COVID KITS AND DAILY LIFE

These pictures represent what my life has become. This box arrived and when I opened it; I was shocked. Bottles of hand sanitizer, bottles of shampoo and body wash. Bottles of hospital grade disinfectant. More thermometers and oxygen reader. Oh, what's this; paper plates, forks, knives, spoons, cups and what is this? Blue bags...wait! There are hospital grade trash bags! 

Oh if this doesn't make you understand the seriousness of having Covid, I don't know what will.

Daily life won't be the same for a while because what the news doesn't tell you is that your life will be different.

You can't use your regular dishes because even though you will wash them, you will contaminate them once you put them away or take them from the dishwasher. You can't share a bathroom with ANYONE because you will infect them if they use the bathroom after you. You must wear gloves when you decide to cook because you can infect the pots and pans. Check your oxygen because you don't want to go below 95%. Check your temperature because you don't want to go an higher than 100.4. Use the shampoo and body wash because it will help with the irritation you feel when you get that Covid rash.

Oh this is insane. I never heard of any of this on the news and I guess it will make for boring television to share all of these details. 

The nurse tells me that when I run out of these supplies that I need to IMMEDIATELY call for more. 

I don't want to make that call but this is day 30 of what I thought would only be 14 days. 

Wrong! 14 days is a "on the low end" the range is 14-21 and longer depending on when you get the other symptoms. Yeah, they don't announce that on the news either. 

I'm such an over achiever that I have 14 different symptoms. It's no wonder they haven't found some that they didn't think were symptoms. 

I can take the chills and the heaviness. What I can't take is not being able to smell or taste. I have burned up at least three pots because I'm so tired that I fall asleep while cooking and since I am not smelling the burning of food; I only know that the food is burned when the smoke alarms start going off. Tasting food is out as well. So all I feel is hot and cold in my mouth. I know what it should taste like and I try to remember but it is no use.

Even though I have no taste; I still put sugar in my coffee and add cream. Why? Habit....I sit and try and enjoy the coffee but it's no use but I continue to drink coffee every day. One cup in the morning followed by two or three cups of teas during the day to knock off the chills.

I shower at least three times a day because my body hurts and the water makes it feel a little better. The steam from it helps open up my nose from the congestion. 

I was sent elderberry for tea and it helps. My FB friends are the best! I was able to type all of these blogs during moments of energy. 

You have to take the small things when they come because being in isolation is the loneliest feeling.

 

Covid is not something I would ever wish on anyone. 

 

COVID RESPONSE TEAM

A couple of weeks ago, I talked about having a Covid Response Team.

They are a team of nurses that check in with you when you have Covid-19.

They make sure you are checking your oxygen levels, your temperature, eating, and resting when necessary.

They sent a box to containing my "Covid Kit".

Yep; they came up with a ''survival" kit for Covid-19.

It was delivered by FedEx a day after being diagnosed. 

The box was huge. 

It had flash cards with everything from how to wash your hands to how to disinfect. 

Did you know that if you have Covid-19, they recommend that you wipe down surfaces that you come into contact with but that you don't deep clean until AFTER all of your symptoms have gone away. 

It also contained the following: 150 masks, 1 bottle of disinfectant, 6 small bottles of body wash, 2 bottles of hand sanitizer, another thermometer, alcohol swaps, 50 hot/cold cups with lids, 50 biodegradable paper plates, 50 spoons, knives and forks and 6 blue trash bags. 

Yep blue trash bags. The kind they use in the hospital. The kind that has tape attached that says "biohazardous material"

Did you know that you aren't supposed to use regular dishes while having Covid-19? 

I didn't. 

It's because even though you are washing your dishes, you still have to touch them once they are clean. You are contaminating them again before using them.   

You must put your trash in the blue bags because everything you touch will still be infected with the Covid virus after you use them. 

Now that they are saying you have to double mask, I have enough masks to last at least two months. That is if I go outside every day; which I don't.

My Covid Response Team, or someone from my team, calls every day. 

Without fail. 

My phone rings at 9am every day and I am on the phone with them for at least 30 minutes. I have had a nurse come by to check since I'm an "over achiever" and have so many symptoms.

It's good to know that someone is looking out for the ones of us that are not hospitalized. 

I just wonder; if you don't have insurance; do you still get this level of care?

WHY CAN'T I TASTE MY FOOD

Why does my mouth feel like this?

It feels like my taste buds have become swollen at the same time. My mouth is watering like I'm about to vomit. 

