For nearly two and half years, my family has been really cautious and Covid-free. That is, until recently. We have been using N95 masks, we were all vaccinated as much as we could be. We were vigilant. However, in June, like many, we started letting down our guards as restrictions everywhere in Ontario eased. Did I go to a couple of stores without a mask? Did we start wearing 3 layer blue masks in instead of N95? Yep. Did I go to an outdoor concert with 25,000 other Hamiltonians? Yep. Did my husband travel for business in Ottawa and Toronto and go to events or restaurants unmasked? You bet. We rolled the dice and we lost.
My husband tested positive first. Then me. Then my oldest and youngest. Only my middle girl never caught it in our household. In our experience, this variant is very contagious. Four out of five of us caught it.
It hit me out of the blue like a ton of bricks at school. A sudden lower back and hip joints ache. Dizziness. And a chill that froze my hands and feet. I knew it was a possibility and alerted my principal and headed home from work. Sure enough, I tested positive.
It started off mildly but soon enough, I had a couple of really uncomfortable bed-ridden days. Coughing, relentless fever, sore throat, headache, fatigue, chills, aches… you name it, I had it! Why doesn’t anyone warn you about the night sweats? Whoo! Those were something else. A steady stream of Freezies were amazing. For those who say “its just a cold”… it was not for me. It was definitely more like a bad flu.
Fortunately, my husband was getting better as I came down with it. By Day 4, my fever had stopped and my symptoms subsided. And I would say our kids had much milder versions than we did with this variant (thank goodness).
Next, the worry about “Long Covid” began as I looked to my Twitter feed full of pictures of shrinking brains, cardiac issues, blood clots and other horror stories. For my anxiety, I am considering blocking the word Covid from my Twitter feed.
Do I wonder if my 3rd vaccine dose wore off? Yes. My last vaccine was 6 months ago, just before Christmas in 2021. Or perhaps I was just run down at the end of the school year and more susceptible? Who knows? Will I get a booster (or 4th dose) once I am able to? You bet! I do not want to have this again. And I hear I can be susceptible to it again even 3 weeks after illness. I was thinking I would be free and clear for the rest of the summer! I will not get lulled into that false sense of security.
As of today, I am 2 weeks past my initial positive test. I have tested negative twice since Day 8. Thank goodness I did not have to go to work after Day 5.
Do I have some strange things happening? Yep. Everything tastes bitter. Coffee. Salad greens… even water! Head to toe hive outbreaks that have come and gone for the past 4 days despite a whole lot of Benadryl. A cough that won’t quit. Shortness of breath at times and a runny nose persists. Dizziness. Headaches. I am monitoring it all for now, but I may visit my family doctor if it continues much longer.
While missing the last three days of school was not ideal, there are things that I left behind that I can get caught up on in August. I did go into school briefly to rescue my three Library Learning Commons neon fish. My 6 year old is taking care of them for the summer. I am doing some light work on the computer (like today… hello blog!). I am reading books, doing light housework, watering plants and taking short e-bike or day trips with my wee one. It had been so long since she had been to Storybook Gardens that she didn’t even remember it!
For now, I am feeling very grateful that it is the summer and I am going to take it easy and recover.
What I know for sure is this: you do not want this variant.
As I did my groceries yesterday, I was so concerned at how few seniors were masking. But then I was reminded of those “circles of control” you see posted here and there. I posted a sample that I found online below. I did not fill it out, but I thought it was relevant to what I am writing about today. I cannot control what others do. I can only control my own actions. Sadly, it has come to that in the middle of a seventh wave. I have not really seen any action by the government at any level. I am hearing rumours of boosters being available for those under 60, but nothing concrete yet.
If you get Covid, I hope, like my kids, you have a mild version of it.
I would strongly recommend masking indoors again. I know I will be much more vigilant about that.
And on that note.. I am off to order some N95 masks for us all…
Featured Image by Nick Fewings on Unsplash