Well, hey there
I'm over here coming out of the Covid fog. I am most definitely over the worst of it, and mercifully, even the worst of it wasn't TOO bad for me.
I had one day of feeling really, really miserable with body aches and a sore throat, followed by several more days of feeling not-as-miserable.
And I'd say that by now, I'm feeling about 75% better. I'm still tired, but I'm much more able to be up and about.
(Earlier in my sickness, it felt like too much work to even sit up and eat! Remaining horizontal and skipping the food seemed preferable.)
I know it's not Thursday, but I wanted to write down a few things I have felt grateful for while I've been sick.
I'm not in college right now
It would have been so much more life-disrupting to get sick during finals last semester!
I'm too young and healthy to get Paxlovid
Both places I called said that I do not qualify, and while that's kind of a bummer, it's actually much better than...not being young and healthy.
And I definitely do not want to take a treatment away from someone who needs it more than I do.
Sonia didn't catch it from me
I saw her for an extended period of time the day before I got my first symptoms, but she did not catch it. Yay!
And so far, Lisey and Zoe are good too.
It's easier to be sick with older kids
I was remembering back to what it was like to navigate sickness while also trying to take care of my small humans...and I felt grateful for how much easier it is to sit and rest now.
I have a lovely place to rest and recover
I have a small pile of free Covid tests
I got them free through my insurance a little while back, for just such a time as this!
Covid tests are so much easier to get now
Last winter, this was not so much the case.
Now I don't have to be at all worried about getting Covid for a while
When I go skiing in a few weeks, I will be worry-free. Woohoo!
I wouldn't have caught it on purpose, but it IS kind of nice to get it out of the way before a trip.
I have some time to recuperate before I go skiing
If I'd caught this right before the trip, I would probably not be in good enough shape to deal with skiing at high altitudes.
But as it stands, I've got some time for my body to get back into shape.
But don't worry...I will be careful not to overdo it. 😉
I'm glad you're recuperating and this was not such a severe bout. Continue to take care of yourself.
So glad to hear that you're on the mend!
Glad to hear that you are on the mend! Now you can look forward to skiing.
Yay--so glad you are feeling better! The county libraries often have free COVID tests.
Glad you're feeling better, and best wishes for a full recovery ASAP!
Isn't it the truth that illness is easier to navigate without little ones? Glad you're on the road to recovery.
Hope you're feeling better very soon! I remember the days of being sick with little kids. I always had to just push through and it was tough! There's some crud going around in my workplace and so far I haven't caught it. That, or I have fought it off...
Kristen, you don't stop to amaze me!!!! Even when feeling terribly you are up to finding and verbalise things to be grateful for.
Good to hear you are on the mend. And I put my trust in you not to exaggerate with "the up and about" thing.....
All the best from Lea
I'm so glad you're feeling better.
Yay for 75%! Now get that 25% so you can ski like the wind. 🙂
I caught a cold somehow without my kids getting sick, which almost never happens. So today, I am staying home from work, and they are going to school. It's even a preschool day, which means ALL of them are going to school. And THAT means I can just . . . rest. Take care of myself. Stay out of the kitchen.
Older kids are more complicated, but there are some definite pluses to this stage.
Happy to hear you're on the mend. For anyone who doesn't know, the government is offering free covid tests again...
https://www.covid.gov/tests
@Bobi, And you can check the expiration dates of the ones you have, as many have been extended.
@Bobi,
Thanks for the link. I am such a COVID test hoarder but I hated being unable to get tests last year.
Oh, I didn't know this! Thanks for sharing.
@Bobi, thanks, Bobi-just ordered ours!
Good to read this morning. I am feeling extremely daunted by once again, trying to get back to my usual baseline of "crummy," up from my current "I need help walking." Siiiiiiigh. I keep trying to remind myself a walker is better than a wheelchair. Or dead.
@Rose, I am sorry. It sounds odd to those who are always and easily ambulatory, but a walker is better than a wheelchair and I am thankful for those days, too. I hope you keep improving and reach "crummy" soon.
