For months since the pandemic broke, I've been fortunate enough to say that I do not personally know anyone who has gotten ill with COVID-19 or has died from COVID-19. That is, until now. Much to my surprise, I never would have imagined it would hit so close to home. So close in fact, SARS-CoV-2 has infected my entire family of four and I suspect the dog too (more on why I think my dog has COVID later in this post).
The purpose of this blog post is to simply document my experience and assure you all that we will SURVIVE! We got this!
One thing is certain, SARS-CoV-2 does not discriminate. I am 90% certain that my husband and I contracted the virus directly from one or both of our daughters who most likely got it from a social event they both attended. We are unsure of the order, or who passed it to who, but we have all been infected at or about the same time. What I can tell you is CV-19 has affected each one of my family members differently, and similarly too. For the most part, my husband and I have had the same symptoms (we are in our young 50's), but both of my daughters, ages 22 and 24, have experienced slightly different symptoms. We are all relatively healthy. We eat healthy, we exercise regularly, and we are all very fortunate to have no underlying health conditions or concerns. Given those factors, we are confident that the virus will not linger for long.... or at least we hope so.
It is day 5 for my husband and I and day10 for both of my daughters. We were all officially tested at the same time, with the exception of my husband (I am certain that based on my diagnosis, and his symptoms, that he too must have CV-19).
My husband and I both started with the same exact symptoms, 1 day apart - - headache, body aches, chills, and a slightly elevated fever. I started with a sore throat and a cough on day 3. My daughters have experienced body aches, headaches, tiredness, and most recently, loss of taste and smell. Drug of choice = Advil and AdvilPM. My doc prescribed me an inhaler and a cough suppressant, but I haven't felt the need to take either. We have also been taking our zinc regularly. This known supplement has been proven to bolster the immune system. According to webmd, having zinc in your blood could lower your odds of dying from COVID-19. In addition to taking zinc and a pain reliever, we have been drinking lots of fluids, eating chicken noodle soup (homemade - thanks mama!), and resting.
In short, all of our symptoms have been very similar to having the flu, only not nearly as bad as the flu. At no time have any of us experienced shortness of breath or trouble breathing (thank goodness), which was once a common concern with this virus. Based on my research, I have found that our symptoms are much like what other infected people with no underlying health conditions seem to be experiencing today. I am no scientist, but it is my belief based on my personal experience, that CV-19 has weakened, largely in part due to herd immunity and therefore, the effect it is having on people is not as severe as it once was.
As this thing winds down and turns the corner, our symptoms are less severe with each passing day. I am tired - very tired, and I have loss of appetite. Fortunately, I am able to work from home on my laptop, so my daily routine exists of work, nap, work, nap, repeat. My husband and 22 year old daughter can also work from home. My older daughter will have to file for unemployment until she can return to her place of employment. We are in this thing together as a family and while I don't think we are completely out of the woods just yet, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
I mentioned earlier that I think we could have possibly passed the virus onto our dog. While Coop is a senior dog (a very stubborn senior, I might add), he is on a strict daily diet. Due to his age, his appetite is inconsistent. Some days he eats and other days he will skip a meal, but all in all his poop has always been well... solid. Today however, we witnessed that Cooper has a bad case of diarrhea. Studies have shown that humans can pass the virus onto their dog or cat, so we are thinking that maybe Cooper has CV-19 as well. Hopefully, Sir Louie (pictured below) will not get sick, because as you can see, he likes to think he is my assistant, but has served as nothing more than a furry paperweight.
Take it from us..... it sucks getting sick, it brings you down, and it's a bump in the road...BUT YOU can survive COVID-19 - it's not as bad as the flu. You don't have to fear it, and most importantly, it is not cool to treat those who have had CV-19 (or have it) like a leper.
As our trusty pres has told us, "Don't be afraid of COVID and don't let it dominate your life". ~ Trump
Takeaways:
- You can survive COVID-19
- COVID-19 can spread like wildfire and is easily transmitted to others
- Mask or no mask, COVID-19 does not discriminate
- Wash your hands
Be safe, remain informed, and stay healthy!
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