My experiences with Covid - 19

The photo above was taken during the most recent trip to the States' northwest. Since I didn’t feel my life experience during the pandemic was interesting enough to others, I have not written much. Even though I never stopped traveling, not because I loved it but also because my relationship with my family required me to do so. I traveled to my son’s family in Connecticut in the summer of 2020, one of the spike periods of the spreading of Covid. The KN95 mask was used during the traveling time from door to door. Right after I arrived, I washed my hands thoroughly.

In the following two years, I had multiple trips to the States with my family, from southwest national parks and natural wonders to visiting friends in Colorado. From my brother's home in Florida to Minnesota, where my niece Jenny's family lived. From my son Lei's place in the northeast of New England to San Diego, and Yosemite to the Sierra Nevada. And many more places.

At the end of 2021, when Australia allowed direct relatives to visit, I didn't hesitate to go to Sydney for my younger son and his family. It had been close to two years since the last time I came back in January 2020. I had been fully vaccinated since early 2021 and had two buster shots accordingly. But returning to the States was a pain in the neck. I had to be at the airport six hours ahead of the scheduled departure time because a PCR test had to be performed at the airport.

By the time I visited Norway in early July PCR test requirement returning to the States was lifted. It was less stressful. I couldn't stop traveling because I refused to let my life be hijacked by the Covid. I felt that as long as I took all the cautions, the chance of getting sick wasn’t that high.

The fact proved to be the case until now.

Late afternoon of Sunday 8/7, I had a mysterious sickness, a sore throat, cold sweat, and couldn't even stand up much. Through the night, I couldn’t sleep with my heart pounding. I thought I got Covid. But the test I took was negative. I felt weak and lay on bed helplessly. Thinking if it was ever going to be all right. My mind couldn't rest.

My fever went over 101, and my heart rate jumped over normal by more than 60%. I felt it was like the end of the world. It was eight days after I returned home from the Northwest tour with my brother Jim and his wife. I did the second test the next afternoon. It was positive. Ha, I have Covid.

High-dose vitamin C, water, and soy milk. And lay down. Later on with so much effort, I was bearly able to call my doctor’s office to ask for a Zoom meeting scheduled at 8 am the next day. My son, doctor Lei Chen, suggested that I take paxlovid which required taking within five days after the symptoms appeared. If the situation stayed like Monday, I need medication. Somehow I slept, slept, and slept, hydrating with any fluid available - mainly water, soymilk, and yogurt. Thank goodness I slept well through the night with a couple of times for the bathroom.

Tuesday morning, I felt much better, with no fever. But ache and fatigue were still present. After talking to the doctor, he suggested I wait for one more day to see if my situation improved or worsened and then decide if the medication is necessary. I thought it was a reasonable arrangement. I cooked lunch for myself. And lay down most of the time. Tuesday afternoon turned out to get me improved - the fever lowered to 100. Less nauseated. But my throat was still scratchy, and my cough got worse. My assessment was that I was in a typical passage toward recovery.

The fourth day I felt almost normal. My fever was 99.4, and I did some work on my taxes and so on. Hopefully, despite the symptoms that looked lingering for a while, my nightmare will be over soon. Next day, Thursday, 8/11, I felt everything was normal and had more energy than yesterday, although still not as well as before my sickness. I resumed normal activities - taking care of my yard, trash, and cleaning my rooms.

But the question puzzling me is how, when and where possible I could have gotten this illness. I came home from the northwest tour on 7/30 Saturday night with a Uber driver who didn’t have a mask on and talked all the way. The following week, I participated in Zumba and the line dance indoors without a mask. 8/7, a week and one day after I returned from the trip Sunday afternoon, I became sick. I had no personal contact with anyone. Who knows how I got sick? From whom and where? I have been in Zumba and line dancing for a few months. I wonder what I should do after this episode. Unusually 3-5 days of incubation period before the symptoms manifest themselves. Am I right? Unlikely it was from the Uber driver. Good thing was I didn’t need medication, but I suffered from aches, fevers, and other usual stuff. Now a bit of cough and fever are still lingering. My doctor told me my case was mild, and after five days I could take a test. I am going to wait for seven days.

Don’t know when the test will be negative. I don’t care. Everything will take its natural course. I am blessed to have my life back, and I swear I will not stop living, especially traveling.

Note: I have no way to formet my blogger wwell since I didn't want to use other apps. To make reading the blog easie, I randomly inserted photos from photos I had taken in the past. Sorry for the tacky way.