I have a blister on the inside of my mouth but I'm sure it's because I have been drinking so much orange juice that it's from the acid.

I make myself dinner and although I'm a pretty good cook, I burned the oil I was going to use to fry the chicken in. 

Hmmm, why don't I smell that? I guess I'm spraying way to much LYSOL.

I outdid myself today. Even though I'm sick it doesn't mean he can't eat well.

I make fried chicken, asparagus and sweet potatoes. 

I am not hungry but I try and eat anyway.

Hmm, that's strange.

I take another bite. 

I say out loud, to no one, funny I don't smell the fried chicken smell.

Then I take a bite.

Hot and nothing.

Wait, I can't taste the chicken. WTH! I can't taste the chicken. I CAN'T TASTE THE CHICKEN OR THE SWEET POTATOES OR THE ASPARAGUS. 

Sweet baby food Jesus!

I've lost my taste and my sense of smell. No wonder I didn't smell the oil burning. No wonder I didn't smell the chicken cooking. 

Ahhh Lawd! 

This is horrible. No wonder my coffee tasted funny this morning. Or maybe the lack of flavor. I kept adding sugar and cream. I thought maybe I forgot how to make it. 

Geezus! Of all things that is happening to me; this is the absolute worse! 

How can you eat when you can't taste food/ 

Eating is pure torture. Drinking is even worse. 

I tried having a glass of wine...yep; can't taste it. I can't enjoy food. 

This has to be the BEST DIET EVER!

Said NO ONE!

WHY AM I STILL FEELING LIKE THIS

Today is February 11 and I feel like crap.

I can barely sleep. I'm exhausted. My body feels heavy and I am sweating like its 100 degrees. 

I don't have a fever but the damn cough and sneezing has come back. 

Shouldn't I be feeling better now?

I am boiling water with ginger, lemon and orange peels. I'm standing over this pot like it's my life line. I am still trying to NOT go to the hospital but today, I have no choice.

It has to be better than this.

I dress, which takes almost an hour. Not because I am trying to be cute but because I have to keep stopping to get more energy.

WTF!

Man, they don't tell you about this. 

As I dress I just hope this is not the last time I will see my house. I hope it's not the last time I will chat with my kids or my friends. 

Yeah, people that don't wear masks don't understand that the people who do everything to protect themselves and still end up with; have to deal with this.

Ask me if it's a hoax! Ask me if it is fake news!

Dehydration is the cause of this. I try and eat but I really can't without having an upset stomach. 

I cook but still can't eat.

What's the use of eating when you can't taste the food?

Oh I didn't tell you about that?

Well, next week I will.

Thanks for hanging in here with me and this journey. 

WHAT DOES COVID LOOK LIKE?

Our lives are now dictated by this little machine and a thermometer.

We have to take our temps and our levels four times a day.

He has no symptoms so he has to do it as a precaution.

Me on the other hand, I have so many symptoms that my nurse has said I'm on "over achiever".

What symptoms do I have? I will try and go down the list and describe when I actually got them. 

Jan. 23, I got a monster headache. The headache continues even today, Feb. 10. 

Jan. 24th, I began to sneeze but as long as it wasn't back to back sneezing, I wasn't concerned.

Jan. 28th, I got a sore throat and began to cough uncontrollably. I still have this cough on Feb. 10.

Jan. 30th, the sneezing got worse. Is that even possible? Yes, I would sneeze at least 10 times in a row and become so stuffy that I was now breathing with my mouth open.

Feb. 1st, I am now feeling like I dragging around an extra 200 pounds. I can barely walk 25 steps without almost falling down. My legs feel like I have walked up 100 steps. My breathing is ragged and I'm feeling like I'm coming down with the flu.

For two days, the heavy feeling stays with me. Lying down is not helping. It makes it worst. I feel like I'm drowning by weight. I can't get comfortable. I can't lie on my back or on my side. I can't take it but I push on and try and get some sleep. Thank goodness this goes away by Feb. 5th.

I wake up on the 5th to a snotty nose, chest congestion and new rashes on my back and face. What in the entire world is happening? Is this cold taking a different form and causing this new reaction on my skin. My hands are so dry that I have used an entire bottle of NIVEA lotion (16 ounces) in two days. 

My hair is now brittle and dry. Dry like I have been sitting under a dryer for hours with no moisture. Dry to the point that I am scared to brush it. 

Wait, what's this. A damn cold sore! Yep; that's just what I need! This huge bump is sitting in the middle of my top lip like a trophy. Blistex aint helping this so I apply a warm cloth and hope that it helps it dry up. 

