosis she received well over a month ago.
“I have to keep up with how many steps I do in a week and if I feel good, then I can keep escalating and doing more steps,” she said.
Baker said she felt the chest pains even after her quarantine and would admit herself to the emergency room in hopes of getting the right test. Despite being hospitalized for pneumonia, she didn’t see a doctor for her other symptoms nearly a month later.
“I still had pains around my chest but I couldn’t get anyone to look at me. We were told to treat our symptoms so I checked myself out of the hospital because if I’m going to die, I don’t want to die here,” she explained.
Someone saw her video updates on Instagram and informed the doctor in Alabama who diagnosed her with pericarditis. But it took coming back to Nashville when a client’s husband watched another video on her social media page and gave her the proper treatment.
To this day she’s still on the medication but is glad to be able to work. Baker is now creating fun and custom-made masks people can buy online. So far she’s sold about 300 masks.
As Davidson County sees a slight upward trend in positive COVID-19 cases, Baker urged people to be their own health advocates if they know something is wrong.
