in which there's clockwork.
whelp, i'm not sure what i expected, overall, from Covid 19.
(whoah, did that sound like the opening line to a review, or what?)
i'm not sure what i expected from SARS Co-2, but i think i expected it to be way less like a middling flu/bad cold, and more like something... 'new'? i have to admit, the order in which the virus attacks - and thus the symptoms it engenders - IS new, for me. i mean, this is my first bout with it, despite my rather hazardous profession. i'm completely vaxxed, but only once-boosted. as soon as i started reading about BA4 and BA5, i thought about racing to Kinney's and grabbing a booster, but-
(SWING AND A MISS, STRIKE ONE)
honestly, i'm OK with this (well, what choice do i have, but i mean... i was due, and others have had it worse). the friend i went to the movie with on Sunday did NOT catch it (so far, KNOCK ON WOOD) and my Wednesday client will probably know soon if she's out of the woods. my mother - despite having to be repeatedly lectured - has given me space and is not complaining of a sore throat and vicious fever, so maybe we'll catch a break there? i had to cancel a client yesterday and have decided to cancel clients tomorrow even if i test negative because i just don't want to risk anyone and i can probably reschedule them pretty easily.
i'm also still sick, albeit a HELL of a lot better. to whit:
Wednesday ~ 6am: what the hell is this sore throat? this is weird
Wednesday ~ 10 am: OK, test is negative. must be from my crying jag yesterday
Wednesday ~ 3 pm: (takes temperature) WHOAH. WTF?
Wednesday ~ 9 pm: can i die now? (Now featuring: Sinus Pain!)
Thursday ~ 1 am: no, seriously (The Return of Sore Throat)
Thursday ~ 5 am: (having monitored temp every hour or two, it's down a degree on average) OK, f*cking finally.
Thursday ~ 8 am: OK, i'm not just sitting the f*ck around. i got stuff to do.
Thursday ~ 9 am: or maybe i'll just sit in front of the computer and play with video
Thursday ~ 3pm: why can't i sleep? oh, fever is still 100.6? Fair. Eat? what? uh...
Thursday ~ 9 pm: we're DOING this sleep thing. you hear me?!?!
Friday ~ 2 am: or, maybe not.
Friday ~ 5 am: hey! fever's down to 99.2! WEED THE GARDEN
Friday ~ 8 am: WTF was i thinking?
Friday ~ 10 am: OK, i need to de-Covid my room to the best of my ability
Friday ~ noon: now i need to just sit here for a bit. quietly.
Friday ~ 3pm: let's eat something.
Friday ~ 5 pm: sorta. let's uh, hang that laundry, though.
Friday ~ 9 pm: BED.
Saturday ~ 2 am: (wakes up with stuffy nose and sore throat again) bed?
Saturday ~ 5 am: can i get myself iced coffee and hot tea before mom gets up? (answer: no)
Saturday ~ 6 am: (steps on scale) whoah.
--
so, yeah. i definitely have stuff in my chest that will need to be coughed up. i like a hot shower for that, and i'll get one in a bit. the Tussin is helping; i took it in sips most of the day yesterday, and i did a bit of coughing, but not too much. my chest is definitely heavy, but less so today than yesterday, and i've been trying to remember to take deep breaths occasionally. i'm also taking some herbal antivirals and antibiotics, though, so-
my conclusions: i can see where this thing can easily lead to pneumonia. seriously, people, i hope you're vaccinated and get the head's up and your immune system is on alert for it. i'm pretty sure i have BA5 (just from the symptom pattern, my vaxx history, and hearing it's out there in NY now) and it's no joke. i mean - it started like a joke - all subtle insomnia and coy sore throat - but it quickly devolved to WWE body slam. now, i take full responsibility for deciding to let my body just have at it, fever-wise. it's how i was trained as a health care worker, and (since my body never spiked ANY sort of reaction to the vaxx) i was concerned enough to let my immune system really go to school on this variant. that was my choice, but it's also the one good point about having had it: now i KNOW my body has patterned Omicron, and i'm fairly certain it's seen the (current) worst version of Omicron (unless, uh, 2.75 on the Asian sub-continent has more surprises than we know).
it's out there, peeps. stay safe. peace!