About ten days ago, my wife arrived home after a 13-hour drive with her octogenarian mother. The next day my wife became sick and tested positive for Covid. My daughter was home from law school for spring break. We all masked up and kept our distance.
After some Paxlovid and four or five days of misery, my wife recovered and tested negative, as did the rest of us. How the heck my mother in law tested negative after being in a car that long with my wife is a mystery. (My negative test result came before I went to Friday Coffee Club, which was held outdoors so no worries for the caffeine crew.)
Crisis passed, right?
Tomorrow I was planning on driving my mother in law home to Indiana. Despite having nothing but allergy symptoms, I took a Covid test just to be sure.
I tested positive.
Get out of here! So I tested again using a different type of test kit.
I tested positive.
The only symptoms I have are allergy symptoms. The cedar tree outside my window is orange, covered in pollen. I have been sniffling and sneezing and had itchy eyes for a week or so. Otherwise I feel completely fine.
This is my second bout of Covid. The last one was at the end of July when I returned from my 2019 bike tour. I took Paxlovid and had a mild case. I was vaccinated for the fifth time last October.
Of all the people in our household this week I was the one that did the most distancing and mask-wearing. And I got the damned disease again. No wonder the medical profession has had such a hard time dealing with this virus. It makes no sense.
I will be a good boy and take it easy. I’ll wear a mask. I’ll avoid other people. I’ll eat some chicken soup.
Once in my college years my neighbor and I came down with the flu. After three days of feeling wretched we decided to through caution to the wind and drink some single malt Scotch. The next day we were both fully recovered.
I bought some Guinness for St. Patrick’s Day and never got around to drinking any. I wonder if it has anti-viral properties. In the interest of science I will investigate.
A Few Spokes Shy of a Wheel 
Our health officer here once said about the tests:
“if it’s negative you might have Covid, if it’s positive then you definitely do”
I once drank a full bottle of port as hot toddies to kill a bad cold. That was at least 25 years ago. It definitely worked but I haven’t drank it since.
Hope you’re in the all clear again soon 🤞
Technically, you tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. Covid-19 is the illness. So if you did not get sick you did not have Covid. It is sort of like the difference between HIV and Aids.
I know but Covid is easier to type. 🙂
😀
I believe if you put the Guinness in an atomizer and squirt it up your nose you should be good to go!
Thanks for reporting out on your latest experience with COVID. It reinforces my thought that this virus is endemic, and a tricky bastard (as my Grand Da would say) at that. I got my first viral cold in 5 (!) years, and sure enough, I was symptomatic (but COVID test negative – multiple tests) 3 days after being inside a restaurant unmasked for the first time since early 2020. I’m mindful now, for sure. Who says paranoia is unwarranted?
😉
Thanks for reporting out on your latest experience with COVID. It reinforces my thought that this virus is endemic, and a tricky bastard (as my Grand Da would say) at that. I got my first viral cold in 5 (!) years a couple of weeks ago, and sure enough, I was symptomatic (but COVID test negative – multiple tests) 3 days after being inside a restaurant unmasked for the first time since early 2020. I’m mindful now, for sure. Who says paranoia is unwarranted?
😉
On the plus side, after a week or so I should be rocking the antibodies making for a safe bike trip this summer.
My family and I have all had it twice. The first go we all got it together, the second time I had it and they didn’t, and then they got it and I didn’t (we live in same space.)
Makes no sense, alas here we all are. Hoping for a speedy negative test for you.
I bought 8 tests last week. We had to re-stock. My doc just prescribed Paxlovid. I’m waiting for some serious symptoms.
Glad I wore a mask today. I’m taking a couple of university courses (as a Senior Auditor). Today is the first day back from spring break and I figgered all them young ‘uns had been hanging out in crowded bars in Florida exposed to godnose what, so I’d better mask for class. I hope you stay fine. I found that single malt Scotch was an effective treatment for asthma. I decided it relaxed the smooth muscle surrounding my airway, opening it up so I could breathe. Remember, I’m not a doctor, though I do play one on TV. Give the Guinness a shot. If it doesn’t work, you may have to go back to Scotch, or at least Irish Whiskey.
Hi John – – sorry to hear you have Covid again! 😦 Bummer!! I hope you’re feeling better and that a swig of Scotch helped! 🙂 🙂 I had to stay home from work yesterday due to some kind of nasty sinus bug! 😦 It had me down for the count, that’s for sure. Sinus headache, sleepiness, etc. I did take a Covid test to make sure it wasn’t that, and thankfully it wasn’t. So I’m back at work today (oh joy). At least the weekend is coming… 🙂 By the way, I recently made vacation plans to do a bike trip in northern Germany at the beginning of May! I was looking on Adventure Cycling Companions Wanted and I saw this lady’s ad. There are a few others joining her. We are meeting in a town Hannoversch Muenden – which is 3 hours north of Frankfurt, and then biking about 300 miles to the coastline at Cuxhaven. The route is a paved bike path along the Weser River and appears to be flat and do-able. The plan of the group is to bike 40 or so miles for a couple days, then take a day off, then repeat. I think I’m gonna take my Brompton, as it’s lighter/easier to handle getting on/off trains, plus the route is flat. At the end, I’ll hop on a train to Hamburg, then fly back. So, it should be interesting – – stay tuned! It’s nice to have something to look forward to. Two things will occur on this bike trip – – I will turn 65 :), and the other is that it’s white asparagus season in Germany. White asparagus is DELIOUS! So I’m looking forward to having that and also, of course, their great apple strudel!! 🙂 🙂 A few weeks ago, my office moved to a new office location…from our location at 1717 Pennsylvania Ave., to 555 12th St. (Metro Center). So my bike commute is about 5-10 minutes shorter, which always helps. The office was built out for our office, so everything is new and nice. It’s a good improvement over our last place. So this will be my last “pit stop” before I retire in a year and a half, which I’m looking foward to VERY much! I looked at the Social Security website and it said that I could make $1,000 more a month, if I retired when I’m 70…..that sounds tempting, but I don’t think I want to wait that long….I’m kinda barely hanging in there as it is. 🙂 Okay, hope you feel better soon… take care! Charmaine
Your illness sounds just like mine. I am a little light headed (more so than normal) and have the occasional chill but otherwise feel fine.
People often ask me why I do the tours that I do but I’ve never said “apple strudel and white asparagus.” Sounds like a plan to me!
As long as you can swing it financially, I highly recommend retirement. I waited a few years to max out my pension, but Gin is 5 years younger than me and beat me to the punch. Neither of us have regretted retiring one bit.
Have fun in Germany.
My financial planner I’m working with said he thinks I’ll be ok to retire as planned…I hope so! I’m doing what I can to squirrel as much money away in the meantime… 🙂