My brain is still not great, and I figure if folk are reading this cos they have Covid theirs won't be great either. So here's an easy Q&A I've put together about my experience with Covid. Feel free to skip to the parts that are most useful for you.
1) How did you get Covid?
Honestly, we don't know. We think it's possible that Etta had it before anyone else in our house but she wasn't tested when she was most symptomatic. It seems unlikely given that everyone else in our household had it, that she managed to avoid it completely, and she did have the 'Covid cough' before anyone else in the house.
We hadn't tested her as she had similar symptoms to what both Murray and I had had the week before and we'd both had PCR tests that came back negative. The timing also made things tricky. She got sick at the time that there were huge queues for PCR tests and because we'd read in the news that some tests weren't even being processed due to overloading we didn't want to make her sit in a car for up to five hours for a test when she probably just had the bug we'd just had the week before. RAT tests were not available at this time.
So it had to come from school. We've been extremely vigilant with our kids being out in public like, they've only been into my work once and supermarkets not at all. We haven't even had playdates this year. Given the number of positive cases at our school, whether it was Etta or Abby that got it first, that's likely where it came from. Yes the kids have both been wearing masks to school. Yes the school is trying their best. It's just what happens in a pandemic.
2) Did you pass it on to anyone else?
Not to our knowledge but quite possibly. Both of the kids teachers are ok, but there are certainly other kids at school that also got Covid although none of our kids besties have it yet. Both kids were at school whilst mildly symptomatic - in Etta's case we'd assumed she had the cold we'd had the week prior. And in Abby's case we had not actually realised anything was off - her teacher mentioned that she'd been a little quieter than usual after I text her when we tested positive. On the Tuesday I started having a runny nose I was at work, but when I was less well the following day we switched our whanau hui to online just in case something was up. We definitely didn't behave perfectly but after living with covid in our community this long it's been hard not to.
We could only get two RAT tests initially
so the most symptomatic of us took them
I had an inkling just because Abby was so sick and there were cases at our school, so it wasn't a huge surprise but it was still weird seeing the positive tests. It was the first RAT tests we've ever had, but my 14th test overall, so after 13 negatives it did seem a bit weird. Murray was really surprised. Like, he knew given where we live we were likely to get it but it was still a shock. I was just really glad that we'd prepped the kids for the likelihood of this happening and that we'd all likely be ok so that they weren't too freaked out by it. I felt awful we hadn't tested Etta earlier as was quite sure at that point that she'd had Covid.
4) What symptoms did you have?I still have lethargy and a cough and it's 18 days since symptom onset today.
The kids were definitely sick for a shorter time than us.
Everyone was quite different. Etta had a sore throat and a cough. Abby was just tired and feverish and had a day of vomiting when her fever was at its worse. She developed a cough after the fever started to calm down. Murray had a sore throat, congestion 'the most powerful sneezes of his life' and a cough.
6) Did you have Delta or Omicron?
We have no real way of knowing. About 5 - 7% of PCR tests came back as Delta around the time we got sick and there were cases of Delta where we live. There really is very little difference between Omicron and Delta in terms of symptoms other than intensity. Based solely on numbers, it's more likely we had Omicron but we'll never know for sure.
7) How does having Covid feel different to other illnesses?
The biggest, consistent difference across the household was the taste thing. While I didn't 'lose' my taste and smell as such stuff just tasted gross and metallic. All of us were off food for a bit as a consequence. For me and Murray the congestion was next level. Lots of sneezing and so much mucous. Far more than your average cold. And for me the struggle to breathe. It was crazy. I've never had so much trouble breathing before.
This was an absolute must!
Lemsip Max Cold and Flu with Decongestant without a doubt. If I had to recommend one thing for your emergency Covid kit it's this. Without it I could not have functioned at all during the worst days. For the kids - Pamol. Pamol, Pamol, Pamol. They are both fussy and stubborn kids and we had a lot of difficulty getting them to take anything else. It helped greatly with pain and fever management. And I would have been in hospital without my inhaler. The other stuff that helped generally was Vicks Vaporub, wheat packs and anti-inflammatory meds.
Because I was sick for so long we did get in touch with a GP around day 12 who put me on antibiotics to clear what she thinks is a post-covid infection of some kind. I definitely recommend contacting a Dr if your symptoms haven't cleared after 10 days as most people are only really sick for about seven days and many people even less than that.
9) How have you managed parenting while sick?
Honestly, I didn't. Murray got sick after me and not as sick so he has literally done most of the parenting stuff over the last few weeks. There were about four days where I was in bed most of the day because I literally had no energy for more than that. I had so much trouble breathing there were a few days I couldn't even read the kids their bedtime stories. That felt so awful. I am so glad they had someone here who could help them with more than just the basics, because other than cooking toast I was pretty useless.
10) What is the hardest thing about having Covid?
For me it was definitely worrying that I might have made someone else sick. I was really scared that we'd passed it on to Mum because she had been at our house on the Monday looking after Etta who had a cough and was home from school and we tested positive on the Thursday. Because Mum has lots of health issues the idea of making her sick was especially scary after I got so sick. I text her every morning to check in on her and she isolated just in case so if she did have it she wouldn't pass it on to her Mum (Grandma). I am still so thankful we didn't pass it on to her.
