IT's not over yet

So yesterday I tested positive for covid.  After 2 years, 3 vaccinations, no kids, no holidays, living with my husband when he was positive over Christmas, and after treating countless patients up close, the fiend finally found me.  Thankfully after 4 variants, the Omicron variant which must be what I have, is mild.  I have definitely felt worse than this before now, and I've had several covid negative viruses in the past couple of years, and this isn't much to write home about.  Grateful for the vaccines too.  I have been so careful still, despite the may rule changes, and recent relaxing of all things sensible by the government, but in the past 2 weeks we have had friends to stay with their kids (all well), we have seen Rich's family, as his brother had returned from Dubai and we celebrated our sister in law's 50th birthday (all well), and the one thing I have avoided for 2 years for fear of covid is to swim in our luxurious residents pool...but we did last week for the first time.. and steam and sauna, and I walked out saying I wasn't sure we should have! And here I am.. but we won't ever know.  It was inevitable I suppose, and I'm just glad it's not too bad,  just exhausting!

Rich was away at his games most of last week.  I started coughing mildly on Thursday evening, when he was back.  I had been caught in the rain most of last week walking home from work so thought it was that. Friday I tested negative, went to work, nurse Sue had been coughing and sneezing the day before, she was also negative.  The morning operating was hard for me, I was feeling fragile, a bit under the weather, had empathy fatigue, and held it together until I finished, and wept on my boss's shoulder (literally) and now hoping she hasn't caught it.  I felt really low, and I had made an error in putting the wrong patient label on a prescription for a patient and her daughter was unhappy about it, and had to come back to collect a new one-it was a sure sign I wasn't well, and now I'm fretting that these old folk have caught it off me.. How will I know?  I went to the hygienist (oops) and then I went home and slept for 3 hours on the sofa. I put my dressing gown on over my clothes and that was me gone until nearly 8pm.  I was in bed half an hour later and managed a video call with Rich who was now in Liverpool for his match yesterday.  It didn't last long.  My first job yesterday was to test , and for the first time I saw the 2 horizontal lines- C and T - and I called Rich.  This explained a lot.  Afternoon tea at Claridges for just 6 of us as a gift to our now retired colleague Frances was now off for me and I was gutted.  The covid hub at work told me to isolate now until I test negative at day 5 and 6 so I will be off work until Thursday. I mean, I managed to stay working when Rich had it as I tested negative each day and work let me in-first time since the hospital realised it couldn't cope with winter pressures as well if so many were isolating simply due to contacts..  I reported my result to the NHS app, and within an hour I had a call from a doctor at UCLH called Josh - because I was on the clinically vulnerable list due to my previous lymphoma, and I had been flagged immediately.  I had been sent a PCR test a couple of months ago to return in the event that I got a positive lateral flow test, as they have been giving antiviral infusions to some patients, but I was sure I wasn't in need of this.  But their system was perfect, and we talked through my history, my treatment, stem cell transplant in 2006, full remission, breast investigations, and I mentioned the 2 holter monitors I have had and am awaiting my GP report on this this week-could I have had covid in Jan 2020? We will never know, and my antibody test had been negative that summer so assumed not, but again we don't know.  He thankfully concluded that I don't need to be on the clinically vulnerable list anymore, and I don't need a transfusion.  I was way past the 12 months since a stem cell transplant, and I was just hugely impressed and touched by the efficiency the NHS has had with the Covid regimes since this started.  So even now they are spot on with their follow up and record keeping.  

And so I posted off my PCR anyway , and after cleaning the flat and spraying and wiping everything down to be safe for Rich;s return, (a bit breathless) I spent the rest of the day in bed.  The cough and sore throat were the main symptoms, and some headaches, and a bit bunged up, but predominantly very tired . But now I have the time and the space to rest .  I had a bit of a temperature at around the time his game kicked off, (I had already taken paracetamol) but I watched it on my phone and always proud to see him on the tv.  He came home very late last night and I had made up the spare bed and he had the other bathroom to use too. It was a regime we were familiar with after he had covid at Christmas, and I was sitting outside the bedroom door having dinner with him from a distance! 

Today I have been absolutely shattered.. the cough is there but less, the sore throat improved as the day wore on, the tiredness the dominant symptom, and the sneezing much more! No fevers, but I did feel quite dizzy earlier. But all in all it really is rather mild. I have slept, I have window shopped (and shopped..) online, have ordered our very first Tesco home delivery to come tomorrow, and Rich has been a darling, gone to get a few things before the shop arrives tomorrow, has fed me soup and bread, tried me with chocolate-a no go, I must be ill.., bought me my favourite dried apricots, and brought me a yummy dinner, which took a while to eat.  He sat outside the bedroom door to eat with me too.. 

But what is this to anyone when this is the week that has seen Russia's bloody and pointless siege on Ukraine, and my darling best friend losing her mum, to whom I had also been close.  There are battles, and there are wars, and in the end we have to be grateful for small things.