COVID-19 Experiences

 One of the most frustrating days of this year was the day I showed up back in February to take Teagan to Pre-K only to be told by the only TA that the class had gone code red due to active cases of Covid-19. Why wasn't I called? Why had someone not taken responsibility and let us know that we should have been in quarantine? I went from frustrated to mad, but I also knew short of complaining that there was not anything I could do about it. 

By the time the Pre-K class was back in session Covid-19 had infected my entire household. Teagan had a slight cough and seemed to want to sleep around the clock. My Dad got a bad cough. Taila seemed to have it the worse with fever, body aches, and extreme lethargy. Ashley was about the same and I wondered if she or Taila were going to end up in the hospital. Whitneigh seemed to have the best time with it though I think we shared a bunch of digestive distress that wasn't common experience for everyone in the family. Still, I cannot speak to their experiences directly. I can tell you about my own. 

For me Covid-19 started with me taking naps. I am a stupid, stupid man, and even with the fact we had been exposed and were quarantining I did not equate being super sleepy with being sick. I like taking naps. I do not like feeling so tired that I am falling asleep sitting up in my chair. I was exhausted for the first several days (probably 3 to 5) without having any other symptoms. Working from home, I manipulated my schedule to let me sneak in a nap at lunch and kept on trucking. 

Then the congestion set in. It felt like the worst sinus congestion I remember having. My sinuses felt solid like a brick. I turned into a mouth breather for quite a while. Mucinex turned that unable to breath through my nose feeling into intermittent relief between doses. If ever there was a time I wanted to abuse medication it was trying to breathe. It eventually moved to my lungs and breathing became a double challenge. 

Digestive Distress. Yeah, I stole that from the Big Bang Theory. I like the phrase because it massively under describes the rather dramatic and occasionally explosive happenings with a severe stomach ache. I went through several days where extreme digestive distress was an applicable descriptor. I was able to snack and keep myself hydrated throughout the ordeal, but it was not fun. 

I am pretty dense at the best of time. When the brain fog set in I realized it because I was not making any sense when dealing with my boss. I worked throughout the infection with the exception of two days I just could not stay awake. I was having a hard time concentrating on much of anything including my daily quests on MtG Arena. I was really thankful my team at work was understanding. I hated knowing I was off my game mentally, but I could not do anything to sharpen my focus or find some intelligence. 

Quarantine lifted. Fresh air and getting out of the house some helped my mental state. The funny part is that a depression that was not related to any real happening in my life had set in. I was constantly aware of the fact that I was unhappy, but it is super hard to overcome that when you cannot relate the emotion to anything. My typical rationalizations barely held it all at bay. Realizing that Covid-19 was often linked to mental health issues helped. I kept telling myself that it would all get better and if I was experiencing viral induced depression then I could resist it. I took more than a few naps that were more for making myself feel better mentally than physically. 

I honestly have not felt up to much physically since March. Even recovering from the initial virus it took several weeks for the lethargy and brain fog to life. I did not realize my lungs had been so impacted until I walked to my mailbox and back at a fairly sedate pace and came back winded. It wasn't the stitch in the side pain I get when trying to get my big butt a good brisk walking quickly, but I wanted to sit down and take several deep breaths to get my wind back. 

I talk a lot at my job. I started finding myself a little dizzy after long meetings. I got the same feeling after recording back to back episodes of the podcast. I stupidly did not put together that I wasn't breathing well as late as June. I am a nonsmoker. How scary is it that a virus can hit otherwise healthy lungs so hard that I spent months recovering?

I started hearing news about the Delta variant spreading rapidly. I knew that I was not going to rely on just the initial COVID-19 infection to help me avoid it. I got an appointment and got the vaccine. I am not normally a fan of flu shots and the like, but feeling weakened months after a virus really does have an impact.

I barely felt the needle on the first shot. I did feel the medicine flowing into my bicep which was sore a few hours after the injection and stayed that way for a few days. I was also exhausted for about a week. That feeling of wanting a nap returned. Also, my lungs seemed to react a bit. Now, I am very out of shape, but running out of breath from talking is not something I have ever dealt with before. 

A month and three days later I went back for the second shot. That was yesterday. I didn't feel the needle at all this time. I didn't feel the medicine in the needle. I seriously wondered for a little while if the Pharmacist had actually stuck me. I rode the motorcycle to get the shot, and feeling good to be out running the roads I opted to take a little ride on my way home. It was wonderful. 

I eventually wrestled with the Honda that she wanted to let me go home. Stubborn one that bike. She just wants to keep going and no ride is ever long enough. I dismounted and started stripping gear at the door. A ride in 90 degree weather leaves a body radiating heat. As I cooled down from that discomfort the only thing bothering me was my right wrist. It felt as if it were sore from taking a fall or throwing a good punch. I assumed I have fallen out of riding shape at had twisted the throttle and leaned into the curves too much. 

I was surprised a few hours later when the soreness of the injection site started in time with the opposite shoulder hurting. I have a trick right shoulder anyway, but the dull ache in my rotator cuff did not match the short ride, and I had not done anything that should have accounted for it. My wrist was throbbing in time with my heartbeat, but, again, I am dense so I didn't think about having body aches until my knees screamed in agony as I got up from my desk chair to grab some food. 

I have had a low grade fever and body aches since then. It hurts to sit. It hurts to stand. it hurts to lay down. Advil and sleep have been my friend. This go round I am not feeling the exhaustion and a body can only sleep so much. I decided if I have to do this again I will schedule the time and knock myself out with Nyquil. 

That is the thing, I do not ever want to catch any variant of Covid-19 again. I will happily wear a mask. I will quarantine. I will social distance. I am thankful of grocery pick up minimizing public exposure. The only thing that I will not do is pull my kid out of Kindergarten. I am proud of her learning and growing and I think being around kids her age and having some normal, healthy interactions are worth the risk at this age. I can say that if these variants continue to evolve she may end up in virtual school as she gets older. 

This post was worth getting out there. I am not going to say one way or the other if other people should get the vaccine. I believe we have the right to choose what we do with our own bodies. For me I think the vaccine was the right choice. Time will tell.