TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID-19, NOW WHAT?

After two years of avoiding COVID-19 and working as a research assistant on the front lines, I finally tested positive on December 29, 2021. Although I am fully vaccinated (waiting to schedule my booster) I am honestly grateful that I was at least infected at a moment in time where ground-breaking research has paved the way for the creating of vaccines and the first oral antiviral against the virus. So while I am out of work for the next week and a half I thought it would be best to spend this time documenting my experience with COVID-19. I decided to document my experience to give readers out there some insight as to how to manage the symptoms and mitigate the spread of the virus to members of your household during quarantine. 

So here's how it all began: 

• December 22, 2021: Before the holidays my family and I decided to test two days before visiting family members outside of our household. I was feeling normal a few days prior even after working my shift at a nearby clinic providing COVID testing. I did have a slight sore throat but it was nothing for me to worry about and it went away later that day. 
• December 23, 2021: Felt fine. No sore throat, no headaches, no worrisome symptoms at all
• December 24, 2021: Our PCR test results from the 22nd came back negative 
• December 27, 2021: We returned home after spending my daughters first Christmas with family 
• December 28, 2021: I went to work and as expected after a holiday, the clinic was packed with patients for urgent care and COVID testing. Now, this is the day I believe I caught the virus. Although I wear PPE (personal protective equipment) I did notice that a few patients would sneeze and/or cough on me. Every time this happened I quickly sanitized my gown and carefully removed my gloves. I make sure to change gloves per patient getting tested to avoid cross-contamination. I also sanitize my workspace and all pens and clipboards being utilized by patients and staff. However, as soon as my shift ended I had the worst sore throat I've ever had in my life. The soreness went deep down in my throat and I was feeling fatigued. To be safe I began wearing my mask in the house and even slept with it on. That night I felt feverish and had chills throughout my body. But what stood out to me the most were the body aches and persistent chest pain. 
• December 29, 2021: Body aches continued and the chest pain did not go away. I tried to buy an at-home rapid test, but every pharmacy in my county was out of stock and wasn't sure when they would be getting another shipment. I felt super fatigued and noticed my breathing was quite shallow, although it didn't feel like it took a lot of effort to take a breath. (I do not have a pulse oximeter so I couldn't measure oxygen saturation levels). I ended up going to the clinic where I work and asked them to do a rapid and a PCR test. After 15 minutes the rapid came out positive, there was a faint second line but it was there. Tears started rolling down my face because the last thing I wanted to do was bring COVID into my home. I was mostly scared for my 6-month old daughter who is too young to be vaccinated and the thought of her being hospitalized made me panic. I knew that I had to somehow isolate myself in our one-bedroom apartment to avoid infecting my family. After getting tested, I told the nurse to do a PCR on both my husband and my daughter for precaution.

SIDE NOTE: On the morning of the 29th at around 8:50 am my temperature was 96.3. Later that night at 7:28 pm my fever spiked to 101.8 followed by chills and night sweats, increased chest pain, and mild cough.

• December 30, 2021: My PCR test came back POSITIVE, while my husband and daughter's PCR test came back NEGATIVE. I ended up taking multiple naps throughout the day and lost my appetite. Luckily, I could still smell and taste however I was neither hungry nor satiated, but I knew I had to force myself to eat. Later that day I also started to feel congested and had a runny nose. To alleviate symptoms I took Emergen-C, NyQuil, and Mucinex sparingly throughout the day. I also did my best to stay hydrated by drinking water and sipping on tea. 

SIDE NOTE: At 8:29 am, the temperature was 97.9 and at 6:27 pm it was 99.4. Something I also noticed that I hadn't before, was that COVID affected my heart rate. I wear a Fitbit throughout the day and as I went out for a short walk my HR spiked to 127 BPM. While resting my heart rate goes down to about 77-86 BPM. I am hoping I do not have any cardiac-related issues post COVID, so this is something that I will make sure to monitor regularly. 

• December 31, 2021: Happy New Year's Eve! I tried to enjoy the night as best I could, but I ended up going to bed early before officially ringing in the New Year. Overall I felt better than I had most days. I have been experiencing a loss of appetite and have been trying to eat more meals and snacks throughout the day (which could explain why I felt lightheaded). I was, however, a lot more congested with a stuffy and runny nose. Therefore I would drink lots of ginger and garlic tea and Emergen-C packets and Mucinex to help alleviate that discomfort. In terms of my heart rate, I did notice that after adding garlic to my tea, my resting HR would be 56-65 on average and while minimally exerting myself it would spike to 89-100 the most. So that's an improvement!

SIDE NOTE: Morning temperature at 8:29 am was 98.3 and my evening temperature at 9:27pm was 99.4. I decided not to take any NyQuil that night in order to let the minor fever break on its own. And honestly, I felt more restful even though it took me a while to fall asleep. I did have minor chills,  but they definitely weren't as terrible as the first night!

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HOW TO MITIGATE THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 AT HOME 

1. Make sure the person who is infected is isolated (whether that be in a bedroom, or if that is not possible in a separate space in the apartment or house)

2. Make sure that all infected and non-infected persons are wearing a mask at all times. Also, wear gloves while sharing the same space (make sure to spray Lysol or alcohol 60% or greater on gloves frequently to avoid cross-contamination) 

3. Make sure to separate all utensils and items that the infected person has touched from items in the main house

4. DISINFECT, DISINFECT, DISINFECT 

5. Ventilate the space with a humidifier or keep a window or door open for at least 20 min every few hours 

6. Maintain a distance of 6 feet or more while wearing masks 

7. Continue to monitor the infected person and any new symptoms in others in your household 

*I am only stating what I have done so far in my home to prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, the CDC also has some guidelines on what to do and how long you should quarantine for click the link here for more information.*

Hope you all have a safe and healthy New Year! Let's hope the year 2022 is better for us all!