I’m back!
I feel like I owe you all an update as to where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing. Let me just say it involves a permanent ‘Escape from New York (New Jersey)’ to Northwest Arkansas adventure. But more on that later…
What is of note now, is that you’ll be happy to know that my sarcasm survived a bout with COVID-19. You’ve missed me, I know.
Sarcasm aside, it was pretty horrible. For me, personally, and everyone is different, the whole experience was a giant mind-f&$k. I am a healthy 40-something active individual, with no underlying health conditions, but I’ll tell you, when the doctors told me I had COVID, I panicked a little. The media has done us a disservice, with its fear-mongering headlines. Mortality rates are not the same for all ages, and they are not the same for those with- versus without- underlying health conditions. But that’s not newsworthy; the media won’t tell you that. Shame on them.
But I will.
You are going to be okay.
This will take longer than you think; it is as much a mental mind-game as a physical one (thank you, media).
I will preface this by saying that my experience was not mild, by any stretch of the imagination, and there is a reason that it has taken me two months to get this blog post out. Even until recently, I was experiencing chest tightness, which was my last, lingering symptom. This was not Omicron, I have no idea how I got it, no one I knew – no one in the area (the state’s numbers were very low) – had it while I did, and while the fever ended after 8 days, I had lingering effects for weeks. I can finally say I’m on the other side of it, but while I was in the worst of it, I took notes on my phone because I know how valuable hearing other (unbiased) experiences would have been to me at the time. A timeline would have helped my mental state when I was a week in, and feeling like I’d never see the other side. But I had no day-to-day timeline of symptoms to reference. So here’s mine.
My COVID Timeline
12/14/2021 – my body starts aching and I feel like I have been hit by a truck. I actually take a nap for the first time in forever. I chalk it up to being sore from working out and don’t think much of it. However, the body aches are severe – I am unable to get physically comfortable in any position, even with pain relievers, and the aches last for 5+ days. When I think back to it, I had a headache while jump roping at the gym, but never attribute it to anything until after the fact.
12/15/2021 – the fever starts. It is only 100.0 (my normal body temperature is about 97.6), so consider this a 101. My low-grade fever will continue for 8 days, but will feel more significant than it ever actually reads (the highest it gets to is a 100.5, on 12/21); my chills make me think my fever is much higher. I have historically spiked very high fevers when I was younger (103.5+). This never feels quite that bad, but close, even though it never measures nearly that high. The chest pressure starts, and continues on through 12/19. I liken it to feeling like my upper back needs to be cracked. I can’t find relief from the chest pressure which makes me nervous, but I never experience a shortness of breath throughout my entire sickness which is about the only thing that brings me comfort. My pulse ox never dips below 96%, but given my starting point was 100%, this also gets me nervous, and keeps me up and active during this entire period. While I allowed myself the luxury of sleeping in everyday, I made sure to walk 10,000+ steps a day and spend a significant amount of time outside. Lucky the weather was unusually warm and conducive to this. This is not a sickness for the sedentary and I know I can’t let it get into my lungs, and this keeps me moving.
12/16/2021 – I test positive first thing in the am. I should note that this was the first day of my two-week vacation. Hello, COVID. At least I didn’t have to work during this time (I’m not sure I could have), but this was not how I wanted to spend my break, obviously. I was ironically scheduled for a GP well visit, but it becomes a sick visit. I stay in my car the entire time. When I get the positive result, I am assured that most people weather this just fine at home, but I can’t help panic just a bit because of the media hysteria around this. I am a fit, 40-year-old, with no co-morbidities, but I am still a little nervous. I happen to know someone who is my age with two young kids who is not doing well, so that weighs on me. I get meds and start them right away.
12/17/2021 – the nausea and diarrhea is pretty terrible but I know I need to eat to keep my strength up (and to coat my stomach for the meds). Speaking of, are these symptoms of COVID or my stomach dealing with what I have been prescribed? Not sure, but the diarrhea resolves in a few days although the nausea will follow me for a week. I lose 6-7 pounds during this time.
