Day 18 - Governor Newsom reinstates the mask mandate in California

The Omicron Chronicles…I’m sick…

1/2/22. Sunday

 -And the nightmare begins.

 10:00-10:30 – I wake up sick.

I have a persistent cough and a post-nasal drip.  I’d like to think it’s just allergies on account of the post-nasal drip, but I’m never coughing when I have allergies and it’s not even Spring yet. Right now, these are the extent of my symptoms.

-I go downstairs to say good morning to the dog. She’s asleep on the couch so I sit next to her for kisses and cuddles, then she grabs her toy and we go outside. I see that she pooped in three places on the patio (sigh) so I clean it up. Return inside: turkey for her and I make a cup of coffee.

10:30-12:00 – I unload and load the dishwasher, wipe down several refrigerator shelves, throw away the last of the expired food, and break down all of the remaining vegetables for snacks, to include L.’s leftover carrots.

12:00-1:15- I check the CDC website for Omicron symptoms.  Here’s what I find: 

Fever or Chills

Cough

Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Fatigue

Muscle or body aches

Headache

New loss of taste or smell

Sore throat

Congestion or runny nose

Nausea or vomiting

Diarrhea 

So…basically ANY symptom is an indication that you might have Omicron. Could the CDC be any more vague?  This is ridiculous. Omicron symptoms are all over the place but two things stand out: 1) Cough; and 2) Runny nose. I have a cough and a post-nasal drip. I google J&J recipients to see how they’re faring and am encouraged to see that J&J patients are…drum roll, please… surviving.  Out of the three vaccines, individuals who received the J&J vaccine have the absolute worse symptoms upon contracting Omicron…but they’re alive.  It’s a small comfort, but it’s something. Of course, there are always exceptions. I’m scheduled for my booster tomorrow, but I think it’s too late. 

1:15-2:30 – bullet journal 

2:30-3:30 – L.’s boyfriend and her friends N. and J. begin dropping off food for her at our doorstep. I try to talk to L. through her bedroom door.  How is she feeling? Does she want me to get the food and set it outside her bedroom door? L. is short and abrupt with me, when I’m just trying to help.  I ask her, through the door, “Are you…mad about something?” She responds that it is too much effort to talk. 

 I return to my room and text L. that I think I have Omicron, too, and relay the two symptoms I have, thus far.  L. flippantly replies that I always have a runny nose – that’s why I carry tissue, she says. Then, L. adds that the post-nasal drip is also normal for me because I’m frequently clearing my throat. After this exchange, I receive approximately two texts from L. over the next three days. She doesn’t update me on her condition or tell me how she’s feeling. She also never asks about me.  Note: this silence will become incredibly hurtful as the Omicron saga unfolds. 

I have some carrots and hummus and a boiled egg. 

3:30-4:00 – B. calls to invite me to lunch with his friends, an older couple who are in town, visiting, around 12:00 tomorrow.  I explain that L. and I are sick and quarantining. I don’t mention that I already told B. I have a booster appointment at 2:00 tomorrow, in Lancaster, and wouldn’t have been able to attend the lunch anyway. 

Our call lasts around 3 minutes.  I don’t hear from B. for the next 24 hours. 

I’m not feeling well. Coughing has intensified and I’m fatigued and freezing.  I take my temperature, but no fever thus far. 

4:00-5:00 – I read Everything I Have is Yours and it helps take my mind off the fact that I’m not feeling well. 

5:00-5:45 – I throw on yoga pants and a long-sleeved shirt and take the dog for a walk because I don’t know if/when/how long it will take before I’m incapacitated. 

6:00-9:00 – I’m still upright so I rake and sweep my entire yard, which is covered in 2/3 inches of leaves. It’s a complete mess on account of the rain storms we’ve experienced. My plants are like my pets, so I clean out their pots and trim and water them because, again, I don’t know if I’m going to reach a point when I can’t get out of bed.  Who will take care of them if that happens?  Certainly not L. I put my trash cans at the curb.

9:00-10:30 – I read Everything I Have.

10:30-11:30 – I do a 15-minute Insanity Max – Ab workout and a 30-minute Insanity Max – Sweat workout because this might be the last day I can work out for some time.

11:30-1:00 – I. do. not. feel. well.  I can’t stop coughing and phlegm is starting to build in my chest. I’m freezing and my body is stiffening up, although this might be a residual from my workout. My symptoms are rapidly progressing…it’s pretty shocking how quickly this is happening…and I’m hit with a huge rush of adrenaline from the crushing anxiety I’m experiencing.  In fact, I’m panicking… When Roger Ebert contracted jaw cancer, he wrote prolifically over the next two years, churning out article after article, almost as if he thought he could beat cancer as long as he never stopped writing [of course, I’m not privy to his feelings on death or if he actually felt this way, but that’s how it seemed to me at the time]…similar to the urban legend involving the Winchester Mystery House and Sarah Winchester.  Allegedly, Sarah believed that as long as she never stopped renovating her mansion, she would live forever. 

-I’m behind on my blog posts and I feel this anxiety/need to catch up…so I can bear witness and leave behind my testimonial, like Roger Ebert. I finish several blog posts. 

1:00-2:00 – I’m congested, exhausted, and I can’t stop coughing.  BUT, I’m also afraid to go to sleep, because I’m afraid I won’t wake up. There is nobody to call and my own daughter doesn’t seem to give a s—t about me. I’m scared.

-I still have to take the dog out, so I walk downstairs, somewhat gingerly, one step at a time, because my legs ache. When I take her outside, I come to the realization that the dog is my only friend…this is a very sobering thought.

Although I’m afraid to go to sleep, I’m still exhausted so I lie down in the “prone” position (my stomach) because I heard that this position helped when “OG Covid” first made an appearance because it takes pressure off of the lungs. It’s difficult sleeping on my stomach because I typically sleep on my left side, but I listen to podcasts from my favorite host, Lisa Woodruff, from Organize 365 because I find her voice so comforting, and it helps. I feel very alone… 

3:00-I wake up covered in sweat and my pajamas are soaked so I adjust my circulating fan accordingly.  I’ve never experienced “night sweats” before and I’m afraid to go back to sleep…I sleep fitfully until 10:00 a.m.