It’s been a while since I blogged under this title. It seems like nobody talks about Covid anymore. People have moved on. And I won’t deny that it felt like things have shifted a fair amount. Honestly, I was ready to talk about how we’ve successfully got through the summer, how it felt like things were looking up all around and yes, we are still careful, but could actually “do things” again.
But then, I started to hear from so many people that they had gotten Covid recently. Not anyone in my personal bubble here, but friends back home, friends of friends, and most recently my aunt and uncle and my brother-in-law. Again.
Well, and then after 2.5+ years, I finally tested positive for Covid myself ten days ago.
How did I get it?
That’s always the million dollar question, right? Some people have a hunch where they got it. Me? I swear, for a brief second, it felt like it can now be transmitted through the Internet (because I didn’t know anyone personally around me who had Covid).
This is to say, I have no freaking clue where I got exposed, and I’ve been wracking my brain over it. I hadn’t been anywhere (other than the grocery stores) and as someone who has still been masking up everywhere and has still been more cautious than most other people, I wish I could say, “yep, there was this one situation where I let my guard down and that is how it happened”, but that wasn’t the case. For all I know, I’ve been as careful as ever and Covid still slipped through, mind you, during a time when community transmission levels in our county are really low. (Now I am wondering how reliable those numbers are at this point anyway).
I know, I know, it was bound to happen at some point. I wasn’t under the illusion that I would magically dodge this virus forever, and I am awfully glad that I dodged it as long as I did, but I still feel extra-duped that I got sick. It honestly is driving me bonkers to not be able to identify the “weak spot”.
My Covid Timeline
Thursday morning, I worked out as usual and had a very productive morning. I felt totally fine – until I didn’t. In the afternoon, I was all of a sudden hit with a sore throat, a headache and major fatigue. I was surprised and a bit suspicious and out of precaution, took a Covid test. But it was negative, and I chalked the symptoms up to my (recurring) issues with heartburn (although I had been symptom-free for a while).
I stopped work a little early and decided to lie down and rest… and then I pretty much just slept for the next 48 hours. I did not even get up to eat. I was completely and utterly exhausted. I took another test on Saturday and that one was positive in an instant. A PCR test on Sunday confirmed the diagnosis.
Thankfully, I was able to take last week off from work to rest and recover. My symptoms were relatively mild overall, and my main symptom was fatigue. I just wanted to sleep for days (I took a lot of naps even though I’m usually not much of a napper!). My other symptoms dissipated quickly and I feel almost back to normal (the real test will be when I get back on my Peloton and my runs).
I am really bummed that I got Covid when I got it, as I had an appointment to get my second booster next week. Luckily, Jon got his booster two weeks ago and even though I ended up giving Covid to him (almost impossible to avoid in a small apartment), he hardly had any symptoms at all and I think he got the booster just in time and it really worked in his favor.
The most frustrating thing for me though?
The current health guidelines are crap. I do not see how we’re going to get through a fall/winter surge with the guidelines being as lax as they are. I feel like we’re all out fighting for ourselves now. As highly transmittable as the virus seems to be now, how is it okay to not quarantine when someone in your household is sick? How is it okay to stop isolation after 5 days, if you still have symptoms (even if improved) and you’re still testing positive? This all does not make sense to me. Even though it looks like I’ve gotten through it mostly unscathed and should have some immunity for now, I somehow feel more vulnerable than ever before. I took every precaution and I was still not able to protect myself from getting infected (even if the infection was relatively mild thanks to vaccines and boosters, which – duh! – I understand is the whole point!).
Still, this all just confirms one thing for me: this ain’t over til it’s over.
Tanja
October 24, 2022 at 9:51 amI get that you felt duped – I’m kinda curious myself where you got it from.
It wasn’t me 😇
So glad you are feeling better.
