View RSS Feed

Barmy Blue's Bland Blog

At Last We Meet

Rate this Entry
We have covid. It's been about a week.
I noticed my Mum was a bit stuffy on Thursday. Getting a cold over the weekend. We went to the vet to get Yuki's teeth looked at. It looks like the gum is exploding slowly. It started as a little hole and kept going. We know her teeth are rotten but surgery is a huge risk so really we've been waiting for the point that the vet says that's it this MUST be done and we've mentioned it over the phone as it's progressed but this is the first time she's been able to see it. Mum was worried the gum's infected (well obviously) she already has a painkiller for emergencies but Mum hoped we could get some antibiotics. We did. The earliest it can be done is mid April and she may not survive so we have to hope all will be well. I went in too which I haven't been able to do for 2 years. They limited people because of covid AND I went in without a mask on. I had it but I didn't have time to tie it up. So I did what I always do in these moments and held my breath until it was on, which took a while so when I started breathing again I was breathing hard. I'm worried about that. I make our masks. It's only 2 layers of cotton fabric, any more is too hard to breathe, with wire at the bridge of the nose to form a much tighter seal (it's to prevent my glasses steaming up). So for all round coverage I think my masks are pretty good but I wonder if the material is as good. It does do pretty good at keeping my breath in. So maybe it's better than I think. I do hope so. I feel REALLY bad having not gone in wearing the mask. I had Yui and she'd just pooed and I was sanitizing my hands when the vet came and I didn't want to be rude and leave her standing at the door waiting for me especially since I'm normally waiting outside. To be honest it's likely the next time we go to the vet will be for Yui's tooth removal and that could be the last time I ever see her so I didn't want that to be the first time I go back into the vets. And when we do go in for the surgery I do want to go in as well because I'm going to want every bit of time I can have with my dog before. So yeah.
And Sunday was swimming. Mum's cold had gotten a bit worse but it's just a cold. It's a chesty cough. I look it up later and covid is a DRY cough so it's just a regular cold that came on a bit quick, clearly. Again we had our masks on and mum wasn't close to the swim lady, only a little at the start and end. I was closer to her to help with the dog but I wasn't sick. One good thing about it is that she had the doors wide open (which could lead to doggy escape antics) because it was warmer and it's really hot in there. Heated pool.
Well I might have been getting an irritated throat by then it's hard to remember exactly now.
Mum had monday off... actually THAT was vet day. She was a bit rougher. I think I cooked her soup. I didn't keep my journal updated on these things or at all so the exact timing of symptoms is a little tricky. As it had come on so quick we decided it would be best that she do a covid test Just in case. We still have some left from last year. 3 to be exact. (last year a colleague had been positive so the office had to get tested to be safe for work. She was fine. I did one before my booster because I had a sniffle. I've had a degree of sniffle for all 3 jabs, it's normal for me, change in seasons). So she did one. She did it a bit wrong. But it came up positive. Okay. Well she did do it wrong. So she decided to do another correctly next morning before work. Positive. Okay then. Called work and she's been off for a week. I went to bed as normal. Every time I wake up I feel like I MUST pee. So I woke up earlier than I wanted and decided I'd never get back to sleep worrying about whether or not I might wet myself if I fall back asleep (I have a fear of that. Last time I wet the bed I was far too old to be doing so and was very embarrassed. I dreamt I'd got up and gone to the toilet. Sat on the toilet and began peeing and then realized that something was wrong and that it had been a dream). So I got up to pee. And heard the TV on. Forget peeing. I went straight downstairs. I guess you tested positive then. Yep. By this point I don't exactly have a sore throat but it's irritated. It's a step below sore.
Mum's mostly had a chesty cough and stuffy nose. I had diarrhoea for 2 days. A sore throat. Which transitioned to stuffy nose and now dry cough.
My biggest fear when I have a cold is when you have a chesty cough and a blocked nose. You know when you cough and get all phlegmy and have to work so hard to cough and clear it out? Having that coincide with a snotty and/or blocked sinuses is terrifying. You need to use all the air you have to clear your air way one way or another and you can't take any more in. So yeah. When ever that has happened I've been terrified that I might die. But of course I haven't, so far. So when I have a cold I'm always relived that one phase starts clearing up before the other gets serious. It's usually nose then cough but has been known to go the other way round.
So yeah. I had to keep clearing my throat. I hope that's as bad as it gets. Nope. It moved to snot. My sinuses block up. That's been going on and off for 3 days now I lost sense of smell for a while because one sinus was blocked but able to breathe and the other nostril was snotted up. But once the other nostril cleared I had half a sense of smell. Depending on how my sinuses go I lose smell on and off. Mum had lost her sense of smell for a few days. I offered her things to sniff with no results. She caught a faint hint of a strong one. Some items (because I can't remember the details clearly otherwise I'd have mentioned the loss of smell and taste with her symptoms above) satsuma hand sanitizer (it's quite strong but not as strong as I wanted, I wanted to use her hand cream but that one wasn't opened so it wouldn't work), pink grapefruit soap and Vicks vapor rub. Nothing. She's getting it back slowly the past day or two.
