I am what you might call your average American girl. I am incredibly average, which is not to say that I am not spectacular in my own way, I just align with a good majority of other Americans. I am spectacular in one way in particular– I have had COVID-19 twice. I only know one other person as unlucky as me in this instance.
The first time was admittedly my fault. In March 2020, I went on what I thought was a normal spring break! I finally got to go to Disneyland for the first time in 3 years, a big deal to someone who was raised going annually. I went with one of my older sisters, who begrudgingly dealt with me as I let my inner Disney adult out. From the time we arrived in California, to the time that we left, COVID-19 went from an idea to an actual pandemic. I got home on Friday March 13th, and by Saturday morning I had a headache and a fever. I went to the emergency room to get tested, only to be told that COVID-19 tests are reserved for “high risk” people. Instead I was tested for Flu-A, Flu-B and Pneumonia, and I was given the diagnosis of Presumptive Positive.
I have never felt sicker than I felt that week, and I am sick constantly. I had a headache that would not go away, and even after taking Tylenol, I had a fever of 100 degrees. I slept approximately 16 hours a day, and I was still incredibly exhausted. Walking any distance at all seemed like an impossible task. After about a week, I began to feel better. It took about 2 full weeks for me to be able to stand for longer than 5 minutes at a time. I wanted so badly to be healthy after being sick for so long. I did not take things slowly after I began to feel better, leading to more time sleeping on the couch. I eventually began to feel a lot better and moved back to my normal schedule– or my new normal.
Due to COVID closures, I was laid off, and remained unemployed until recently. Unemployed and with leftover symptoms that plagued me, I spent my time at home as efficiently as I could. I took summer classes and focused on getting the best grades I could. I struggled with my new tachycardia (an increased heart rate left over from COVID) and worsened asthma. I was lucky enough to have time to get used to these new conditions before I was recalled to my previous job. I worked there a few days a week for about a month, when I got a second job, and began working every single day of the week. I had been working this way until last Sunday.
With a fever of 100.1, I took two dayquil and went into work. I thought for sure I only had the flu and I could work through it. After about two hours, my boss sent me home early because I was working too slowly. When I got home, I felt even worse than I did when I woke up, and it just got worse for the next three days. The very next morning, I woke up with a 100.5 degree fever. These days, if you can’t go to work, the responsible thing to do is get tested, so that’s what I did. It took four days for me to get my results due to the surge that is happening in the nation right now. But the result did not surprise me when I did receive it.
Positive. That’s the result of my COVID-19 test. In just 2 short months of working back in retail, I caught COVID-19 for a second time. This time has been more mild than the first time, for which I am forever grateful. I am still in quarantine as of right now, so this is an ongoing fight to get over this virus. My symptoms the second time around have included new and significantly more confusing symptoms than the first time. I am currently struggling with a dry throat, and something called cobblestone throat which –as fun as it sounds– is when there’s a build up of mucus on the back of your throat that hardens. Not nearly as exciting as it sounds. I’m over the worst of it, thankfully– but this is your warning to stay smart and safe. Wear a mask, please, for others and for yourself. It is not worth your “constitutional rights,” or any other potential excuse you can think of, to get someone else sick. Nothing is worth feeling as sick as I have once, let alone two times.
Please stay safe, please wear your masks, please social distance. Please.