I Had It

Eventually, my story will be the same as yours. I had it, and so did you. The variations in our stories may be wildly different, but the test – as long as it is a reliable test, will dictate the truth. 

During the second or third week of March, I began to have symptoms that seemed typical of the allergies I get every year in October and November. Aside from it being early Spring – and I never have allergies in the Spring, there were other subtle differences with my symptoms, mainly that everything about them was “dry.” In other words, none of the typical nose blowing and sinus infections that usually accompany my allergies. And yet, I constantly needed to cough – though, I was able to control it. I had a severe headache and it felt like a gorilla was sitting on my chest. So ok, I wondered if maybe I should be a little concerned. By this time in March, New Jersey was beginning to shut down, and there was so much work that needed to be done in my town. I seriously did NOT have time for this.

My husband, who owns a business in our town, was busy making sure their facility was safe for employees, and had implemented a sign-in procedure that included checking the temperatures of everyone entering the building. He suggested that I start checking my temperature as well, even though I had absolutely no symptoms of a fever. So I began checking my temperature several times a day, and it was always pretty much the same, around 97 degrees. Everything I had read and heard said this thing almost always involves a fever. I was relieved every time I took my temperature, and began to depend on that thermometer to keep me motivated to do the mountain of work that needed to get done. 

The days went on, one after the other. A week felt like 2 months, and it mostly stopped mattering what day of the week it even was. By the last week of March, I was exhausted. I had attributed the exhaustion to the long days of work, combined with lack of sleep. I had often moved from my bed to the couch in the middle of the night throughout the past couple of weeks because I couldn’t sleep, which was the case on March 29^th. That night, the pressure on my chest was extreme. After moving to the couch, I had fallen asleep, but woke up at around 3:00 am to a severe pain in my chest when I inhaled. It was actually the inhale that woke me up. I sat up and became dizzy and felt like I was going to vomit. I drug myself to the bathroom and kneeled in front of the toilet, but there just wasn’t anything in my stomach to even throw up. I laid down on the floor of the bathroom for about an hour, until the nausea went away. It did, and never came back.

The next day, at 8:00 am on-the-dot, I called my doctor, not knowing how or if I would even be able to make an appointment. By this time, no on-site appointments were allowed. I also knew full-well that without a fever, I would not be allowed to test for COVID-19. There just weren’t enough tests to go around at that point, which was an incredibly strange feeling. I couldn’t believe that in the middle of a pandemic, choices were being made about who could receive a test, let alone who could receive treatment. 

After sitting on hold with my doctor’s office, a nurse picked up and began asking a series of questions about my symptoms. As I suspected, the lack of fever seemed to be playing into her decision about what (if any) steps could be taken. But there was one thing that had been in the back of my mind since the pandemic began. Technically, I am “immunodeficient.” I was diagnosed a few years ago with low levels of IgA, otherwise known as an Immunoglobulin A Deficiency. Part of what lead to that diagnosis was the repeated severity of sinus infections I often got in the Fall. Low levels of IgA effect the mucous membranes in your body, making you susceptible to infections, which can sometimes lead to pneumonia. Although not a serious condition, it is genetic, and there is no cure. The only real treatment is through courses of antibiotics to manage symptoms. In addition, a person with low levels of IgA can be vaccinated for pneumonia, which is normally reserved for elderly people. I received approval from my insurance company for that vaccine, and did indeed get it. Hard to know whether or not it helped with anything, but since then, I haven’t had a serious sinus infection. And I think this was the reason the nurse agreed to set me up for a virtual appointment with my primary physician later that same day.

I love my doctor. She’s great – not just as a physician, but as a human being. We both logged on for our first ever virtual appointment, which was awkward at first. But the kinks eventually worked themselves out until things were more or less comfortable. After going through my symptoms, she said she wished she could prescribe a test. But without a fever, she could not. It scared me, because I really would have liked a test. At the same time, I felt some relief that I had at least been evaluated. And because I trust my doctor, I was confident she didn’t feel that I was in danger. Instead, she prescribed an inhaler to treat the symptoms, which I used for a day or two. And then rather suddenly, all of my symptoms vanished. I haven’t had a single symptom since the very beginning of April.

A week ago, I received an email from the medical center where most of my doctors have their offices, including my primary care physician. The email said that if I was interested, I could have a free antibody test. I called the number and had to stay on hold for 63 minutes, which was the wait time to make an appointment. I was tested a week later, and after watching the lines faintly develop on the test cassette over a 10-minute timeframe, it determined that I am indeed positive for antibodies. And yes, it is one medical test that I was happy to have a positive result for. But is it reliable? I think it’ll be awhile before we know that for sure. All I can say right now is that this was my experience, and I’m sure more will be revealed.

I am headed to see my parents in FL next week, and will celebrate my 50^th birthday “Corona-style.” We will rent a mini-van, and spend as much time together as possible, even if it’s just driving around. And while the celebration may not be exactly the way I might have planned, there is absolutely nothing I’d rather be doing. It’s funny too, because before all of this, my hair and nail appointments would have been all set up before the trip. And even though I don’t have the option to do those things right now, instead of feeling frustrated (or caged), I feel liberated by not having to do things I used to believe I wanted, and even needed. Will that sentiment stick when all of this is over? Maybe not, but I’ll enjoy it while it lasts. And I’m hopeful for better things on the other side.

P.S. To those who have lost friends and family to Coronavirus causes, I am so very sorry for your loss. Those experiences matter, and more will be revealed.