I have always been a lover of puns, especially ones that relate to my name - hence naming this site 'here's the t' as I grew up with one of my nicknames being 'T' and loved to drink tea (and spill it as well lol). One of my ongoing topic trends with this blog has been 'The QuarnT Diaries' where I have shared pieces of and insights on my life in quarantine...while many of these stories tend to be light-hearted, goal-oriented, or mental health based- this one is a bit more serious.
This past week has really put me through the wringer. I won’t lie. I won’t sugar coat it with some frosting and sprinkles. Or deck it out with shiny ornaments and twinkling lights. It has been a roller coaster of emotions. From stressed tear-filled nights to laughing uncontrollably with my roommates because were all so deliriously tired and out of it. Over two hundred and seventy-five days of living life so carefully and staying inside as much as we could and yet it still caught us in its grasp. Definitely not how any of us thought our year would end, that’s for sure. It was a shock to us all when we tested positive. It was that moment when you hope with every fiber of your being that it was just some cruel joke that was being played. That it was some horrible nightmare that you would soon wake up from and be free of.
Unfortunately, though it was the sad truth. Even after all the religious hand washing, sanitizing, and mask-wearing; we had covid and it was something that we had to accept.
How it Began:
Living in a smaller apartment, one that doesn’t necessarily have the best airflow either - it was inevitable that if one of us came down with it; all of us would. It was like dominos. One by one we fell to the disease. It started off small for each one of us - so much so that we all thought and were hoping that it was just a small cold. Especially for me, I typically tend to get sick when there are drastic changes in the weather. And over the course of the week prior southern California loved to switch from smokey to freezing and everything in between. It all began with little sniffles, some aches, and fatigue: which is pretty much a sign/symptom for every winter and well-known sickness. It could have been anything. Of course in the back of my mind, being the hypochondriac that I am - there was that thought that it could be something more and much worse. But again, I was hoping with every last ounce that it wasn’t. We had been safe and smart. We didn’t go anywhere unless we had to. And when we did go out to places such as the grocery store we followed all protocols. It just goes to show that anyone can get it - even if you do everything right. After two or three days of no sign of getting better, we put in for tests through our health care providers just to be sure. We woke up early the next morning and made our way to kaiser. We opted for the saliva test - as this is the one that we have done when we had previously got tested. I personally believe it to be easier and more effective than that of the nose swab (which I have done as well), but that’s just me and my preference. After our testing was complete, we went home to all nap as we were still tired and when I woke up from my nap to drink some tea I noticed that I couldn’t taste it at all (cue panicked screams and cries). Ashlee had come out of the shower a few minutes prior and couldn’t smell the body wash or shampoo either (cue more panic). All of us were now lacking our ability to smell or taste anything. It shows just how quickly things can change, and new symptoms can onset because the night before we were still perfectly fine in that department. We went about the rest of the day taking it easy, and resting when we needed to. Just chilling around the apartment catching up on some shows and playing some video games together. It was the next morning when everything switched to a bitter yet very true reality. I noticed that I had an email from kaiser time-stamped from three-thirty am- and immediately my heart dropped. When we had gotten tested with them in the past at minimum it took two to three days to hear back, and the fact that we had an answer in under twenty-four hours, and especially during the holiday season when testing rates are through the roof - I knew it wasn’t a good sign. With a deep breath, I opened up to email and was met with the seven words that no one wants to hear during this pandemic: "Your COVID-19 PCR test result was POSITIVE."
