So that was fun…

Finally, I have tested negative for COVID. Last Monday, I started to get a scratchy throat. Then by Tuesday, I had a bit of a fever. Wednesday and Thursday, I had a high fever. Then it was a lot of coughing and exhaustion. I didn’t actually test until well into the illness. I think after the fever started because at first I really thought I just had a cold.

I spent the entire time in my bedroom. I didn’t eat much because of the nausea. It was a nasty bug. It’s been a while since I have been that sick. It was a little concerning with the fever, but it didn’t get bad enough to seek medical help.

There is a big part of that week that I don’t even remember. Luckily, we are still doing online learning. I actually only took Thursday afternoon off. I had a class in the morning I wasn’t able to find cover for because it’s a self-contained class. Most of my classes, I work as a support teacher, so it’s easier to step out online.

I did not leave my room for the entirety of the illness. Anything I needed was left outside my bedroom. My helper found Lysol (brings back memories of my mother spraying us when we were sick when we were kids) and I think the can is almost empty. Ha!

We are supposed to report the illness to the government. The scary thing is that the government is supposed to then put you in a quarantine facility or hospital. Right now, all of that is so overwhelmed, so I’m not sure what we are actually supposed to be doing. Most people, it seems, didn’t report. Though looking at the postings in my building, it would seem that a lot of people are able to quarantine at home.

There are articles saying they estimate about 3.4 million people have had the Omicron variant this time around. I would guess that would be pretty close. In reading the articles, there are plenty of unidentified people (I don’t blame them for staying anonymous) who chose to stay home during their illness.

Even now, having Covid seems to make you a pariah. People are embarrassed to admit they have had it like they did something wrong. When I realized I was sick, I was terrified and very ashamed. I had actually not left my house in over a month until a few days before I got sick, I did go to the grocery store because they were talking about having a lockdown and universal testing the day after Bub’s birthday. I wanted to make sure we had what we needed for Bub’s birthday cake.

The grocery store required no public transit or anything. It was a short walk right outside my housing compound. I thought it would be safe. Wore a mask. Washed my hands. Didn’t touch anything I didn’t need to. I was careful. I kept myself and my kids shut inside to keep us from getting sick. I did what I was supposed to do, and I still got it. My helper goes to the store, but she hasn’t gotten sick.

I’m sort of glad it’s over. I know I can get it again, but I think it’s less likely at this point. I’ll be getting us in for the 3rd jab as soon as we can.