Alyssa Milano thought she “was dying” after contracting the coronavirus earlier this year.
Alongside a photo of herself wearing with what appears to be a mask attached to a breathing machine the “Who’s the Boss” star wrote on Instagram Wednesday, “This was me on April 2nd after being sick for 2 weeks. I had never been this kind of sick.”
“It felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest,” the 47-year-old actress continued. “I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t keep food in me. I lost 9 pounds in 2 weeks. I was confused. Low grade fever. And the headaches were horrible.”
Despite displaying “every COVID symptom,” Milano says she tested negative for coronavirus twice at the end of March and underwent an antibody test.
The “Melrose Place” actress writes that she continued to live with ”lingering symptoms like, vertigo, stomach abnormalities, irregular periods, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, zero short term memory, and general malaise” so she decided to take another antibody test, but this time from a blood draw and subsequently tested positive for COVID antibodies.
“I just want you to be aware that our testing system is flawed and we don’t know the real numbers. I also want you to know, this illness is not a hoax. I thought I was dying. It felt like I was dying. I will be donating my plasma with hopes that I might save a life,” she continued.
The mother-of-two ended with asking everyone to wash their hands, wear a mask and practice social distancing.
“Be well. I love you all (well, maybe not the trolls. Just the kind people),” she concluded.