Tuesday, November 24, 2020

COVID ate my brain

I think 2020 finally got in my head. 

I had a physical schedules last Tuesday. I thought seriously about not going, given how most of the state seems to have COVID right now, but I wanted to make sure my C+ diet wasn't having a negative effect on my health (I didn't think so, but a series of numbers from blood tests are always comforting to look at). 

So I went. 

I was careful, of course, and except when I was in the room with the doctor, I wasn't anywhere long enough to have any real exposure to anyone. Still, though, I was within range of far more people than I've been since March. 

Thursday morning, I felt congested and my sinuses hurt. 

This is a thing that I've always struggled with since we moved up here. It's dry in winter, like 20% relative humidity dry. It's so dry that your sinuses can get inflamed and start to hurt, which mine do every year when it gets cold. 

In other words, it's nothing new. 

It's 2020, though, and every symptom is a possible precursor to COVID. Cough? COVID Congestion? COVID Leg wound? COVID.  

It took three days before I finally accepted that I was totally fine. 

I also realized that I could close the door to the TV room (which is actually a bedroom that attaches to a bathroom with shower), turn on the hot shower for ten minutes, and raise the humidity in that room over to over 30%, which is much more comfortable for breathing (and my sinuses). 

The pandemic has had such a corrosive effect on carefree moments. Everything involves a risk assessment, and the more often you have to do it, the more difficult it becomes to be objective. 

Homestretch, though. We just need to hang on for a while now as the vaccines ramp up into production. We're all going to get through this.



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