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My Covid Adventure
March 2 – Got my first Moderna shot at a local Walgreens in Maryland. Mrs. O’Shea had received her first Moderna shot a week early, as she is a school teacher.
March 8 – Got a call from one of my co-workers (age 61) that he had tested positive for Covid and had to quarantine for 10 days. He had the test on Saturday, and just heard back Monday morning. He had very mild symptoms. I had seen him briefly on Friday – there are usually only five of us in a large office space, and don’t have a lot of direct interaction with each other. I called the other three people to let them know.
March 9 – Everyone from the office stayed home except me. The second youngest of us (30) heard back from his Covid test and was positive. He was having no symptoms but would be home for 10 days. The youngest co-worker (26) was tested and was negative. The oldest co-worker (72) was negative also. He was half vaccinated like me. The soonest I could schedule a Covid test was Thursday at 4:00 at a drive-through clinic. I was feeling fine, and was alone in the office that day, confident I didn’t have it.
March 10 – By 11:00 that morning, I was feeling off. I told Mrs. O’Shea she should go stay with our son and daughter-in-law, in case I had the Communist Flu. She said she was not going anywhere. I laid down on the sofa about 1:00, and spent most of the next 72 hours there. I had chills, aches, and a cough. I had no fever, no loss of taste or smell, and no other symptoms.
March 11- Mrs. O’Shea drove me to the drive-through clinic for a Covid test at 4:00. I had felt a bit better that morning, but stayed on the couch and slept most of the day. Chills and aches were mostly gone, I had a headache. Still no fever. Chills and aches came back that night. I ate a little bit of chicken noodle soup from the Lipton’s box, just like mom used to make…..
March 12 – Got up and took a shower in the morning. Felt a bit better. Went back to the couch, and again slept most of the day. Slept better Friday night – some aches, no chills though.
March 13 – felt better in the morning. Got a shower, got dressed, went back to the couch, and would nod off randomly. I convinced myself I just had the flu. Chills were gone, aches were gone, and still no fever. I was tired and weak. 4:00 Saturday I got an email from the clinic letting me know I had tested positive for Covid.
March 14 – felt back to normal except for a slight headache. I got a call from the county, checking in on me, and letting me know I should stay home until Saturday, March 20, 10 days after my first symptoms appeared. They had a series of questions about my symptoms, and about where I had been earlier in the week. The interview took about a half-hour.
And that was it for me – the county called every day until Saturday to check in on me (and I suppose to make sure I was home). They also called Mrs. O’Shea every day, as she had to quarantine for two weeks. She had been teaching back in her building, but now resumed teaching from home, and just went back to her building today. She has tested negative.
So for me, Covid was like having the flu for three days. I was back to work on Monday the 22nd. My other two co-workers had fewer symptoms than I did, and were back to work as well. No one else in any of the three households got Covid. And I lost five pounds.
My wife and I get our second Moderna shot tomorrow.
Maybe my symptoms were lighter because I was half vaccinated. Maybe my wife didn’t get it because she had been half vaccinated for two weeks. There is so much we still don’t know about this disease.
Published in Healthcare
Thanks for the report.
Also, glad you and yours made it through relatively easily.
I have not been vaccinated, and my experience with COVID-19 was very similar to yours. Started off with lack of energy, then chills, then exhaustion and no appetite. I never lost my sense of smell or taste. I didn’t have the body aches that many others had. The whole thing lasted about two weeks, like yours. I lost 13 pounds……and I’ve kept most of it off since then!
I’ve heard the vaccine side effects can be worse if you already were infected. Might want to plan on a few more days off just in case.
I have planned for that. I will report back on Wednesday.
Or maybe ask your doc if you even need the vaccine at all now? I’ve heard different answers to that question, but you’ve already had one shot which gives a lot of protection, plus you’ve been naturally vaccinated.
I have gotten a lot of conflicting advice about this. I have read a lot of different opinions and have opted to go ahead with it.
I’ll know tomorrow!
I got a first ModeRNA on Saturday. On Sunday, I felt a little icky. About the same as I feel after season flu shot. I was still able to mow the lawn an such. Today I feel back to normal.
