The House of Plague Redux...

[shadowkat]

Tested positive for COVID this morning. It's definitely COVID this go around, no doubt in my mind. First of my immediate family to get definite positive test results. (But also the one most likely to get it - I live in the city and work out of a major international transportation hub.)

Crazy company gave me COVID, nifty. That was nice of them, don't you think?
(Although seriously it could have been anyone on the subways or trains at this point.)



Last week was notified that I'd been exposed to COVID. Seven to eight days later, began to exhibit symptoms on Thursday of this week.

After mostly a sleepless night, and feeling pretty much like crap this morning, I called in sick at work. Pre-Pandemic or in 2019, I would have drug my sorry ass into work and dealt. Why? We got penalized for calling in sick. (If we didn't produce an Sl8 form, points against us.) Post 2020, we don't do that any longer. They waived the SL8 form completely for COVID related illness. If you have COVID and they tell you to self-isolate for five days, and not to return until you fill out a form - then no, union form SL8 required. ) Also, I have over 1100 hours of accumulated sick time, and I decided at 4 am, it was just dumb and disrespectful of my coworkers, not to call in sick.

So did that.

Then prior to taking a shower and doing the neti-pot, decided to take the at home test. (The free one that the government sent me via USPS.)

First test box didn't have come with swabs (I do have Q-tips). So opened second box - which did. The iHealth is a touch more reliable than the BioMax, or easier to use, and comes complete with an app. Instead of dropping liquid on the card and inserting the swab, you insert the swab in the liquid canister, then drop the swab infected liquid on the card. Which frankly makes more sense. Followed the instructions and the test line was thick and clearly indicative of COVID. (There's too lines, Control and Test, if both are clear and show up - you have tested positive for COVID. While false positives are remotely possible, if you are exhibiting symptoms - you have it. No need for another test. ) Took a few pictures of it - since I have to upload a picture of the test to make it official. Crazy workplace doesn't make me get a PCR test, if I test positive with the at-home test - for obvious reasons. They don't want sick people traveling with symptoms to work to get a free test, and then traveling back. Been there done that - didn't have the best results.

Crazy workplace does require proof that you have COVID. So I had to fill out an Affirmation Form and take a picture of the test - sending it to them. This is harder than it looks.

For one thing, I had to get into my remote computer to fill out and sign the stupid PDF form, since I don't have an edit function for Adobe on my home computer. (Also my printer is on the fritz.) Then I had to take a picture of it and send it to myself, so I could attach that email to one that I was sending crazy org.

In addition I had to do a Q&A over the phone. I did it twice, once with the organization's COVID Hotline, and one with my department's HR. Basically - if I'd exposed anyone at work, when symptoms started, when I tested, if I was vaccinated, which vaccine I had, the dates of the vaccine.

Once all this was done, they ordered me to self-isolate and stay home until May 11. If I was still feeling ill at that point, they'd discuss extending.
And I'd have to fill out a return to work form.

After doing all of that? I notified my Doctor, who asked me to send proof of the test, my pharmacy information, ethnicity - so she could get me an anti-viral agent - Plaxoid, which was known to help with COVID symptoms if taken within 5 days of developing symptoms. So, did all that - which required some figuring in regards to their website.

Then notified the Super to inform her to reschedule the door guys, who need to fix the new door which has a gap above it. (It looks fine to me.) They were coming tomorrow.

Then notified Wales - to let her know no movie for the next two weeks.

In the midst of all this took a shower, and had oatmeal. For lunch broth.
I took off the glucose sensor device, because my arm was bugging me and I didn't know why.


Well that was fun. How am I feeling? It feels like the same thing I had in December to be honest. Scratchy throat. Post Nasal Dip. Dull headache. Runny nose. Runny eyes. Fatigue (very tired). Throat is scratchy. No appetite. Brain fog. And an overall feeling of sluggishness. No voice. Congested. Basic upper respiratory bug or bad head cold. I'm sitting in my armchair, in joggers, comfy t-shirt, under a blanket with my uggs fuzzy flip flops on. (My father gave them to me Xmas of 2020, when he was still more or less cognitively aware.)

I ache, but I was aching before this thing manifested. So I've decided that's probably a combination of the weather and how I'm sitting at work. (I was revising a contract for three days straight, and had neck issues as a result.)

Doctor promised anti-viral, but a lot of pharmacies had run out - next shipment due soon. So waiting on confirmation. For some bizarre reason she required my ethnicity to order it.

**

Ah well, I can binge television shows, sleep, and relax. Hopefully by next Wednesday, I'll be ready to return to work. I'm not that worried about work - considering work gave it to me. I wasn't sick at all in 2020-December 2021, it wasn't until I had to go back en mass to work, and visited mother, that I got sick.