San
October 27, 2022 at 7:27 pmThanks friend. <3
Suzanne
October 24, 2022 at 9:52 amAwww I’m sorry you finally got it. : / The emotions are so complicated, especially after all these years of being so vigilant! Very glad to hear you are feeling better and that Jon had only mild symptoms.
I am still waiting for my daughter to get it. :( On the one hand, I obviously do NOT want her to get Covid… on the other, I do not enjoy this feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop. I have her scheduled for her next booster, so that’s something… but it also feels like the kids at her school are dropping like flies with ALL sorts of infections, so it feels like a big ol’ waiting game.
San
October 27, 2022 at 7:28 pmOh, Suzanne, I totally understand that feeling of just waiting for the other shoe to drop! I felt like that for a long time and you definitely have much less control with a kid in school that brings home all kind of germs!
Anya
October 24, 2022 at 9:59 amI think it’s just one of those things we’ll have to live with as it continues to mutate, just like other viruses throughout history. This will continue to work its way through the world population. In my case, I got it from my teacher husband who probably got it from a student. We almost made it through last school year without getting it and then, second to the last week before summer, it started spreading like wildfire. Fortunately, we both got the booster this past summer, so we’re all set for the fall/winter surge. I think at this point, if you’re dumb enough to buy into all the anti-vaccine nonsense, then you get what you deserve. I hope for the ones who are high risk and can’t get the vaccine for some reason, that they and their loved ones are taking precautions. But that population is minuscule. So many people have gotten COVID this year, in its much milder form, that they forgot how bad the early days were, when morgues were overflowing and hospitals were pushed to the brink. Suddenly, everyone is an epidemiologist, as if they know how the alternative scenario would’ve played out if we hadn’t done any COVID mitigation efforts. Honestly, after 2.5 years, my faith in humanity has been 100% shattered. We have no duty to our neighbors and communities. It’s every man for himself, and all I can do is protect myself and my asthmatic spouse. I won’t get on a plane without a mask now and in the winter time, I’ll definitely be more cautious – not only to avoid COVID, but to avoid the flu (should the vaccine fail), other colds, and the inevitable bronchitis that follows. It was nice to come back from a work trip without a cold for a change, because the few years leading up to COVID were bad for me.
San
October 27, 2022 at 7:29 pmThanks for chiming in Anya! I have a lot of the same feelings and yeah, in a lot of ways my faith in humanity is shattered as well.
Lisa of Lisa's Yarns
October 24, 2022 at 1:54 pmSo I thought you had to continue to isolate if you have symptoms at day 5? I thought you were only able to end your isolation if you were symptom-free by day 5? But the guidelines are tricky and have changed so much! I’m glad I got covid when I did v pre-vaccine when I could have been dangerously ill. I felt pretty awful but I wasn’t dangerously sick luckily, but I had prophylactic antibodies a month before I got covid so that likely helped as well. It does seem like it’s coming from everyone no matter how careful you are.
One big change I’ve appreciated is that no one comes to work sick anymore whereas that used to be common practice before covid. In pre-covid times, I might have still gone to NYC last week despite not feeling great. But now it’s acceptable to say – ‘hey, I’m sick so I am not going to travel.’
I’m glad Jon had a mild case! Phil didn’t get it when the boys and I had it. He must have an amazing immune system!
San
October 27, 2022 at 7:31 pmThe guidelines seem to be constantly changing, but yeah, the latest I read is that you only have to isolate after day 5 if you still have a fever and/or severe symptoms. If your symptoms improved and you’re fever-free, then you can got out but with a mask. I honestly don’t know… it all seems so “random” now, if you ask me. I didn’t feel safe to go out again before I tested negative.
NGS
October 24, 2022 at 2:01 pmWe have only recently started to relax (after our second boosters). We have stopped wearing masks for brief indoor errands (like if I’m picking up a book at the library) and we went to a wedding without a mask for both the ceremony and reception. We’re still masking up at the grocery store and my husband is still masking when he’s teaching, but we’re getting a bit more lax. And so far we still haven’t had it. Fingers crossed. It’s just luck of the draw at this point, as far as I can tell.
