Read on Twitter
On Having COVID* (
)
I first started feeling ill on Monday evening, February 1. It felt like the onset of a cold, extraordinary only because in this era of distancing, I haven’t been sick in so long. By Tuesday afternoon it was clearly more significant than that.
)I first started feeling ill on Monday evening, February 1. It felt like the onset of a cold, extraordinary only because in this era of distancing, I haven’t been sick in so long. By Tuesday afternoon it was clearly more significant than that.
I got a pharmacy drive-thru, self-administered COVID test on Weds morning. By Thurs my sore throat was so severe, I made an urgent care appointment to get a strep test, as well as a rapid COVID test (for immediate if possibly not the most accurate results).
The strep test came back negative; the COVID rapid test came back positive. I had COVID.
Or did I? Hours later, the lab test from the previous day – ostensibly less prone to false positives – returned a negative result.
Or did I? Hours later, the lab test from the previous day – ostensibly less prone to false positives – returned a negative result.
It took a couple of days of fumbling to get clarity from healthcare providers, but essentially: once you have a single positive test result, as far as the entire system is concerned, you have COVID. No point in further testing. Just isolate.
Which I guess makes sense from a public health perspective, but I think I will always harbor some doubt about the accuracy of the diagnosis. At least until I get an antibody test!
What has the experience been like? Highly-varied!
What has the experience been like? Highly-varied!
Initially like a cold, then more like the flu. Early symptoms included sore throat, some congestion, fever, and headache. Soon after, fever, chills, sweats, full-body aches.
It was at that stage that I had a full panic attack, which caused me to actually feel that I was experiencing the most dangerous cardiovascular COVID symptoms; I was not & fortunately have not. But I was anxious, dehydrated, & starving after days when I couldn't get anything down
By late in the first week, the flu-like symptoms, fever, chills, & sweats, largely went away. As they receded, what I was left with was an incredibly sore throat, no voice & an inability to swallow anything at all without mind-bending pain.
I ramped up to maximum OTC doses of multiple pain medications & started a log to ensure that I took the right handful of pills at the right times throughout the day to keep the pain semi-controlled. I got quite dehydrated again.
I couldn’t sleep at all for several nights. Even if I dozed off, I would bolt upright shortly, experiencing a sensation of drowning that could only be solved with a painful dry swallow. I was a zombie through the weekend. All I wanted was to sleep & drink fluids–things I couldn't
By early this week I was sensing some improvement overall. The intensity of pain swallowing seemed to be doing down. My ability to handle solid food seemed to be going up. I perhaps overdid it with a delicious ramen dis & triggered a few days of a fun new symptom: diarrhea.
Just what I need, another way to lose large quantities of fluids quickly! At this stage I’m trying to get a handle on that with a blander, even soggier diet. Fingers crossed.
In the last couple of days, I have also found perhaps the oddest symptom so far: “COVID toes.” On one of my right toes, I now have a blister-like red bump that is hot & sensitive to the touch. It's mild, but as a unique symptom, it makes me a little more certain of the diagnosis.
Now the question is how long it’s going to take to get my voice, appetite, and energy levels back. Based on others’ experiences, I’m guessing I’m in for at least another week of malaise. Hopefully no new symptoms.
Extremely grateful to be surrounded by people who care enough about me to put up with this mess. I’m lucky the sickness wasn’t worse, and I’m lucky I didn’t have to slog through this alone.
I got so hung up on symptoms and stuff, I forgot to get around to the important part of this rant: I HAVE NO IDEA HOW I CAUGHT THIS. I have been living like a complete hermit, especially since the start of the new year.
My 2 highest-risk exposures in Jan have been effectively ruled out by negative tests. I may literally have caught this from having pizza delivered (which I received at my front door while wearing a mask, and washed my hands after accepting).
Anyway, wear a mask, wash your hands, and STAY HOME. This thing is sneaky as hell.
