Since my day job is equal parts boring and confidential, I frequently find myself hoping for something interesting to happen to me. Well, you know what they say: be careful what you wish for. After 4 years of quarantining, working from home, masking, social distancing, vaccinating, and taking occasional risks, I finally caught COVID-19.
Like a lot of cataclysmic things, it all started simply. One night, as I prepared for bed, I felt a sore throat starting to form. It was unusual, but nothing that concerned me. When I woke up the following morning, my throat still felt sore. I went to my office and prepared to work as usual. Since the sore throat was annoying me, I decided to test myself for COVID-19 (I had some self-testing kits in my office left over from the last time I tested myself after being exposed). I’d tested myself several times in the past, so I followed the testing procedure as usual. What wasn’t usual was my result: a clear positive. The dread of a multiyear pandemic fully washed over me; s*** had just gotten real.
I may have caught a dangerous disease, but the legal system stops for no one. As such, I finished everything I reasonably could at the office before going home to isolate. I made arrangements to have groceries delivered, made the necessary calls and emails to meet my work obligations, and made sure that my world would keep turning while I waited the virus out. Much to my initial relief, I wasn’t feeling much in the way of symptoms; all I had for the first day was the sore throat and some mild nasal congestion. It seemed like this was going to blow over in no time…then the night came. As I prepared to go to bed, I was gripped by the most severe chills I have ever had in my life. Admittedly, I don’t usually get chills with a fever, but these were objectively serious; I was shaking so badly that I couldn’t stand or hold a phone. I eventually was able to power myself to the bathroom and take some ibuprofen, which seemed to lessen the chills. Making sure I was keeping warm, I eventually shivered myself to sleep. This was going to be more unpleasant than I thought.
The next week or so kept up the general wretched feelings I fell asleep to. While my chills never got as bad as the night of the first day, I continued to get them at night. My sore throat came and went in random intervals, eventually becoming less prevalent. My nose was constantly stuffy or runny, with my head constantly feeling more and more congested. Worst of all, I had a general yucky feeling that made doing almost anything unpleasant. Though I kept it mostly at home, I continued to work as needed, appearing in court by video and making occasional trips to the office. I tried to get plenty of rest and hydration as I counted down the hours for when I could test myself next. Seeing Cthulhu was out of the picture, so I made do with Facetiming Cthulhu, texting other friends, and occasional video game binges. I had been preparing for this situation for about 4 years, so I had some things under control, but I still felt occasionally overwhelmed by the fear, frustration, and grossness that only COVID-19 could give me.
Fortunately, there was a mantra that helped me get through it all: this too shall pass. It passed like the worst bowel movement ever, but it did pass. I outlasted the quarantine requirements, allowing me to return to work as usual (albeit with a mask) and mostly lead a normal life. Every 2 days, I made sure to test myself. I continued testing positive for a week after quarantine was over; even though my symptoms got milder and more allergy-like over time, that little red line indicating a positive result continued to vex me. I remained in relative isolation when possible, and I started to worry how this would affect my long-term plans. After persevering and testing for a total of about 2 weeks, I finally tested negative. More gloriously, I tested negative again when I tested 48 hours later. I had no symptoms, my head was clear, and I no longer had any barriers keeping me from enjoying life. I had officially survived COVID-19.
It has now been 2 weeks since I tested negative twice. As I have readjusted into a normal life, there are some things that have stuck with me. First, I am extremely grateful for modern medicine. I have no doubt that COVID-19 would be much worse if not for my multiple vaccinations, and I am glad that the technology to test for COVID-19 is readily available to the public. Second, getting COVID-19 can really make you realize how much the world has changed in the past 4 years. The court had mechanisms in place for me to appear remotely (something that was extremely rare when I was first starting out as a lawyer), and there were smartphone apps available that allowed me to shop for groceries without having to leave quarantine at home. Finally, and most importantly, I will not be taking my health for granted from here on out. As I write this, I am preparing for vacation in Hawaii in Cthulhu. While I’ll certainly be relaxing whenever possible and enjoying life to the fullest, I plan to continue masking when feasible and keeping a careful distance from others when possible. Healthy living is a gift, and it is one I plan to safeguard as I settle down to relax, free from COVID-19 and court appearances.