Day 16 of the Covid-19 Quarantine

I started the quarantine off strong with running, doing home workouts, being creative.

It quickly came to a halt when my stepdad, whom is an essential worker, had a fever for a few days that started March 19th. He wound up testing positive (found out today), but he is seemingly okay and his fever only lasted two days.

My mom started getting a fever a few days after that on the 23rd. She had a bad headache and a fever that stayed stagnant from 99DF to 100DF. She still has a low-grade fever.

For myself, I started getting a fever on Friday, March 27th. It was around the same range as my mom. Normally, my temperature is slightly below average (97.8DF), but still a healthy range.

Let me tell you a bit about how a fever works real quick. Something foreign enters your body (bacteria, virus, etc.). Your body is like, “Oh sh*t. WTF is this?!” So, your brain tells your body to jack up your internal thermostat to make your body an inhospitable environment for your unwelcomed guests. Most of these guests cannot survive in higher temperatures and it helps fight them. A fever is an indication that your body is functioning how it is supposed to, and your immune system is doing its job. I usually avoid taking a fever-reducer medication because I want my body to fight whatever is in me. If my fever surpasses 101/102DF then I will take something because too high of a temperature for a long period of time can denature (take apart) some important proteins in your body that have important jobs.

Because of my fever, I knew that there was something in me that my body was trying to get rid of. I went to get tested on Sunday (so theoretically, today is day 5) which was similar to the flu test, except everyone was in hazmat suits that reminded me of the scene in Monsters Inc when the sock was on the monster.

However, there is no doubt in my mind that I will test positive. I lost my sense of taste and smell (I can differentiate sweet, sour, spicy, etc., but not flavor). My body also feels super weak and I just want to sleep. My muscles are easily fatigued with simple tasks. My eyes hurt and they feel very sunken in. Another way your body responds to these guests I had mentioned is through creating white blood cells. I like to see WBC as soldiers. They have all the tools and weapons to fight off the bad guys in our body. Our bodies start producing more WBC, while slowing down the production of red blood cells. This can cause the fatigue and weakness.

My biggest struggle is mentally grasping the reality of this virus. Someone who played an important role during my high school years passed away. He was a younger, healthy man. A father, a husband, a teacher, a coach, and a role model that is now an angel. All I can think was that this virus can take anyone. Anxiety and grief filled up my mind. The thought of death was provoking me and I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t differentiate not being able to breathe because of this virus or from anxiety. This further frightened me because not being able to breathe and chest tightness can be symptoms for Covid-19. The causation of that for this virus is that there is a chance that you can contract pneumonia. What can make this pneumonia deadly, is when your body starts to produce an inflammatory fluid that fills up “air sacs” in your lungs. Therefore, your body cannot efficiently take in oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide. The patient that contracts this cannot breathe, and they can end up in ICU on ventilators.

I started thinking about how cooking, eating, and working out are my sources of enjoyment, and I cannot do any of it to ease my mind. I continue worrying about the worsening of symptoms. The duration of the virus and its symptoms can be 10 days to three weeks, so it can get worse.

I try to be grateful that myself and loved ones are still in better condition and that recovery is very, very probable. I am trying my best to see silver linings instead of the other what-ifs. There are many people in worse situations. I am extremely thankful for the nurses, doctors, and essential workers that are on the frontlines.

All we can do is be grateful, be creative, and we can help in different ways. Stay inside. Give back by buying groceries for a healthcare or essential worker. Support a local business or contribute to a GoFundMe page. Use this time to reflect, grow, and take care of your mind, body, and soul.