#MicroblogMondays: Sick :(

I'm sick. :(  I don't *think* it's COVID-19.  But obviously, I don't know for sure. Unless I really start feeling a whole lot worse, I've decided I'm not going near a doctor's office or hospital right now (or anywhere else, for that matter).  Social distancing, c'est moi.

I am not running a fever (my temperature has actually been BELOW normal the last few times I've taken it...!)(my digital thermometer is ancient & probably needs a new battery...) and have only had the occasional cough. Some post-nasal drip, but no serious sinus congestion. I started feeling very tired last Tuesday, and I chalked it up to the time change & not sleeping well. But by Wednesday night -- the day the World Health Organization declared a pandemic -- I was feeling just a wee bit headache-y too, and there was an ominous tickle starting at the back of my throat.

We went to the supermarket to stock up on supplies on Thursday morning, just before the panic buying started locally later that afternoon/evening (the NHL suspended the hockey season that afternoon -- I suspect there was a connection, lol), and by that evening, I knew I was not operating at 100%.  I haven't been sick in probably two or three years, but OF COURSE I would get sick NOW, at the beginning of a global pandemic, right??  :p  

It seems kind of ironic, because we've been sort of socially distanced all winter long anyway. We go to the supermarket (& have lunch in the little food court area there) once or twice a week, to the bookstore/Starbucks once or twice a week, to the mall once a week (in the morning in the middle of the week when there are fewer people around) and out for dinner on Saturday night. Maybe over to see BIL & family, including little Great-Nephew. (We all took him to see stepMIL/his great-grandmother two Saturdays ago, on March 7th, but we all agreed we'd pass on the kisses on both cheeks that are traditionally exchanged among Italians.)  

And that's it. We don't have kids bringing home germs from day care or school. We haven't been commuting or going to work. We've been diligent about handwashing and using hand sanitizer more frequently.  We've been housecleaning more thoroughly than usual.  I got my flu shot last fall.

And still, I got sick. Go figure. :( 

Anyway, today is Day 5 that I've been feeling like crap, and not much has changed. I'm not better -- but I'm not a whole lot worse either, thankfully. A little more so than earlier in the week, but not enough to warrant a trip to the doctor right now. A bit of a scratch in my throat, a bit of a headache and body aches, and a lot of fatigue.  I've been dosing myself with ibuprofen (going to switch to acetaminophen, since I read that it's actually more effective with this virus), and gargling with saltwater (like Grandma taught me) and rubbing on an essential oil blend that supposedly boosts your immune function (lots of eucalyptus & tea tree oil), and sucking on Halls lozenges, and drinking lots of hot beverages, and spending a lot of time on the couch and on my laptop &/or phone. I'm not much for napping, but I've been going to bed earlier & lounging in bed more in the morning and getting up later. (And washing my hands.) And even when I get better, I'll probably be doing more of the same. After all, what else is there to do when everything is cancelled or closed or on hold?

(And if I don't have COVID-19, I don't want to get it, on top of what I've already got. One round of sickness in a season/year is definitely enough!) 

Stay safe & healthy, everyone.

(UPDATE: I wrote this last night. I am actually feeling a bit better this morning. Still a sore-ish, scratchy throat, still a bit tired & headache-y, but I could actually feel the heavy fog of bone-weary fatigue lifting last night. It was a weird feeling, but a good one. Fingers crossed the progress continues...!) 

You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here.  

The toilet paper section at our local supermarket last Thursday morning,
just as panic buying was getting under way locally.
(There were no disinfecting wipes -- but still plenty of Lysol & Clorox cleaners,
as well as bleach, in the next aisle over -- not to mention supplies of
ibuprofen, acetaminophen and decongestants in the pharmacy aisles...!)