One year later (give or take a bit)

We will never know if I had covid last year; by the time I was eligible for antibody testing I had none.

There is no real "news" about anything with me, but I do want to take a moment and think about this past year.

What don't you know already?

Spring 2020

You don't know that I hallucinated for the final hour of my drive home from the Cleveland Clinic.

Because why would I admit that it was definitely NOT safe for me to be driving? Everything had an eerie twilight quality to it (it was not twilight; it was definitely just a cloudy afternoon) and I actually thought I could have been dead. I probably was dead. Should I call my husband and tell him I can't drive? That I think I'm dead and that's definitely Not OK? That would involve lying about going with a chaperone to Cleveland. Well, I'm still driving OK so.....
(Hallucinations have since been found to be a symptom of COVID.)

You don't know I slept for 20 hours a day for nearly two weeks. If I took a shower, I slept another four hours. If I ate, I slept another three hours.
That I didn't see my kids for two weeks that spring break. After 10 days, my husband let me come see them OUTSIDE with no hugs. I could only last about 20 minutes before I had to go back to bed for a few hours.
My choir began practicing outside in the director's front yard. We started several weeks before many symphonies and professional groups started doing the same.

Summer 2020

The same walk I've taken daily with my Mom for a decade had me WAY winded into June.

That a friend's mom spent all summer in the ICU and her whole family was sick. Her mother was moved to rehab in September; as of writing she is officially a "long hauler" and has permanent heart & lung damage. Yesterday, said friend told me that her whole family is just grateful for any additional day they get and that they don't believe any normal treatments for this damage will work for a post-COVID patient.
Brandon went to a Marc Rebillet (an instant quarantine celebrity because of his fun and funny daily R&B shows) concert at a drive in theater.
My husband, who likely had a mild case of COVID before I did, was diagnosed with bipolar II. This was not a new concept, but he had a major downturn that summer just prior.

Fall 2020

We went back to school, where I am surrounded by shower curtains and sit with a HEPA filter.

Over the course of the year, 1/3 of the staff has been infected. One of those is a long hauler with significantly diminished abilities (although not an invalid), another has spent a week in the hospital.
Our district was the only one to never close this year, even when we had fewer than 1/3 of the high school students for several weeks in a row. However, the district as a whole always had higher attendance rates, so we stayed in session.
Daily conversations for the first quarter's worth of staff lunches was focused on the pros and cons of the various masks everyone was trying. How do you manage your glasses with them? Nose clips? Anti-fog treatments? Which ones are comfortable around your ears? Which ones allow you to lecture all day without getting damp?

I had close contact with someone who died the next day of a heart attack after having no prior health problems and was found to be COVID positive. He sniffled a bit in the exam room.

Winter 2020

He was in the ICU with one of his daughters, but all three of his children contracted it at the same time.
Friend's mother caught COVID tending to him; we just found out that she had a stroke shortly after his death and she has had some major personality changes after that.

All of the people I most love who are old enough to be vaccinated have all been vaccinated.

Now - my actual new normal?

My left wrist is a constant battle, as is my SI joint (the back of your hip). The SI joint just had something major happen last week (although I couldn't tell you what) & I'm in a lot of pain.
My shoulders feel "loose"
I have to go to the chiropractor far more frequently than I ever have. Before this year, I MAY have gone twice in a single year. Sometimes I go weekly now.
There are several studies that are beginning to link COVID infection to reactive arthritis, and I definitely had a big flare up of joint problems in close proximity to each vaccine.

That I saw a real play in a theater, albeit with an audience at roughly 20% capacity. I had paid to stream CCT's Blithe Spirit with my friends the week prior and enjoyed it, despite audio problems. However, seeing it in the theater, especially knowing that it was the first play to reopen London's West End after World War 2, was really something special.
My balance is as bad as it was in middle school, something that shifted for the better when I had kids. I consistently tip over when I stand up, especially from lying down.
My kids have been submitted to be subjects in juvenile vaccine trials. If they are selected, we will drive to Knoxville a LOT this summer.
My mom & I took my kids to Disney World for two days, a year after my mom wanted to drive down. 4 (now 5!) got to see the princesses, but still hasn't met them. It was brief and still a little overwhelming for her, but I'm so glad we did it.

Just Another Coronavirus Blog