My Covid Experience
Well, y’all . . . I got the ‘rona. Aka COVID-19. So did Bobby, but luckily he didn’t have a single symptom. Aka asymptomatic. This virus is weird as shit. I’m not completely recovered since it lingers for so damn long, but I really want to talk about my experience. Even though it affects everyone differently, I feel it’s important to share my symptoms. Initially, I thought I had a sinus infection so I almost didn’t go get tested. I don’t want other people to make the same mistake. I hope to give you a little insight into what this virus can do to a healthy person. Maybe I can help someone else. My head is still a little foggy, so show me grace because my writing isn’t at it’s best.
Let me quickly express something I’ve thought about over the last few weeks. The numbers are so high yet I barely know anyone that’s tested positive. How is that? Millions of people are getting it and no one is talking. People are being so hush hush about it. WTF?! I have two conclusions as to why. One, they’re embarrassed. I don’t quite understand it. It’s not leprosy, y’all! There’s absolutely nothing to be ashamed about. By talking about it, you can help others. Two, it’s an inconvenience if you get it. This is super dangerous. Some people won’t get tested because if it’s positive, then it’s real. This means they have to stay home for 2 weeks and that’s inconvenient for them. OR some people know they have it but don’t tell anyone so they can still go out and do their thing. I’m calling all of you out . . . selfish. This virus is SO easy to pass on to others. It’s free to get a test so take your ass and get tested if your body feels off in any way. If you have to stay home for 2 weeks, it won’t be the end of your world. However, giving it to someone else could mean the end of their world.
Moving on. Here’s my timeline. Dry cough. It wasn’t super active, but it was there. No sore throat or fever . . . just a cough. Next came head congestion. It wasn’t like having cold congestion because my nose wasn’t super runny. This is why I thought I had a sinus infection. I don’t typically have sinus issues, but it seems like everyone’s sinuses are extra sensitive this season. I mean, we did have a Saharan dust cloud. Still no fever. But then I lost my sense of taste and smell. At first, I thought it was a bi-product of the sinus infection. But on the second day, I realized it was different. Usually with sinus stuff or a cold, you can smell and taste a little something. It was like those two senses were completely blacked out. THIS was the absolute worst part of my entire experience. I looked at my food and wasn’t able to remember what it tasted like. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine the flavor, but when I started chewing, I had no fucking clue. It’s like my brain forgot. This messed with my head big time. It was very depressing. Bobby was not allowed to bring in or cook anything that might give me FOMO. No pizza, cookies, french fries, or any type of cheat food. There’s no point in eating it if you can’t taste it! So we ate super healthy. Maybe this symptom is the body’s way of signaling to you that since you can’t taste bad food you should give it the nutritious food it needs to fight. It was at this point that I went to get tested. I just knew something wasn’t right.
Cue the fatigue. Cue shortness of breath. These two went hand in hand. My body was so tired. My brain was trying to rally, but eventually it followed suit. I had to take a lot of breaks. I would do a task and take a break. Then do another task and lay down. All day. The smallest things like talking or typing would tire me out. I’d have to stop mid-sentence and take a deep breath. I found myself taking a lot of deep breaths, but it was laborious to do so. There was a slight tightness in my chest when I breathed in deeply. I could just tell my lungs were not functioning at 100%. It’s important to mention that although my lungs were under attack, I never struggled to breathe. Bobby purchased an O2 meter for my finger and was checking it twice a day. It usually stayed between 97-100. That was a huge relief. Remember that it’s crucial to be aware of your blood oxygen levels with Covid. My regular meditation practice was extremely beneficial for this particular symptom. You see, I’ve learned to breathe into my belly. I wasn’t burdened with breathing just into my chest. At this point, I still didn’t have a fever.
The symptoms hit me in waves. One minute I was fine and the next minute I wasn’t . . . but it was manageable. For the first 10 days, I had mild-ish symptoms. I thought I was going to skate through it. I had no clue what was coming. After day 10, it started to kick my ass. It was a Wednesday and the beginning of a very rough 5 days. Fatigue was winning. Most of the day I felt like I’d been hit by a truck. My poor body was extremely weak. I could feel it fighting. Walking to the bathroom was a chore. That night, the fever hit. It shook me. The fact that it was showing up so late worried me. My amazing husband stayed on top of research and he found that it’s common for the virus to ramp up after 7-10 days. This is what was happening for me. It raised my anxiety levels for the first time. Our thermometer makes this loud sound to alert you of your fever and every time I heard that sound, my anxiety grew. Even though I know that a fever is my body’s natural way to fight, every time I felt it, anxiety followed. So not only was I fighting Covid, I was fighting my anxiety. I had a couple of gnarly panic attacks that just added fuel to the fire. Having control over my breath was extremely helpful—for both. Once we realized the fever wasn’t going to break for days, we started setting timers to take acetamanephine every 8 hours to get ahead of the fever kicks. This was so helpful for me because when the fever hit, it hit real hard.
After a miserable 5 days, Bobby noticed I was getting some color back in my face. I can’t express how grateful I am for this husband of mine. He was my angel through all of it. I would have been in a really bad place without him. I’ve never experienced an illness like this so I’m not going to lie, there were moments that scared me a little. Mainly because it’s so new, there’s not enough reliable information, and it lasts so damn long. Maybe if I had read something like this, I would have been at ease knowing that what I was experiencing was normal. My energy levels are growing by small percentages each day. My smell and taste aren’t completely back, but they’re slowing re-emerging. I’m still having those dreadful waves, but they are fewer and far between. The fatigue and shortness of breath is still present as well. I’m taking it easy because I know my body needs adequate time to fully heal from the attack. I learned that the 14 day period is just how long the virus is contagious. It doesn’t mean that’s how long you will be ill. I’m on day 20 from my first set of symptoms.
At 38, I am more grateful than ever for my health. You can have all the money in the world, but if you’re not healthy, you can’t enjoy a penny of it. This growing gratitude I have for being alive and heathy leads the charge of taking care of my body. I eat more nutritious and less processed foods, I yoga on average 4 times a week, I drink mostly water, I’ve reduced my overall alcohol intake, and I meditate regularly. I really want to set my body up for success every day. I’m very in tune with it and I can tell when something is off. I knew I had it even before I went to get tested. The minute I even had an inkling, I quarantined myself JUST IN CASE. Even though I didn’t have the worst experience with this virus, it still kicked my ass. It’s no joke, people. I can’t imagine what it would have been like if I didn’t take care of myself.
LISTEN TO YOU BODY. It’s always trying to tell you what’s going on and what it needs. If you even think something might be off, it probably is. You don’t want someone to be reckless and give Covid to one of your loved ones, so please don’t be reckless enough to pass it to someone else. I realize some of you are anti-mask in public and you have every right to your opinion. But I’m not afraid to tell you that you have a shitty opinion. It might be time to stop hiding behind bullshit excuses about your rights and comfort. Shift. Your. Perspective. Start thinking that by wearing a mask you’re keeping most of your germs to yourself, not taking in most of other people’s germs, and possibly saving the lives around you. No, the mask isn’t 100% but every little bit helps with the spread. Do your part. I am sending everyone so much love right now. Please take care of yourselves. XOXO