Vaxed & Boosted

I’ve been laying low and getting mega rest. Didn’t have much of a choice. When I started with a sore throat and fatigue, I thought I was worn down from traveling, the fun-filled weekend I spent in Miami, or from hosting holiday/birthday guests into January.

This was a Tuesday, I’d recover in a day or two, so I thought. I’ve gotten accustomed to the fatigue associated with my autoimmune disorders, so rest would do me good!

Thursday, my sore throat was gone but I was left with massive headaches, congestion, and continued fatigue. I thought this has to be yet another sinus infection brought on by allergies. My head was pounding – not to mention, if I sneezed or coughed (new/more symptoms), I was left isolated, throbbing headaches. I needed to sit down or fall down; that’s how dizzy I was. My equilibrium was off!

Now Friday, I didn’t feel better. I noticed I had lost my sense of smell and taste. I couldn’t taste my homemade Chicken Noodle Soup with Ginger – a family fav. I also noticed I didn’t smell a Bath & Body High Intensity Teakwoos candle. Something was definitely defective with my sniffer 👌🏽😄

I deliberated. I was twice vaxed. And because of RA, I was boosted in early October 2021. Perplexed. What if this isn’t a sinus infection? I started looking for places to get a COVID test. Palm Beach County websites provided locations while local news suggests car wait lines as long as 3-4 hours. The rise in Omicron cases was pushing testing facilities to the max. Damn. I called my primary Physician at the Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital to make an appt for a test. No answer. It was late Friday afternoon.

Saturday morning, I high tailed it the VA ER. Three hours later, I was given a COVID test, a Z pack for possible infection, zinc, and probiotics, which came in handy when I started throwing-up Sunday morning. I concluded, I sick with the Coronavirus….and I’m vaxed & boosted.

I started quartine after leaving the ER. When the VA called 5 days later (yup, 5 days for results) to tell me I was positive for COVID 19, I wasn’t surprised. My mother tested positive as well. Saw her for dinner, New Year’s Day. My daughter had a sore throat and flu like symptoms for 24 hours, then they went away. She too tested positive.

I caught up on needed rest. As an over extended introvert, quarantine provided the needed isolation to recharge. Now to stay healthy for the remainder of 2022.

I’m so grateful that my family member’s symptoms were mild. We didn’t need to be hospitalized. We were able to take care of ourselves. This pandemic has been relentless. Personally. I’ve loss family members. Best friends lost parents. Siblings said farewell to their brother or sister. My bout with COVID could have been much worse ❤️🙏🏽