12/18/2021 – I lose my sense of smell, and while I still don’t have it fully back, I will faintly be able to smell a candle – held right up to my nose – after 13 days. I can still taste though, which at first makes no sense to me – am I tasting something because I know what I am eating and I know what it should taste like? Or am I really tasting it? After a lot of experimenting I truly am tasting my food, however my taste is muted except for a few tastes such as coffee (waaaay bitter!) and salt (everything was so.salty!); those tastes are magnified. The no-smell was really odd for me. Even through all of this we tried to keep Christmas as normal as possible (I’ve got two kids for goodness sake!) but I could.not.smell.a.thing. No beef burgundy. No prime rib. No cinnamon rolls. Nothing. But for the sake of tradition we make everything we usually do. I develop a cough, but nothing so substantial that it would alarm you. When I cough, I purposefully cough a LOT, to try and get anything that may be in my lungs, out of my lungs. My purposeful coughing makes my husband nervous, but I work hard to keep my lungs working through this all – that is my biggest fear, letting it get into my lungs. The same day I develop a cough I have an epic coughing fit. I’m glad no one witnesses it because it was a little scary. I have been high-dosing vitamin C and I got a little powder down the wrong pipe which sent me into a fit. But I honestly feel like the coughing fit was perfect to keep the sickness out of my lungs.
12/19/2021 – Version 1.0 tests positive and will follow the same symptom timeline as me (except the diarrhea – which makes me think mine was from the meds, as she managed COVID prescription-less like most healthy 12-year-olds would do).
12/20/2021 – the Husband tests positive. Payback after meeting me at the door with a 6-foot pole is a b$&%h. He never develops a fever, but otherwise follows a similar – yet shortened – timeline. I follow up with my GP as my 5-day medication protocol runs out. I am hoping for an extended prescription – I honestly don’t think what I was prescribed helped, but you hold onto the little things that keep your spirit up. However, the next step is monoclonal antibodies, which I don’t think I need, so at-home vitamins and hydration it is. The nurse does tell me to watch my pulse-ox and temperature. A fever spike would be concerning at this point, and might indicate it moving into my lungs and becoming pneumonia. My fever reaches its highest point the day after (12/21/2021), which freaks me out, but I keep active and monitor my pulse ox for signs of distress and continue the course.
12/21/2021 – this is the worst day for me. Purely mentally. I tested positive 5 days ago, but symptoms started a week ago, and there have been ‘no wins’ for me during this time. I feel like I did on Day 1. The only thing that has resolved is my chest pressure, but that will come back for a surprise visit in a day. We find out our friend with COVID – who has been battling it for over two weeks now, has been airlifted to Little Rock, where she will eventually be vented, trached, on ECMO, and in a medically-induced coma. Remember, she is my age (actually, slightly younger than me), and I feel defeated given I haven’t felt at all better in 7 days. I press on. (Side note: she is out of the hospital after 3 months – a true miracle!)
12/23/2021 – my fever breaks tonight (I think!). 8 days with a fever. Funny, I’ve read that Day 8 is crucial. It was almost down to the hour – 8 full days of a fever.
12/24/2021 – I am fever free all day, and hopeful I am on the up-and-up. It is Christmas Eve and all. I cook Julia Child’s beef burgundy, which for those of you who know it, it is a labor of love and it takes 5 hours (ish) to do. I am feeling like I have turned a corner. But…
12/25/2021 – I muddle through the morning but I actually feel worse today, than the day before. I have taken a step back. My chest tightness is back. I even take a nap on my husband in the afternoon while he watches the football games. I do my best to keep a happy face on for the kids (it is Christmas!), but the cooking and the early morning is wearing on me and I just don’t feel well physically. But the fever does not return.
12/26/2021 – Fearful of stagnation given I felt that yesterday I regressed, we play tennis as a family and ride our bikes. I feel better than I did on Christmas.
12/27/2021, 12/28/2021, 12/29/2021 – still fever free, we are back to our normal routines. Version 1.0 is back to softball (12/29), my husband and Version 2.0 (who never tested positive), are back at wrestling. The highlight of the 29th is my (slow) run. I run a few miles, and I am happy to be out and hopeful that I can force this out of my lungs once and for all with some good old aerobic exercise.
12/31/2021 – Version 2.0’s birthday, and the end of the calendar year is today. I feel good. Still a lingering cough, and still no sense of smell. But all in all, I feel good. Today is actually the only day I DON’T get at least 10,000 steps. I relax for the first time in a long time.
—————–
That is, until one of the kittens got COVID…
Stay tuned.