How we are doing:
It has now been about a week since the first signs and symptoms began. For me, I started feeling fatigued and sniffly. A little muscle aches in my leg here and there, but I had honestly thought that that was from my workout the day prior as it had gone away after that night. The day of getting tested is when I lost my sense of taste and smell. As mentioned, I had found this out when I went to drink some tea and it just tasted like water - and to test my sense of smell I picked up our bottle of whiskey and nothing lol. It was like I was just sniffing the air. Zero scent. Now three days later, my symptoms are thankfully still on the lighter and more manageable side. I have aches that come and go from time to time - mostly my left butt cheek...yeah I don’t know why there out of all places lol - or my legs. I had a cough for a little bit, but that has subsided. We have all been taking it easy - resting, hydrating, and keeping up our vitamin and zinc intake. A friend of ours had gone through the same thing earlier in the year and shared all of their tips and tricks with us; which has been a huge help in itself. For me, the hardest part is not being able to taste or smell anything. When I am eating food I can tell if it is salty, sweet, or savory but I couldn’t tell you how it actually tastes. You really learn to appreciate those things when you aren’t able to experience them anymore - believe me. Please do not take the ability to taste and smell for granted. The day that I get mine back I no joke will likely cry tears of joy. A lot of my favorite little pleasures in life revolve around these senses, especially during the holiday time so it has been a significant challenge and downer to not be able to take part in them to the full extent. The other symptom that has drastically changed my daily routine is fatigue. I have been tired before - heck I used to work twelve-hour shifts five days in a row - but this was and is different. Even if my mind feels like it’s running a million miles an hour and I feel energetic mentally, physically all my body wants to do is sleep. Throughout this quarantine, through the year I have been used to sleeping in a bit more than I used to, but covid has taken sleeping to a whole new level. Instead of nine-thirty or ten, I am waking up at eleven thirty or noon. And even then, I am still taking multiple naps throughout the day. So if you don’t hear from me for a few hours, chances are I am asleep lol. As shitty as this whole thing has been, the silver lining is that we aren’t going through this alone as we all have each other - and our symptoms are more on the moderate side; which is a huge huge blessing as I know that not everyone who unfortunately tests positive for the virus is on the same boat. Everyone experiences this virus differently. Some show every sign, some show none, and then there are the in-betweeners. Which is where we seem to fall on the spectrum of things. This virus truly is no joke. And I hope that if you still think it is that your eyes will soon be opened to the truth. Please continue to wear your masks. Socially distance. If you are going to hang out with friends or family, please all go get tested and quarantine a few weeks prior. Do not be the person that spreads it. Because while you may have mild symptoms, the person you could potentially pass it on to may not be as lucky.
Where we are going from here:
While I don’t know how long the virus will stick with me (hoping it is not long), what I do know is that going forward I will definitely live life a Lil differently. I am not saying this as if I will live in fear - because honestly, that is the farthest thing from the truth. After all, there is a difference between living in fear and living smart. I had previously taken every precaution - and I will continue to carry on that attitude and practice even after I have recovered. We aren’t one hundred percent positive on where we got it from, but we do have our thoughts - and it just goes to show that even a simple trip to a grocery store or a fellow coworker, customer, friend, or someone in passing could be the reason. No one and nowhere is really purely safe from this. Like I had mentioned previously, there is the possibility of being asymptomatic and you could be spreading the virus unknowingly. Please just be as smart as you can be when you go out. Wear a mask, and sanitize when need be. Get tested if you are going to go out and see people. Keep your distance, and if you are feeling under the weather stay home. I have had many different versions of the flu before and while many like to compare this virus to the flu - I will upright tell you that I would much rather have the flu than this any day. On the positive side of this whole thing, something that Ashlee, Manny, and I have agreed on is that once we are fully recovered we are hoping to be able to donate our plasma to help others who are and will be fighting this wretched virus. For those who know me, all I really want to do in life is help others. And while I never thought I would help people in this aspect, I have been given the chance to and I will take it.
I'll admit I was skeptical about opening up about this at first. It's something that you don't really want to admit. To be put under a microscope and looked at differently. As if you are the virus itself. But as you all know, I am all about being vulnerable - and while it does suck to be going through this, I won't hide it because so many others are experiencing it as well. And it, at least to me, has been helpful to know what other people's symptoms have been and how they have been making it through. Like I had mentioned earlier - not only has it not been an easy ride physically, but mentally as well. Over the last week, my anxiety has definitely peaked. Besides this though, while this is not where I thought this year would lead me to, and as shitty and scary as it has been, I am choosing to look on the brighter side of things. I am incredibly thankful to be experiencing it as mildly as I am, and here is to hoping that things only continue to go up and get better from here. I will continue to keep you all updated on my journey and if you or someone you know has or is experiencing this virus as well - my heart, thoughts, and prayers are with you all. <3
Till next week my friends.
Please remember to be smart and stay happy, healthy, and safe.
T <3
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