You read it right, I got the covid-19 virus and thankfully I feel much healthier now and my symptoms went away last Friday, September 10. Per medical assessment, they counted the start of my symptoms on September 1 when I first had my night shift fever (I’m okay by the day but heating up at night) but I think it all started with stomachaches and diarrhea during the last 4 or 5 days of August.
I thought it was just because of my online deliveries from food panda – I was enticed with this store that offered free delivery and discounted prices. Who wouldn’t? When I healed from those stomachaches, I stopped ordering from that particular store but I did not stop ordering from other shops available around my area. And there were times that I got lazy wearing a mask while receiving my food from several drivers. As we all know, these drivers have a nature of work that requires them to go around different places. I think that’s where I got the virus. The last time I went out before I felt something with my body was on July 19 when I got my first dose of astrazeneca. So, clearly it wasn’t because I went out and left our house.
On the night of September 6, I was literally like a girl on fire. My fever was at its worst since the first of September. I willed my way through with biogesic capsules and tried my best to sleep and let my body get some rest. When I woke up the next morning, I had this urge to spray alcohol at the palm of my hand to test my sense of smell. And I did not smell anything. That was alarming knowing how strong the scent of alcohol is. The next that I did was to taste the gummy bears I have in my room. I chose the strongest flavor but I wasn’t able to taste the fruity strawberry burst. I immediately went to my mom and told my situation as calmly as I can. I gave her instructions, again as calmly as I can.
I started isolating on September 7 and I was just getting my food through a chair where my mom puts it and then knocks on my door to let me know that my meal is already there. In the afternoon, I transferred to another room. My current room had no comfort room so I needed to go to my brother’s room if I need to. That would be unsafe and a hassle so we decided that I occupy my brother’s room so I can freely go to the comfort room without needing to go out. I got tested on September 8 and as expected, the result was positive.
September 7 & 8 were the dates I struggled the most. Even though you read so many articles as to how you can prepare yourself when you have covid, it still feels different. It’s like having a good rehearsal but still struggling when the actual event takes place. And as I tried so hard to look calm and collected, I failed to influence the people around me. I understand them. If I were in their shoes, I would probably show signs of panic too. Hopefully, it just lasted for a day and my family accepted what happened and thought of what to do in the coming days. I still had my night shift fever until the next day. September 8 was my most emotional day. Why? I wasn’t aware that there was a mandate by the QC local government unit that all covid-positive patients should be transferred to health care quarantine facilities to avoid the spread of the new variants.
A lot of questions popped out of my mind. What kind of care will I receive in those facilities? Would it be better than being taken cared of by my own family? What do I need to bring? With all those confusion, I decided to pack clothes, hygiene kits, vitamins, gadgets, and anything I thought that I needed. I cried when I was lying on my bed thinking of how long will my days be in the quarantine facility I will be assigned to. My siblings also got worried. My mother also shed tears but understood the medical attention that I might need. That was hard for me. I’m not used to being the one they need to worry for. As a breadwinner for almost a year, I’m more comfortable thinking about them and not the other way around.
The following day, September 9, people from our barangay went to our house for contact tracing. All my worries disappeared when they said I don’t need to go to a quarantine facility anymore. Stating the reasom that my symptoms started on September 1 and they usually keep patients for 10 days. If they would still get me, I would just be staying for two days and that would just be a hassle and there might be no benefit to get from it. The people in our house so got tested the following day and thankfully they weren’t experiencing any symptoms at all. The test results aren’t out yet but hearing that they don’t feel anything wrong with their bodies made me feel better.
Looking back, I can say what I did wrong and my reasons behind it. First, I started having fever and fatigue since the start of this month but I thought it was just a normal flu. I didn’t have colds or cough. If you feel sick, be on guard already because you will never know how your body will react to the virus. On my hardest days, I feel tired with simple physical movements and speaking just one sentence tires my already. I can breathe fine when I’m at rest but I just don’t have the energy to do anything. I was late in getting an oximeter but thankfully, my lungs got better. And you know what was also difficult for me in my journey? Starting August 31, there wasn’t a single day that I did not see a death news of my facebook feed. Some of them are natural causes and life-threatening illnesses but most of them are due to covid. I feared for my life and thought that seeing those news every single day might be a premonition that I might be next. I was scared and being isolated while feeling all that is something I would never want to experience again.
As I survived this virus, I felt like I’m given another shot at life. This I think is my third, my second was when I fell on the floor and a part of head needed to be stitched. I was only around two years old at that time. And now this my third life – I’m carefully thinking on how I should love my body more. How I should take care of my overall well-being because covid for me wasn’t just a physical battle, it was psychological too. I will be finishing my two-week quarantine period on Tuesday and I can’t wait to live how I was before this roller coaster ride.
I never expected that covid will come at me, but I’m at peace with the thought that there are reasons why it hit me. I may not know all of it now, but I guess this is a good sign that I might need to love myself even better moving forward. I can’t wait for my second dose next month, but for now I get this temporary immunity with the antibodies that I developed after winning this battle.
Covid-19, I just defeated you and I’ll be on my guard in case you visit my peaceful life again. 😉
WanderNine 