Photo by Martin Sanchez on Unsplash
It had always seemed just a matter of time.
Even with all the precautions, vaccines, boosters, masks, deep cleaning, and social distancing, the odds were still against me. Add to that my occupation, which puts me in proximity to over 2,700 people each day. If you add employees, the number is closer to 3,000 contacts in a 9-hour day.
Do the math from when it began to spread, and I lived without contracting covid for over 885 days before it caught me.
My depression can sometimes take that long to begin constructing my next adventure. Depression and I will always be a part of each other, whereas Covid and I are just passing through. No long-term commitments on the part of the coronavirus.
I am so thankful the original strain has mutated.
My heart goes out to everyone who has suffered from this pandemic. The losses around the globe have been staggering. Isolation and ventilators were the norms. As the virus mutates, it seeks a way to stay alive. If it kills off too many hosts, then it will die too.
My symptoms have been mild in comparison.
Although I have slept for almost 2 ½ days, I am already beginning to get my stamina back. That was the worst thing, the listless feeling of no energy. No energy to read, write, or even watch TV. I don’t watch very much anyway and having to deal with the remote was just too much work.
This whole Covid adventure began Friday night, with me thinking I was getting a cold.
I did not have a fever, so I assumed it was just a cold. Cough syrup helped a little, as did Dayquil capsules when I went to work, By the end of the day, I was tired, but not done in. Saturday morning was a planned hike on one of the Appalachian Trail side trails.
The plan was to test out some of the new gear I have, in anticipation of a trek at the end of December.
Saturday morning, after making coffee, I just couldn’t focus on getting ready. It was misty and wet, so I texted and begged off. Then, to my surprise, I went back to bed. I slept for 3 hours, until almost lunchtime. Arising, I knew it was time to take the Covid at-home rapid test. With my daughter’s help, I swabbed my nose, stirred the solution, and put 4 drops on the reader. Then you are supposed to wait 15 minutes to read the test.
Within minutes, mine had a thick bar for both the control strip and the test.
And while I waited the full 15 minutes and read the test, it was still positive. There was no doubt that I had caught covid. This put in motion several quick steps. First, I called my boss, and let him know. The long silence at the other end of the line led me to believe that the news was totally unexpected.
But he is all about getting well, so we worked it out and I have a few days to recover.
Then, step 2 was a new round of medicine, followed by another nap, This one lasted almost four hours. It seems that the virus is making me slow and has taken all of my energy. Even the act of reaching to move the blanket around required many minutes of thought and a final, “oh well, here we go.”
Four days have passed since I first tested positive.
My strength is coming back, but my body still lets me know if I am overdoing it. I am not plagued by the slows, but I am not yet 100%. There are still 1 ½ days until I return to work. This is contingent on my not having a fever and being symptom-free.
Fever was never one of my symptoms, so I am halfway to getting back to work.
My wife reminded me that a year or more ago, having covid could land you on a ventilator. Severe, long-tail consequences have been reported. Contracting covid now, after having two vaccinations and a booster shot, is less frightening.
Although, being face to face with my own positive test made me very unsettled.
Having filled out forms at work for over 100 positive covid tests, I assumed that if I ever tested positive, it would not be a big deal. Well, when it flashed in my brain that I was positive, I momentarily panicked. All I could think of was “not me.”
But there it was as plain and clear as it could be.
After a moment, I began to think about what I must do next. Rest and medicine were the biggest to-dos on my list. Getting into bed and napping happened over and over for the first two days. Yesterday afternoon, I had a few hours of normalcy. The constant tiredness and lack of energy were replaced by my “let’s get going.” While it did not last the entire evening, it was very encouraging.
I am so thankful that my experience with covid has been mild compared to stories I have heard from employees.
18 months ago, I know of one family that lost their father to covid complications. And not only is that loss so unnecessary, but he died alone. The hospital protocol did not allow the family to be next to him This makes me angry that Covid has that much control over our lives.
I will mask for a minimum of 5 days after I return to work. Tomorrow afternoon I will take another rapid test and see where I stand. This extra layer can assure others I am not contagious. I hear that becomes a big concern when someone returns to work after contracting covid. My plan is to reduce that concern as much as possible.
It took over 885 days for me to contract covid.
That could be a good thing or a bad thing. But either way, I am grateful that I have been spared the extensive congestion issues others have experienced. Working through what feels like a case of the flu on steroids, I am thankful for how it seems to be turning out.