I’m so sorry you have had such a bad case, though. What an absolute bummer! It sounds perfectly miserable, but I’m glad you seem to have bounced back. I hope you’re back to 100% ASAP!
San
October 27, 2022 at 7:32 pmI know you were super-vigilant (like me) and while I am glad that you feel like you’re able to relax a little bit, I do agree that ti’s the luck of the draw at this point. We can just hope that the vaccines and boosters make it a mild case!
Beckett @ Birchwood Pie
October 24, 2022 at 7:10 pmHey San, I’m sorry that you got the ‘rona. I’d bet that most of us don’t know how we got it – we just ran into the wrong air molecule at the wrong time. Feel better soon!
San
October 27, 2022 at 7:33 pmYes, Beckett, thanks for saying that… we just ran into the wrong air molecule at the wrong time! That’s it!
Elisabeth
October 25, 2022 at 4:27 amUgh. As you know, we were twinning as I tested positive at the same time you did. I have no idea where I got COVID from, either. There are no real guidelines here in Canada now (except in hospitals etc) – isolate until you don’t have symptoms…if you want to…is basically where we’re at! It is SUCH a shift from even 6 months ago when there were so many strict protocols in place. It’s quite bizarre really, how dramatically things have dissipated in terms of how we handle positive cases.
San
October 27, 2022 at 7:34 pmYes, I feel like the guidelines have shifted very drastically and it makes me a bit uncomfortable… I do believe that some sort of herd immunity is the common goal and the vaccines/boosters are good at protecting most people, but it still feels like we’re out for ourselves now.
Nicole MacPherson
October 25, 2022 at 10:22 amUgh, so sorry you came down with it. I am going to give you the advice everyone and their dog gave me, and that is to really ease back into your workouts. Apparently strenuous activity too soon after Covid is associated with long Covid, so ease on down the road, so to speak. I know you and I are similar, and want to hop back in the saddle, so this is why I mention it. That said, I did start working out probably 3 days after my symptoms were gone and I’m perfectly fine now. Anyway, glad you’re feeling better. My main symptom was fatigue as well.
San
October 27, 2022 at 7:37 pmYes, thank you Nicole… I appreciate the warning. I definitely will try and take it easy for a while.
Kristen | kristenwoolsey.com
October 25, 2022 at 12:27 pmHope you are well on your way to healthy!! Ugh, it’s crazy that you were able to avoid it for so long and then pick it up so randomly. We haven’t gotten it yet, but I have no idea how! The fatigue sounds awful, but I’m so glad you were able to take the time to rest up.
San
October 27, 2022 at 7:38 pmThanks Kristen, I am hoping you’ll still be able to avoid it for a long time…
eva
October 25, 2022 at 5:32 pmI’m so sorry you came down with Covid and I’m glad to hear you’re much better. Fatigue was also one of my main symptoms and I was out of work for two weeks. Looking around me, everybody who hasn’t gotten it up to this point is getting it now, kids and adults alike, but I also know many people who have had Covid twice at this point, or even three times. We were super cautious until we got Covid. It would not have occurred to me to eat indoors at a restaurant or go grocery shopping unmasked. And boom, then the virus finally got us on our flights back to the U.S. in August, despite being masked almost the entire time (yeah, those famous air filters on the plane…. I no longer buy that. Also, if 290 out of 300 people on the plane aren’t masking and you share that small space for 9 hours, I wonder how much even a KN 95 can help). On the plus side, do you feel like you can relax a bit now? I do, somewhat, though I wonder how long the infection gives us some immunity. But I hate how I’ve lost so much faith in humanity in the last 2 years.