How ill I've been.
Honestly. I'm a numbers person. I find them useful and comforting. I read things in my own time from many, many sources and use them to prepare myself for multiple scenarios. They help me during unpredictable times - like being in a Pandemic.
We knew that it was highly likely we would get Covid purely because of where we live. Every time there have been lockdowns there have been cases at our school. The only way we could have avoided it was if we'd kept the kids out of school even longer than we did (they were out for six months) and if I'd quit my job. We prepped the kids for the likelihood of us getting Covid so it wouldn't scare them too much when it happened. We were as vaxxed and boosted as we could be. We were very, very prepared.
And I was ok with the idea of getting Covid because we are not a high risk household. Between us, Murray and I have lost 25kg in the last seven months to improve our heart health. I swim 5+ km most weeks. We aren't that old and we eat a fairly healthy diet. While I have anxiously anticipated other people I care about getting quite ill, never in a million years did I think it would be me. While I did not end up in hospital it is the closest I've ever been to going to hospital because I was ill. While I have been to hospital many times, never has it been due to illness*. It was very scary. The only pre-existing condition I have is asthma and it is mild as in I rarely use my inhaler.
It's been a real shock.
We now own three of these.
Two are currently loaned out.
We had a really good kit because I anticipated that this would be happening pretty soon. We had frozen pre-made healthy meals, extra groceries and frozen bread, a kit with medication and extra lemonade. We had also made plans with family and neighbours in advance to help with getting groceries. I think given how many cases there have been it might be good to ensure there are a few people who can help in case your main support people are also isolating.
If I were doing over though I would have bought more Lemsip and Pamol than I had as we did run out fairly quickly. I would have more lemonade and iceblocks and more simple foods. I hadn't anticipated being really off eating food so while we had a lot of healthy meals, we didn't have enough crackers and bread which is all I really felt like eating early on. Also just more food generally. I forgot that Murray gets REALLY hungry when he's sick so he ate far more than I had planned for. I should have had more cup of soups and noodles in the kit.
And I'd definitely make sure I could access a pulse oximeter. While I thought this an extreme measure before I got sick, it actually would have been helpful at the peak of being sick. Consequently, I've actually bought several so that if anyone I care about gets really sick I can lend them one because the idea of people I care about getting as sick as I did scares me.
Delicious Magic Soup from a friend
Honestly, the most helpful thing was Murray looking after the kids as much as possible. I think getting Covid and being as ill as I have been would be extremely tough for single parents or people without support at home. For those people I imagine recovery would take even longer.
The other things that have been really great is having a supportive team at work. People checking in on me often and making sure things are actually ok without putting pressure on to be back. That's helped immensely. And meals. We have been so lucky to have had a few people drop off meals to us which isn't just practically supportive, but truly makes you feel cared for.
14) Has it been hard isolating for so long?
It was definitely harder for the kids. They really missed seeing their friends. We put routines in place and more treats than usual to help them stay sane. We took turns choosing a movie every afternoon (I couldn't do much more than that with them) and Murray made sure he had some outside time with them each day. We did send them back to school earlier this week because they've both had it and both isolated for more than ten days and Murray has walked them to school because his 10 days were up on Monday.
15) Any other advice?
If you aren't already, get vaccinated and boosted. It is the simplest way to ensure you have the best chance against Covid. Whether it's Delta or Omicron or another variant again, it isn't just another flu and has killed over 6 million people worldwide. So far, evidence suggests our highly vaccinated elderly population is the main reason we are not seeing more deaths here in Aotearoa. The reason our household got Covid is the same reason many others I know got Covid - from our partially (or unvaccinated) kids. Vaccination truly helps slow the spread.
For me, if being vaccinated just increased my immunity by 10% it was worth it. That 10% was the difference between recovering at home or needing to be hospitalised. When you think about the broader impacts of this on our health system, you can see how vaccination serves your community. Me not requiring hospitalisation means there's more space for folk who do. During a pandemic, that can be the difference between timely care and someone living, or untimely care and someone dying. It's just that simple.
And if you can refrain from being in high risk environments then do. Long Covid is real and affects 10 - 30% of people who've had Covid. These rates are higher for people with multiple symptoms during the first week, people with pre-existing conditions, folk who are overweight and women generally. These rates are much, much higher than normal post viral fatigue which sits well under 1%. The best way to avoid long Covid is to avoid Covid. And if, like us, this is just not a reality because of where you work or live - rest. Pace your recovery. Do not rush things.
And have a plan. Having a plan and having medication, meals and food available truly made everything much easier for us. I know the extent to which we prepared is just not feasible for everyone. But every bit counts. Even an extra pack of noodles, an extra loaf of bread in the freezer and paracetamol in the cupboard is helpful. And having a plan of who can help if you need to isolate helps. Check which extra local support is available to you. Know where you can pick up RAT tests if you need them. Put the number for Healthline in your phone. These small things can make a big difference when someone in your home is ill.
And don't waste your energy on feeling guilty. Put that energy toward getting better.
* Just lady organs not behaving as they should. Or because I've injured myself.
