Oh man, I’d done so well. I had Covid once back in April of 2022 and have somehow skirted it ever since. I’m not sure how – I work in healthcare and have three kids that are pretty effective germ factories. Maybe that keeps the immune system ticking over? I remember being somewhat surprised at how relatively minor it seemed the first time I had it – a minor cough, weird headache and some muscle aches were my only real complaints. I guess in hindsight, I’d only had a booster jab a couple months before catching it that time around.
I’ve had a lot of colds recently, and so when a minor cough developed at the tail end of a 7 shift run, I didn’t really think anything of it. At most, I figured I was probably brewing a bit of a chest infection after a recent cold. I still thought the same thing when I had some muscle aches kick in later that day. Heck, I still thought the same thing when I began to feel weirdly tired. I did however start questioning things when I got a migraine and began shivering uncontrollably while wearing a jacket in a warm room.
I went home, slept a weird fever muddled sleep and woke up feeling like a new man. Well, a newly dead man. Yeah, whatever this was it was kicking my butt this time around. No energy, a weird headache and just an overwhelming whole body ache were my gifts for surviving the night. The following morning I completely lost my sense of taste and smell – which I never had the first time I had Covid. It was super weird – I couldn’t taste but I could tell if something was sweet or bitter. I took a rapid test and it was an immediate positive.
Naturally I’d get sick the first Christmas that I’m off in a few years. Fortunately, a few days of rest and I’m basically back on my feet and ready to tackle the world again – but still feeling more run down than the last time I caught it.
So all this to say, hey – catching Covid still sucks. Stay home if you’re sick, wash your dang hands and keep up to date on your boosters.
Stay safe and healthy this holiday season!
