My COVID Experience: Part Two

Nothing ever becomes real 'til it is experienced.

-John Keats

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Yes, COVID is real; we all understand that. However, having COVID made it REAL!

When I tell people I had COVID, their eyes go wide, and the first question they ask is, "How was it?" and the next, "How did you get it?" So, here is the story, which by the way, was a disastrous series of unfortunate events!

At the end of February, my sister and I booked a trip to Rosemary Beach for our families. We were going to celebrate our 50th & 60th birthdays. Usually, neither of us would book a trip that far in advance, but we were trying to accommodate everyone's schedule. When the pandemic hit, we debated for months, and I mean months, about going or not going on this trip. In the end, we decided to roll the dice and felt that being together was worth the risk!

I will start by answering the question, "How did you get it?"

Fourteen of us from six different states were literally all en route to the beach when we found out my youngest son, husband, and myself had all been directly exposed to COVID from his girlfriend, who contracted it from her parents. The story gets a bit complicated here, so I will not go into all the details. Needless to say, at this point, we should have scrapped the trip, but we didn't. My sister in law summed it up best when she said, "You all lost your minds!" Yes, we did. Everything we had learned about quarantining went right out the window. After testing negative, I spent one night at the beach where I woke up with 102.5 fever. When it was all said and done, ten of the fourteen of us tested positive for COVID.

Here is what we learned about contracting COVID, quarantining, and testing:

1. In our experience, contracting COVID was from being in direct contact with a person who tested positive for some time and not from going to the grocery or even going out to eat (I am not saying you can't contract it in these places).

2. If you've been exposed to COVID, stay home! Obvious, I know, but things get hazy if you have a big event happening. It will mean canceling plans because it is the time we are in right now. Yes, it will be disappointing, but do it anyway.

3. Testing is a shit show. Most tests take a few days to get results. Rapid tests are available, but not everywhere. If you test too early, it may come back negative. We learned that you need to wait at least three days after being exposed before you get tested. Even if you test negative, you need to quarantine for 14 days from time of exposure. Between all ten of us who contacted COVID, we had six negative tests prior to testing positive.

Now on to the question, "How was it?"

In our family of five, it was like a stair step. My youngest, 19, was asymptomatic. Next up, my daughter, 23, no fever but a few more symptoms such as migraine headaches that lasted for two weeks. My son, 26, my husband, and I had basically every symptom:

Fever or chills

Cough

Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Fatigue

Muscle or body aches

Headache

New loss of taste or smell

Sore throat

Congestion or runny nose

Nausea or vomiting

Diarrhea

Out of the five of us, I had it the worst. The fatigue was unreal. It took me six weeks to get my energy back. I still get tightness in my chest seven weeks later and occasionally have to use an inhaler. I have never had asthma, so this is entirely new for me. Was it the worst sickness I've ever had? At the time, maybe I would have said no, but in hindsight, yes. I think it was the duration more than anything that got to me.

I was scared to death of getting COVID. My husband and I followed the rules to a tee until we didn't. I braced myself for it like I use to do when I was afraid to fly. I would think up all the worst-case scenarios about having COVID. Then I got it. My anxiety was through the roof, like white-knuckling it on the airplane long ago. If you are feeling afraid to get COVID, I would say try try try to let go of the fear. From experience, I know that is much easier said than done. Yes, take ALL the precautions, but also live your life.

I can't believe I am saying this, but I'm glad I got COVID. I feel somewhat normal again in this very abnormal time we are living in right now. It's like a weight is lifted off my shoulders. Sometimes (every so often), I even forget there is a pandemic, and I don't think that's such a bad thing.

If you get exposed to COVID or contract COVID or are fearful of getting COVID and want to talk with some who has had it, please reach out to me! I say this with the utmost sincerity. The first thing I wanted to do when I tested positive was talk to someone about their experience. Ironically, even though COVID feels like its everywhere, I only knew one person who had it that I was close enough to reach out to, and her insight was extremely helpful!

Lastly, I want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who showered us with love and prayers! What an amazing network of friends and family God has placed in our lives.

Blessings for a Healthy October!