Menopausal Mother

 Welcome to another edition of Fly On The Wall group blog postings hosted by Karen of Baking In A Tornado. Today, three of us are welcoming you into our homes to see what a fly might see---or overhear!

As you have probably figured out from my blog post title, 'tis the season of COVID....and all the other nasty, viral illnesses going around. October has been interesting......to say the least. We were supposed to go camping near Tampa earlier this month, but then Hurricane Isaias swept through the Panhandle, and although it didn't hit Tampa, the weather was icky enough to prevent us from making the 4-hour drive up for a rainy, flooded weekend at the state park. Hated canceling, but whatever..... we still had fun.

And then COVID got me. BAD. But let me back this up a bit to the beginning---the happy part. We got to attend a super fun roaring 20's anniversary party at one of our fave bars---love the owner and the staff, plus it's a nice treat to see friends from the community all gathered there. ALWAYS a good time! 

Three days after the game, I woke with a sore throat. No big deal. Hubs was still in bed and said he felt too tired to get up. I chalked it up to laziness and reminded him that our grass was still in
desperate need of a haircut. 

By dinner time, my body felt like I'd been hit by a truck. I crawled into bed early, and that's when the real fun began. My skin was burning up, but I was freezing cold--so much so that even under four layers of blankets, I was shaking so hard I thought I was going to have a seizure. Within the hour, my head was pounding- the worst headache I've ever had (and I dealt with a lot of migraines in my early twenties). Of course, there was no sleep that night. The pain was too much, so I just curled up like a snail on the bed and felt sorry for myself. Ha! Little did I know that the worst was yet to come. 

In the morming, Hubs and I tested postive for COVID (ironically, we were both due for our yearly COVID booster and flu shot at the end of Oct. and had just set our appointments!). We quarantined and started on Paxlovid....and let me tell you, that stuff makes your mouth taste like you've been sucking on a rusty pipe (at least that was ONE thing hubs and I could laugh about during our illness). While Hubs rapidly improved, I got worse.... and worse. 

The next step was obvious--I ended up in the ER for chest X-rays, tests, and more breathing treatments. My daughter made me go--she was so upset by what was happening. Honestly, I felt like I was dying, and all I could think of was all those poor souls who lost their lives to COVID in 2020. There was no vaccine or Paxlovid, and no hope back then; I know how much they must have suffered. My trial was only a fraction of what they went through. Our version of COVID today is watered down compared to the 2019 virus, thanks to modern medicine. But I gotta say, it sure felt weird donning a mask again!

I kept my condition a secret because I knew my kids would freak out and worry too much. I didtn't say anything on social media either or to any of my friends or neighbors since people tend to treat you like you have leoprosy after you've been diagnosed with COVID. My oldest daughter figured it out pretty quickly though, sunce she calls me every morning before work--we are very tuned into each other and nothing gets past that kid. I swore her to secrecy though and both she and hubs were my rock through this frightening ordeal.

I never thought much about COVID after the pandemic passed. I actually got Covid in 2022 but was A-symptamatic, so I just shrugged it off as no big deal. I know better now. 

The good news is that I'm at 95% with only the lingering cough and a bit of a headache that doc said might stick around for several months- long-term COVID symptoms, oh joy! Don't make me laugh too hard though because I will surely start coughing, wheezing, and pee my pants. For real. 

The virus cleared up just in time for me to have the most loving birthday celebration with my family---I don't know how I got so lucky with the people in my life. 

In case you're wondering why I am telling you all of this---I'm sharing my story as a cautionary tale to those who are not proactive with their health (especially if you are older like me). My sister died from neglecting her body's pneumonia symptoms (she waited to get help until it was too late), and honestly, I don't know how she lived as many weeks as she did with the horrible chest pains and wracking cough---I couldn't stand it any longer and am so thankful I went to the hospital. 

There is another silver lining to this whole experience; AARP asked me to write an article about my COVID ordeal in the hopes that it will help bring awareness to others. You betcha I will! COVID is no joke, and I am happy to spread the word. Stay tuned for that article.....

Stay safe, my friends---it's flu season, so pay attention to your body and do your best to protect yourself from the viruses floating around. Love to all and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!