Early this month, I fell victim to Covid, catching what I'm pretty sure was the Omicron variant. I know I put myself out there with all my extracurricular activities, so it was only a matter of time until it made it to me. As you see in the picture below, Omicron spiked towards the end of January in Arizona and my symptoms kicked in on Sunday, January 30.
The week before I had symptoms, I had a pretty busy week. I celebrated a birthday with a friend on Tuesday going out for Korean BBQ and drinks. On Wednesday, I went to the gym. Thursday I had bowling league. And Saturday I had a pool tournament for most of the day. There's not really any way to tell what day I caught the virus, but if I had to guess, I think it's most likely from the gym.
The first two days of Covid were the worst (Sunday and Monday Jan 30-31). On the first day, my throat was very sore, never before in my life has it ever hurt that much. I was in so much pain that all I wanted to do was lie in bed. I started having chills in the evening. On the second day, I was so tired. I had so much fatigue and could barely leave my bed. All I wanted to do was sleep, but it was difficult to since my throat hurt so badly. Even if I could fall asleep, it'd only be for like an hour or two until the pain woke me back up. I finally broke fever that night and I woke up the next day dripping in sweat.
The third day (Tuesday Feb 1), I was less fatigued, but my body felt sore. I still remember my right elbow being sore to the point where it felt like I had just worked out the previous day. My throat was still sore and to make matters worse, I was coughing as well, which was extremely painful.
The fourth and fifth days (Wednesday and Thursday Feb 2-3) I finally felt okay enough to sit in my chair at the computer, so I was at least able to play a few games to pass the time. It wouldn't last very long as I would want to go back to my bed and lie there, trying to pass the time by watching some movies in bed.
After 5 days, it felt like Covid had passed, although I still had a lingering cough that wouldn't fully go away for a couple weeks. I also noticed that my sense of taste and smell had weakened, and wouldn't come back to full strength for a few weeks later.
I didn't get the booster and it had been 8 months since I was vaccinated in May of 2021. In hindsight, I probably should have gotten the booster. Who knows how much it would have helped lessen the symptoms. Regardless, Covid was the worst flu experience of my life and I can see why some people feel the need to go the hospital from it. I'm glad Omicron variant seems to have passed, but of course we have to assume that there will be another mutation coming later in the year. I can't get boosted until 90 days pass, so I'll be patiently waiting for that opportunity.
Stay safe out there guys!
