Dealing with COVID

Managed to avoid it for this long, but I caught COVID. Think it was when I went out to pick up some items for a customer for work at their house, but not 100% sure of this.

I am documenting my experience with this so that others may learn from it. I will post updates on this post as they are available.

Day 0

Later in the evening, developed a slightly sore throat. Had no issues or symptoms all day.

Day 1

Woke up about 1:30 AM to a even more sore throat and fever.

Went to get checked out the following morning after a not well rested night. Was tested for strep throat and COVID, because my symptoms matched both. Got a confirmed test of COVID postiive.

Was advised by the doctor to:

• drink plenty of fluids, including sports drinks for headaches
• self-quarantine at home for 5 days
• take over the counter medications that correspond to the symptoms that I am experiencing
• if still not feeling better after 5 days, come back and they can retest
• wear a mask if you have to go out

Took over the counter medicine as advised during the day and before going to bed. Did note that I was a bit more sleepy than usual, even during the day time.

Developed a headache during the day, but it would come and go in waves.

I have heart rate and O2 meter on my phone. I used it to check my stats and the O2 was at 92%. Now it is a known fact that devices like this can misread for people that have dark skin as it uses infrared light to do these measurements. In fact, I had to do the reading multiple times, because it kept malfunctioning when doing the reading as if my finger was not on the sensor.

Sleep well though, but that could be because of the medication that I took before going to bed.

Day 2

Still had a fever. It would fluctuate between mild and body seriously shaking.

Drank plently of fluids. Probably was drinking too much, because sometimes the "output" came out clear. However, this is not a bad thing long as it is properly balanced with drinking non-water fluids as well.

Didn't really have an appetite, but I ate anyway. Lack of appetite was probably because I had been drinking a lot more fluids that usual. I was able to taste and smell my food contrary to what others have said.

I remember when a former boss had got COVID. One thing that he said that he did was going outside for walks. Using Google Maps, I used the Measure Distance tool to measure the perimeter of my backyard. Figure this would be a safer option than walking up and down the street in case something unexpected where to happen. With the Tool, my backyard as a perimeter of just over 300 ft. I wanted to do a least 1 mile per day so I did the math. 8.5 laps is about 1/2 a mile in my backyard. That evening, I did half a mile in the backyard.

Took OTC medication before going to bed as well as vitamins. Slept throughout the night. Sweated a lot during my sleep. Normally when I sweat in my sleep and wake up, I have a difficult time going back to sleep. This time, I didnt have that problem. I adjusted my sleep position, and fell back asleep.

Will add that I slept on my sides and not face up. Supposedly sleeping on sides or face down is the best way as it forces your lungs to work harder and prevents the condition from getting worse.

Day 3

Woke up and did the morning 1/2 mile (0.8 km) walk in the backyard. Did not have any issues.

Would occasionally cough up mucus. Had a dark yellow tint to it and there was not a lot of it. When I did have to cough, it would be a rough, dry, burning cough, but you could hear the lungs trying to get rid of mucus.

Thermometer still read as me having a fever, but I did not have body chills like in the days past.

Had a partially stopped up nose basically all day. Took OTC medication for symptoms.

That afternoon, did another 1/2 mile walk in the backyard. When walking, could feel a bit dizzy, but not enough that I would fall over. Definitely did not try running. Was able to navigate steps and uneven terrain without problem.

Did have a bit of stomach pain from not eating that afternoon, so I did a vegetarian meal with some additional fluids. It wasn't that meat was not available, because it was, but I felt my body needed a break from meat.

Took OTC night time cold medication and vitamins before going to bed. Slept well. Did have another night of sweating during sleep.

Day 4

Woke up. Did not immediately get out of bed after waking. Once I did get up, went on the 1/2 mile walk like previous mornings. Did not experience any difficulties breathing.

Did check temperature and it was lower than it had been for the past several days, which was a good thing. It was not back in the normal temperature range though.

Took allergy medication because my nose was partially stopped up. It did not fully clear my sinuses, but it did make it possible for me to breathe through my nose better.

Did not do an afternoon walk since I had spent couple of hours at the park. Got more than the typical outdoor time that I would have gotten during the walk. While at the park, I did wear a mask to reduce the chance of those that got near me from catching what I had.

Took nightime medication before going to bed. Sweated during the night again. Did wake up, but was able to fall back asleep. Did take night time cold medication.

Stayed up a bit latter than previous nights. However, still trying to sit with a set bedtime range. This time only stayed up about 30 minutes beyond that range.

Day 5

Woke up. After eating first meal of the day, I did take daytime cold medicine. Did not do a morning walk as the grass was still wet from the previous nights downpour. There was a Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued to be exact.

Worked from home. Was not sleeping like on Day 1 and 2. Was able to focus and be productive.

During lunch break, did spend some time outdoors doing vehicle maintenance. It was about the same amount of time that I would have spent outdoors walking, but did not get as many steps that would have had I done the walking.

Had a normal appetite. Did not have hunger pains or anything like that.

I didn't drink as much fluids as I had done in past days. I am basing this on the fact that I know I did not use the bathroom as often like in the previous days. Will have to be better about that tomorrow.

I did continue to cough up mucus. Very small amounts compared to the previous day. More difficult to get out as well, I assume because they are smaller amounts, less water intake, and deeper in the lung.

Did notice some pain in the rib cage area, but it was more of a dull pain. After moving it would go away. If I did not move, it would go away own in less than 10 minutes.

Day 6

Went and got retested. Still tested positive. Was advised to continue doing what I had been doing in regards to the medication and social distancing. Was advised to give it more time.

Also was told that when you test positive and get a retest, you have to specify that you are getting retested because there's a different test that they have to give you (which still involves swabbing your nose).

My fever did start going down. Still was coughing up mucus.

Day 7-11

Still been drinking plently of fluids and wearing massk when going out.

Occasionally would check temperature and it was back to the normal temperature range. Have not been taking any medication, but have been taking multi-vitamin and black seed oil.

Did not spend time outside walking, aside from cutting grass, but have been going outside daily for a minimum of 10 minutes to get some sunlight.

Plan on getting retested later this week.

Day 12

Went and got tested again. This time tested negative. Was given the all clear to return to work in person.

Conclusion

Will get back in the habit of wearing a mask on a regular basis. Given that myself and a coworker share an office, we both wear masks when we are in the office.

I do believe that being vaccinated did help reduce the symptoms that I had with COVID. My experience was not as several or horrible to deal with as others have described their experience to be.