San
October 27, 2022 at 7:39 pmI am definitely glad that I’ve gotten through it now although I feel a bit more vulnerable than before because I seemed to have picked it up so randomly, but on the other hand, yes, I do hope to have some extra natural protection now at least for a while. But I also don’t see myself ditching masks in certain situation (e.g. plane travel!) anytime soon!
Jenny
October 26, 2022 at 7:28 amUgh! Sorry you got it, but glad you’re okay. That is very strange- how in the world did you get it? But I’ve heard other stories like that. In my case, when I got it last winter, I know EXACTLY where I got it from- my daughter brought it home from school. Well, hopefully you’ll be immune for a while now.
One thing- from what I understand, the test will pick up traces of the dead virus in your system. So you can test positive for a pretty long time but not be contagious. I know when I had it, I still tested positive after seven days but felt fine, and my boss told me to come back to work.
It definitely seems like there’s a new wave of Covid going around- lots of people are getting it! Glad you’re feeling better.
San
October 27, 2022 at 7:41 pmI guess the question of how I got can be good and bad… on one hand, I feel good about being able to say that I did everything I could to avoid it.. on the other hand, I wish I could say I let my guard down and that’s why it happened… I don’t know, it seems like a lot of people are catching it these days. The most important thing is that the course of the illness is manageable at this point?!
Cynthia
October 26, 2022 at 8:15 amSorry to hear this, San – you know I agree with you 100%. It does seem just up to the individual and our circle now…
San
October 27, 2022 at 7:42 pmThanks Cynthia, I hope you guys have avoided it so far (?) and that we can all stay as vigilant as possible.
Stephany
October 29, 2022 at 12:18 pmI am right there with you, wracking my brain as to how you got Covid! You have been super vigilant, but sometimes it’s just luck of the draw. I’m glad your symptoms were relatively minor, though. That’s why we get our vaccines and boosters! My mom got the same fatigue as you did. I had the opposite problem – I could BARELY sleep! I was mostly knocked down with congestion, cough, and headache.
Honestly, I don’t expect Covid to ever go away. I expect it to function like the flu, and I think we’ve basically gotten to that point. Now, it’s important to get out boosters and try to be safe when we can!
Sara
October 30, 2022 at 9:42 amI have filed this under the inevitable – mostly because we live in a country that refused to get vaccinated as such a rate that makes it impossible to get better control of this. (Nevermind the politicians who lied and drummed up fear around said vaccines.) We’ve also significantly reduced testing and availability of such. One of my staff members that ended up getting it this month was much like you. On the flip side, I’ve been in schools since August 2020 and I haven’t gotten it yet (that I know of). I think a lot of my disappointment boils down to the fact that we live in a country that values individual freedom over the greater good and that has significantly impacted all of this.
I guess my final thought is this – don’t beat yourself up over it. You did everything you could do, especially by getting vaccinated and taking precautions. It’s probably not something you did – just something that is bound to happen because of the transmissibility and transmission rates. Sending you hugs and continued healing!
tobia | craftaliciousme
November 1, 2022 at 12:15 amAh how frustrating… a) for getting it b) for being so cautious and getting it c) for not figuring out where you got it. But I am glad Jons booster made a difference.
I am still Covid free as far as I know but I feel like my clock is ticking.
Anne
November 3, 2022 at 8:43 amI obviously knew you’d had it but I’m sorry it was such an awful experience. And I totally get questioning where it came from, and who…
I’m so glad you are on the mend, and from IG I know that you are well on your way to “normal” life. But … yeah. Normal life is never going to be normal again, is it? My frustration with those who flouted guidelines for all of these years – who brought us vaccine deniers, and liars, and lack of trust and belief in science is through the roof, even now (or perhaps even more so now…).
As far as I know, I have not yet had it but I am soooo waiting for the other shoe to drop. Part of me thinks it’ll hit me before I’m supposed to travel next week (first in person conference since COVID – yikes!).
(Sorry for the late and super-disjointed response. My ability to form coherent thoughts is apparently limited today…)