December 25th:
For the second Christmas in a row, I found myself in a hospital Emergency Room. This time, it was to address my increasingly poor health, as though my body was fighting a cold or flu along with an intestinal virus. It was awful! I had headaches, pain in various parts, fevers, chills, and my stomach felt like an MMA fighter's punching bag. And the weakness! Any get-up-and-go I had packed up and left a long time ago! The doctors gave me a COVID-19 test, and let me tell you that having a cotton swab stuffed into the innermost reaches of my nasal cavity was extremely unpleasant, but not truly painful. The E.R. doctor informed me that the results of the test would arrive in eight hours, so I made my way home to await the results.
December 26th:
The results are in! So, is having COVID like having a cold or a flu? Yes and no. It's like having the flu plus an intestinal virus at the same time. I know, because I'm now confirmed to have it! In fact, all of us have it here in my home. And since my wife and I have many of the factors that lead to death by COVID, we will receive the same care that doctors provided to President Trump. That treatment will be early next week. As it stands now, I have no strength, no wind, head and body aches, chest congestion, plus other effects of the kind I just won't mention.
December 26th:
Now that I'm confirmed to have coronavirus, I can offer a Top 10 List of The Best Things About Having COVID. 10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. There. List complete!
December 28th:
All I can do is lie here in bed and rest. I'm too weak to do anything else. Everything hurts, and I mean "everything." My head, my right eye, my back, and more all still hurt like an MMA fighter is using me as a punching bag. My throat is on fire. My lungs feel like they are filled with wet cotton balls, and the extraordinarily thick, clingy phlegm therein just refuses to dislodge when I try to wheeze out a cough. Stranger still, COVID changed my sense of taste and it's greatly diminished my need to eat. I just had some chicken noodle soup and every drop of it tasted sour. And then there's the gastrointestinal stuff. Yes, "gastrointestinal stuff." Need I say more?
December 28th:
Dear Chinese Communist Party: I hope the virus you fostered and hoisted upon the world yields nothing but a lasting and devastating effect on every official within your entire lying Party. May each and every one of you suffer unending agony for the rest of your days. Millions are dead, my family is seriously ill, and it's largely your fault!
December 29th:
I'm in a hospital to receive an infusion of COVID antibodies. The actual treatment facility is on the grounds of a major hospital, but not in any of the hospital's permanent structures. Instead, the COVID treatment area is within a series of vast canvas tents, all wholly rented spaces filled with unsecured temporary walls and little infrastructure. Think of the large emergency medical facilities and command posts seen in disaster movies, color them white, add a long series of free-standing walls and IV poles, and you'll have a good picture of the facility. I was there for a few hours, and that time included an hour for the actual infusion and more than an hour for clinical observation.
December 30th:
We are now in the penultimate night of 2020. So many good people were lost this year. We may leave this accursed year behind, but let us keep the memories of those we lost to the pandemic forever alive in our hearts. We must never forget those taken by COVID and we must remain forever on guard against a repeat of such a worldwide catastrophe!
December 30th:
If this were a flu or a stomach virus, I'd be back to normal about now. Not with this accursed thing, I'm not. However, the COVID antibody infusion gave my system a little bit of a boost. Prior to receiving it, I was losing ground against the virus every day. Now, I can tell that my immune system is kicking in just a bit more. I'm still not in great shape, I'm still terribly weak, and I may still need a chest X-Ray if my lungs don't clear, but at least now I can tell that my body is putting up a minimal fight.
January 2nd:
My lungs still won't clear out! I have constant coughing and weakness even though over a week's gone by since I tested positive. I actually managed to hack something up today, only to be surprised that I coughed out traces of blood in which floated something small and hard. Again this came from out of my lungs, not my throat. This thing is nasty, folks. Do what you need to do (within legal limits), wear protective masks to shield others, and practice social distancing. Safeguarding the health of other Americans should be a common practice, one that is beyond debate.
January 6th:
It's now four days since my last entry, and I felt real improvement as each day passed! I'm happy to state that COVID is almost gone from my system! Although I continue to have a few coughs and some lingering weakness, I'm much better. In fact, compared to a week ago, I'm in championship form! That's the positive. Unfortunately, it's hard to remain upbeat when considering today's unprecedented events in Washington, DC. I previously expressed my fears of American civil unrest in several posts (click here for one), and not many agreed with me. I believe I look like Nostradamus now as my fears of terrible unrest due to the election turned real today. With all the intolerance here in the US, being an American in America is now scarier than ever! January 8th: This will conclude my COVID journal. I'm pretty much recovered at this point, and I am very thankful to the thoroughly overworked medical professionals who cared for me. America's front-line healthcare workers are truly some of the best people there are! All the best, Keith V. Note: Portions of the above were extracted from posts and comments I made on social media from 12/25/2020 through 1/8/2021.
Kurt Goddard
1/8/2021 09:54:25 am
That sounds nasty! I'm glad you rebounded. And yeah, the stuff in DC was messed up. It look like 2021 is picking up where 2020 left off. Comments are closed.
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AuthorI love to write! I'm a Technical Writer by day and a blogger by night. On My Mind Today is my creation, and for me it is a true labor of love. Whether the subject is a current issue or a historical matter, I'll try to address it here. I look forward to writing quality content, and I'm open to topic suggestions. I value your feedback! Archives
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