I have not written all month to this blog even though I have a number of topics I have planned for writing about. It just couldnt happen. I got the covid.
Although I wanted to talk about how this affected my ability as a father and what happened, I just wanted to say first, that THIS WAS NOT THE FLU. I know a lot of people who poo pooed the disease and just said things like, "its just the flu, stay at home, drink tea and rest for a week", and I certainly know that every case was probably different and some got it worse and some nothing at all, but that said, you really do not want to catch this disease. It really doesnt matter whether you are the healthiest, most active, strongest person on the earth. It can take you out. And you should know that many of these "strongest, healthiest, most active" people, even young people under 40 got taken down. Completely down. It really didnt matter. I wouldnt say I was the most healthiest person, but I did exercise and I am not obese nor much over weight (more now though, but before about 5 lbs, 2 kilos) and I didnt catch anything for close to two years, until I did. And it got me bad
I wasnt in the hospital, but it has just dragged on and on and on. Every night sleeping with a cough which wont go away. Needing two more hours of sleep than normal (normal for me about 7.5 hours). Not being able to have teaching classes in person because I was still positive. Ugh... on and on and on. Even if it didnt kill me,... yet, it still was AND IS difficult. Very difficult. And I had two shots too. I was about to get my booster, but the disease got me before I got my booster.
For the first week, I was sick in bed. All duties were off. It was just a matter of lying in bed and maybe reading or watching TV. Dad couldnt do anything. I dont know how single parents with kids could have managed this. A relative or somebody else would have had to come over to help.
I was in bed for two weeks and the third... half half. Think about that? A single parent either would have had to suffer greatly and pushed themselves everyday to get things done, get the minimum done, or paid someone to help them or get a relative or friend to help them. If you have kids who need nursing or a great portion of your time, you are just screwed. This disease, even if you dont end up in the hospital, is not for single parents. Two to three weeks. And if you had it longer....yes, I ll say it again, you are screwed.
I went back to work both in the home and the workplace in the third week. I had full days, but by 7pm I was down on my energy. Often that happened twice during the day and this was not something that coffee could spruce up. Maybe it is just me, but coffee stole any energy I had and made me cough. (Cof fee. Get the bad joke?)
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| Yes, that is me |
In the second half of the fourth week I took a PCR test and it came out positive. I have a feeling I was positive the whole time. So I spent another five days at home and mostly in bed. Though you might feel you were better and could do stuff at 10am, by later in the afternoon, it was nap time and exhaustion.
Other disabilities were exaggerated. I had a blood test to test my heart because I have a little tiny tiny problem with my heart. That became worse. Not terrible, but a little bit worse. As did my sugar levels so that diabetes was a closer reality. Maybe. You know, it was like an invitation to all the problems in your body to call it a field day and take advantage of the situation.
Again, I wont say this happened to everyone, but I am wondering about the statistics of how long the disease lasted for everyone when they got it. Maybe I am an exception and I was the unlucky one who ended up with "long" covid even though the average was a week.
But the point is, even for those that got it for the week, all parental duties were off the table, or exercised under extreme duress which would only make you worse.
Yesterday on February 27th, I got outside with my daughter and we went over to the park and played ping pong on the out door tables and badminton for two and half hours. I am happy to say I managed, though she beat me two out of three in ping pong. I did take an hour nap when I got home, but perhaps I can manage now, after having some degree of sickness for 6 weeks, being daddy 40% at home again. Hmmm, maybe 30%
I did not listen to any music this time while writing. I just did not get to turning it on. Didnt totally feel like it. But I recommend this triple LP again to everyone for great dub techno for background music, for listening to in depth as you lay on the couch, or for the dance floor. Echocord 20 years. Looks kind of like a cell theory too.
