And then ... Covid

 

So, our family avoided the covid infection four four years, well three I guess. But the day after Christmas of 2023, Kaylyn felt really bad and tested. Sure enough, she had picked up Covid. We did our best to keep my from getting it, but once its in the house that is hard to do, plus when your kid is sick, you take care of them, even if they are 31. On January 1st I started to feel bad and sure enough I had caught it too. Then five days later Matt tested positive. So, it got us. My kids are pretty healthy, in general, and they rode out the virus kinda like the flu, though it was rough. Fevers, aches, coughing. They cleared the virus in a couple weeks, coughed a bit longer and then have been fine ever since. 

My story is different. Because of the chronic conditions i have I had been a bit fearful of catching this new virus. But, since this was variant and not the original one I had hoped I would be able to fight it and not have lingering problems. And it seemed like that might be the case. I felt awful. But it was not severe, nor was it mild. Moderate I guess. Even with the N1H1 flu which I caught at the end of that pandemic (epidemic) I have never coughed like that before. I coughed so hard I actually injured a tendon in my ribcage. Chondritis they call it i think. I cleared the virus in about two weeks and though the coughing lingered for a while I thought I was in the clear for long term issues. But I was wrong. 

Covid can do number on your immune system. And when you have pre-existing conditions it can really wreak havoc. In my case it threw my fibromyalgia and MCAD into huge flares. I felt like I did before I was ever diagnosed. The muscle pain, pressure point sensitivity, itching, flushing, IBS, cough, severe insomnia, Joint pain, old scars and surgery sites flaring up. Even my arthritis went into a huge flare. And if that was not enough I developed chronic fatigue like I have never had in my life. 

After trying to figure out what was going on my PT suggested that I needed to listen to my body and keep resting to let my body heal. Up and down i went. Sometimes I felt like I was improving, then I would crash. over and over. Finally last month I sent a note to my immunologist/allergist to see if she had heard of other Mast Cell patients dealing with this kind of extended flare. Her response was quite simple. "You sound like you have developed Long Covid, which is causing your mast cells to flare. Your symptoms are consistent with Long Covid." And basically there is not real time line to how long it will take to get better because it is still being studied. 

So, here I am. In July, 6 months after my initial infection I am still trying to get my body to settle down and manage all these symptoms. It is extremely frustrating most days. I can not sleep at night, then fall asleep around 4am and sleep till noon or 1pm. Wake up, and am up for about three hours before I crash and have to rest. And the rest of the day is resting for about an hour or so, then getting up for 30 or 45 mins. Then resting again. I have to figure out what I want to get done and then work on it in stages. And if I go out in the heat or over exert the crashes can be extreme. Fatigue so intense that it actually hurts. Then I will have a pretty decent day, then crash the next few days. Brain Fog and Memory issues have gotten worse and feeling bad all the time has increased my depression and anxiety.

My old life, such that it was, is no where in sight. And there is no way to know how long this will last. Some people deal with long covid for months and some have been dealing with it for years. Developing serious conditions that deal with the heart, brain, muscles. It all can feel pretty hopeless sometimes. But, I still have hope. I am very thankful that my breathing has not been affecting and so far, neither has my heart. 

One thing that has helped me deal with this is that I have been dealing with one chronic condition or another since my late 30's. Endometriosis, Chronic Migraine, Fibromyalgia, Mast Cell Activation, Osteoarthritis. I know how to do this. My Faith sustains me, as I believe that suffering is not wasted, and always used by God for good one way or another. I have found doctors that believe me. I have a support group that is a safe place for venting and sharing and encouraging. And a family that loves me and makes sure I have what I need. And friends who care and check in on me. And, we have a beautiful RV and we are still able to travel. Though it takes longer to pack, travel and uppack.

So there it is. The whole messy story. Some days are ok some are pretty awful. And most days I feel like I am just baring keeping things together. But that is ok. Cause it has to be. Life continues to go on and so do I.