Yep. In spite of the fact that I wear a mask 100% of the time when I am out, and I am double vaxxed, I caught Covid.
It used to feel pretty exclusive but they'll just let anyone in these days.
I have been terrified of this since the beginning. You may remember I put myself on lockdown early on and wouldn’t even let Rob or my kids come over for awhile.
But then Rob got sick and I didn‘t. And it was a long process but he got better so I‘ll admit I thought I was maybe one of the lucky immune.
I still got the vaccine first chance I could. Yes I was mildly concerned about it but ultimately I felt it worth the risk.
And once we were double vaxxed it felt safe to go out without our masks on. For a minute.
Didn’t last long.
Because all of a sudden there was a new strain in town - hello Delta.
And because we had an important wedding planning trip, we went back on lockdown. We cancelled our Sunday Fundays. And our trip went well and once again I started to feel a sense of security.
I skipped the Eric Clapton concert when we came back but I went to Kansas the following Saturday. Again, we wore our masks. But not everyone did. I think that’s most likely when I caught it.
It could have been at the Eagles concert a couple days later. But I think it’s safe to say a concert was the culprit.
Fun fact: I cough so violently that I both pee myself and gag at the same time.
I thought maybe if I tell you my experience, it might help you. I know Covid is different for everyone. I know people that have been hospitalized or lost loved ones. I’m hopeful I won’t be adding to either of those categories.
Day One - I woke up around 2am shivering uncontrollably. I got up and put on some long pjs thinking a could front must have moved in. But I couldn’t stop shaking. Like full body. Lasted for a couple of hours. By the time my morning alarm went off I was fairly certain I had a fever and I let my manager know I would not be working.
Already I am fearing Covid because it seems no one just gets a cold anymore. And I don’t even mean that sarcastically. I started taking my temp at regular intervals and it peaked at 101.3. I was able to reduce my fever with OTC meds.
I mostly slept through out the day. As much as I could. My body was pretty sore but I attributed that mostly to being curled up in a ball shivering all night. I went to bed thinking if I didn’t feel better in the morning, I would get tested.
Day Two - spoiler alert - I did not feel better.
I did actually sleep okay that night and didn’t even wake up until noon. I have a sneaking suspicion that might be my last good night sleep for awhile.
Now I can add a stuffy nose, nagging cough, and sore throat to my list of ailments. And I cannot sit upright for more than 5 minutes at a time without feeling faint (makes using the toilet exciting). But I also can’t lay down flat because all the drainage trickling down my throat makes me cough. I still managed to get some naps in. Usually in approximately 1 hour intervals.
I got a rapid test confirming my worst fears. And the worst of that is, there isn’t anything they can give me to cure it. Just have to let it run it’s course. And keep an eye on my blood ox and if it dips below 95, go to the ER.
Fat lot of good that will do. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
Rob slept in the guest room and will be camping out in there for the foreseeable future. My doctor note says I can’t go back to work until October 5th but since I work from home if I feel better sooner, I will get back to work. I don't appreciate using all my time off on Covid.
My fever spiked to 101.8 on Saturday but I’ve been keeping it managed since by not lapsing on the DayQuil/NightQuil.
Day Three - I did not get much sleep between the razor blades taking residence in my throat and the annoying dry cough. My nose is fountain on one side and clogged on the other. I’ve tried napping throughout the day but mostly I’ve just been in a semi reclined position on the couch.
Mostly I’m keeping Rob busy making me smoothies because it’s the only time my throat isn’t agony. #hesthebest
Day Four - this was the worst one yet. I got next to no sleep. Fever went up again overnight but is back below 100. My throat feels like fiery sandpaper. I now constantly have a smoothie by my side. As an added bonus, I realized I lost my smell tonight. I believe it happened sooner but I didn't connect the dots until later in the day. It's kind of surreal really. I can still taste though so that's good. I don't want to lose that. Not that I actually have any say in that.
I slept most of the day. Rob and I have been rewatching all of the Marvel movies in chronological order so at some point I did get up and make it to the movie room. Last night was Civil War. Then it was back to bed and I actually slept in 2-3 hour intervals so I'm taking that as a positive.
I'm still stuffy, the cough has quieted down, throat is bearable but still painful. I've lost 5 pounds so there is a small silver lining. I still have a hard time sitting up - I actually started this post on my phone on day three but had to finish this on the computer because I was having issues on my phone - and I had to check in on work to find out how to account for my time off. I've been sitting here maybe 5 minutes and I am sweating and starting to breathe heavy so just in case I gave you the impression I was almost better, I'm not.
So basically I feel pretty crappy but so far not any worse than any other bad cold I’ve ever had. And thank you to everyone that has been checking in on me - it's very much appreciated. I’ll keep you updated of any changes.
Mask up - stay safe.