Catching COVID-19: What No One Told You

They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right? Well, I found out that was a lie after returning from my trip in November and bringing COVID-19 home with me. Yes, I caught it. Even though I felt that I was being as cautious as I could, somewhere within the four days spent there I let my guard down. I spent two weeks battling the Coronavirus, but I must say, it wasn’t what I expected. And even more so, there was something I felt that you have probably never heard before. I want to share that with you.

First, let me just say I did not have an extreme case. It was similar to the flu, but there was no hospitalization, shortness of breath, or vomiting. In fact, I would even dare to say it was less intense than my experience with having the flu. There was lots of sinus pressure, headaches, cough, runny nose, sneezing, the weirdest body aches I have ever experienced, and yes, I lost my sense of smell thus limiting my ability to taste. But the craziest thing of all? I went back and forth about revealing my diagnosis with those around me because for some reason…I felt ashamed. In the midst of all that was happening to my body, what I felt the most was ashamed. Why? Because I had the silly idea that I was above the pandemic. I was one of those people who read about the cases but thought, something like that wouldn’t happen to me. I had brushed it off as something that ‘others’ would catch. Those that were careless, didn’t practice safety protocols like washing & sanitizing hands, wearing masks, etc. Even when someone close to me had it, it never phased me as something I could go through.  I thought, “I’m way too cautious for that.” Even if I took trips, I knew what I was doing. So, I told myself.  

I know that we are not perfect and humans make mistakes but for months, I had been working remotely plus “assistant” teaching my sons at home. Only going out to grab food or run to the grocery store. But like for many others, the quarantine fatigue started to really set in when October came around, so I jumped at the opportunity to head to Las Vegas when my husband found out his flag football team would be participating in a National Championship there. We had a great time, I wore my mask, washed my hands with soap, and sanitized them, tried to stay away from others as much as I could. I truly thought I was fine when we arrived home and I was feeling great. It wasn’t until 3 days later that I started to feel a tickle in my throat with a slight cough that later turned into full blown sickness. Within that time, I lost my sense of smell and taste which ultimately confirmed my fears even before I got the positive result. My body also went through weird shifts from feeling okay to feeling terrible and painful. Some days, I could swear it was over then by nightfall I would be in my bed with a major cough or feeling extremely cold. This lasted for two weeks before I could finally see the light. I decided to go ahead and get retested and just as I was in the clear, we learned that my entire family caught it. We remained completely isolated for a month and a half. My children were completely fine. Other than a slight fever, I guess you could say they were asymptomatic. However, this only added to my sense of shame and once my children were involved, it quickly manifested itself into regret. How could I let this happen?

The truth of the matter is, it can happen to anyone at any time and it is most certainly not something to be ashamed about. This way of thinking can be why some choose to go on about their lives knowing they have the virus and infecting others. If you have experienced COVID-19, please don’t be afraid to tell your story. If we make it a safe space, then perhaps others will follow suit. I felt so ashamed throughout the entire ordeal and the isolation that was required made it even worse. It was a lesson well learned. Catching covid is nothing to be ashamed of. It can happen to the best of us, even if we think we’re doing everything right.