I’ve never been a fan of uncertainty.
Something about being oblivious seems to terrify me; surprises are no exception.
With that in mind, this pandemic hasn’t been doing me any favors, as I’m sure it wasn’t for the vast majority of humankind.
With the uncertainty of the spread of the virus, I took matters into my own hands and made an appointment at a local lab to have an antibody test done. This exam is supposed to determine the presence of the antibodies in your blood that have the capability of fighting off the coronavirus.
I went to the lab, they drew about a test tube’s worth of blood, and I was on my merry way. I had filled out some forms that detailed any symptoms I might have had no less than thirty days prior to receiving the antibody exam, as well as the severity of those symptoms. Now, all I had to do was wait. I was due to receive my results four days after the exam.
But to my surprise, my anxiety was cut short when I got an email about two days later with my results attached.
And imagine my disbelief when there was ‘positive’ written in bold red letters at the top of the page.
I honestly wasn’t even sure I was reading the report correctly, so I called the laboratory to verify my results and what do you know, they were right.
Positive.
The document where my results were printed also had a disclaimer explaining that a negative result does not entirely rule out the presence of the virus. The disclaimer also expressed that a positive result could be due to current or past strains or the presence of coronavirus.
In other words, when I documented in my pre-lab report that I experienced mild symptoms of the flu, I was actually battling my homegirl, Rona. The best part is that since I thought it couldn’t be anything other than a cold or the flu, I coped by taking Dayquil. And here we are.
As much as the positive result frightens me and leaves some questions unanswered, it gave me a huge sense of relief. Knowing that I have the antibody to fight the coronavirus means I can donate my plasma to cure up to four people who contract it. I’m not entirely sure if this also means I have grown immune to the virus or less susceptible, but I am grateful to have answers and not be uncertain or completely oblivious to my health during such a crazy and intense time.
When I made an appointment for this test, I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would get the results I did. However, I am really glad I got tested because now I know I have the power to help people, especially my family. As more testing centers begin to open, I highly encourage you to take advantage and get tested in any way.
This pandemic has certainly been an indicator that it’s better to be safe than sorry.
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