Well, Sean and I recently had Covid-19. We are now out of quarantine, happy, and healthy. I won’t get into my beliefs on Covid as a pandemic or politically, but I will share the facts of our experience. We know where we got it. Symptoms started for him 5 days after he was exposed and symptoms started for me 10 days after I was exposed. We both experienced fatigue prior to any real symptoms. For Sean, Covid presented itself with flu-like symptoms: body aches, heat flashes, headache, sore throat, fatigue, and congestion. For me (and I have asthma), Covid presented itself with bad sinus infection-like symptoms: horrible sinus headache and pressure, congestion (but not really stuffy- hard to explain), low grade fever, runny nose, fatigue, mucus in my throat, and slightly labored breathing when I went outside in the heat and humidity ( I was mainly ok inside in the AC). I never had to use my inhaler. We both lost our sense of taste and smell for several days, which is not typical of the flu or a sinus infection. Neither of us really developed a true cough. Sean’s symptoms were more mild but lasted longer at about 12 days while my symptoms were more intense at first (although still considered mild) and lasted about 10 days. We both struggled the most at night as the symptoms would crank up right before bed so it was difficult to sleep. I slept in the recliner a couple of nights because when I would lay down, the sinus headache would come on really strong. That only lasted a couple of nights with the recliner and the nights were not fun for about 5 nights all together. During the day, we both felt much better but just felt “sick” and fatigued. All in all, it sucked but it was not life threatening.
To reiterate, Sean just felt like he had the flu and I felt like I had a bad sinus infection. A person who has asthma and has a sinus infection may feel different than someone who does not. Since I do have asthma and have had a sinus infection, that is the kind of experience Covid was for me. They are comparable. The worst part for Sean was the body aches (which I never had) and the worst part for me was the intense sinus headaches and pressure. The doctor prescribed Predisone for me (which helped a lot and I highly recommend if you have asthma) and I used Maximum- Strength Mucinex expectorant and cough suppresant, Sudafed Pain and Pressure, Elderberry syrup, fresh cut pineapple, and mint tea with honey. Mucinex, fresh pineapple, and honey are all excellent ways to reduce mucus. Reducing mucus is helpful in not letting your sickness turn into something more serious. We are blessed that this was our experience as we know some people are not as fortunate. We are blessed that it was a mild experience. Also, we are excited that we now have antibodies and know what to expect. And we are super glad we are no longer in quarantine!
The reason why I am sharing this in my ABL blog is because Covid served as a great reminder to me of how to support folks who are going through something. The number one way you can support someone who is sick, grieving, or overwhelmed is by bringing them food or sending DoorDash or GrubHub gift cards. When someone is not feeling well, the last thing they want to do is cook but they still have to feed themselves. If you provide meals, that allows them to not have to cook or do that many dishes. They can focus on getting well and on the other essential chores in their house. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law dropped off so much food for us- deli meals from Costco, frozen lasagna, pizza, tamales, Aussie bites, Cinnamon rolls, and bottled water. Also, they picked up some meds for us since we were not allowed to go anywhere. This was such a HUGE blessing and really allowed us to rest!! They went above and beyond and we are super grateful. One of our other friends sent us a GrubHub gift card, which was so appreciated. A key to this is to just drop items off and don’t stay. When people aren’t feeling well, they can’t or don’t want to entertain so set them up for success by just dropping it off at their door and texting them to let them know it’s there. Things happen and you can’t always do that for those in your life, but if you can, do it! People will really appreciate it. We are going to try to pay it forward in the future and this was a great reminder for us.
Another thing that stood out is that some of our family and friends called or texted to check in. It’s always nice to know that people care and are thinking of you when you aren’t feeling up to par. It is a thoughtful way to communicate to someone that you care. Life gets busy and hard so you can’t always be that person consistently, but try when you can. All in all, Covid served as a reminder of ways to be impactful and supportive when others are down. I try to find meaning or a lesson in subpar circumstances and I was reminded that providing food is king when folks are not doing well and checking in communicates you care. Be a blessing when you can.
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AdoptedbyLove 