January 27th - Finley, January 20th - Dana, February 4th - Jeff
 |
| Finley's first test before taking her to the dr. - very faint line |
The COVID bug finally got us after almost two years of avoiding it. Finley went to school Monday-Wednesday last week, but her class was closed starting Thursday, January 27th due to a COVID exposure. We received the email Wednesday night and as luck would have it, Finley woke up with a fever, runny nose and slight cough Thursday morning. We did a rapid at-home test and came back positive (even though it was a very very faint line). I headed to school to get plans ready knowing that I would be out several days, but I was sent back home since Finley was presumed positive and I had been exposed. I was able to hide in my room for a few minutes and get some papers ready for the sub. During this time I also called Finley's doctor who wanted to see her and run a PCR test. Jeff took her in at 9:00 am while I was finishing up at school. She did well with her appointment and even wore her mask for a good portion of it! The PCR test was not pleasant at all, but they got it done. Finley's PCR results came back positive at 8:30 that night. We've had such bad luck with testing in the past - taking 3-5 days to get results, but this was much better. She had a decent day, but she was worn out with a runny nose and fever. She certainly had a rough time trying to sleep at night and we had to do her saline spray, snot sucker, and alternate Tylenol and Motrin.
Friday was much of the same for Finley. Jeff went to work, but came home at 4:00 pm so he would be here to help out at night. She still woke up a few times but was definitely better than the first night. Jeff got up with her at 4:00 am and held her on the couch until 7:00 am. She seemed to be doing better Saturday and did not need any Tylenol at all. However, she still had that "sick look" and didn't have all of her energy back. Saturday night I started to feel like my grip was weak, some possible drainage in my throat and that I might have some body aches. Jeff and I had been over analyzing every little ache and pain trying to decided if we were getting it so I wasn't really confident if I really was sick or it was in my head.
I ended up waking up at 3:00 am Saturday feeling absolutely horrible. My entire body hurt and it hurt to lay my head on the pillow. I took some Tylenol and went back to sleep thinking maybe it was just the way that I was sleeping. It was clear when I got up though that something was off. As soon as the Tylenol started to wear off the body aches came back along with chills, drainage in my throat, and a fever. The strangest part was nerve pain in my feet and weakness in my hands, especially on my right side. The night before it felt like I couldn't feel my calf and right foot. Luckily, the body aches and chills would subside with Tylenol, but then my head/neck would hurt and I felt extremely fatigued. I took a rapid test in the morning and it immediately turned positive. At that point I had to talk to my administrator and figure out when I could return to school. My return date was set to Feb. 10th, ten days from the onset of symptoms. Hopefully they will renew COVID leave so that I do not have to use my sick days. Saturday afternoon I went to the assessment center to get a PCR test done so that I will have those results for work. Saturday night I started to get congested.
Sunday morning I woke up with a fever, a cough (burning in my chest) and fatigue. Sunday was a rough day between the congestion and aches. I did not do much and made sure to stay on top of the Tylenol and Advil. I had a fever of 100.5 that would drop to 99.5 with medication. My mom dropped of juice to make a pineapple cough concoction and some chicken noodle soup.
Monday morning I felt a little better, but that seems to be the case most mornings when I am sick. My cough was pretty nasty - productive and wet at times. I continued drinking the pineapple juice, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper concoction that my mom recommended. It did help the cough temporarily at least. Midmorning my hands, feet, and head got numb and tingly again. I also got really lightheaded at the same time and it took an hour of sitting down to start to feel better. Jeff went to the store to get me some guaifenesin cough expectorant. We were hoping that it would help break up the mucus and allow me to cough more of it up or thin what was in my sinuses. The sinus pressure was awful by Monday night. Both sides were completely blocked, my head was throbbing and I couldn't even really eat my dinner because I couldn't breathe. I had been using saline nasal spray all day long, but the mucus was still really sticky. Add in the cough and I was pretty miserable. Monday night I had a difficult time sleeping between the coughing and inability to breathe through my nose. We even set the humidifier up right next to my head.
