I have to say, I am always behind the hip and trendy. By the time I get around to seeing the latest movie, Netflix show or even hot new music, it isn’t even trending anymore. I give the term “late to the party” a whole new meaning. So, it makes sense that I finally got Covid for the first time at the beginning of 2024. The flu and the RSV virus is the focus of the media right now, so to be honest, Covid wasn’t even on my radar. I had been vaccinated and boosted, but got lazy about getting my fall booster this year. “I will get to it after the holiday season,” I told myself.
Rolling into December, the holiday season was great. The D-Man and I had planned to start with our yearly trek to Six Flags Magic Mountain on December 22nd. Unfortunately, the California storm that moved through meant the park was closed that day. We ended up having a nice brunch and going bowling at Bowlero in the Santa Anita mall (something we hadn’t done in probably 15 years and our scores really showed it!) Not the day we had planned, but a possible new tradition.
Christmas Eve I had a house full of my California family and friends, Christmas Day was spent with the DMan and his family. The day after Christmas it was off to the desert with the DMan, his family, Kody and Aja for a kickback week in La Quinta at a quiet Vrbo with a nice pool and fantastic mountain views. I had also decided to focus more on gratitude, so I challenged myself to posting something I was grateful for on Facebook for the last 12 days of the year. It was not as easy as I thought it would be, but it made me think about all the good things I have in my life.
On the way home on December 30th, I had a cough and a dry, scratchy throat, but I figured it was the dry weather. Since we had to use the Six Flags tickets before the end of the year, the plan was to spend New Year’s Eve Day there and maybe grab an early dinner.
I woke up New Year’s Eve morning with almost no voice. Having had laryngitis so many times over the years from singing too much, I didn’t think much of it.
At the park, I tackled nine rollercoasters. It never rained but it was cold and although I thought I had dressed warm enough I was feeling very chilled. We had an early dinner at the Red Lobster after the park and I started to feel like I might be getting sick.
Once we got home, we watched the “Twilight Zone” marathon and some New Year’s Rockin Eve. I went to bed just after midnight, figuring after getting some sleep, I would wake up all better to watch the Rose Parade and some football in my pajamas on the couch.
Not so much! I woke up New Year’s Day feeling like I had been run over by a train and I knew it wasn’t your common scratchy throat.
After having some conversations with the DMan around where we might find a Covid test on New Year’s Day morning, I remembered I had put some Nyquil, cough drops, etc. on the top shelf in the bathroom. Pulling the stuff down, there were some Covid tests I had bought and forgotten about. It didn’t take the full fifteen minutes to come back with a very positive looking test. (The Dman initially tested negative, but tested positive three days later when he started feeling lousy.)
I can now say firsthand Covid sucks. Fever, chills, headaches, sore throat, body aches coughing and the general feeling that walking across the room is more activity that you can handle, lasted a good week. I haven’t taken a sick day from my job in nine years, but I took one that week, adding on to a day off I had already planned on.
I did get the Paxlovid prescription which probably helped stop it from getting worse, but it knocked me down harder than any illness I have had in a very long time. The DMan got mostly fatigue and body aches, but he was also down for about a week.
Of course, what we experienced is nothing like what Covid was in the beginning, and I am so grateful to have gotten it now instead of then. I may have struggled with coming up with twelve things to be grateful for rolling into the New Year, but I have plenty of things I can add now. Even going back to the gym and struggling through my workouts after being away from them for awhile makes the grateful list. Plus by finding more gratitude, I can already cross off one of my resolutions!
I am going to say that a rough start to the New Year means you are going to have a great year. Which means 2024 should be AMAZING!
Rolling into December, the holiday season was great. The D-Man and I had planned to start with our yearly trek to Six Flags Magic Mountain on December 22nd. Unfortunately, the California storm that moved through meant the park was closed that day. We ended up having a nice brunch and going bowling at Bowlero in the Santa Anita mall (something we hadn’t done in probably 15 years and our scores really showed it!) Not the day we had planned, but a possible new tradition.
Christmas Eve I had a house full of my California family and friends, Christmas Day was spent with the DMan and his family. The day after Christmas it was off to the desert with the DMan, his family, Kody and Aja for a kickback week in La Quinta at a quiet Vrbo with a nice pool and fantastic mountain views. I had also decided to focus more on gratitude, so I challenged myself to posting something I was grateful for on Facebook for the last 12 days of the year. It was not as easy as I thought it would be, but it made me think about all the good things I have in my life.
On the way home on December 30th, I had a cough and a dry, scratchy throat, but I figured it was the dry weather. Since we had to use the Six Flags tickets before the end of the year, the plan was to spend New Year’s Eve Day there and maybe grab an early dinner.
I woke up New Year’s Eve morning with almost no voice. Having had laryngitis so many times over the years from singing too much, I didn’t think much of it.
At the park, I tackled nine rollercoasters. It never rained but it was cold and although I thought I had dressed warm enough I was feeling very chilled. We had an early dinner at the Red Lobster after the park and I started to feel like I might be getting sick.
Once we got home, we watched the “Twilight Zone” marathon and some New Year’s Rockin Eve. I went to bed just after midnight, figuring after getting some sleep, I would wake up all better to watch the Rose Parade and some football in my pajamas on the couch.
Not so much! I woke up New Year’s Day feeling like I had been run over by a train and I knew it wasn’t your common scratchy throat.
After having some conversations with the DMan around where we might find a Covid test on New Year’s Day morning, I remembered I had put some Nyquil, cough drops, etc. on the top shelf in the bathroom. Pulling the stuff down, there were some Covid tests I had bought and forgotten about. It didn’t take the full fifteen minutes to come back with a very positive looking test. (The Dman initially tested negative, but tested positive three days later when he started feeling lousy.)
I can now say firsthand Covid sucks. Fever, chills, headaches, sore throat, body aches coughing and the general feeling that walking across the room is more activity that you can handle, lasted a good week. I haven’t taken a sick day from my job in nine years, but I took one that week, adding on to a day off I had already planned on.
I did get the Paxlovid prescription which probably helped stop it from getting worse, but it knocked me down harder than any illness I have had in a very long time. The DMan got mostly fatigue and body aches, but he was also down for about a week.
Of course, what we experienced is nothing like what Covid was in the beginning, and I am so grateful to have gotten it now instead of then. I may have struggled with coming up with twelve things to be grateful for rolling into the New Year, but I have plenty of things I can add now. Even going back to the gym and struggling through my workouts after being away from them for awhile makes the grateful list. Plus by finding more gratitude, I can already cross off one of my resolutions!
I am going to say that a rough start to the New Year means you are going to have a great year. Which means 2024 should be AMAZING!
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