When I woke up I knew something was wrong because I'd just refreshed the Olbas oil on the tissue by my pillow before bed and it lingers for at least 2 days in extreme potency (I've been a bit stuffy on and off over winter so I've been using it. It's 2 years out of date so loses it's potency a little quicker I think but it goes good for at least 2 days). When I woke up I couldn't smell it. It's usually so strong I have to turn away the first night (I use a bit too much). So I decided to do some tests based on the tests I gave Mum and this was the result.
Pink grapefruit hand soap. Nothing.
****.
Mouthwash. The faintest hint, like the ghost of long gone mouthwash.
****.
Vicks vapor rub. Nothing.
****.
And as I go downstairs just several repetitions of ****. It was the first word that came to mind and I just kept using it.
My sense of smell is very important to me (as it is to every one). I can usually smell some things that others don't notice right away. But my left nostril cleared and I was able to smell again and taste.
The cough WAS the worst thing about it for me until this nose blocking.
Once when I was a child I was alone in the living room at my childminder's. I had a cold and at this point it was manifesting as a bad cough. I had a coughing fit that made my eyes water. I'd had them before and I've had them since. It passed and I felt okay. Not long after and adult came in, saw my face and asked if I was alright. Yes. Well of course, the coughing fit you missed is over now. I realized it must've looked like I was crying.
Have you ever coughed so hard and so much that your eyes watered? I'm genuinely curious. I can't be alone in this. I have an extra tear duct so my eyes can water a bit more, that's why I wonder if this is normal for other people.
Surely you've had the one where you've coughed so hard you think you're going to be sick. It's much less common but it's happened. At the later stage of your cough when you're already worn out from days of coughing and your belly aches just at the thought of coughing and then one of those hits you and you wonder if you will ever stop coughing. and once you stop you HAVE to have a sharp intake of breath and it has to be through your mouth because it's already open and because you're nose won't take enough in and your throat catches and you start coughing again so next time you breathe more gently and you're fine. I'm hanging around that stage in the cold process. It's the part that usually comes towards the end. If this is all I end up having then I'll be unendingly grateful because I know people have died from this disease, drowning in their own lungs. What I've had to far just feels like a really bad cold. It's moved faster. The stages have been faster and stronger that I've had in the past. But I have had these kinds of symptoms at various points through out my life.
I've had head colds. I've produced excessive amounts of snot. I've coughed up phlegm (haven't had that yet this time but I might, mum has). I've had my nose so blocked I couldn't breathe. Coughed so hard I thought I would die. I know what to do to soothe my symptoms and I know that (if they're at this kind of strength at least) they won't kill me.
I've also had some aches and pains. They're the normal kinds of aches and pains I get but they felt a bit stronger and a little more frequent perhaps.
I've been a bit weak when I get up. That's a bit on and off because I haven't felt like that the past day or two but before that oh boy.
Thursday. My oh my. I'd decided to help my symptoms by wrapping up super warm in bed (I call it an artificial fever. Being a bit hotter than you'd prefer but it won't kill you and you can control it if it's too hot by kicking off a blanket or sticking your arm out or something to cool down a bit. It's probably dangerous do for a serious illness, I've never been worried until that day). So I'd bundled myself up in my winter bedding (it's been too hot to sleep like that for a month or so so I've just been using a regular duvet) 1 duvet folded over a bit. Another duvet with one side tucked into it so you can wrap yourself up as tight as you like and a blanket across the top mainly to hold the two duvets together because they overlap in the middle. Does make you sweat quite a bot though.
So yeah. Might have dehydrated myself a bit sweating. I hadn't eaten much the day before. 2 meals but no snacks of any kind and I'd been stationary for several hours before bed and then in bed and then it could also be a covid symptom. I wasn't exactly weak exactly. It was just more of an effort to do things and I felt tired. Drained. It took a while to perk up. I took a few hours to eat breakfast. Honey oats with a few raisins in. I was hungry but I didn't feel hungry in my stomach. I get like that sometimes if I leave it a while while feeling hungry.
I tried to get enough water but it will take time to process. You don't just have a drink and that's it instant hydration. Same for processing food. It will take time. I also worried my circulation was an issue. Later on when I felt better I had a little go at Ring Fit. Just gentle exercise. Big mistake. It was somehow awful and the effort hurt my head. I'd also spent the previous evening trying not to cough which isn't good and still hurts your stomach muscles. Anyway.
Once the water and nutrition were processed and I settled down I felt better but it took a while. Nothing felt particularly wrong I just didn't feel right really.

