10 days with Covid

Recently I caught covid and let me tell you what it was like for me, day by day. With my positive test results came in a 10 days quarantine. Day zero, or the day I got diagnosed is in detail described in my last article How I tested positive for Covid.

Day one

I spend most of the day sleeping. To my previous symptoms, I received a much worse dry cough that was exhausting me dearly, but at least I was no longer feverish and even my throat didn’t hurt as much. So I thought the worst was over. Lol.

Besides sleeping most of the time, I’ve spent the rest of the day slowly writing the article about my covid, watching or more like just listening to Rick and Morty.

I always thought that when I’ll finally have a quarantine (as a healthcare worker I was not allowed to quarantine just because of positive contact – we needed to get tested and continue working), I’ll have all of the time in the world to watch shows I was postponing, clean up my apartment, exercise a lot and write plenty of articles for my blog.

The reality was not so idealistic.

I couldn’t keep my eyes open to watch anything so I just re-listened to my favorite shows and napped. Writing took me a whole day and I took like 4 naps before I finished it. Exercising or cleaning was a huge no.

What was a little plus, was that I still had an appetite, but I was too tired to cook anything so I was eating quick, easy meals.

Day two

My dear friends all messaged me asking if I need anything and even though I appreciate the effort, I wouldn’t bother anyone with that. Not when there are services you can use to get everything you need yourself. I ordered groceries for the whole duration of my 10 days quarantine, so I had to plan all of the meals ahead. Besides that, I got some more lozenges or cough drops from the pharmacy that also delivers home. It was a home delivery with a minimum contact and honestly, it’s so funny to watch the delivery guy just drop everything by your door and run away.

My basic needs were covered.

Rest of the day I spend chilling, sleeping, still listening to Netflix shows, playing on my phone, and waiting for covid to be over.

This was the day that my clogged cavities got better a bit and my runny nose started. I was so happy the day before that my fever was gone so of course, it returned on day two. I was even more exhausted that day. It was the day my muscles hurt the most. It felt like I was lifting super heavyweights the day before.

Day three

Fever was gone, cavities much better, cough worse just as my throat and I gained a new symptom- digestion issues. I didn’t have diarrhea or constipation but my stomach hurt, it was like cramps and I didn’t want to eat anything at all that day. I had a terrible mood that day but I was just so grateful for my profession cuz I know it could have been much worse if I didn’t know what kind of medication I need to use to ease my symptoms.

Spend the day doing the same thing again: sleeping and watching Netflix. I was able to focus more than the days before.

I even changed pajamas and washed my hair to make myself feel better. Like I’m a properly functioning human being.

Day four

Valentine’s day. The original plan was to visit this cute bakery shop that had lovely Valentine’s day decoration with my friends so anything other I would actually end up doing would be super lame.

My stomach was much better this day, I guess it was just a one-day fluke, so I ended up spending the day in bed like always, watching Netflix and eating nachos and guacamole dip.

I was feeling much stronger than before and I was able to focus on the new show instead of rewatching old ones, so that was a little win.

I decided to clean up my apartment a bit starting with my bathroom. On my last online shopping haul, I bought a cleaning agent to clean up and unclog my drains.

Naturally, as you open something new you sniff it. So I did and I smelled nothing. I was like: “ hmm it’s odorless, weird” and carried on. Then I poured the detergent to the toilet that was supposed to have a grapefruit odor, and again nothing.

That’s when it all clicked and I realized I lost my sense of smell.

I can’t be sure when it actually started but I noticed it on day four. Of course, I thought I might be mistaken and those things really are without any smell so I spend the rest of the evening smelling everything.

Some odors were detectable when I put it directly under my nose and some were not. Like I have 3 perfumes and I could smell just one of them. I couldn’t smell flowers or shower gels but I did smell a fabric softener a bit.

It was super weird.

The moment I found out I can’t smell things, I went directly to the fridge and picked up a yogurt even though I wasn’t hungry. I was just super curious to find out if I still had my sense of taste. Luckily I still did.

Day five

I still had a runny nose and cough. The rest of the symptoms were gone but the cough was very tiring and my chest hurt a lot because of it.