@Rose, My heart goes out to you in the hope for a steady recovery soon. You’ve had a year! You deserve something very good to happen.
@Erika JS, Thanks so much. It's hard just getting adjusted to life without BFF in it. Every day I want to talk to her. "look! Now I have a walker too! WE BOTH SUCK! Eldercare provider, please play X Ray Spex and Fear; these oldsters feel punk today!"
Her brother keeps mailing me little bits and pieces of our lives he doesn't know what to do with, so he lays it on me to deal with. Which is fine, it just makes me cry a bit, I want to help him. The hat I made for her for a party we had in 1986. That sort of thing. IDK what to do with it, I have too much of my own stuff.
I learned years ago if I had problems separating myself emotionally from an object, to say a little prayer for it thanking it for being in my life (this before Marie Kondo but same idea) and it helps a LOT.
It's so hard to be patient during recovery. I always want to be better, like, YESTERDAY PLEASE.
I hope things improve for you soon (and, dare I hope, speedily).
@Rose,
I'm sure your BFF's brother is grateful (in his own way) for your help....he may be both unsure what to do with it, and maybe concerned that you want these items and therefore doesn't want to toss them. Just taking a guess.
I know after people I loved have passed on, I wanted to cling to everything they ever owned. Okay, exaggerating a bit, but I've learned to pick out the few things that are most meaningful to me, and move the rest along. I still have one of my dad's flannel shirts, and he's been gone almost 25 years.
@Liz B., He has said to me, "I spent my whole life doing what she told me. Now what?" Trying to help him because I care for him too. He's alone in the world--their mother made sure of that. Kind of a Grey Gardens/Barretts of Wimpole Street situation. I tried so much to get those two out from under their mother's thumb, but there's only so much one can do. Sigh.
So happy you are feeling so much better!
I'm glad you're feeling better. Given how bodies react when strong stressors are removed, that you got covid when you weren't in school may not be a coincidence.
Here's to a fast recovery.
Good to hear you are on the mend! I hope you'll be able to ski.
I have a small box of self help stuff:, covid tests, nose shower, Infra red lamp, mouth masks and disposable gloves, oximeter and the protective eye caps from my cataract surgery etc. Always good to have on hand. I have another, smaller box with painkillers, vitamins and prescriptions. Stored cool and dry.
@J NL, yes, I make sure to keep all those important things always stocked up, I mean like the OTC meds, tea, envelopes of soup for when microwaving water for 2 min is all the cooking I can do, tissues, lip balm- but you’ve made me think of a few more! It’s awful to have to shop when feeling sick. May we all stay as well as possible. So glad you’re doing better, Kristen, and maybe your grateful spirit helps boost antibodies!
Kristen, it is good to see your post today. Covid is such a mystery, and an interruption. I hope all your extended walking has prepared you for skiing in spite of the interruption. If you can't take long walks before your trip, do those wall-sit things and stretch a lot.
I was thinking about that today; I'm gonna have to work hard to get myself back into shape before skiing.
On the upside (?) last year I also got Covid a few weeks before skiing. And last year I did manage to get myself into decent enough shape to ski; I got back to walking ASAP after the last bout of Covid, and I think I also did some weights. So that's my plan again this year.
So glad to hear you are on the mend and have a nice family ski trip to look forward to! These past few years have not been easy, in sooo many ways.Still, like you,I do a gratitude journal, every morning , for me. It helps me focus on what is good and nurturing.A hot strong cuppa coffee is an example! A rosy peach sunrise, A soft quilt up under my chin till I am ready to get out of bed, 2 cozy kitties who like to cuddle..All good things. Noticing small blessings gives me courage and stamina to deal with the bigger stuff. Love your blog,.thanks for sharing!
I’m glad you are feeling much better! I’m surprised that you weren’t allowed to get a prescription for Paxlovid. I was very very grateful to be given the meds when I had Covid this past summer. No age/health stipulations at the time. Maybe there is a shortage right now? Glad you are over the worst of it!
