December 19, 2021 - It Finally Caught Me

I’ve debated when and if to share this, but that doesn’t make much sense. If you’ve followed me from the beginning, I’ve certainly never held back or have been shy.

As I write this, I am sitting in my bedroom isolated from my family, while we all enjoy the life of being quarantined. I have finally contracted the dreaded Covid virus. What they say is true, the new strain is very contagious.

For the curious, I am fully vaccinated (Pfizer), including the booster. When I learned of possible exposure, I began testing at home. On Wednesday, it was negative. On Thursday night, it was positive. On Friday morning, I contacted Mayo immediately, and they recommended the monoclonal treatment as soon as possible. I received that infusion on Friday at 11AM.

My symptoms began with a little congestion and stuffy nose. That continued Friday and Saturday. Saturday, I began to feel worse. I just felt lousy, fatigued, and had a screaming headache. I was told that the monoclonal treatments start showing improvements in 24-48 hours. I can confirm that is true for me.

I slept a good 8-9 hours last night, which is rare for me. I awoke without a headache and feeling much better today. I still have a stuffy/runny nose. I feel like I have a cold. I have not had a fever at all, and my pulse/oxygen is running 98-100%. And, I have lost my sense of taste and smell.

Now it is a waiting game to see if my symptoms continue to improve. I am looking forward to the quarantine ending and seeing a negative test. We are wearing masks in the house, but I am truly isolated from Jamie and Mason. Thankfully, they are both negative. Jamie continues to test out of caution.

Emotionally, this has been exceptionally hard. Exactly one year ago, my sweet sister-in-law, Jackie, was in the hospital fighting for her life against Covid. Sadly, she lost that battle. The timing is ironic.

Emotionally, it became real. On Friday afternoon, I had to tell Mason about my testing positive. It was heart wrenching. Tears immediately spring to his eyes, as he asked me, “Are you going to die like Aunt Jackie?” All I wanted to do was pull him in my arms and hug him, but I couldn’t. I reassured him that I have a milder case, and that I received treatments early. I told him that since I was vaccinated, we didn’t need to worry. Although those words came out with conviction, I couldn’t help but pray that my words would be proven true.

I am hopeful that this virus will continue to treat me kindly. I will update as I come out on the other side of this. I am proof that being vaccinated doesn’t make you invincible. Be cautious. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. May you all stay safe.

Before Covid - Merry Christmas!