Do I have COVID-19, or not?

After getting up yesterday morning, I started feeling achy and was coughing. My throat seemed a bit dry. Overall, I was feeling off, like the beginnings of a cold. I had gotten flu and pneumonia shots earlier, so I should be covered for any sickness since I’ve been social distancing. We stocked up on food and other things before we went into full lockdown. And we’ve been sheltered in place for 2 weeks now. I’m not a medical professional, but it seems to me that if I’m feeling sick, it’s because of something that’s been lingering in my system for the last 2 weeks.

I have had to leave the house a few times. I picked up some milk and other perishables. I’ve been to the hardware store a couple times for soil, because we’re planting a garden. I went to the pet food store because we have other mouths to feed. I’ve also been out walking the dogs. All the while, I was practicing social distancing. I did not wear gloves, I did not wear any face protection. I didn’t touch anything I didn’t need to, and I didn’t touch my face. I washed my hands as soon as I got home.

I’ve been conflicted about what could happen to us if I and/or my wife were to get sick with this thing. On the one hand, there are times where my family gets sick and I don’t. There are other times where my daughter gets sick first, then my wife and I get it in succession. There are also times where I get sick and proceed to keep to myself until I feel better. As I’m writing this, I’m feeling that none of this matters at this point. The real thing I should be paying attention to is if one of us gets sick, our entire lives will change from social distancing into triage and deep cleaning regimens.

It is possible that I could contract the novel coronavirus, and that I wouldn’t have bad symptoms. But now I know that I can’t bank on this notion.

On Sunday, I heard a story on the radio about a show’s producer who contracted the virus, and he was darn scared and crying over the phone. His wife had it bad first, then he got it. They have a toddler who isn’t able to understand why he can’t see mommy or why daddy won’t hug him. The phone call must have happened some time ago, because they had an update at the end of the story telling that the whole family was recovering now.

Then I heard another story from the New York Times Magazine, where an editor’s husband was an early contractor of the virus in New York. She described how bad her husband was feeling, how she walked with him 3 blocks to the medical clinic, and how she sanitized everything after he came out of the bathroom, and about her not touching his dishes at all. She described a nightmare scenario about what if she got it so both parents had it. She was adamant about not getting it because she wouldn’t know what to do with her 16 year old daughter. This story made me think about my 7 year old, and wondered what we would have to do with her if both of us parents were sick.

These stories started getting to me. I started assessing how I was feeling yesterday morning.

  • I’m feeling achy – Am I starting to get a cold?
  • My head hurts – Did I drink enough fluids yesterday?
  • Is my throat a little sore?
  • Why am I so tired?
  • My aches are in my rib cage area.
  • Am I having any trouble breathing?
  • I think I’m getting dizzy.
  • OMG I think I have it!

This was mostly mind getting the best of me. I don’t want to become a member of the coronavirus club, but part of me makes me wish I would just get it and get it over with. It’s not really logical. I don’t, don’t, don’t want to be sick like that. I read something a couple weeks ago that it’s possible that 70% of us will get it before we have a vaccine. This may not still be the projection.

We decided I should quarantine myself to a bedroom. I’ve been in here almost exclusively for 2 days now. I don’t have a fever, but I still feel kind of crappy. Maybe I just have some other minor cold. I don’t know. But we’re deciding to be better safe than sorry.