Welp, this week has been a wild ride. I’ve been getting a lot of questions on Instagram about my symptoms and where I am with COVID so I wanted to write up a little post. I started having symptoms Monday and was hopeful that it was just a cold. I took three at-home tests and isolated. On Wednesday I tested positive via rapid PCR. Today (Sunday) I woke up feeling like a human being again. I’m still taking things very easy but woof – I wouldn’t wish the past week on my worst enemy.
My COVID Symptoms
Monday – day zero
The first day of symptoms is technically day zero! Energy levels were fine but I had a sore throat and a cough. My throat felt like I had swallowed glass – it was very painful. Took an at-home test and it was negative. Cancelled the meeting I had that day and worked from the couch. Low fever that night.
Tuesday – day one
Woke up feeling better than Monday. I still didn’t feel good but didn’t feel THAT bad either. Took an at home test, negative. Cancelled on the evenings events just to be safe and responsible, but in my head was like “oh this is going away, I’m feeling better now!”
Wednesday – day two
Woke up feeling a little bit better, but did have an upset stomach. Took a third at-home test, negative. Went and got a rapid PCR “just to be safe.” It was positive. I felt pretty much… fine? Main symptoms were a tickle in my throat. It would feel like something went down the wrong pipe except I hadn’t eaten anything. I’d alternate with that and coughing fits.
Thursday – day three
I felt absolutely horrible. A mix of respiratory stuff and just feeling really, really tired. I slept a lot. Was extremely irritable and super grumpy. More coughing fits. I’d go to swallow and feel like I couldn’t breathe.
Friday – day four
This was the worst day of all. Respiratory symptoms were mostly gone but had THE worst headache of my life. Fever, sweats, diarrhea. Spent most of the day on the couch half napping, half watching movies. It was agony to even heat up soup. I couldn’t look at a computer screen, I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t really do anything. I will say that for me, the headache parts/days were MUCH worse than the sore throat/coughing parts. And I was absolutely miserable and unable to do anything. When I went to bed I was super nauseous and thought I was going to throw up but passed out for about 14 hours instead.
Saturday – day five
Better than Friday but still felt like garbage. Fever was gone but just a really bad headache and felt super nauseous. Imagine the worst hangover you’ve ever had and double or triple it. By that night I was feeling better. The headache lasted about 36 hours and was gone by evening. Just brain fog and tired.
Sunday – day six
Woke up feeling… normal? Still have a small cough (like when you are mostly over a cold but still cough a tiny bit every few hours). No headache, no fever, digestion is fine. A little brain fog. Conversations that last over 15 minutes are hard and my attention span is not great.
Monday – day seven
Woke up feeling normal but just very, very tired. Everything felt harder than usual, lots of brain fog. Didn’t sleep well, woke up with choking coughs in the middle of the night. I pretty much felt normal as in I had no fever or respiratory symptoms, but still felt off. Showering is hard!
Please remember, I’m not a doctor or medical professional and I am not giving any advice here. I am just a regular person sharing my symptoms in case it’s helpful. In talking to friends, this thing seems to hit everyone really differently. Also, this was my first time getting COVID, and I am fully vaxxed and boosted.
I’m so sorry! Ugh. I’m glad you’re feeling better, but I’m so sorry you had to miss your trip. This wave has been tough.
I, too, got Covid a week before you. I went to NYC for the weekend and LITERALLY went everywhere I haven’t been in two years. I went to the Comedy Cellar followed by a restaurant (Vic’s, so good). The next day we had brunch, then spent the entire night in Williamsburg at a jazz club and a seedy bar with lots of drunken hugs and closeness.
Sunday, I’m at dinner with my parents for Mother’s Day and my friend texts me, “So I just tested positive for Covid LOL”. I knew there’s no way I wouldn’t get it because we had hugged so many times!
Monday, like clockwork, woke up with similar symptoms as you – sore throat and I just knew it. I tested with an at-home test and there was a faint line. Tuesday, the two lines formed within one minute. At one point on Tuesday, I stood up to go get water and I fell over and fainted because I couldn’t breathe. I woke up on the living room floor with my sister freaking out. On Wednesday I had to go to urgent care for an inhaler. I’m a healthy, vaccinated woman in her mid-30s!!!
