I Got Covid (While Wearing a KN95 Mask)
I have no idea where or when or how I got Covid. I wear a mask everywhere — I wear a mask in the drive thru! — but she finally got me. This variant is SO transmisible, and if there’s one thing I want to scream about Covid it’s that you are NOT protected just by wearing a mask, you need OTHER people to mask too. It’s rare now to see people masked, and while it makes me feel better to wear a mask everywhere I go, now I don’t trust that my mask (and four Covid vaccines) is doing enough to protect me. I wrote a whole Twitter thread about my month with Covid, that you can read here, but there are a few more things I want to add.
ONE DAY before I tested positive I shared this tweet, because it seemed like no one I spoke to knew about doing throat swabs https://t.co/IQ6jFUxOAz
— Sarah C. (@sarchrz) September 11, 2022
When you test at home, you should be swabbing your throat! Few people know about this, and some even think I’m some lunatic who read a rumor on the internet, but the throat swab is REAL and NECESSARY. One of the first things my rheumatologist asked at my Paxlovid telemed appointment was, “Did you do a throat swab?” Since I had JUST tweeted about throat swabs, and told multiple people about it, I did two tests every time: One throat and nose, and one only nose.
See how much clearer the top test is? That’s because I SWABBED MY THROAT.
I’m immunocompromised, and I’d already spoke with my rheumatologist about what to do if I test positive, so I called her office right after i got the results. If you’re immunocompromised or high risk in any way, I recommend speaking to whatever doctor handles your immunocompromisation about your Covid Plan. Because I had spoken to my doctor already, I knew to call right away, and I knew she would get me my prescription. We had to do a telemedicine appointment to go over any possible drug interactions, but then I had my Paxlovid prescription that very morning.
I sat in the virtual waiting room for over an hour, and when she finally got to me she profusely apologized and said that all morning all she’d done was telemed appts for paxlovid. This made me feel… slightly better? But then she said there’s a paxlovid shortage! 😭
— Sarah C. (@sarchrz) September 11, 2022
I wrote more about it in the thread, but it was HELL getting that box of Paxlovid. Finally, 13 hours after my positive test (which felt like 13 years) I got my prescription. Some info about Paxlovid from someone who’s taken it: It makes your mouth taste AWFUL. I was drinking a ton of smoothies, partly because it felt good on my throat, but also because it temporarily made my mouth feel slightly less disgusting. I felt fairly good though, besides my sore throat. I actually had to force myself to rest, which I knew was what I needed to do, but not at all what I wanted to do. If it weren’t for my sore throat and my constant anxiety about post-viral illness, I’d think Covid was a breeze! But then the rebound hit.
Throat swab continues to be the MVP of Covid testing
My rhuem warned me about Paxlovid rebound, so I was prepared for it. At this time the CDC was saying that 2% of people get Paxlovid rebound, but my rheumatologist said pretty much everyone gets it and prepared me for it. I knew I’d most likely test negative for awhile near the tail end of my Paxlovid course and a few days after, then test positive again. What I didn’t know was that the rebound would be WORSE.
From what I understand, the rebound isn’t a new infection, it’s the same virus just resurfacing after being quieted by paxlovid. But it was a very different experience. My throat hurt, my head hurt, I had fevers, I was exhausted. It felt like it would never end pic.twitter.com/9O0MbijW99
— Sarah C. (@sarchrz) September 11, 2022
It took a full four weeks from my first positive test to me beginning to feel better. I do get sicker and for longer than most people, so it wasn’t that surprising, but it WAS painful and anxiety-inducing and boring. I even emailed my doctor and asked if I should do a second round of Paxlovid, mainly because it felt like I had been sick for FOREVER and I was desperate for any fix. She did have me stop taking my immunosuppressive drugs until I had a few days of consistent negative tests, which probably helped me recover faster than I would have normally.
I was already afraid of Covid, I was already cautious, and now I don’t know how to be MORE careful. I did everything right and it still got me. Please, continue to wear a mask. I know you’re sick of it and it’s obnoxious and you just want your life back, but here’s the thing: High risk people was their lives back too. But because of all the knuckleheads out there refusing to get vaccinated or wear a mask or give a single shit about other people, it feels like we never will.
