I think I might have had Omicron before, in April. I was quite ill, throwing up and suffering through one of the worst “colds” I’ve had in my life.

But this is the first time I actually tested positive. Even after a vaccine and three booster shots. Maybe they weren’t targeted to respond to this strain. Or maybe I was protected by them in which case I think they saved my life ‘cuz this was not fun. I guess it can be argued either way.

This Covid experience was wild. Thursday I was quite tired. Thought it was because I had gotten my Shingles booster that day. I started getting a sore throat, and that night I couldn’t sleep well since I felt like I was on fire from the roof of my mouth to my lungs. Test on Friday was negative. Then I started coughing.

I took the test again Saturday since I have heard the latest strain has coughing. Sure enough, it was positive. I worked Saturday and was uncomfortable but made it through the day, Then it really started hitting.

My lungs were so heavy, it was a challenge to inhale properly. And any time I moved any part of my body, it felt like the hounds of Hades were sent after that spot to inflict pain. Each attack was followed by a swift anvil strike through my head. When I tried to talk, I would end out coughing, sounding like a croupy dog.

I took afk Sunday and tried to stay as still as possible, drifting in and out of sleep. My temp hovered between 100 and 100.8, which was nice since it was apparently very hot out, but I was actually cold (my normal baseline is 96.2 so that’s like having a 102-103 temp). Then suddenly on Sunday evening, all started fixing itself. I commented to Chris that it seemed as if I could actually feel healthy cells reconnecting. Totally wild.

On Monday the coughing was still there, but not nearly as much, the voice was back and throat pain down to a 2/10, and the fever nearly gone. How wild is that?!?!

I found that if I stood up and did things like making salads or ate sitting on a stool made me really light-headed so I made sure to keep resting. I know someone who made it through Covid then ended up in the ER after passing out and slicing up their nose so lesson learned vicariously there. I’m taking no chances. Fortunately it’s my “weekend” so I can indulge in the couch-rest.

Not gonna lie. I did try to check in to work. I opened a ticket to respond to, and I knew it was an easy one, but my brain was not wrapping around it properly. I realized I’d be more of a detriment to people — possibly/probably giving poor responses — so I backed right back out of the queue. The last thing I would want to do is provide poor support when I wasn’t even supposed to be working. Moving on…

Interesting things I have learned:

• While people who are vaccinated are less likely to get Covid, people with psoriasis are more likely to get it. And it exacerbates the flare-ups. I would be willing to attest to that.

• They aren’t sure how long Covid lasts on textiles, but think it’s under the level of hard surfaces, which is five days. Good to know when one may or may not be working on a macrame gift for a friend who might or might not be reading this post ;). And when one had happened to retrieve a swimsuit cover-up from the pool area for a friend while not realizing one is contagious. (Friend was smart enough to pick it up with a giant garbage bag to dump it in and while wearing a mask and maintaining distance.)
• Eye-burn and tearing are symptoms. Science shows it could be more related to screen-time when one is stuck in bed. More blue light and such. But I live in front of a screen for work and actually put my screen down so I’m personally favoring the Covid Symptom idea on that one. I “cried” for two days. Super annoying.

I enjoyed some really great movies/episodes including:

Queen of the Desert
Belfast
The Chosen
The Great Pottery Throw Down

Good books? Glad you asked.

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch takes some interesting turns.
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Edmond Desmond is great for a more serious read.

(Disclaimer: Haven’t finished either, but got far enough in each to show promise.)

There were many hours there where I couldn’t move or watch anything and I was reminded of the beauty brought in embracing stillness and silence. It’s a great time to pray and remember all the amazing people in one’s life.

So not all bad. Yet I hope to not repeat the experience. Two days until I get out of isolation. Really hope Chris doesn’t go through this.