So this is COVID.
Feeling fine all day, then suddenly having a sore throat and a nagging little cough until bed.
Then dreaming about numbers (I always count things in my dreams when I am sick) and waking up thinking I have plants growing inside my CPAP mask.
That was my introduction to COVID, which was confirmed by one of the free at‐home tests I had sent to us months ago.
The first thing I thought of was all the people I might have infected the day before. Of course, I had to have hugged or shook hands with 40-some friends and family members at a funeral on Tuesday.
The second thought was… “Are you kidding me?!” I couldn’t even figure out where I came in contact with the virus… I never left home Friday, Saturday and Sunday and went to the clinic Monday with my Mom and stopped at the grocery store afterward.
I have been so careful for so long, that I felt disappointed in myself. I let the virus into my life, and now all kinds of people would have to deal with it.
I am not a happy person.
I am grateful that I have been vaccinated twice and boosted twice … this should limit my personal medical ordeal.
But, I have become used to not being sick and to not having two colds a year – the benefit of masking and retirement. And this feels like the crappiest of crappy colds.
Low-grade fever that makes my head feel like it is in a vice and body aches came the second day. Even my teeth hurt. Today, I have a stuffy nose, cough and repeated sneezes. I’ve never had normal, delicate sneezes – they are more like a barking cough. It scares the hell out of Barney, but Freddy just looks at me in a puzzled way with those big, brown eyes.
And did I mention that I sound like a man? I have been told that by at least two people I called to cancel appointments. My hoarse voice was the first symptom.
I called my doctor and got a prescription for Paxlovid, the anti-viral medication. I started taking it right away and I am already feeling a little better.
But Paxlovid and COVID can affect your ability to taste, and that is just adding insult to injury! I have limited taste since my brain surgery more than a year ago. Now, Paxlovid has added an altered taste to everything, making even cough drops taste yucky.
Cruel.
So, I am convinced I am going to live, even though this reminds me of how humbling even a simple cold can make us. And I will sleep upstairs with my collection of cold and flu medicine and water bottles and used/new tissues.
Did I mention that Barney likes to eat tissues? Don’t even get me started on how gross that is.
My hope is that no one I touched on Tuesday gets sick and that my husband doesn’t get this crap.
If I’m a pathetic sick person, rest assured he would be so much worse.
-30-
Penny, this was my experience almost exactly a month ago. Dennis was sick a week ahead of me but he tested negative with a PCR test, so when I got sick I thought it was only a sinus infection. My home test was negative but when I went to the Dr? Whammo…I was positive. First denial, then reality, then I was mad…I mean I avoided this for 2.5 years! How and where did I get it now, and worse? Who did I give it too? I felt so guilty. Our daughter and our close friend got it from me. Thankfully we have all survived. We all had been vaxxed and double boosted. My friend and I got it the worst. We both had tremendous fatigue and I still have a cough a month later. Really didn’t love the Paxlovid metal mouth. Couldn’t enjoy “feeding the cold” as it were. My energy returned thank goodness, and I feel lucky to have been vaxxed, boosted, and looking forward to the next booster in September. I hope you are too and that you feel better very soon. ❤️
Karen,
I feel like I let my guard down and betrayed myself. Then, when I found out I was positive, all I could think of were all the people I spent the day before with. The whole thing sucks! Glad you are feeling better … I hope Jeff doesn’t get it.
We just got out of quarantine after being exposed. Even double vaccinated and double boostered does not prevent it. Just grateful it will not kill us.
❤️🙏❤️🙏❤️🙏❤️🙏
Fran,
It is everywhere. I just didn’t want to be part of the problem! 😔