Yep, I Got COVID - Dr. Ed Iannuccilli
Dr. Ed Iannuccilli, Contributor
Yep, I Got COVID - Dr. Ed Iannuccilli
At some point, I must have let my guard down, because one day, I felt a twinge of a sore throat with a sniffle, and voila, I had COVID.
The nasal self-invasion test was antigen-positive on the second sniffle day, which by this time was progressing to aches, pains, and a productive cough, with a head stuffy enough to lull me to sleep, often; three thirty-minute naps a day.
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OK, what to do in the house, since I was trying to quarantine, albeit poorly, to protect Diane. We considered separate bedrooms but decided not since we felt she had maximum exposure already. What protection would two closed doors afford at this point? The height of my ability to infect others was before I developed symptoms. Wear a mask all day? Nope. “How about a fan in our bedroom, one that faces the door and blows your viral rogues into the hallway rather than at me?” We decided against it for the same reason and others; discussion curtailed. So, we lumbered along. Fortunately, Diane did not contract anything and tested negative.
I texted the doctor on day one and, bless him, he called back immediately. I had no respiratory difficulties, so he saw no need for monoclonal antibody treatment. Unsolicited, he called me on day two. I love conscientious, caring physicians. This physician, me, was now a patient who needed my physician, him, for reassurance. His calm voice was enough. “I am here if you need me.” I considered myself quite lucky.
At this point, I was harkening back to last year’s restrictions and thoughts of what I might miss, again. “No, not again.”
At that time, I missed going to the movies, a night out to dine, concerts, grandchildren, the barber . . . oh yes, the barber. I missed leafing through pages at bookstores and libraries and their lingering “aromas” of familiarity. They have drifted away again in these past days.
Wallace Stegner wrote, “How simple and memorable a good day can be when the expectation is low.”
So, I lowered my expectations then, and I have again now. And I’m OK. The days are good because, with lower expectations, I see daylight. I will again hear the start of the car’s engine, the clanging of restaurant dishes, the snap, snap of the clippers, the tap of the conductor’s baton, and the smell of movie popcorn.
Unlike many others, I am improving. Considering myself lucky, I will take, and cherish, the win. I am well.
Dr. Ed Iannuccilli is the author of three popular memoirs, “Growing up Italian; Grandfather’s Fig Tree and Other Stories”, “What Ever Happened to Sunday Dinner” and “My Story Continues: From Neighborhood to Junior High.” Learn more HERE.