COVID finally caught me

Well, my remarkable streak of avoiding COVID came to an end this week as I finally tested positive Tuesday morning. It seems I brought it home as a souvenir from this weekend’s EncounterQuest event. Four years of successfully avoiding it came to an end.

The biggest clue was the fatigue I got Monday afternoon, that and the stomach cramps that hit me all day. I finished my work day and fell asleep on the couch, conking out by 6 PM just wiped. I went to bed early Monday night (by 8:30) and felt better in the morning. Kelly noticed my cough and suggested I test for COVID. I laughed at this suggestion but tested anyway and was flabbergasted to see it come back positive. At that point we both masked up and the COVID routine began in earnest. I wrote my VA doc and by 2 PM I had a dose of Paxlovid waiting for me at the Durham VA.

There were some earlier, subtle clues that I had caught something. Monday night as I was trying to sleep I had quite the runny nose. I chalked this up to having mowed the yard Sunday without a face mask, inhaling a bunch of dust and grass. I also had aching joints Monday, making it a little challenging to go up and down stairs. And there was a bit of dizziness Monday, too, as I stumbled around the kitchen making breakfast.

I took an actual sick day yesterday and may take one today. I foolishly thought I could work from home Tuesday but soon realized my energy just wasn’t there. My “cognitive load” is very minimal with this and there’s just so much I can concentrate on at once right now.

Tuesday night I did not sleep very well, either, lying in bed with my brain feeling like it was fried. I alternated between feeling too cold and too hot and could feel and hear my pulse racing unnaturally. My typical resting heart rate is in the 50s but it has now jumped solidly into the 70s.

I am optimistic the Paxlovid will kick in and restore my energy. In an effort to keep Kelly healthy, we’ve had the house open, too, and the weather has been wonderfully supportive of this with highs around 80 degrees and gentle breezes.

Fortunately, I am in no pain at all. I still have my full senses of taste and smell. My lungs are completely healthy. Aside from more-than-usual fatigue and some fuzzy-headedness I am doing all right. Oh, and boredom – which is the growing concern for me right now. I don’t often slow down for just me but this is a good reminder that it’s okay to take a break every now and then. I look forward to being at full strength again soon.