No smell was very frustrating, mostly in the kitchen. For example, I was cutting an onion, didn’t smell anything, just started crying. Or I was making a homemade pizza and I used way too much seasoning cuz I couldn’t smell if it’s enough.

But it wasn’t that bad. I mean you could live with it, it’s not something to stress over.

Living on my own comes with both advantages and disadvantages. I didn’t infect anyone but I had no one to take out the garbage. So I had to keep storing the full trash bags in my hall and this is when my loss of smell come in handy. I couldn’t be bothered. Another small victory.

Day six

The big event of the day was taking out the garbage. I put on a good pair of joggers, respirator, and a face mask, gloves, and went outside for the first time in 6 days. It still felt like I was breaking the law by leaving my place and going out to the garbage container. My whole trip took me like 3 minutes, I didn’t meet anyone but it still required a nap afterward.

I was still tired most of the day, but now I don’t know if it’s because of covid or because I was bored. Symptoms reminding were cough and clogged nose but besides that, it was all good.

It was the day I baked croissants. I mean I put frozen croissants in the oven but it was still awesome.

I just wished I could smell it.

This evening I did a stupid thing. I tried exercising and it didn’t go very well. I got exhausted very quickly and my breathing was terrible. Instead, I lied back down with Netflix as usual.

Day seven

Nothing special happened this day. I spend it in bed like always, watching Netflix, eating, playing on my phone, drinking lots of fluids, and coughing.

My daily regime started to look like a regime of a toddler.

I woke up, played some games, had lunch, and took an afternoon nap. Then I woke up, watched tv, played some games again, ate dinner, watched tv, and went to sleep. It was a dream come true.

Day eight

If my nose wasn’t clogged and I wouldn’t cough from time to time I would never guessed I had covid. Everything was completely fine by this day.

I exchanged my bedsheets that day and did some proper cleaning of the apartment. I even washed my hair and picked new pajamas and I was looking forward to lying myself to the fresh, clean bedsheets. But I forgot I still couldn’t smell anything so that moment was pretty sad and disappointing.

That day I started using coenzyme Q10 to boost my energy and recovery. All of the other supplements and vitamins I use are listed in my What vitamins does a Pharmacist take?

I tried exercising again on day 8 and it went much better. It was some easy exercises you can do at home so nothing too drastic, don’t worry. Still not 100% back but on a very solid way to recover.

Day nine

My sense of smell slowly returned so I baked croissants again just for the smell of it. I cleaned out my whole wardrobe and watched tv a lot.

I still took a lot of naps but mostly because I can and not because I need to.

It was a pretty uneventful day and I’m gonna miss days like this so much.

Day ten

My quarantine was somehow both very long and went by very quickly.

Overall my day-by-day covid experience was nothing like I was expecting. Sure my case was very mild in comparison to others but it still wasn’t pleasant.

The fact that my case was quite ok means absolutely nothing.

There is a wild search going on for one objective truth about the coronavirus.

Is it really that bad? Is it exaggerated?

Everyone’s arguments are set on personal experiences.

My uncle’s neighbor said it was just like the flu. My colleague’s grandmum died because of covid. Johny next door had it and he didn’t even know it. Mary just slept a lot. Kathie still can’t smell anything. Matt ended up in a hospital. They screwed up my test. Samantha was ok after 3 days. My sister still has breathing difficulties even 2 months after covid. 

I read so many online fights about the substantiality of covid, whilst having a covid, it’s ridiculous.

Why do people feel like their experience negates someones else’s?

The fact that my experience was quite ok means absolute shit to you. It’s information you know, it might be interesting for a while, but it doesn’t affect you in any way.

Your experience could be the same, better or worse. There is literally no other option.

But it’s still your experience and not a dogma.

Relax, just because you had it easy doesn’t mean all other people who claim to have it harder are liars. That’s not how it works. Their experience is just different than yours. There is no one truth. It’s that simple.

I wish you don’t get to experience covid at all.

And if you do get to roll the dice with the universe about the course of your covid case, I wish you all of the luck possible to get as mildest symptoms as you can.