And if it couldn't get any worse....just wait until next weeks update. 

A DAY LIKE NO OTHER

Monday, February 8th was like no other.

Our phones never stopped ringing. The minute the results were known, his doctor called him. My doctors called me.

Covid Response Teams are at our beck and call. 

Covid Care Kits arrived within hours. Oxygen monitors, thermometers, wipes, hand sanitizer, masks. 

We have all of that. We have more than enough of that.  Do you see our stockpile? 

We were ready? So how is this possible. How can WE have Covid-19?

We went into the store with masks and gloves on. We made sure to keep Germ-X in our cars and used it like lotion. We wiped our food down when we brought it home. Every package was wiped with a disinfecting wipe. We took it out of the original package when possible. We made sure to spray LYSOL on all packages coming from AMAZON. 

We made sure that anything that came into contact with us; was wiped, sprayed and sanitized. 

I felt like we were being judged. I felt like we did something wrong. 

Wait a minute; I know I did everything right. It was the people at the store; with no masks that did this. It could have been the gas pump that I touched before I remembered my plastic gloves. Hell, it could have been the keypad that touched my credit card at the store. 

Lawd, now I need to wipe down everything in my purse. It's not enough to change my purse every time I go out. I need to now wipe down everything that was in that purse when I was out.

I need a bubble. That's what I need. 

There is nothing more that I could have done but now here we are. 

We need food for at least a week. Because he doesn't have any symptoms, he is allowed to go back to work on Tuesday, Feb. 16. 

Me on the other hand, I have to be symptom free for 24 hours and then my quarantine will begin. 

Yep; they don't tell you that on the news. 

Lucky for us, his niece calls and says she will go to the store. Lucky for us, my daughter calls and says she will go to the store. Yay! 

We feel bad about it but at the end of the day we are thankful.

His niece calls, comes to the door; masked up and he hands her the card. She leaves for the store and we are happy.

My daughter calls. "I'm outside with your food. DON'T open the door. I'm going to bring the food, leave it at your door and leave. Open the door once I'm back outside." 

I'm just happy, I comply and then I run to the window like a little kid. I knock. She sees me, she waves, I wave and I wait. I hear the knock on the door; I look back out the window and see her and then I know I can open the door. There is our food and water. 

Wait, let me wave goodbye but she is already pulling off. I stand at the window, looking like a little puppy who got left at home. 

Then I laugh. 

Because hey, if I don't, I'm going to start to cry.

THE RESULTS ARE IN

It's Monday, February 8th and the test results are in.

Recap.

I've been dealing with this nasty cold for over a week and finally gave in and called my doctor on a Friday night. I took my Covid test on Saturday, February 6 and here we are.

All caught up? 

It's now 9am and my phone dings, signaling that I have an incoming text. 

I check and see that my Covid results are in.

I open my email and see the large bright red exclamation point and the words CRITICAL in the corner.

This can't be good.

I read the words, "You have a POSITIVE Covid-19 test result"

Nope, I couldn't have read that right. So I re-read it. Over and over and over and over.

The words never changed. I couldn't believe it. I'm positive. 

Then my phone rang. MD COVID it said and so it began.

"You will be assigned a Covid response team. You will be sent a Covid Kit. You will have a nurse checking in on you every day. Do you have a way to check your oxygen level? 

Wait What. 

Do you have a way to check your oxygen levels?

Sure, I have that just lying around the house. No, no I don't have a way to do that. Should I? 

"We will send you one" 

That phone call lasted two hours. Two hours set my world upside down. Turned everything into a rush.

You need to have someone get your food for you. Do you need food? We can send you some. Do you need meds? Well not yet but we will send that to you as well. Do you need transportation? We can arrange that as well. 

I was sick enough that when I did my first oxygen check, within 2 minutes of uploading it, a nurse called and told me to immediately call 911. Instead I had him take me to the ER. 

I felt like I was in a movie. I had to go because I have asthma and because my breathing was labored. They wanted to keep me. I can't do it. I can't be alone for days at at time. 

That is where my mind went. I told my children and they started calling and sending messages, via our family chat on FB. 

Why didn't you stay? You need to go back. 

They didn't understand the terror that I felt. I wouldn't even get to see them. I couldn't have my phone because they will take it. 

No, I will go home. I want to be around things that I love and people that I love. At least I would be able to say goodbye. 

Truth be told, if I was going to die; I wanted to die at home. Not in a hospital, alone with strangers.