#COVID - Day 12

It’s 4:30am, but at this point “time” is almost meaningless as each “day” is now just an arrhythmic stretch of sleeping and waking to the whims of fever or chills.

Twenty-four hours ago I was actually feeling good, I was thinking I might have kicked this thing. I was looking forward to maybe going outside into the backyard to feel the sun. Sadly, by about 9am the nausea returned, with gut churning and fever and I went back to sleep. When I awoke around 3pm I was shaking and when I stood up to go to the bathroom, my skin felt like it was made from that material they make those aprons from that the dentist drapes around you for x-rays. Every part of me ached, even the space between the roots of my teeth and my gums.

And that was how Sunday went.

Luckily, my lungs remain pretty clear - only the occasional dry cough to remind me - and my O2 levels remain steady at 99%, so the course of this disease seems to be concentrated in my bowels and muscles. But every day has been a little different.

I have little energy for conversation, but am nonetheless feeling the wear of loneliness. Susan reminds me by phone and text to drink water, but I have little taste for it or anything else. Today I ate absolutely nothing, and pretty much only drank some kombucha, with somewhat amusing effects later on the sounds my guts made.

The thing I think everyone should know is that whatever you think the symptoms of this disease “should be”, you are probably mistaken. The lesson being that if you feel in any way sick, DO NOT WAIT! Call your medical provider and get professional advice ASAP. Even if that advice is to self-quarantine and ride it out, like it was for me, you can at least limit the spread and the risk of giving it to someone who may become sicker than you.

The last time I had a real case of the flu was probably five or six years ago, and it was pretty bad.

This is much worse.

#coronavirus