Being tested POSITIVE for the coronavirus is a grueling journey.The protocol for this outcome was isolation in my room for at least two full weeks. After that, I would have to be tested until I received two consecutive NEGATIVE results before I could return to the workplace. My room is upstairs and no one was allowed to entire without a mask and gloves on. The sources of nutrition were left at the bottom of the stairs for me, and once I was finishd eating, the dishes were put back on the stairs for removal. I felt like a leper. Slowly, I began to feel Back to the life of the living, I was able to watch TV, more lucid and animated, began to eat, and gain back the seven pounds I had lost. But my most prominent symptom was difficulty breathing. With each passing day, I felt stronger and stronger, better and better. I wasn’t going to let this pandemic coronavirus beat me. Although I’m a fighter, my spirit was shrinking. I had four POSITIVE COVID-19 tests and one NEGATIVE one squeezed in there. I’m still quarantined and feel like an outcast.
Concern: Paying the bills
Introduced to the COVID-19
I decided to take a mental health week away from work. During that time I took a brisk walk several days,. Although I felt a bit winded I contributed it to being out of shape. I heard about this out of control virus going on in the world but didn’t think much of it. I began feeling symptoms of some kind of ailments. My PCP. He prescribed me a Z-pack and encouraged me to drink a lot of liquids. I developed some new symptoms seemingly designated as the COVID-19 virus growing every day like gossip all over the world. My Mother was fearful that I was extremely infirmed like never before. I had trouble breathing. I had a sore throat. I couldn’t lift my head off the pillow. I had no appetite. I had no strength. The chit chat flooding my surroundings was all about this virus and my need to get tested. I did and the results were Positive. The protocol of this outcome was to be quarantined to my room for at least two weeks.
HOPE and BRAVERY
My Dad, at 86 years old, tested POSITIVE from the COVID-19 virus and had to be hospitalized for 13 days. Elderly people with the virus are more probable to die from the disease and he almost did. I tested POSITIVE as well and beat myself up for giving him the virus and praying for a healthy recovery. It turned out that I hadn’t given it to him, he had given it to me. So, that guilt faded. In the meantime, my Mother, Super Mom, slept next to my Father who had the virus, cleaned up our dirty dishes, came into my room and cared for me, who also had the virus, and continued to keep busy while waiting for her COVID-19 test results. She washed her car, cleaned the grout around the pool, ran a household…and tested NEGATIVE at 81 years old. Absolutely unbelievable. She quickly left the house with freedom. I don’t know where she went, but she was out of here! God Bless her! My Dad came home. He grew a beard. He was on no oxygen, no walker, With his Alzheimer’s, he was needy, confused and forgetful but he was all of those things before going into the hospital. I went into the bank and the teller somehow got privy that I had the virus and told me that I was not permitted inside the bank and had to leave and could not come back until testing NEGATIVE for 14 days. I was humiliated. I wouldn’t wish this horrendous virus n anyone and I support each and every individual who goes through this passage with hope and bravery and ultimately survives it like a hero.
COVID – 19
Due to the COVID-19 my last day of work was March 13th, its been tough because my bills havent stopped. But thankfully Ive made it through, and Ive been able to survive.
A New Beginning from The Seemingly End
My mom works in the medical/health field. She goes to private residences everyday and she was over on Palm Beach and she went to see a patient. There are different protocols for people with and without corona diagnosis. She was made aware that neither the patient of her husband had tested positive for it and that they only had pneumonia. She felt fine at first and didn’t think anything of it but the next morning we got a call informing us we were to remain in quarantine for 3 weeks and get tested twice as both the patient and her husband actually have corona. My mom ended up testing positive so I had to go remain in other housing until it is cleared up. As a student I do not have very much money so it has been very hard to manage the stress of 14 credit hours including Orgo 1 and 2, the cost of groceries, and the constant absence of toiletry items. I basically had to start all over.
