No One CARES

(Feel free to skip this post)

Here is what I consumed today:

• One cup of coffee (a mistake)
• One blueberry yogurt
• One banana
• One glass of Kefir
• Two glasses of ginger ale
• Several handfuls of Cheez-its
• A lot of water

The coffee was a mistake because it immediately made me queasy and ill. I think I might have to give up coffee until I am entirely well again. 

As for the rest, that doesn't look much, now that I'm reading it. Which is why I wrote it down, tbh. Eating is such a chore that I feel like I'm eating a lot, but apparently that is not the case.

I also started taking vitamins today. Maybe that will help.

Day Thirteen

Last night my temperature was 99.8, but it's been normal so far all day today.

I still feel a bit wobbly, but my other symptoms have cleared off. I'm making a concerted effort to eat more -- difficult with no appetite, not to mention the terrible state of the country.

I've banned myself from both FB and Twitter for a few days, anxiety and depression making nothing any better.

Been able to work a few hours each morning. That's helping some.

Day Twelve

Still running about a degree of fever -- ranges from 100.1 in the morning to 100.8 at night.

Still not very interested in food. I made Dr. Skull buy me some Cheerios, because cereal sounds like something I want to eat.

Yesterday I took the dog on a short walk up the street and back. (Saw some bunnies in the neighbors' yard, so we aren't the only one with a colony.) Only went a few hundred yards, but I was worn out when we got back.

I'm going to try to eat more today -- I think one problem is I'm not eating enough.

Day Eleven

Dr. Skull is fine today. So that's good.

I had a fever of 100.8 yesterday. Also took a three hour nap. No appetite. I get hungry, but everything tastes unappealing. (I still can taste, though, and smell, so that's good.)

The national news, meanwhile, is extremely depressing. And of course white moderates are deploring the terrible, terrible way churches and department stores and policemen are being treated. If only people would protest peacefully.



As Alexandra Erin puts it:

What is happening across this country is that the police are rioting in response to attempts to hold them accountable.

— Alexandra Erin (@AlexandraErin) May 31, 2020

Uh-oh

Now Dr. Skull is starting to feel bad.

He doesn't have a fever yet. Send good thoughts, y'all.

Day Ten

The weirdest part of this virus -- I still don't know if it's Covid-19 -- is the way the excruciating pain moves around my body.

Like, in the early days, it was pain in my knees and feet. Then those bones stopped hurting and my rib bones hurt. Then all my bones stopped hurting, except for mild aches, and I had a knife-like pain in my left kidney.

Which, as you can imagine, brought on some mild panic.

But that didn't last. The pain moved to my guts, where it stayed for several days. It felt exactly like shards of glass were stabbing me from the inside: first up high in my abdomen, then down on the right side, then a little higher on the right side.

Then I got a mean headache, which has lasted until this morning. The pain in my head moved around too -- low around my temples, then the middle of my forehead, and now up at the very top of my head, like a damn skullcap.

My fever is gone. And it never went to my lungs. So...good, I guess?

I'll be glad when I stop hurting.

Oh, my appetite is returning, but I can't eat much without feeling queasy.

Day Nine

I am very nearly better. Still a headache, still some lingering gut pain and nausea, but no fever for two days, and my appetite is -- slowly -- returning.

I am told Golden Milk may help with the pain and nausea. I have all those ingredients! Worth a shot.

Also no nap yesterday, though I did sleep ten hours last night.

I might try a short walk up the street and back today. (That's safe here because no one in this neighborhood leaves their houses.)

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Day Eight

Slept only nine hours last night. My temperature last night was 100.4, but it's normal again this morning.

No symptoms left except gastrointestinal -- mostly pain in my guts, but also some nausea.

Places I've been looking say two weeks is the common time to complete recovery from this. I'll be glad when it's gone.

Day Seven

My temperature is still normal. I feel very tired, though, despite sleeping five hours yesterday afternoon and ten hours last night. Also my guts still hurt.

I'm getting cranky. Maybe that's a good sign.

Update: My five hour nap was only 4 and a half hours long today. Still no appetite.

Day Six

I think I'm almost better -- no fever at all day. Still some symptoms (headache and gut pain, mostly), but they're relatively mild.

Still no cough, and I can still smell and taste. No appetite, though I try to eat something when I can.

I'm still sleeping a lot -- still fourteen or fifteen hours a day. (10-12 hours at night and frequent naps.)

I'll continue watching for a relapse.

UPDATE: Another five hour nap today. My fever is up to just over 100, but I feel all right otherwise.

Progression of Symptoms

According to Dr. Google, right now is indeed when I'm either going to start getting better or fall off the cliff.

I'm betting on getting better, since my symptoms are not severe and my fever is very nearly gone entirely -- it was 98.9 last time I took it.

But more information is here, and also here, and finally here.

Clearly I need to watch my symptoms carefully over the next few days.

Day Five

I think I'm better?

Hard to say, exactly. My fever is down -- between 99.1 and 99.6 most of the time -- but the body aches are worse, and my headache was terrible last night. Also serious pain in my intestines, like debilitating pain. That's intermittent, though, and only lasts a moment or two.

The dreams continue. Last night, I dreamed I had to put crates and crates of cookbooks into alphabetical order, except some were too big to fit on the shelves, and all of them were so heavy they made my hands and arms hurt when I tried to move them around. Also there was a lot of dust.

This probably means something, but I can't think what.


UPDATE: This says the abdominal pain may be a symptom of the virus. I also have a loss of appetite, so.

UPDATE: Here's a nice self-assessment from the CDC. It says I don't need a test, yet; but I think I'll call my teledoc (the university got us teledoc access) tomorrow and make sure.

Day Four of Whatever This Is

I'm still not sure this is Covid-19 -- I'm not really very sick. I mean, I'm sick. I feel terrible, my bones hurt, all that. But I'm not nearly as sick as I was with the kidney stone.

Anyway, my fever is down today. My bones still hurt. I have a dry cough. I'm sleeping sixteen or seventeen hours a day. And I keep having these very odd dreams, when I have to complete a bizarre and endless task (stitching together the grassy plains around a ranch house, for instance).

I'll be glad when I'm better.

Pandemics Are Fun

I have a fever -- 102 last night, 99.9 today -- and body aches. Time for another round of "Is this the virus or just a virus?"

No cough so far, or pains in my chest. And I still have my sense of smell and taste, though absolutely no appetite.

UPDATE: Still have the fever. No other symptoms, except general aches.  Also my neck hurts.

UPDATE #2: Every time I feel a little better, I try to eat something. Always a mistake.