Comments

[iddewes]

Hope it will be mild like it was with us and you’ll feel better soon!

[shadowkat]

I think it will be - since triple jabbed, and I had a lot of antibodies going in.

[elisi]

Hope you feel better soon. And it shouldn't be too bad, since you're all jabbed up, but still take it easy. The fatigue is real, and not resting enough is apparently one of the things that can trigger long covid.

So your plans sound perfect <3

[shadowkat]

The fatigue is the worst part. And the brain fog.

[yourlibrarian]

Hope it remains manageable. Figures that the anti viral is unavailable given how many places the stock is just sitting there unused. That was definitely a lot of hoops to jump to notify everyone once you knew you had it!

[shadowkat]

Yeah, the anti-viral isn't available via my Wallgreens at all. My brother offered to call all the pharmacies in the area - but I don't know.

Having COVID is kind of exhausting. On the other hand - it is easier with work place, they let you stay home to get better without any penalty, and you need to sign a form to come back.

[svgurl]

I'm sorry you're going through that! I hope you have minimal symptoms and a quick recovery! In the meantime, your plans sound like a good way to spend your time.

[shadowkat]

Thanks. I hope so too. Right now, it's mostly a bad head cold and upper respiratory.

[cjlasky7]

Auuuuuuugh!

All right... You're fully vaxxed, so I'm pretty sure you'll be okay.

Take care of yourself and de-stress. You now have medical permission to catch up on every movie and TV show on your DVR.

Let us know how you're doing. We worry.

[shadowkat]

Thanks.

And yep, no Doctor Strange movie until end of May or June at this point. Wales was upset, because I can't see Northman with her.

I have a lot of movies and tv shows on streaming too. (Which I may switch to soon - because the commercials on cable are driving me nuts. Hulu is really selling Candy.)

Right now it's mostly fatigue, headache and bad head cold. Also I can't talk. It's very similar to what I had when I visited Mom in December. Except I don't have the stress of getting on a plane and getting home.

Smart both times - I called in sick today, didn't try to go to work - which my workplace appreciated. And in December rescheduled my flight - which the airline appreciated, although they charged me for it.

[atpo_onm]

What cjl and others have said, take care of yourself and de-stress!

Rest, recover!

<img src='https://atpo-onm.dreamwidth.org/file/20

[cactuswatcher]

Well, naturally... a month or so after you end your COVID journaling you get it. I hope it's nothing serious and just a good excuse to stay home for a bit.

[shadowkat]

Ironic, isn't it? Oh well. It is a good excuse to binge television.

Had celery, onion, zucchini noodles, and chicken broth for dinner. And pomegrant seeds for desert. Also lots of tea and water.

Doc says to hydrate. And been told to not sleep constantly. Stay upright. So, hopefully will pass without fail...

[jesuswasbatman]

Well, that's crap. Hope you get well soon.

[shadowkat]

Thanks.

[mtbc]

Hope the television's a pleasant distraction for the next few days, very glad you're getting Paxlovid.

[shadowkat]

No, not getting paxlovid - they don't fill it.

But I'll be okay.

[dar_vidder]

I'm so sorry to hear you have covid. I hope you bounce back quickly. :)

[shadowkat]

thanks.

[trepkos]

Damn - you tried so hard to avoid it. I hope you are feeling better soon.

[shadowkat]

Yep. Dumb workplace and co-workers, who didn't care and weren't trying.

[lizzybuffy2008]

Sorry to hear about the COVID. You and someone else I know that had not had it before both tested positive this week (they are young-ish and have nothing more than a sore throat.) It makes me wonder if we are all destined to get it?

I hope you feel better soon. Make sure you have people checking on you.

[shadowkat]

Mother calls daily, and I've been texting with my niece and with Wales. Also with my brother. Plus crazy workplace. And the super knows I have it.

But it's fairly mild so far - like a bad head cold. In past years, I went to work and did stuff with it. Heck at Christmas - I did stuff with it.

The worst part is the fatigue and brain fog - but I always get that with head colds.

Cases are on the rise in NY and the US again - because of the BA.4 and BA.2 variants, which are highly contagious, but fairly mild.

And yeah - with how the world and the US is handling the pandemic and the virus? We'll all get some version of it eventually. If everyone stepped up and got vaccinated and wore masks from the get-go, this wouldn't be happening. The variants happen because people aren't taking precautions and are too dumb to realize that's how the virus mutates into various variants.

Most humans are idiots. I probably got this from either Chidi or Leo, who were busy gallivanting about without a mask, and rarely wore one in the workpace. Chidi has no sense of personal space.
They are both vaccinated, but Chidi was going to movies with a group of friends, and Leo was working as security at concerts on weekends and weeknights on top of his current job, also traveling to and from Florida.

That's the problem.