Diary of a Quarantined Black Woman: How I Got Covid Over the Holidays

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Welcome to part 2 of my quarantine diaries. If you read part 1,  then you know that I tested positive for Covid over Thanksgiving. It kind of sucked. But it did give me a lot to be thankful for (more on that later 😌).

In this post, you’ll find out how I figured out that I had Covid without even getting tested, and how it made me feel.

It really didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out. Just simple awareness.

I Knew Something Was Off

I literally just moved in with my boyfriend 2 months before it all happened.

He had been going to the gym a lot more lately, and suddenly started feeling weird.

First, he was coughing, then he said his whole body felt sore. He thought it was because of his work out, but I had a bad feeling about it.

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Usually, when we workout together, he’s NEVER out of breath. If anything, I’m the one gasping for my dear life when we go running.

So I knew something was wrong.

Then It Happened

On his birthday, a week before Thanksgiving, he left work early because he was feeling terrible.

He was fatigued, and had been in bed all day.

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I tried making him feel good with some tea, a nice dinner, and some dessert; but nothing really worked.

I didn’t want to think the worst, but with everything going on in the world, I couldn’t help but notice the signs.

The persistent cough, the body aches and fatigue, and then I found out he had a slight fever; all signs pointed to Covid.

So I did what I could to convince him to stay home until he got tested.

Of course it was met with a lot of backlash because he’s stubborn as hell. He didn’t want to use any sick days at work because we had travel plans for the holidays.

But I couldn’t live with the fact that he could be putting himself and others at risk, just to save some PTO.

We Have A Responsibility

I literally had to guilt trip him into staying home.

I reminded him that he left work early because he felt like crap, he had Covid symptoms, and he knows that some people can actually die from this thing.

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So I asked, “Why would you put the people you work with at risk like that?” I told him, “As a soldier, you have a responsibility to keep your country safe.”

(I should probably mention that he’s in the Navy)

But, after hearing me out, he stayed home the next day and started looking for testing locations. A wise man 😌.

Getting Tested For Covid Was Harder Than We Thought

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The problem was that there were literally no appointment slots open because we’ve had such a huge spike in cases.

It was Thursday, and the soonest we could find an appointment was on Saturday.

Of course he hated missing so much work, but I reassured him that it was for the best.

And it was. Because when he finally got tested, sure enough… he was positive.

Day 1-ish With Covid

When I saw the results, my heart dropped to the floor. It felt like reading the test results of an STD test!

quarantine diaries, covid story

I’ve been living with this man and trying to take care of him. I’ve been exposed! How did he get it? Am I asymptomatic? Did I get it from somewhere and give it to HIM? Who’s the culprit here?!

These were all the questions floating through my head at an uncontrollable rate.

I was scared because some people actually die from this thing, frustrated because I’d been doing everything I could to avoid it, sad that I wouldn’t get to see my family for Thanksgiving, and worried that we may have infected someone else.

My mind was racing a million miles per minute.

I thought about all the places we had been in the last few weeks.

I wondered if we caught it at the museum. We were just there eating without our masks on. Or maybe we got it from the arcade bar we ate.


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I Mentally Lost It

Had he been anywhere else that I hadn’t been?

I thought about his gym visits. I thought about that fight we had over Veteran’s Day when he left me at home and didn’t come back until later that night.

I tried not to throw blame, but I couldn’t help how I felt. I was furious that I had been playing it safe all year, but that clearly didn’t matter now.

quarantine diaries, covid story

I had turned down friends’ offers to go out just to avoid catching or spreading Covid.

I travelled by plane earlier in the year, looked like a germaphobe for sanitizing the seat before I sat down, had on 2 masks and gloves, and didn’t catch it.

I went to the beach in Key West, almost died in a rip tide (unrelated), and didn’t catch it. I travelled to Dallas, Chicago, and Biloxi, MS, and didn’t catch it.

But the moment I move in with him, I catch it.

I couldn’t help but realize how reckless he seemed. I mean, he thought it was okay to go to work even though there was a high chance that he was infected!

My mind spiraled downward into a negative abyss.

I do love this man, but I couldn’t control how I felt. I’m only human, and this would make anyone snap at a time like this.


Click here for online help coping with depression and anxiety during quarantine.


Acceptance

It doesn’t make much sense throwing blame here and there. It was only making me upset. I tried thinking about something else.

After all, I had to accept the fact that he had it, and since I’d been in such close proximity to him for some time, I probably had it too.

quarantine diaries, covid story

I didn’t need to get tested. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that one out.

That night, we slept in separate rooms.

As I started paying closer attention to my body, I noticed a weird feeling in the back of my throat.

I also felt a slight headache that had been lingering all day. I thought the news may have had me a little on edge.

So, I tried getting some sleep, we had a long 14 days ahead of us.

In Conclusion

I’m not sure who gave it to who, but at the end of the day, it really didn’t matter.

If one person in your household has symptoms, it’s important to get tested ASAP!!

DO NOT go back to work/school, DO NOT PASS GO, until you know for sure that you’re healthy.


Find a Covid testing site near you.


I know some people that are actually against getting tested. I won’t say any names… or maybe I should… 🤔 But it seems pretty careless to me.

We all have a responsibility to one another to NOT infect each other, especially because Covid can be life-threatening for some.

Please don’t be reckless and put someone else’s life at risk, just go get tested.

Peace.


If you missed part 1 of the Quarantine Diaries series, check it out here!


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