My Own Pandemic
Not only has corona virus impacted my life by keeping me outside, but my stepfather passed away just over 3 weeks ago (not covid related). To say that this has been a year from hell on a personal level is an understatement. Overall, I am okay, but its been rough. Classes transitioned to an online platform for me at the FAU Honors College and countrywide. Its just been tough. I know it can only get better from here and this too shall pass. That being said, however, losing someone you love and have loved for so long hurts.
#Dammit Man
Zuri and I were speaking to Shannon.(The man we have come to know as Dammit Man)As we sat and talked with him, he started to say non-sensible things to make us laugh, but he wouldnt do a proper survey. A few days later, I got a phone call from my neighbor the news that he had died. She said that Dammit Man had spat on the tall blind man not the short one and he smacked him in the head with his cane. I refused to believe her, due to the fact that I had just seen him not to long ago. The more days went by the more I started to believe that what she said was true, but one morning as I began to walk to the YEC I seen him walk walking slower than normal. He told me how he seen god in the hospital and that the world was flat.
Quarantined (Story #686)
This virus has affected my life because I am not able to go out into public as often as before. I was not able to take courses in-person at my college. My family and I have been cooking at home instead of going out for food. My gym is closed so I havent been able to workout. It has been a complete change in my lifestyle.
Education vs Corona
The corona virus has mostly impacted the way my daughter is learning. I feel like because I work a lot I am unable to give her the proper education she needs and it bothers me a lot.
FAU Honors College Student Contracts COVID-19 While Working as an EMT
I am an EMT who was infected with COVID-19, this experience has forever changed my appreciation for life and my family. Earlier in the year when news of this virus first started emerging, I kept telling myself it would not affect us, that it would only be temporary. I am a neuroscience student at the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College of FAU. My life was pretty normal at that point, I was attending classes, interning at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, and working my regular hours on the weekends. Then spring break came around, my boss briefed us on the seriousness of the situation and established new protocol. This was all strange to me at first. My company then got contracted by the Department of Homeland Security and CDC to perform health screenings on incoming passengers at the Miami International Airport. I volunteered to participate in the detail, as I wanted to contribute in whichever way I could. My shifts at the airport were very strenuous, they would sometimes be up to sixteen hours. We were constantly on the move, from gate to gate, screening hundreds of passengers at a time. There was no time for food or rest. Wearing full PPE made things even harder, it was not comfortable. I knew I was taking a risk being down there, but I wanted to not only serve my country, but humanity, in a time of need. School was moved online after spring break, and I continued to work.It was March 27th when I first noticed I had a cough. The next morning I woke up in full sweat, body aches, fatigue, and a headache. I called off from work and my boss sent me to get tested. I got a flu test, along with chest x-rays. The doctor informed me I was negative for the flu and had acute bronchitis. I remained in isolation for the next few days. There came a point where I could not even walk to the bathroom without experiencing extreme shortness of breath. I would lay in bed, unable to sleep, feeling like my lungs were not getting enough air. The laboratory called me to deliver my COVID-19 test results, I was positive. My first concern was my family, I had been living with them while I was working shifts at the airport. We took precautions, I did not want them to get infected. My symptoms varied for about two weeks, I eventually felt fine. However, I was not back to normal. It took about a 6 weeks for me to feel fully recovered. I only recently tested negative, I tested positive five times after being asymptomatic. As a healthcare worker, I must test negative twice before going back to work. Within that time frame, I had to catch up on school as the semester was ending. That was one of the most challenging semesters I ever had to experience. This situation has been very hard on everyone, I am one amongst many who it has impacted. My parents lost their jobs until the fall semester, since they work at a university. That is, if we do return to physical classes. I am returning to work soon, after being out for 8 weeks. While it has been a hard time to endure, it has made me appreciate life a lot more. I am very grateful for my health, I can go on runs again and feel my lungs fill up with air. My mother did contract the virus as well, but she has recovered. I am thankful that my family is well, and that we can continue to push on through this together. I know that we are very lucky, some people do not have similar outcomes. I felt hopeless at times, and at fear for mine and my familys health. I plan on donating my plasma and pick up shifts at my companys COVID-19 testing center when I am cleared to go back. It is important to keep doing good, that is how we will all get through this.