I have had some issues eating. At first it was an odd lack of desire to finish the oats in a timely manner. I had an irritated throat to start then later with my nose blocking it was hard to breathe. Not exactly hard but tricky. I don't want to breathe while there's food in my mouth because I worry I'll inhale it. But eating while mouth breathing with a dry throat and knowing that a coughing fit will block my throat for a little while but being unable to breathe through my nose at least. Terrifying thought. So I ate slowly then. And then belly aches from coughing interfering with my feelings of hunger (it usually happens with period pain. I usually can't tell I'm hungry until I burp the taste of empty stomach. It tasted like regular gas and a hint of stomach acid).
Usually I've only struggled to eat breakfast. Until Friday.
I had noodle soup. I love this soup. Nice and salty. (oh, I also wondered if the Thursday slump could be decreased sodium, I wasn't having salt and I've been drinking more and I heard a story a few days before about someone who'd had water poisoning but that was over weeks of drinking too much water but still. But having salt will dehydrate you. I ate three pretzel sticks just in case and had some water to counter the possible dehydration).
But this is Friday's story now. I felt okay on Friday. Ups and downs but good at dinner time.
Noodle soup. I decided to treat myself with a boiled egg like in the picture. A bit selfish but the eggs are out of date and need eating (gas prices have gone way up because of Events so I'm trying not to use the oven if I can help it). And a spring onion. It's the only fresh vegetables we have. We went shopping a week prior. The onions are actually 2-3 weeks older. I keep them in water to regrow so I can prolong their life and have ready access to fresh spring onion when ever I want. For a while at least.
It was great. And I was REALLY happy. then my sinuses blocked. And I couldn't breathe through my nose. And, as I was also coughing by this point, I couldn't risk eating and mouth breathing. On and off my nose would clear. Mostly one nostril randomly and I'd try to eat while I could. But the process of eating blocked the sinuses again. Had to have my head at a different angle to the one that cleared the nostril. So in the end it took HOURS before I finished my dinner. In the end it was stone cold and kind of looked like sick but tasted delicious still.
Since then I haven't struggled as much to eat.

