But I didnt expect that Id be one of the folks still dealing with COVID-19 almost a year later.
Most of them had no symptoms.
My fever lasted the full two weeks and beyond.
Ive never even had the flu.
Nearly a year later there are good days, bad days, and really bad days.
Im one of the19 percent of adultswho struggle with long COVID months after contracting the virus.
…
Ill be honest: Ive never been a particularly athletic person.
But in my previous life, I took workout classes and loved LA hike-walks with my girlfriends.
Now I can barely make it around my block without gasping for air.
Its a short block.
Its a funny family legend, but now its a mental barometer for my state of fatigue.
Am I too tired to eat?
Meet my friend for dinner?
Its Amazing How Its All Connected.
If I do this thing, I cant do that thing.
And God forbid if those events dont have a place for me to sit down.
A fever is good news though!
Im grateful when I have a fever.
The fatigue, the brain fog, post-exertion malaise, shortness of breaththose symptoms all feel so subjective.
But a fever is tangible, believable, and shareable!
Thats a symptom I can feel confident about.
I dont expect the people around me to have fully digested whats happening to me.
Im ashamed that Im too tired to attend baby showers or birthday parties.
Its not their problem.
Im there, and to them I seem fine, and those experiences are not about me.
If this ever ends, there are lessons Ill carry with me.
Ironically, my productivity has gone up in the face of my symptoms.
I cant waste energy on false urgency.
And boundaries are easier to stick to.
It turns out that very rarely is anything legitimately urgent.
Its taken time and support to hone this approach.
I was first diagnosed with depression at 17 years old, so Im no stranger to the dark place.
But two to three months post-COVID, I hit a new lowa therapy-twice-a-week, stay-away-from-edges-and-ledges kind of low.
COVID stripped that from me in a way that felt so unfair.
Im also afraid that if someone hasnt had this experience, they might not believe me.
I am, in fact, not lazy, dumb, and old.
…
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