COVID and I

After nine months of hearing about the coronavirus, it finally hit home.

I have joined a club of more than 700 Fayette County people who have tested positive for the coronavirus since March.

If my math is right, about 3-percent of the population here in Fayette County has had the virus.

I imagine every one of those stories is

For what it’s worth here’s mine. I feel like I’ve been very diligently wearing a mask and social distancing and I have no idea how I caught it

I had no inclination anything was wrong until I woke up at 2 a.m. Sunday morning with a headache, sore throat and chest congestion. I went and took my temperature and it was slightly elevated.

Over the next few hours, I tried to go back to sleep without much success, took some medicine, got up again and watched my temperature creep up a little every time I took my temperature.

I felt horrible Sunday, pretty much how I remember the flu feeling when I had that a few years ago, but with a lot more breathing discomfort and difficulty.

When I got tested, they put q-tips way up each nostril. Getting the results was like a punch to the gut Never had I wished for the flu or strep throat diagnosis before.

We’d kept our four kids home from school pending the test results. Now they are home for two weeks home quarantining.

Our five-year-old asked my wife if I was going to die.

The way the other kids looked at me sometimes made me think they were wondering the same thing.

Saturday night, just hours before I had started feeling bad, we had sat right next to my dad and mom in church. They are 80 and 79 years old.

I cried on the phone as I told my mom to watch for symptoms.

They are both fine as of now. We were all wearing masks.

Wednesday morning was the first time I haven’t had a fever since Sunday. My lungs still feel like they are coated in something. I still don’t feel like I’m thinking clearly, but that might not be a departure from the norm.

I didn’t lose my sense of taste and smell until Wednesday afternoon.

I miss them dearly.

Strangely, I’ve read that’s usually one of the first symptoms. For me it has been one of the last to arrive.

The doctor had told me to try to isolate in a separate room in the house, and use a spare bathroom if possible.

I didn’t have the heart to tell her that we have six people in our house, with four bedrooms and one bathroom. That type of math doesn’t work for isolation.

I’ve tried to keep my distance from them all. It’s a weird time, feeling like just your presence could be a danger, though they’ve done everything they can to push back that notion.

My favorite thing to do was lay in the hammock in the sun and really think about the process of breathing.

I wouldn’t wish the way I’ve felt the last few days on anybody, and I consider myself relatively healthy. I hate the thought of other people having to try to battle this, especially those that are older or have more health problems, or people that don’t have the support system I do. Please wear masks and social distance as much as you can until, hopefully, the vaccine arrives soon.

The good news is that my wife and kids, as I write this Wednesday, still don’t have any symptoms.

The school has loaned us three laptops, and all four kids have separated to their own little nooks of the house to do their school work.

Tuesday was our daughter Ella’s 17th birthday, a much more subdued celebration than normal. I feel really bad because she has worked really hard to get ready to march with the high school band at their district competition that day, but could not attend.

She had wanted a Weikel’s lemon meringue pie instead of a birthday cake this year. Someone picked it up for us, leaving it sitting outside for us to bring in.

One of my sisters brought us pizza, and other family members have offered to help in any way they can.

Next week the kids are off from school all week anyway for Thanksgiving break.

My sister has volunteered to deliver a Thanksgiving meal on the holiday.

I wonder if I’ll be able to taste the turkey by then.

Regardless, there’s lots to be thankful for.

And so much yet to do to feel worthy of it