The HospitVALzation: Part 10, Final Thoughts

I am now 23 days out from the date I succumbed to the VIRUS. This is the best day I've had! Feeling pretty much normal, but with a little lingering dizziness. Not sure what that's from, since I had it before I got sick, too.

Seems I just had the misfortune of the Hick and Pony double-whammy. I'd gone about my business for over two years, daily trips to town for my 44 oz Diet Cokes and scratchers. Grocery shopping a couple times a week. No issues. The only sickness being a double ear infection in December. But THEN... Hick brought home a mild version of something that he caught from his Pony-House Worker, who said he'd had the VIRUS.

Hick and I were over that version in four days. Mild sore throat, fever in the 99s. Mainly a malaise and little cough, which was like throat-clearing. The Pony brought home a Post Office bug that had put five or more workers out. Let the record show that The Pony was always masked in the mail room, and had his shots. He missed one day of work due to fever and nausea. His original symptoms were loss of taste and smell the first two days, with sinus congestion and bloody snot. 

I caught The Pony version two days after I got over the Hick version. I think that was my downfall. Not quite over the first one when hit by the second one. Hick and The Pony were "lucky" to only have one version to deal with.

Genius and Friend in Pittsburgh caught the VIRUS the week after I did. They both had their shots. They'd been working from home since Christmas. Had groceries delivered. Rarely went out. BUT they walked two blocks to eat at a restaurant. Genius wore a mask that night, Friend did not. Of course Genius places the blame there, although everyone knows the VIRUS is too small to be stopped by a mask, short of somebody spitting or coughing directly into your face. 

Anyhoo... four days after the dinner, Friend got a scratchy throat and sickness. Two days after that, Genius got it. Lost taste and smell for two days. They took at-home tests, which were positive. Genius said he never had a fever. The worst part for him was a cough, and FATIGUE. "I'd get up and feel tired and lay down on the couch, and a couple hours later go back to bed. Even though I've been working from home, I couldn't do it. I had to call out sick. I didn't feel like eating anything. Maybe a half-pack of ramen noodles. I couldn't sleep because my chest hurt from coughing. My oxygen went down to 90 one day, and I pondered whether I should go to the hospital, but I didn't. I didn't start feeling better until about seven days after I caught it."

So there you go. Like Dr. Debra told me at the hospital, it affects every person differently! Shots or not, masks or not. Pony, Genius, and Friend still got it. Of course they are 40 years younger and more than 40 pounds lighter and still have their thyroids, as well as no underlying health conditions. Hick seems to be the luckiest bullet-dodger of all.

I am fortunate that I had a nurse practitioner at convenient care who wouldn't let me leave without checking my oxygen level after a short walk to the door. Fortunate that I responded to the steroid shot and oxygen given to me at the first ER. Fortunate to have had some GREAT nurses at the hospital where I got a bed. Nursing is like teaching. You don't go into it for the money. It's a calling. 

Every day I feel better. You can bet I'm going to continue taking my vitamin supplement with C, D, zinc, and quercetin. Can't hurt, right? Hick is taking it too.

I'm glad to be back...