Day 5-Visitors!

Yesterday was filled with extreme highs and lows. Mid-morning as I lie in bed reading,

I heard a women's voice outside my window yelling:

"Hey, Covid Girl." "Covid Girl" I got up to look and it was my mom's neighbor Jane whom I had met earlier last week. She is fun, interesting and was walking her dog. This was my first Rapunzel-style visitor. I loved it. I shared the experience with my little sister which prompted she/bro-in-law and youngest niece to come for a Rapunzel visit later in the day. It was nice to have fresh air and to have a conversation with people.

I slept for shit last night. I didn't fall asleep until 3:00 AM EST. This was partly because I slept 4 hours during the day in the most glorious Theraflu nap I've had yet and partly because I was wheezing. It wasn't lung wheezing, it was the top of my throat wheezing because the cough drop was too cold. I have asthma. Sometimes if I eat something too hot or cold I get a wheeze flare-up that sucks. Another reason for the bad sleep was that it was raining all night and windy. I had visions of Hurricane Harvey Houston Edition where I would wake up seeing cars floating down the street. Each time I got up to check, there was barely any sign of a rain river. It was all in my Covid imagination. Does anyone else have weird Covid thoughts on day 5? The rumination would make J.K. Rowling super jelly.

I ended up getting 6 hours of sleep which is not nearly enough so an early nap will likely happen today.

3 New Additions To Covid Cave:

Pulse Oximeter. Since I have asthma, my smart little sister suggested I use this to measure my oxygen levels. She brought an extra one over during her Rapunzel visit. Here is the one I am using. Looks like it's $30.00 online and if breathing is a concern, probably a good idea to have. All my numbers have been good ranging between 96 - 98.

So far so great.

Surgical Mask. My husband's Pulmonary specialist recommended that we switch to surgical masks. These are the light blue "paper-like" masks. I wasn't too keen on these originally because I didn't think they offered as much protection. Also, they don't match my outfits. But, in Quarantine, matching isn't as important and I've been reading more about the difference between cloth and surgical masks. It seems to be a good switch for now, until a qualified doctor or scientist tells me otherwise. I wear the mask when I go down to fetch items mom and dad put on the stairs for me. Although I am more than 6 feet away from them during the fetch, I mask up, just in case.

Bark Thins. You know, those nummalicious dark chocolate-covered pretzels with a dash of sea salt. Talk dirty to me Hershey, Love me a BarkThin. I have been trying to keep the milk product to a minimum to help with congestion but a couple of those little bites a day won't hurt while providing a Covid guilty pleasure.

My voice is still roasted so I've been minimizing my chatting and keeping communication to texts, emails, and social media. Since I have polyps on my vocal cords (I have since I was a teenager) my voice is always at some level of raspy. But, Bea Arthur has been here longer than I like, so I am resting my voice until Bea leaves the party.

I started doing stretching and body movement to prevent blood clots. All this sedentary behavior and lying around could cause them so I have been doing the alphabet with each foot every couple of hours. I also have been stretching for 5 minutes 3 times a day to keep blood flowing and prevent any body kinks.

Lemoncello out of Lemonade:

---My husband and puppy reunited yesterday. She had been at doggy boot camp since December 20. They took a nice beach walk and I was relieved she was back at home with him. I miss them both so much.

--I feel like I am getting better. Last night was the first night that a new symptom didn't creep into the Covid scene. No new symptoms and the existing symptoms are lessening by the day.

--I get to do laundry today. I am running out of clothes. Mom and I established a system today where I will do laundry and wash my sheets when she goes down for a nap. I get to leave the loft for a couple of minutes for a couple of hours today. I will use the sanitize cycle on the machine just to be sure I am being safe but I have never been more excited to do laundry in my life.

Covid really is no joke. If you have been exposed to someone with Covid, PLEASE take it seriously. Wear a mask, lock yourself down until you test negative. If you can get your hands on a test, please test THE SAME DAY you plan on seeing people. I tested negative at 4:30 pm on 12/23 and positive at 7:00 am 12/24. My symptoms kicked in around 3 pm on 12/23 and escalated throughout that night. Even though I tested negative on 12/23, Covid only needed 16 hours to move through my system and produce a positive test.

If you have Covid, or know someone that has it, feel free to share my information with them. I am happy to share tips or hacks that have kept me going through this. If you have any tips or hacks to share with me, please do, I am all ears and love recommendations that have worked for other people.

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