A glimpse of life behind the COVID curtain
It was inevitable. I am currently on the other side of the COVID curtain. The inside. It is from this new vantage point that I decided to share my experiences. Perhaps something here might help you should the need arise.
Aside from being sequestered from humanity, life went on after my positive test. There is the initial self-pity, of course. But then it occurred to me — perhaps I gained more than I lost. I could get some rest, some quiet time and the ability to work at home. No phones ringing or people stopping in my office. For a week or so, I would be in a COVID fortress. How bad could it be?
The first two days were manageable. Not fun, but manageable. It was like a ramped-up allergy attack.
I managed to get some gardening done.
“Nice. I’ll stay home, get my yardwork done, get caught up with household stuff and even work from home. Wow, a week of time on my hands! Going to be great, right?”
Day three changed my mind.
First piece of advice: do not be lulled into a false sense of security. Day three felt like a concentrated allergy attack on steroids. Intermittent fever soon decided to make its appearance into the COVID mix. It created a cohesive COVID choreography. And remember that energy that I had on day one? Yeah, it hit the highway. The gardens and housework, they would have to wait. COVID, the energy thief, had struck in earnest.
COVID is a lot like a roller coaster. The symptoms come in peaks and valleys. I was chugging along, doing fine, thinking “this isn’t so bad,” when suddenly I faced a quick decline. Coughing, bouts of fever, sore throat, all usually hitting at night. It felt endless, this downhill spiral. But by morning, after intermittent sleep, flu meds and a hot shower, smooth sailing returned. Briefly.
The next few days continued, a smooth ride, immediately preceding the next torrent of symptoms. After a week, shortness of breath became the rule the day. It was pronounced, even cut my phone conversations short. Deep breaths. Expand those lungs. If you have access to a pulsox (pulse oximeter), use it.
Though I just couldn’t seem to catch my breath, my O2 remained good.