We sailed into the month of March with high hopes, as everything was looking good on the horizon.  Our family member’s surgery was a success, and he was well on his way to a speedy recovery without any complications.  Praise the Lord!

March 4th, our youngest daughter complained of not feeling well after spending time outdoors in the hammock after work.  We were convinced, at first, the nasty green pollen in the south had her allergies flaring since it’s that time of year!  Within a few days, she had grown worse, which prompted a home Covid test prior to getting ready for school that Monday.  Within seconds, the test started revealing a positive result.  We still needed to wait 15 minutes for the final verdict.  Looking in her weak, watery eyes, we already knew the answer.  For one who never complains to speak of body aches, we knew this wasn’t an ordinary allergy issue.

The timer went off, and she was, in fact, positive for Covid.

We called her doctor’s office as soon as they opened that morning to get her in to be seen.  We were trying not to panic but certainly were not taking any chances either!  They did another test in their office, and the result was positive as well.  Youth was on her side, and the doctor felt she would do just fine especially since she was vaccinated. The doctor warned of complications of fever and rash that could develop in six weeks.  If this occurs, she needs to be seen immediately.  We are praying this will not happen!

The doctor also said my husband and I could cross our fingers and hope we didn’t get it.  However, the likelihood was we probably would due to how contagious it is.

Fear is a beast, but our faith is bigger!

My husband was hit hard shortly thereafter with body aches and a headache that Advil nor Tylenol would relieve.  I had already been exposed by this point, although I had minor complaints to begin with.  We waited a few days to test, and sure enough, my husband’s test was positive as well.  My home test was not positive, so I thought surely I had a strong immune system that would not allow this pesky virus in.  Sadly, within a few days, my headache and body aches began.  My joints hurt, which usually indicates a fever, but not in this case.  I found comfort with the aid of a heating pad on most days.  We were taking Advil, but it almost felt as if the Advil made the pain worse.

We were out for one week at this point from school and work.  All day Sunday I had chills.  Heating pads, blankets over my head, even soaking in a hot tub with Epsom Salt would not relieve the aches nor the chills.  Even still, we packed our lunches Sunday night and had our belongings by the door for easy access Monday morning.  We were all determined to return to school and work.  However, when Monday’s alarm went off, I knew I would not be able to function at work.  My body aches grew worse, and the bones in my fingers, back, and toes were aching.  My husband was not much better.  We had both stayed in touch with our employers, and thankfully, they were understanding of our need to be out longer as family comes first before anything else!   Besides, we wouldn’t want to go into the office and chance infecting others.  The right thing to do was stay home and isolate.

My daughter improved, and we were so grateful for her recovery.  Thank you, Jesus!!

My husband’s aches increased, and we were sharing the heating pad at this point.  After several days of no relief from the aches and pains, we found an article online indicating Advil could cause an inflammatory response when taken for Covid, although it was not proven in another study to be the case.  It certainly made our symptoms worsen, so we switched to Tylenol.  Almost immediately we felt relief from the body aches.  Thank you, Lord!

We tried every day to go into work.  Each night we were hopeful for rest and recovery.  Yet, it seemed when one symptom was starting to subside, another would come along.  This time, vomiting and diarrhea came knocking on our door.  Our poor dog was affected by it as well.  It was a struggle to stay hydrated during this time.

Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning, my throat started to swell.  It was painful to swallow, and I knew a doctor’s visit was needed to rule out Strep.  Wednesday’s doctor visit consisted of a strep test along with a combination of a flu, RSV, and Covid test.  Within 15 minutes we learned it was not Strep, but the results of the combination test would not be available until the following day.  The doctor prescribed Prednisone and an antibiotic for inflammation and swelling of my throat and lungs.  We feared the word “Pneumonia” and the prayers really started going up at this point.  I work with some mighty prayer warriors, and it provided great comfort knowing I could ask them to pray right alongside me.  And I knew they were doing just that.

The results were in Thursday, and Covid was confirmed.

We hadn’t seen my oldest daughter and her husband in three weeks.  We were all scheduled for an outing the Saturday after my youngest daughter developed what we thought were allergy symptoms.  Being cautious, we took a raincheck until we knew for sure what was going on, and we are thankful we postponed it.  We did not want to put my parents or my daughter and her husband at risk.  Although she gave me grief about canceling on them, we protected them in the process.  After three weeks of not seeing each other, she insisted on bringing me some Gatorade Thursday.  She left it on the porch, and we saw each other through the glass door initially.  Seeing her brought tears to my eyes, but boy did it do my heart good laying eyes on her!  She felt the same relief being able to see me, and so she sat down on the grass while I took a seat on the front porch steps.  We kept great distance between us while we talked briefly, and it was so good visiting with her after weeks of not seeing that precious face of hers!!

My parents have checked in daily, as has my coworker, and we have felt surrounded and comforted by their prayers.

It’s Sunday, and we are gearing up again for a new week.  We pray for strength and for relief from feeling fatigued after battling this for two weeks now.   We are so incredibly grateful to have had mild cases of Covid-19.   The doctor indicated we have three months of natural immunity to Covid-19 now, so in June it is recommended we get a booster.

If you or your family develop Covid-19, we recommend Tylenol for the aches and pains.  Warm lemon water with honey will help keep you hydrated and help with congestion and mucus.  A heating pad will comfort.  Do not take any anti diarrhea medicine, as it could make you worse by not allowing your body to rid itself of the virus.  Crackers with water will help with nausea when you are not able to keep anything else down.  Mucinex DM may help with your cough, but I actually found it better to inhale steam to loosen congestion and thin mucus to help me breathe better.  Rest … please allow your body time to rest and recover.

Praying friends and family are the absolute best, and we are thankful for the many prayers for our family during this time.

Here’s to making a full recovery!