Covid, Up Close & Personal || Oct 4 2022

Tuesday Oct 4

The T Line

So, I tested positive for Covid on Sunday. For the three of you who have never used a rapid test, you swab the inside of your nostrils, insert the swab into a vial of antigen, then drop three drops of that mix onto the special spot on the test card. There are two lines that can appear on the test card. The C line is the control line and should always appear. The T line is the money line. If you get a T line, TA-DAH! You have Covid.

That’s the Covid that’s now headed south, into my poor sad lungs. Don’t worry– long experience with bronchitis tells me that’s all that’s in the offing.

My symptoms began with enough fatigue that, on a bike ride, instead of turning left and charging up a hill, I turned right and went home. I thought I had just worked out too hard the day before. I was also getting a headache which, when it landed, was the size of Montana, .

Still, I want to know where’s the Covid everyone in the media keeps talking about? “A bad flu,” “a bad cold,” “slept a lot.” Could I please have that Covid?

Top ways I know I’m sick, in addition to the typical medical symptoms:

1. No appetite. (That in itself should warrant a trip to the ER 🤪 );
2. Rom-coms, especially my go-to movies about princess wanna-bes, don’t brighten my day (look, this is no time for varnishing the truth;)
3. When I made the order for yesterday’s grocery delivery, the first things I thought of were ice cream and graham crackers. (That, obvs., was before the no appetite thing.)

Tips

If you have lung cancer and get Covid symptoms, call your doc ASAP– antivirals are not effective five days from when your symptoms start (NOT your positive test). Who knew that a simple headache was a symptom?

I am waiting to hear back from my doc about an antibody infusion. Every region handles that differently; be prepared for idiocy. My own doc has chatted with my oncologist, where there’s no antibody stuff in their infusion center. My doc has not ordered antibody treatment before, so I’m waiting for her return call to see what she comes up with. (It’s possible this is being done through the ER, which is a stupid idea, IMO, but no one asked me.)

I am vaxxed, boosted up the wazoo, and drinking a lot of fluids. I can’t imagine how much worse this would be without vaccination.

If you are living in the land of the ignorant, i.e., anti-vaxxer territory, be sure you are boosted and wearing a good N95 mask. Actually, if you are living anywhere, you should do this.

If you have been exposed to Covid, you should stay the hell at home for many days more than the CDC now recommends. I direct this to the ass who went on the church retreat my husband attended.

Sure glad your wife was feeling better, honey. Being five days away from exposure with no symptoms and a negative test must have made you feel dandy, but you still gave it to my husband. He stayed away from me for days, sleeping in his office until he tested negative within the CDC time line. (Stupid CDC.)

I didn’t test positive until almost a week after my headache landed. I thought I just had a headache.

If you are not vaccinated, you are not only an idiot, you are a menace to society. 

P. S. I just heard from Dr. Primary Care. The window for getting antibodies closed yesterday.

“I know you’re miserable,” she said, “But I think you’re just going to have to tough it out.”

Thanks for reading. Here’s hoping anything you need to tough out can be accompanied by ice cream.