Dear Diary: COVID Edition

Well, it finally got me. I’m not quite sure where I was exposed, but my educated guess would be from a student I interacted with sometime last week. They’ve been in and out with the illness, and with the shortened isolation time, I don’t think they’re all coming back to school with a negative status. Masks can only do so much. Either way, it’s here now so I’m managing the best I can. I haven’t been able to do much at all, let alone write, which saddens me. I had a pretty good streak going until I got sick. Aside from the annoying and persistent cough, my symptoms are as follows:

  • nasal congestion

  • fever

  • chills

  • body aches

  • the worst headache I’ve ever experienced (It’s like a never-ending migraine.)

  • sneezing

  • runny nose

  • sore throat

  • nausea

  • fatigue

I still have my smell and taste thankfully (apparently that is common with the omicron variant). I test it out by lighting a candle daily and I keep something tasty nearby to try every now and then throughout the day. The isolation period is now 5 days, which does not seem long enough. Today was the first day I spent more time awake than asleep, and it’s day 4. So… I’m not quite sure how I’m going to get back to work on Monday, but hopefully, I have enough energy to push through. I also think I have to go fever-free with no meds, and I have not accomplished that yet either. I’m going to try and sleep tonight without taking anything. If I wake up in a pool of sweat, I’ll know that’s a fail. I’ve done a pretty great job of avoiding this disease, but I always knew my job would be the reason I’d catch it if I ever did. There are just too many uncontrollable variables in the teaching environment. Hopefully, this thing slows down, because while I may be healthy enough to fight it, it still felt completely debilitating for about 48 hours. I’m on my feet again today and hope I have more energy tomorrow to prep for the week. If not, I’ll have to call an audible.

Stay safe, and stay inside.

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