For those of you who don’t know…
Last Thursday night my voice became a little scratchy and I felt slightly stuffy.
On Friday morning I thought I just had a cold. After all, it is cold and flu season.
(It’s still totally possible to have a COLD and NOT have Covid.)
Therefore, I took my temperature and it was perfectly normal. I took my pulse ox and everything was fine. So, I went about my business.
But by last Saturday afternoon — I REALLY started feeling like crap. I felt extreme sinus pain and pressure. Severe ear pain and pressure. Crazy congestion with a nonstop runny nose and post nasal drip that would fill my throat with globs of phlegm. Regardless of how much cold/allergy medicine or how much Flonase I used — I had ZERO symptom relief.
And then?
Out of nowhere?
Food started tasting weird.
And by weird, I mean …
Salsa tasted sweet & sour — like one of those gross sour-patch kid candies. I tried to eat some olives and they tasted like a moldy sponge. I tried to drink Coca-Cola to settle my stomach and it tasted like actual dirt. Like soil. Like the way a rock smells. I don’t even know how else to explain it!! But eeew. No bueno.
That’s when my alarm bells started ringing. I have never tasted food so strange like that.
Then, I felt really hot yet I was shivering at the same time…But I thought, maybe I was having a panic attack? Maybe I’m overreacting? Maybe I’m hearing too many Covid stories and seeing too many patients on telehealth visits and maybe I just *think* that I’m Covid sick?
So that’s when I took my temperature = 101.6.
FML.
Then I finally broke down and took a Covid test — which came back positive.
On Sunday and Monday?
I was MANDOWN.
MAN. DOWN.
I literally slept for 48-72 hours — only waking up every six hours (via alarm clock) to take more cold medicine, and Flonase, and Advil, and chug a 12oz bottle of water. At one point … I think I dragged myself into the kitchen and made old school original Campbell’s chicken soup.
During that really blurry time frame I also remember my mouth feeling really fuzzy; like there was a sweater on my tongue. So, I went to brush my teeth and I couldn’t even taste my super strong minty toothpaste. That totally freaked me out.
On Tuesday afternoon (when I slowly started to come out of the haze) my fever was *mostly* gone and I started to feel a little bit better. However, I still had lingering exhaustion and some very mild cold symptoms.
I drank lots of fluids and watched TV — while desperately trying to stay conscious on my sofa. Because I had to rip off my sweat-soaked-germ-infested sheets and blankets to put on fresh bedding. And then I finally took a shower; for the first time since the previous Friday morning.
Wednesday morning, I felt a lot better. A lot better. Good enough to attend my Math 021 class on zoom from 8:00-11:00am … but then I had to take a nap immediately afterward.
Luckily, anytime I *was* awake, I took my temperature and it was back to normal.
Thursday I felt about 85% better. I was able to stay awake for the whole day without needing a nap. And food finally started tasting normal again! In fact; I ate ALL OF THE THINGS in my fridge, in my freezer, in my pantry, and in my cabinets — because I was so happy to taste food again.
Friday morning, I felt 100% better. And thanked my lucky stars that this damn virus never got into my chest or into my lungs; I never even had a cough. And I was able to attend my English 122 class on Zoom – without having to take a nap afterward.
Today, I am thrilled to announce that I survived Covid rather quickly and I am not experiencing any more lingering symptoms.
I am VERY much looking forward to returning to work next week AND attending all of my classes either on campus or online.
Now if you’ll kindly excuse me, I have Math and English homework to do!
And that’s a wrap.
Stay, tuned.
Love,
M
