I can honestly say I thought I would never get Covid! Although I fought a lengthy 2-year battle and exercised extreme safety precautions, inevitably it caught up to me. With everything that happened to my family, I was hoping I could escape the virus; but to my surprise I ended up testing positive this past January. Since Covid has had such a major impact on all our lives, I felt it necessary to share my experience firsthand.
By the end of last year, I had gotten both doses of the vaccine as well as the booster shot in December. I assumed since I had followed up with these treatments, my chances of catching Covid would be minimal. However, on the night of January 16th I began experiencing a light sore throat and a few other minor symptoms. By the next morning, the symptoms were much more severe, and I knew I was in trouble. Fortunately, I had friends in the ER who advised me to take Tylenol and Ibuprofen every 3 hours, get plenty of rest and stay home from work. As the day progressed, my sore throat became worse, and I noticed I had a stuffy nose and fever. I gotta say, I felt terrible for the first 3 days! The symptoms hit me hard and fast. Luckily by the end of the first week, I felt increasingly better, but was still coughing a lot and feeling very tired. The strangest thing was that I tested negative the first 2 days of having symptoms and it wasn’t until the 3rd day when my test finally came back positive. It took almost a full two weeks (12 days specifically), for me to feel normal again, although even today I still have a light cough.
In comparing this experience to having the influenza 3 years ago, my Covid symptoms were much milder. I do believe the vaccine plus the booster shot helped to lessen the severity of the illness. Although I work closely with many people every day, I was surprised I did not pass the virus to anyone. My husband, co-workers and friends all remained negative despite having interacted with me initially. Since my family in Japan had gotten sick, it made me wonder if there are any genetic factors that might determine your susceptibility to Covid. Although my recovery was somewhat quick and didn’t require a hospitalization, the whole situation was still a mentally challenging experience!
Two years ago, when the pandemic began, it was so taboo to test positive for Covid. At this point, so many of us have had it it’s become the norm to say, “I had Covid”. I only hope we are finally seeing the light at the end of this very long tunnel. Ironically, the day I tested positive for Covid was my mother’s one year memorial and I truly believe it can’t be a coincidence. Maybe my mother was protecting me in some way when it became my time to get Covid. I’m not sure what the future holds in this world, but I’ve learned one thing from this experience. Life is short and precious… and meant to be enjoyed to the fullest!
Special dedication to my beloved mother
Well said Chikako.