My experience after testing positive for the Covid19 virus.
Picture from day 10 or quarantining
Our symptoms started long before February 3rd, 2021 but they won’t the ones that we hear a lot about, we were thought to look for things such as fever, sore throat, and cough, etc. My teenage son went to Dun kin donuts one day with one of his friends and since then he started complaining of feeling sick. At the moment I didn’t think of covid 19 because his symptoms weren’t obvious. Only when he started saying he had the chills and body aches then I realize that this must be the flu or covid. He still didn’t have a fever or cough. Over the weekend he complained about the food smelling like bleach, this is when I got worried. We set up an appointment to get a rapid test done the following week.
On January 29th my father-in-law passed away suddenly after an aortic valve repair. That said week was a very rough one for me and my family. We weren’t looking for covid like symptoms at all. We all got tested to be sure and we all tested positive for covid19.
I decided then to document and share my ten-day quarantine journey with the community of fit friends. Before I got tested for covid on February 3rd the week before my youngest son and I got tested on January 24th and that test was negative. I get tested regularly or anytime I feel flu-like symptoms. Especially because my kids are doing hybrid schooling.
As we were trying to contact trace we still haven’t figured out how my teenage son got infected first as the only place he had gone was to the Dun kin Donuts. We have been following all the protocols of sanitizing and staying clear of indoor gatherings, keeping 6 feet apart in the grocery stores, etc.
On day one after the positive test results, I continued to feel very woozy and tired, I woke up feeling like I could stay in bed all day. If you know me well, you know that is not something I would ever do. But covid19 had me feeling like I wasn’t able to breathe freely, I sometimes felt like I couldn’t think straight.
Days 2-7 was a blur, as I continued to train my clients and run my X-live program because I’d asked the doctor if I could still exercise and he said yes. I know everyone is saying rest, rest, rest but if you are able to walk on a treadmill or up and down your stairs I believe that helps. My experience with this virus is that It wants you to not move, it wants to immobilize you, to keep you down.
Once I got the positive test results, my mindset mode was, what can I do to help beat this virus. I remembered asking the doctor what can I do and he said, there’s no medication or anything that helps with covid, all you can do is quarantine and wait for it to pass. I decide I will start walking or jogging on the treadmill every day for the 10 days of quarantine. That I did, let me just say it wasn’t easy but I would definitely do it again. Moving helped me to feel energized in the mornings and to work on my breathing while clearing my head and sinus from the stuffiness.
My 5 takeaways from having experience covid19 are:
Get tested early - I think this will help to know if it’s a common cold or covid very early and can help stop the spread of this virus. I think many people are walking around with covid and don’t even know they have it because it hits everyone differently. For my family and me, the symptoms were very mild and we are grateful God kept us through this.
Stay in quarantine for the time the doctors give you - We did not venture to go anywhere. Thank God for wonderful friends who came by and dropped off food, water, and anything we needed. Allow people to support you through your quarantining. You might be looking and feeling healthy but what about the person who has underlying health issues that may not fear well with covid19. Lots of my friends have lost their parents and other family members to this virus.
If you can MOVE, please do so - I know everyone says rest but please check with your doctor first and find out if it’s okay to exercise even if for a little. This has helped me tremendously through these ten days. Also, you want to try to maintain a routine for yourself, try not to stay in bed all day. One thing I did that helped me, was getting out of bed, taking a shower first thing in the morning, sitting in the sunlight for 20 minutes, and exercise.
Keep your immune system strong - The way to do this is to fuel your body with the right foods and vitamins. Vitamin C has antibodies that help fight against bacteria and infections. Vitamin D is used to fight off infections as well as works to maintain strong bones. Vitamin A helps to regulate the immune system and protects against infections by keeping your tissues and skin healthy. We also had a lot of soups made with turmeric, garlic, ginger, and spinach. It’s important to know that a strong immune system will not prevent you from contracting COVID-19. Be sure you are following the CDC protocols and guidelines of wearing a doubled mask and staying 6 feet apart etc.
Covid19 can affect anyone - this virus is real and can affect anyone at any time, even if you are taking all the necessary precautions.
I am grateful that my family and I are now doing much better and that our symptoms we very mild. I will not wish this on anyone and I hope you are taking this virus seriously. I do think we can get back to doing life if we all would be more mindful and cautious. I also think rapid testing should be available free for everyone.