Mum's adamant she'll go to work tomorrow. Can we really do that? Don't coughs and sneezes spread diseases? All of the covid restrictions for England were lifted but you are advised to take appropriate precautions. You can stop being infectious as early as 5 days or you could continue to be infectious up to 10 days the internet tells me. Under current guidelines she can take a lateral flow test after 5 days and if it's negative she can go back to work. Now that's a pickle. We only have ONE test left. So if it's clear then all is well. But if it's not then we have no more tests and you're not supposed to go into a pharmacy if you are infectious and we're not buying online if we can help it so yeah. To make matters worse You're supposed to report a positive covid test. I only found that out after Mum had disposed of her tests because you need to include the identity number of the test used. Realistically I should've thought of that but how would I know. So far for use covid is a thing that's happened to other people and we're not particularly close to anyone who's had it at the time and you don't hear about it so much anymore so you get lax. I started to fill in the form to see what it was about. Why did you take a covid test? None of the reason's listed are I had a cold and it turned out to be covid and I took the test just in case to protect my work colleagues. Sigh.
Oh by the way we called the vet and the swim lady once we knew just to warn them. They're the only ones we might have been close to. I would put the test and trace app on my phone but I don't take it out with me so it wouldn't know where I've been and/or who with. Mostly I don't go out. Only shopping. It's not required but we still wear our masks when we go out. I worked hard to make them (had to hand sew because we don't have a sewing machine) so I'm going to get a good use out of them if I can. I'm so glad we still do that. We could have infected people shopping too. Well we still might but the likelihood is less at least.
I wonder how we would have fared if we weren't double vaccinated and boosted. My Dad had covid last year...or the year before....they kind of blend into one don't they. And he said it was just like a bad flu for him. He was lucky.
So maybe it would've been the same for us. Buy maybe not. It's really not worth the risk.
I probably want to say something else but I think that's enough now.
Oh. The pressure in my head can get bad sometimes, especially if I have to put my head down. Coughing can really hurt it too but like it all that comes and goes.
I've been wondering how we got it. I'm 2-3 days behind mum but how long did we have it before symptoms showed? My dad's funeral is the obvious idea. The friend I labelled "Boiler Man" (he needs a more fitting name to show his significance) had a cough for example but there were others. We weren't wearing masks and there was hugging of people.
Also when my Uncle and his wife visited suddenly the day or so before they'd said they'd had covid 3 weeks ago. But I might have misunderstood that. Maybe they were cleared of it 3 weeks ago or they had it for 3 weeks.
Either way both events are a bit too long ago to be the cause. Internet says up to two weeks after infection. So unless we had it but weren't showing symptoms probably not. I've been a bit lax sanitizing shopping, leaving it a week if it's not perishable because I looked it up at the start and for the most part it lasted a week on surfaces but that might have changed since and with the variants and all. Who knows.
The thing is. I say I have covid. But I haven't actually had a test. It is ever so slightly possible that My mum has covid but I just have a bad cold. I very much doubt it though.

Updated 03-27-2022 at 06:31 PM by Bluebiird

Categories
Uncategorized

Comments

  1. tailor STATELY's Avatar
    So sorry about your dog. And COVID !
    Praying all works out for the best. You've been smart to get vaxed and boosted. I'm planning to get the 2nd boost as soon as it's authorized for we elderly here in the States. Yeah, with restrictions becoming lax I find I'm being a bit more lax too. Funeral attending... too many, and without masks. Only 1-due to COVID, my Brother-in-law who lived close. Sprinkle in a terminal cancer & heart disease (45 & 52) and a few due to old age (92 & 100) and a few others and it's been a lot of potential exposure. Church has become lax too with the lifting of restrictions. That may all change if the stats start creeping up like that across the pond (from my viewpoint). Get well, you and your Mom and dog, and be safe...
  2. Danik 2016's Avatar
    Sorry about Yul! And that you and your mother have caught Covid even with being careful as you were.
    Wish you all have good medical assistance and get well soon!
  3. Logos's Avatar
    Oh poor doggy I hope they have some relief from painkillers and antiB. Sounds like you're taking good care of yourself, I hope it's not covid! take care!