Yesterday, I tested positive for Covid-19. I have no idea which variant, but my symptoms have been mild, though strange. Last week, my son tested positive and had the usual symptoms such as a sore throat, fever, aches and pains, and a runny nose. Both of us were fully vaccinated, him with Pfizer and me with Moderna.
In my last post, I recommended getting tested at the pop-up testing center on West Pershing near Dollar General, but they had run out of rapid tests, so both of us got tested at Crossing Healthcare instead. They have a building set-up just off of North Water after you cross the viaduct. It was once a drive-thru testing facility, but I’m assuming since it’s so cold, they brought it inside. It was a quick and painless process.
They use the same test used by the University of Illinois, called the SHIELD test. Basically, you spit into a tube and the sample is sent off to St Mary’s Hospital where it’s tested. It’s a much more sensitive than rapid tests, and highly accurate.
One thing to know about the SHIELD test is that it can detect the virus in your saliva for several weeks post infection. You can be fully recovered, but the test may still come back positive. So, you also have to take into consideration your current symptoms.
The rapid test aren’t so great at detecting small viral loads, but that means they are good at detecting higher viral loads, which is when you’re most contagious.
As you can tell, I’ve learned a lot about these tests over the past two weeks. More than I ever wanted to know!
For me, I think I caught Covid about three weeks ago. I felt lousy for a week, and almost canceled the booster shot I had scheduled at that time, but didn’t want to keep putting it off, since a few of my co-workers were already sick. It had been a year since I had my second dose.
My symptoms have been more neurological than anything. It felt like my body was fighting off something, kinda like you feel when a cold is coming on. It was muscle pain, fatigue, dizziness, brain fog, and eye pain. This past weekend, it was heart palpitations, chills, and nausea. I overdid it on a bike ride. Obviously, I wasn’t fully recovered. The symptoms can linger for quite a while.
I’m not sharing all of this because I’m old and old people like to talk about their ailments (we do), but to point out that Covid can look and feel very different from one person to the next. You need to listen to your body.
If my son hadn’t of had the classic Covid symptoms, neither one of us would have ever been tested. I had wondered if I had Covid, but was still shocked when the positive result came back. I didn’t have the typical symptoms.
I am glad that I am vaccinated, because I have no doubt that my experience would have been much more severe, if I hadn’t of been. I can tell my immune system was fighting it off, right from the start.
Today, I feel pretty good. I’m in isolation until Friday, but it’s given me the chance to get a lot of work done on my business and get some much needed rest. There’s a bright side to everything. I needed a break from work anyway.
I hope that we’re nearing the end of this pandemic. Stay safe. Better times are coming. I hope.
