Getting COVID and Getting Rid Of It

          INTERRUPTING MY ENDLESS BLOGGING ABOUT OUR COLORADO TRIP:

They say that sooner or later everyone will test positive for COVID, so you could say I was due. I worked daily as a courier wearing a mask for 15 months making deliveries to many places including almost daily to two hospitals. As an Uber driver I took off 10 weekends at the outbreak of COVID and then wore a mask while giving maybe 4,000 rides.  A number of riders said they had had COVID and several said they had it twice.  One young woman did scare me when she said she had it three times, which made me wonder what she was doing and how quickly I could get her out of my car.

I've had the two vaccines and two boosters, the last one was the week before our trip to Colorado.  After returning from Colorado later Thursday afternoon, I did my normal Uber driving Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  You would think after driving 1,800 miles over three days, I would not drive another 1,000 miles the next three days, but I was looking forward to it.  It was a good weekend, very busy, and I had no problem heading home early Sunday evening.

Where I got COVID I'll never know for sure, but the odds would be in favor of me getting it over the weekend in my car. It could have been going into a bathroom or on the way home from Colorado, but I'll never know.  Later Sunday afternoon, I had a few long rides and did a lot of talking and was clearing my throat.  I thought it was from talking a lot, but when I went to bed that night it seemed more like a cold and I had a slight runny nose. I'm rarely sick, so I could tell it was something.

Monday I definitely felt like I had a little cold and took a test at home that said I was positive.  I'm always positive, but this wasn't the right positive.  I got a test from a Walgreens and was waiting for the results when I reached my doctor's office.  They would not get me any medicine until I had confirmation that I had COVID and a short time later I called them back to confirm the results.  It took more than 24 hours for them to get the order for medicine in, probably waiting for a doctor to okay it.  I'm pretty sure up north I would have gotten better service.  If my doctor's office is lucky, I won't be in there in the near future to complain about their service.

DAY 1: Very mild symptoms throughout, my appetite was not what it usually is. I had a small chicken dinner which tasted great.  Since my taste buds were different on Day 2, I can only assume chicken is stronger than COVID, but I could be wrong. I started wearing a mask in the kitchen and staying away from my wife to protect her.

DAY 2: All symptoms were worse and I think I had temperature too.  Took my first of ten doses of medicine late afternoon.  The salmon at dinner did not taste normal, it was a little off.  My taste buds weren't gone, but different for sure.  

DAY 3: My symptoms reduced and I slept well but I did not feel like a slept well.  I wasn't really tired, but didn't feel rested. The taste in my mouth was very strange and changed during the day, appetite was light, but I ate.  

DAY 4 - Day 6: A headache from time to time, stuffy nose was gone, but still the taste in my mouth was not right.  Food and drinks seemed to be about 80% of their normal taste. Just a little bit of a cough remained.

DAY 7: Finished the 10 doses of medicine and took a test at home and I was still positive. It was frustrating because I'm feeling good and by the end of the day my taste buds seemed better.

DAY 8: Taste buds seem normal, even when I ate salmon.

DAY 9: I'm free, I'm free at last. Ok, I'm thrilled. My negative test came through about 10:15 am and the first thing I did was give my wife a big hug. I've got to get a bunch of those in today to make up for the last 8 days.

I did go out early this morning for a half hour walk and I did get some other exercise indoors during my time with COVID. I mowed the lawn on the first day and I'll be mowing it again Wednesday or Thursday. I'm all caught up from being away for ten days also. Lastly, on the way home from Colorado, I was trying to figure out how I'm going to find more time to work on my book and well, mission accomplished. I've done a lot of writing the last nine days, back to driving on Friday morning.