I tested positive, but felt better over time, for 8 straight days. This variant is NO JOKE. I’m actually concerned. Sending positive thoughts your way <3
It is really no joke. I hope you are feeling better!
Glad you’re feeling better!!! I remember seeing in one of your stories that you were getting a second booster soon. Obviously I am not asking you to divulge your health history (!!!), but I thought the second booster was only for the 50+ crowd or for those who have moderate-severe health issues? I am desperate for my second booster before the summer, so am I missing something? I hope so, haha
Yeah, I was wrong, I can’t get it yet. Though I might just walk in and ask for it and see what happens, that’s what I did in October. I hate saying it but it’s a lot easier down here in the south.. I don’t know that there is as much demand as up north. :-X
Crazy! I was a few days ahead of you but had all your symptoms milder! No vaccines, no proof covid! Interesting!
Hope you’re feeling better!
I had this same experience 2.5 weeks ago. My symptoms were identical to yours. I took 2 at home tests and both were negative. I’ve never felt as bad as I did and took me 2 weeks to fully feel normal. Exercise has not felt amazing yet. Sending you healing vibes! ❤️
Thanks, right back at you!
I, too, am a member of The Stripe Covid Class of May ’22. Today is Day 10 and finally, FINALLY, I feel human again. But a very tired human. I had the fever, chills, congestion that felt like my head was going to explode, the sore throat, the coughing, the brain fog, fatigue. My husband is 3 days behind me and we were both laid low. Easily the sickest I’ve been in decades. I’m 49, fully vaxxed and boosted. My rapid test turned positive so quickly I thought my test was invalid. Nope.
I believe I caught it either from the DMV where I had my car inspected or the Dunkin’ I went to afterward. All I could think of as I lay half-dying was that I should have just taken a freaking cruise.
And basically all you can do is rest and hydrate. Feel better soon.
Congratulations on matriculating! 😉 I am glad you are feeling a little better. Also feeling human but really TIRED.
Super helpful. it is amazing how symptoms completely change from day to day and person to person. Another takeaway is not to just rely on the home antigen tests
Yes and YES!
That’s so weird about the delayed test! I had it too – symptoms for about three days before actually testing positive. Mine were weird, mostly a headache and some nausea. The respiratory stuff came later and it wasn’t much worse than a regular cold. My husband had it a bit worse than me, right after catching a stomach bug from our girls. Thank god one of us was mostly okay because we got it along with our twin toddlers. They were hardly sick but it was a ROUGH week being home with them and trying to manage. Hope you’re feeling better! For us at least it was kind of a weird relief that it finally happened after dreading it so long.
It’s so weird. It just goes to tell you that rapid tests are completely unreliable! I felt the same sense of relief. I hope you and your family are doing better now!
Thank you for sharing! It’s so interesting to see how it’s affected everyone differently. Hope you are back to 100% soon!
Thank you!
I’m so sorry you felt so awful all week! I had COVID right after New Year’s (vaxxed and boosted but still managed to contract Omicron on my holiday travels – thank goodness no one else in my family got it!).
My symptoms weren’t bad at all – I honestly though it was allergies until I started feeling better after three days (and allergen levels in Texas hadn’t changed), at which point I got tested and it was positive. Continue to test positive for another 10 days after that.
I will say though, that even once I felt better, I was still more tired than usual for a good six weeks afterward. I hope you don’t have that experience. It was frustrating, but it did ease up by mid to late February.
Glad you’re on the mend!
The tiredness is REAL!!! Thank you so much for the note!
I’m lying in bed Saturday with the worst migraine headache/nausea ever and saw your update and was like, …oh. I guess I do have Covid. I took a rapid test and it was positive. Mine just started in with the headache, nausea, fever part and now I’m on the congestion and coughing part. It’s miserable! I’m so glad you’re on the mend and it oddly helps to know that I’m not alone in this. Take care!
Oh man I am so so sorry!!!! Feel better soon!