While everyone is deathly afraid of COVID (generally, unreasonably fearful unless you belong to a high-risk group), I’ve had some kind of “bug” for the past 2+ weeks that has given me symptoms very similar to what I’ve read are the symptoms of COVID. And it’s not been a very pleasant two weeks at all.
I first began to notice the symptoms about Monday, October 25th, 2021 (it is Tuesday, November 9th, as I write this). My companion had been complaining of “cold-like” symptoms the day before, which worsened Sunday evening. We had spent two days trimming a Bougainvillea tree that had been allowed to grow wild, and had even interfered with an overhead electrical power line while also climbing three stories high.
I had hoped I could get it done in one day (the Saturday) but it was just not possible. In fact, the pole trimmer I had been using which was an old piece of crap mostly, broke. By Saturday evening, I had managed to cut away some large swaths of the thorny vines away from the house, and had a plan to get the tree well trimmed below the overhead power line – but I ended up with a large dead weight of branches pressing down on the electrical line.
Sunday morning, we were lucky to find a place open where I could purchase a new Gardena extendable trimmer, and by that evening, the job was done with no more worries about the Bougainvillea interfering with the overhead power line. The neighbours seemed quite impressed with the job that was done as well.
Monday Morning Symptoms
There was some tough going physically on Saturday and Sunday, which resulted in the expected aches and muscle pains that I felt on Monday. But then, it seemed I had also caught whatever it was my companion had been complaining about – congestion, coughing, and general fatigue started to set in. I had hoped it would be a quick thing to recover from – and although COVID crossed my mind, my companion has been fully vaccinated and I’ve kept myself fairly cautious, as I would normally do during any flu season. My immune system has shown to be pretty strong against influenza bugs in the past (except for one period about 7 or 8 years ago).
The Week Goes On
Even with a few “hot toddies” at night (involving both Irish Whiskey a couple of nights, and some mulled hot Greek Raki), the symptoms just got worse. By mid-week, it was so bad that I could hardly stay out of bed. I would get up, hoping to get some work done for clients, and two hours later, be feeling so fatigued that I had to go back to bed to rest.
My breathing was drastically reduced and even extremely light exercise such as just walking my dog about 20 metres to the park that is kitty corner to the house caused discomfort, rapid heart beat, and an inability to catch my breath.
Symptoms even included totally white hands – like what I would experience when I was younger and had regular Rayneaud’s Disease attacks. Back then, Niacin would help that condition but did nothing for me with this “bug” that had seemed to have overtaken my entire body.
By Friday, I felt some relief in the “head” – I could at least think a bit, and tried to get some mental tasks done, but it did not take long for the brightness to fade away into bleak weary mental darkness again. By the Thursday or Friday, I was experiencing ear pain as well, and that included my tinnitus worsening and becoming much louder.
Normal Activities Become Almost Impossible
There was a break in the illness on Saturday, and I was so behind on many things for clients but I was finally able to get a long period of time where I was able to apply some mental focus to work although not at a full 100% level. But I worked through it, and got partially caught up – but in my business, even when getting “caught up,” you can still be behind as new requests come in and other new things need to be attended to.
But I did think I was turning a corner on Saturday.
However, on Sunday, I discovered that even doing simply physical things was still a huge impossibility; carrying down the stairs a few bags that would have been normally easy for me, was almost impossible with breathing difficulties and general physical fatigue. I was exhausted, couldn’t catch my breath,
Monday saw me in a peculiar situtation; the reasons for which are irrelevant right now – but in a hotel for five days. During my stay, I still could not fight off the virus, and while I was able to get some mental work done, there continued to be periods of fatigue, horrible coughing, weariness, and simple short walks causing distress. I tried to keep fighting through it, even attempting some basic exercise – but a few times, it crossed my mind that maybe I was doomed… as this thing kept holding on and on.
Two Covid Tests – Negative
During the first week, my companion had brought me a “home test” kit for Covid, which provided a negative result. She had also been suffering but not quite to the same degree, and even though vaccinated, also had a test done, conducted by a pharmacist, just in case she happened to be a “break-through” case. Her result came back negative.
As my condition did not improve, thoughts again turned to the possibility though that somehow the first test result was a false negative, or I had not done it correctly, so I took another one on Monday November, 8th. My symptoms by that time had decreased substantially, but there was still the coughing, some congestion, headache, and fatigue along with general feelings of miserableness.
That second test result also returned a negative result.
What Was I Infected With?
As most of the world goes crazy in regard to COVID, I am left wondering what on earth infected me, and that has kept at me for over two weeks, has similar symptoms to COVID, and is anyone else suffering to the degree that I did? Does anyone else care, unless a test returns a positive result for COVID?
The last time I had any symptoms like this was about 7 or 8 years ago, as mentioned. After I recovered, I was left with ear pain and tinnitus in both ears – and I saw my doctor for that. The doctor suspected I had the flu, but I was never tested for it. He did discover though that whatever it was, or perhaps coinciding with the flu, some ear infection that had caused one of my ear drums to rupture.
But even then, the symptoms were serious for only about 5 or 6 days (a very unpleasant 5 or 6 days to be sure), and this has been ongoing now for over two weeks!
I am thankful though, that as I reach the 16th or so day of this, I am feeling about 70% and the days ahead look brighter in so far as this “bug” that I’ve had is concerned.
But I’m pretty sure, no matter what it is, if it were to hit a more vulnerable person than me, some far more serious complications could occur – yet, it’s not COVID – and likely no one cares all that much.