“You’ve got double Covid pneumonia” the doctor told me. Well, that was not what I was expecting but I guess I don’t have much of a choice. Today I’m going to talk about my Covid journey.
Wednesday, August 5
It was the end of the day. I was tired. More tired than usual, but I thought I had just been running pretty hard since we got home from vacation. Or maybe it was because I had not eaten lunch and I was just a little off. I made my husband pick up dinner because I was just uncomfortable.
Thursday, August 6
I feel like hell. I have nausea, fatigue, headache, and my lower left abdomen is aching. The pain is wrapping around to my my back. I think I have a kidney stone or a kidney infection. I’m not nauseous often, but the last time I felt this bad it was a kidney stone.
I did take my temperature and don’t have a fever. I don’t have a cough either. I don’t smell very well, so if I lost my sense of smell, I wouldn’t notice it.
I make an appointment to see the doctor. Nausea and vomiting are symptoms I cannot endure. She checks me out. A quick test of my urine shows some blood but no signs of infection. She says that the infection could be higher up and we need to get a CT scan to confirm there is nothing wrong. We cannot get a CT scan today, so tomorrow will be fine.
She writes prescriptions for antibiotics and an anti nausea medicine. Loving husband fills them and a restful night with some acetaminophen and anti nausea medicine.
Friday, August 7
I drink the nasty contrast stuff for my CT Scan. I even throw some of it up just for good measure. The headache, nausea, and pain make me just uncomfortable. The lower left abdominal pain has receded into the background of the headache pain which is intense and unphased by the acetaminophen.
When the scan is over, I ask about the kidney stone. I get a look that tells me it isn’t a kidney stone.
Around 3p, I get the call from the doctor. She said that she had good news that it wasn’t a kidney stone. The bad news was that it was double covid related pneumonia and I needed to quarantine for the next 14 days. I explain that I have exactly ZERO respiratory symptoms. She says it is common to have none and no fever, increase fluids, take pain and nausea medicine as needed, and let them know if I need to go to the ER.
I call my husband to come home from work. I call my mom. Then the guilt sets in. Where have I been this week, how many people have we exposed. My son just left for a camping trip 4 hours away, we have to get him home. My daughter was at swim practice on Thursday. I had been at the pool all week socializing with my friends. Oh my goodness. Do my kids have it? Crap.
The Positive Tests
Much of the weekend was spent on the couch in a lot of pain. The whole family went and got tested Sunday. We got the results late Tuesday.
Both my two children and I tested positive for the virus. My children had ZERO symptoms – no fever, no cough, no fatigue, no nothing. We would never have known they were sick without the tests coming back positive.
My husband tested negative.
All of the guilt of exposing about 250 people really weighed on me for a while again. The upside is that nobody we know were directly infected from us. Thank goodness.
Recovery
Recovery from this virus is a process. Some days you feel great and like everything is back to normal. Other days things need to move a little more slowly. On the whole, my recovery trajectory is improving.
The virus is scary because there is the potential for the “second phase” of the disease. Sometimes people with Covid seem like they are improving but can take a turn for the worse on days 5-10. If people make this turn for the worse, it normally requires hospitalization. So, you don’t want to push recovery too hard for fear of the “second phase”.
Reflection
I’m still not at 100%. I’m still taking it pretty easy. The kids and I are still quarantined for another couple of days. Virtual school doesn’t start until Wednesday. But I’m certainly on the mend.
All of the notes of encouragement and support from the community were uplifting. I am grateful for those that brought dinners, helped run an errand or two, sent messages of concern, and offered prayers. I really appreciate all of the support and love. It is humbling to need help and I’m grateful for all the generous people that gave help. Thank you.
Tomorrow
I’ve seen a few posts within the Facebook groups about how Covid symptoms are like being glutened. I can see how one might think they are similar. For me, the symptom patterns were absolutely different. I will talk more about my experience with Covid vs. my experiences being glutened tomorrow because this is already long enough.