When I was diagnosed with COVID I was pretty shocked. I didn’t think I would be shocked because in my heart of hearts I knew as a health care worker I was bound to get it sometime. But still it was a shock. Fear of stigma. Fear of the unknown. How would my version of COVID present? As one of my friends put it – ‘It’s a Toyota! It can do anything!
Well for me, the overriding symptom was fatigue. A feeling of needing to be still and in one place. A feeling of a heavy head. For the first week I just wanted my head on a pillow. The thought of walking to the bathroom was a chore.
By the second week, I was able to get out of bed, but my greatest desire was still just to sit or lie in one place. Reading or typing on my computer was achievable for short periods of time. Lying watching the birds on my feeder was so much easier. My head felt fuzzy and unable to think as clearly as usual.
Ofcourse, this was all intensely frustrating for me. I’m usually very busy and achieve a lot in one day. I exercise at least 5 times a week and I missed this so much. My very kind Pilates teacher did a very gentle stretch class with me online in week 2. It was glorious to stretch my stiff muscles but afterwards I felt spent. Cleaning the bathroom felt like a major achievement and rendered me useless for the rest of the day.
COVID affects everyone differently. My husband and kids also got COVID and even in our family, each presentation was unique. I’m writing this on DAY 14 of my symptoms so I don’t know how long this fatigue will last. Some of my colleagues have said that it drags on for a month or more. COVID for me has been a lesson in patience. I have been forced to slow down and take stock of life.