Tuesday morning, some of my energy started to return and by some I mean minimal but enough to tell a difference. I was able to breathe through my nose better even though I was still coughing, but I also had an increased shortness of breathe that started the night before. I could hear myself breathing and had a hard time eating again because I felt like I couldn't get enough air in. I did get up and walk around the neighborhood with Finley, Marley and Jeff but it wore me out. At this point, I know Jeff was starting to go a little stir crazy trying to entertain Finley and not get anything else accomplished. He was able to work on our generator box a little during her nap. I also had a burning sensation on my leg that would not go away. It felt very sensitive like it had been sunburned but it wasn't red. This continued for days.
I slept better Tuesday night and woke up less congested Wednesday morning. I still had burning in my chest, cough and shortness of breath, but it was improved. As usual as they day went on I got tired and felt worse. Wednesday through Friday each afternoon I had weird sensations in my head (waves, pressure, my head felt puffy etc.) and felt very agitated. COVID is so weird! The agitated feeling lasted for about 6 hours each afternoon and it was very frustrating. The best I felt was right before bedtime.
Friday Jeff got a PCR test after his home test was negative. He woke up with some congestion/drainage in the middle of the night and did not feel well. However, he felt better throughout the day other than some drainage. I continued to have the agitated feeling.
Saturday morning (my birthday), I had planned to sleep in past 5:30 when Finley gets up, but no such luck. Jeff woke up at 4:45 nauseous and then got a headache. I tried to go back to sleep but Finley woke me up at 5:15 and I sent Jeff back to bed to try to feel better! Thank goodness I felt better for the most part! Jeff ended up with body aches all day and did not really move from the couch. They called and his PCR was positive and the home test he took before they called was positive. They offered him antibodies, but he declined. I don't know why they didn't offer them to me earlier in the week, but I would have taken them. He will soon realize that this is no walk in the park. It definitely did not end up being the birthday that I had expected!
Sunday morning Jeff woke up early because he had severe congestion and a sore throat. He ended up sleeping on the couch for a while and taking more medication. The day was miserable. I called the hospital to check on antibodies, but they said we had to wait until the clinic opened on Monday. He had an extremely sore throat, body aches, fever, and congestion. Even with Tylenol and Advil he still had a fever and chills. I got him some throat spray and lozenges from CVS, but they only brought temporary relief. I was completely exhausted at the end of the day from entertaining Finley all day when I hadn't fully recovered myself.
Jeff ended up on the couch or loveseat most of the night because he couldn't sleep due to the congestion - runny nose and drainage in his throat. When I got up with Finley at 5:30 he went back to bed. I woke up with a terrible headache and stuffy nose at 2:00 AM and didn't think I would ever go back to sleep. Jeff had zero improvements throughout the day. We waited on a phone call from the monoclonal antibodies infusion clinic, but they weren't able to fit him in.
Tuesday morning, we finally got the call and Jeff was able to get the infusion. It took almost two hours between the infusion, fluids and then the observation period. He said that his throat was already feeling better by the time he got home. The infusion definitely made a significant change for him. Over the next two days his congestion lessened and the only real remaining symptom was his cough and tiredness.
Wednesday, Jeff rested and continued to feel a little better. I unfortunately started getting headaches and a migraine. After dealing with them for two days, the neurologist called in a prescription for steroids to try to get them to calm down from the inflammation from COVID.
I went back to work on Friday, the 11th. I'm glad I tried to do it on a Friday because by 2:00 pm I was exhausted, dizzy and my head felt funny again. The headaches are just so strange. They come and go in intensity and give me a foggy feeling.
Jeff has also been reporting the foggy feeling and inability to focus or concentrate. COVID brain is definitely a real thing. It has been happening to both of us in the afternoons. I even had a hard time filling out a paper form at school because I couldn't "think". As of Sunday morning, my head seems to have improved from the steroids. I have 5 days left and I am hoping that it continues to work!