I saw an article that a week ago Texas had about 2,200 people test positive and the same day gave out 238,000 vaccinations. That is 100-to-1 .
Richard, were your co-workers vaccinated that you were in touch with? Glad you are better!!
I had my second shot on Saturday, Pfizer. No effects other than a sore arm. I read an article in today’s Wall Street Journal about businesses giving away freebies to vaccinated people. Krispy Kreme is giving free doughnuts if you show your vaccination card. Too bad I am not fond of their product-too sweet.
Getting my second Pfizer shot tomorrow. My arm ached a little more than a regular flu shot but other than that no problem. Have not had any symptoms or been exposed to the VID as far as I know. Tested negative the 3 times I was tested (once for a medical procedure and the other 2 for travel to Pennsylvania). Thanks for the report.
Only one other was half vaccinated like me at the time.
This is ridiculous. You had covid. You have natural immunity and shouldn’t be getting the second dose of the vaccine so soon. It is like the whole medical community has forgotten everything we ever knew about vaccines and immunity.
You are going to be knocked on your butt with the second dose. Your immune system is going to go into overdrive.
I was told to wait at least 90 days. I’ve just become eligible, in any case. I had C-19 in early to mid-January, so I figure I should wait till at least mid-April.
Wife and I both had the two Modernas. Sore arms for 2 days; she had nausea for one day after the first; I need an extra 3 hour nap after the second. Doing fine now. None of our friends had any problems after their shots, Moderna or Phizer. But still wearing our masks. We are in California so will be 2023 before we can trash them.
I know OF only two people who have died of the disease: one was older with a severe heart condition; the other was morbidly obese. I personally know no one who has died. (These were both friends of friends.)
I do personally know lots of people who have had Covid. Most have experienced very mild symptoms… less than those you’ve described, though there’s a definite spectrum.
Only one friend was hospitalized, and that was early in the pandemic, so his wife was understandably very freaked out by the whole thing… unable to even go inside to see him, though he got better, thank goodness. He is in his early seventies.
Interesting to me–and I’m sure it has nothing to do with the virus being racist (!!!), nor does it seem attached to socioeconomic status in my own circle because the reality is that if I know someone in the service industries, it’s a friend’s teenager, not my actual friend–the people whom I actually know who have gotten the sickest have been from minority populations.
I have no idea why this is the case, though everything I read about this phenomenon gives me “because society is systemically racist” tropes, which aren’t helpful. Granted, I’m talking a small pool of people, mostly middle-aged rather than elderly, but it’s a large enough pool for me to hope someone is actually researching that aspect of Covid outside of the stupid race politics that currently exist in our country so that the medical community actually understands the whys more.
That said, my very white mother got pretty sick after her second shot. She essentially collapsed into bed, though she was better after a couple of days.
I have no great desire to get the vaccine after watching her, but I will for society’s sake once it’s more readily available for my demographic… or… errr… I guess I should say available for healthy people who are in low risk groups.
I’m glad you feel better, and I hope your second shot goes fine. I would definitely ask a doctor if I should space that out though. Several of the people I know who have gotten sick already aren’t going to get the vaccine. Is that the right decision? I don’t know.
When my kid had chicken pox though, the doctor didn’t give him an extra shot afterwards. (His pediatrician said that was simply unnecessary.) Of course, he got all the other vaccines.
Well, the deed is done. I had five opinions from five doctors and nurses. In the end I decided to go ahead with it.
So far so good – I’ll report back tomorrow about any butt knocking that occurs.
I had my first moderna vaccine on Saturday. I slept a lot on Sunday. It may have been the shot or my poor sleeping schedule. Arm was mildly sore. Today is Tuesday and I haven’t had any other symptoms.
That’s pretty much my story too. I had the first Pfizer last Wednesday. My arm was sore for 24 hours, and I was extra tired, but otherwise, I’ve had no ill effects.
Nine hours on and so far my wife and I both have sore arms.
So far so good.
Then came 11:00 pm – I got the chills, and Mrs. O’Shea got body aches. They were gone by 2 am, but neither of us really slept last night.
And my arm is a lot more sore today than last time.