I wonder if the shortage issue varies from area to area. I called my primary care physician and also an urgent care center and got the same answer both places.
So I decided it was not worth it to drag myself out to see a doctor. Better to remain on the couch. 😉
And the West Coast snow is looking to be amazing this year...yippee!
I'm glad you're feeling better! And doubly glad you get to recover before skiing!
The first time I had the virus, I was laid out on the couch for 3 weeks with meds to help with breathing, and it took months for the effects to dissipate (prevaccine). I got it twice about a year after first dose of the vaccine, and it was so much easier to deal with--only one really yucky day each time.
The timing is perfect if you had to get sick. After school; before ski trip Glad you are feeling better!
An enormous piece of lovely good luck, that your Covid time was placed after the class work and before a very cool trip with your dear family. I think you earned that placement with your care toward others/us. So glad you’re feeling much better!
Glad you're on the mend!!
Are you skiing at Tahoe again? We have had So. Much. Snow. All the skiiers are dizzy with happiness. 🙂
Yes! Tahoe again.
I’m glad you’re feeling better and thankful your girls haven’t gotten sick.
Once again, you are an encouragement to your readers. Especially when we’re not feeling well we can tend to spiral into self-pity. Reviewing what is good in a negative situation can keep hope alive that this trial isn’t forever. Praying for you that your health will be fully restored in time for your ski trip!
Happy to hear you are feeling improvement.
My mom grew up in rural Arkansas and married my dad when they were 18 and 19. Fast forward to 4 little girls in 4 1/2 years, she was challenged with all of our childhood illnesses. She got measles, mumps and chickenpox along with all of us. This was before vaccines were around of course. I’m sure she wasn’t the only one experiencing this as it was the time of all the baby boomer births. But good grief!! I can’t even imagine coping well with that.
So glad you are feeling better and aren’t trying to care for anyone else but yourself. Rest and heal. ❤️
It’s great that you’re on the mend, and able to think of bright sides!
Happy to hear that you are on the mend. And yay to the upcoming ski trip.
Glad you're feeling better, that it wasn't a terrible round of COVID, and you have time to recuperate before your ski trip!
I'm glad you're on the mend!
It's so beautiful to me how the Thankful Thursdays have made it more natural to make thankful lists in hard times. I know I've experienced this the last couple of years. Thanks for helping us all work our gratitude muscles.
I hope you continue to feel better and have more energy!
Glad you are feeling better!
So, so glad you’re on the mend, and have a trip to look forward to, as well!
Re: taking care of little ones when you’re sick: when my son was 2, and I was pregnant with our second child, I got the flu. My husband was an on-air radio DJ and HAD to work his shift. We lived in a small house in San Antonio, Texas. It had a hallway that all bedrooms and the one bathroom opened into, and a door at the end of the hall that would close off the other areas of the house.
So we closed the bathroom door, the hallway door, and the door to the nursery that we were still working on. This gave my toddler access to his room, my room, and the whole hallway to play in. His dad made a lunchbox for him before he left and I had the tv and phone. I laid in bed and watched him play.
Ya do what ya gotta do.
so glad you are much better. what a relief. enjoy your ski trip.
I'm happy you are getting over covid now, Kristen. I was very grateful to get the paxlovid when I finally succumbed to covid in November, there doesn't seem to be any shortage in Canada with most people being able to access it if they want.
I am nearly always able to see the silver lining in the clouds too, thankfully! I think it would be a terrible thing to not be able to see the silver lining. It's a blessing, really.
Take care and I hope you continue to mend well!
Glad you are feeling better. I also had it a month ago and only checked because if one of symptoms for me was lower back was hurting with a light cold.
We also had COVID tests at home.
Hi Kristen,
I am praying for a swift recovery and hope that you are doing better each day! Thanks for your posts- they brighten my days.
Lisa