My Personal Experience with COVID-19
I’m sure that I’m speaking for many people when I say that this pandemic has flipped my world upside down. My 2020 may have looked different than yours, but throughout the year, we all dealt with change. We changed how we interact with people, how we go about our everyday lives, how careful we need to be…
I did everything I could to prevent getting sick; I washed my hands, wore a mask, social distanced, etc. However, in late November, I lost my taste and smell just one week after finding out that someone close to me tested positive for COVID. It was unexpected, and definitely scary, discovering that someone in my house was sick with something responsible for so many deaths around the world. It has been over a month since having major symptoms, and I'm here to share what I went through (as I managed to track the first few weeks on my Notes app, lol).
WEEK 1
When I found out about my close contact with COVID, I was really nervous, but I didn’t have any symptoms yet. I thought I was fine, and maybe I was lucky and wouldn’t end up getting it if I quarantined away from that person. I was doing alright until Thanksgiving rolled around, and I was dizzy, had a runny nose, sore throat, and a bit of a fever. I tried to make myself believe it was just the cold weather hitting me, so I just rested as much as possible.
WEEK 2
I started feeling better, and I thought I was off the hook! Sadly, that wasn’t the case; after picking up some ice cream, I realized I couldn’t taste it. I tried enjoying my dinner, but I couldn't really taste that either. I walked around the house, testing if I could smell candles, or if I could taste orange juice, or if I could smell my favorite perfume. Losing my taste and smell at the same time was confusing and, honestly, pretty miserable for me. I wondered how long my senses would be gone for.
My appetite for anything disappeared that week. It’s pretty weird not wanting to eat your favorite foods because it’s like forgetting something that used to be so familiar. Near the end of the week, luckily, I started being able to slightly smell my body wash- progress!! Not everything was looking up, though. I still had bad fevers, dizziness, a cough, and headaches. Sleeping was always interrupted for some reason; unfortunately, COVID doesn’t rest when you do.
WEEK 3
This week had me feeling closer to normal again! Almost all of my major symptoms had disappeared, or at least weren't as extreme. My taste and smell were still gone, but I could sense whether something was sweet or savory. I was just so glad to be nearly back to normal.
SINCE THEN…
As of the beginning of January 2021, I would say I’m 95% recovered. My smell is far more restored than my taste, but I’m very grateful that losing my senses was the worst thing that has stuck with me from getting COVID. From hearing stories about others with a lot more serious complications from this ruthless virus, it should be a no-brainer that everyone should take simple precautions to prevent themselves and others from suffering. I may not have had the worst case, but I hope my experience can warn others of what could be in store.
