Day 15, Tuesday 12 April, 9.30am

I am coughing, my back hurts still. My feet are cold. I feel hot and I have a little sweat. My temp is 35.98c. Other than that, I feel ok, head clear, chest not too tight, I can feel it loosening its grip on me.

1.15pm. My cough has got worse today, it is constant today for first time. It hurts my back and chest and I feel like I can’t get a full breath. My temp is 35.98c with two big layers on and socks.

3.30pm. I am coughing a lot. It hurts my chest and back. I can’t really stop. Otherwise, I feel ok – head clearer, no body aches elsewhere.  My temp is 35.71c with 2 layers and socks on. 4.15 pm, my cough is annoying, my head hurts, heart palpitations have begun. My temp 36.15c.

Max is low key, temp 35.86, feeling lazy, tired. Nose feels like slight cold.

10pm. Still coughing and feel my chest and back tight still, otherwise I am feeling ok. Temp is 36.11c

CJ is at a friend’s, who has tested positive for covid. Not sure if he should come home as not sure if we have covid or not. He does not need to self-isolate (as he has tested positively recently). But is he a risk to us, a carrier now? Could he pass it to us?

Day 16, Wednesday 13 April, 8.25am

I woke up hopeful that I would have a good improvement today, but it is not to be. Instead the virus feels like it has settled somewhere deeper in me, I am coughing, clearing my throat and my nose and throat feel a bit phlegmy and revolting. My chest is sore again and my upper back pain has become more pronounced, compressed and noticeable as an ache, especially when I cough. My temp is 35.66c.

I am unsure what to do about CJ also. I want him home – a mother’s natural instinct and also to protect him from the possibility of reinfection at his fathers’ house if he stays there, but I am also conscious that I do not actually know 100% if I /we have had/have Covid or not, so what if we have not, and he brings it here and infects us all? Mia is quite well, and we are already clearly unwell. If we do not have Covid at present, and then we contract it from CJ on top of our current virus (if it is not Covid), it could be a disaster. I wish I knew what to do….

11.45am. I am coughing and feel like shit. Like I can’t get a full breath. If I try, it just starts me coughing again. My back is hurting from coughing and my upper front chest feels sore. My nose is stuffed up and my throat never seems to clear. My temp is 36.18c, up from an earlier 35.16c at 10.30am. I have done another RAT test (my 10^th) and it is negative. I just thought I’d check seeing as I was coughing more and have more nose/throat issues. I have no appetite.

6.45pm. I have been coughing quite a lot. It is quite fatiguing. My chest area below my collar bones hurts and my upper back between my shoulder blades feels that ache again, although I have not taken any pain relief today. My temp is 35.92c. I cooked and ate dinner. I feel tired and had a lie down on the sofa this afternoon in the sun.  

Have decided CJ will come home on Sunday if he is well. Hopefully I will also be on the mend by then.

Day 17, Thursday 14 April, 9.40am.

I can’t stop coughing. It is exhausting me already. I slept ok, but since getting up and moving around, I feel like I can’t get a full breath and I just cough non-stop. It is hurting my chest (below collar bones) already and my upper back is starting to ache. I am sneezing also. I have advised work that I am still sick and am hoping for good improvement over the Easter break, as I have 5 days (including today) to come right hopefully, before work on Tuesday next week. At this stage, I am not feeling too positive. I am also frustrated as I just can’t seem to shake this virus (what-ever it is) and I thought I was healthy.

The nation has changed to “Orange level” today, which means for us, Mia has no requirement at wear a mask to school from today, as she is unvaccinated and it is the last day before the easter break and school holidays, we are nervous about this starting today and it seemed sensible that they might have waited until after the school holidays to tell kids no masks required, not on the last day of school for the term. Fingers crossed she doesn’t get Covid infection today from a classmate, it is still lingering around the school with roughly 5 cases reported a day currently.

My husband has recovered and I am pleased he has shrugged this off, but it has left me confused as to why I have been struck down so badly when I am usually very well. I have now lost nearly 4 kg in 17 days. My temp is 35.19c.  (It is 20c in our living room where I am sitting). I have no appetite again.

2.25pm. I took Panadol and ibuprofen at 10.30am as I felt so sore from coughing. I slept then on the sofa until nearly 12.30pm. Since then, I have felt better and did a few light household chores but I can feel the pain relief starting to wear off now and the ache returning to my chest and back although I haven’t been coughing so much as I am sitting still now. My temp is 36.38c, around lunchtime when I woke up, it was 35.71c but since I have been a bit active it has risen. I am not hungry but I had a bit of toast with the pain medication and just now have had some feijoas and a few rice crackers. I am really missing my friends and being busy and active but just can’t get going and I am also scared I will cough all over someone. Who would want a coughing friend over anyway? I am going to lie down again, I am tired after my few little jobs at home.

Day 18, Friday 15 April, 11.50am.

I am sick of this. I was not coughing in bed as I stayed in bed being lazy this morning and reading my book, but as soon as I got up and started moving around, the coughing began, and with it the chest tightness and back ache forming. My heart still feels like it is pounding and all I did was puta small load of washing out on the line and get some fresh air.  My temp on rising was 35.45c and now, it is 35.48c. I do not feel hot or cold. I have a phlegmy thing in my throat which does not clear no matter how much I try to clear it. I am not hungry but ate some toast so I can take some Panadol and ibuprofen as it seems to settle the coughing down. I am so unbelievably frustrated that I do not seem to have any real improvement.  The coughing is quite fatiguing.

Hubby is talking about going for a bike ride. He says his head still feels a bit dull but otherwise he feels fine. I can barely believe that he has shaken this thing off with all his unrelated health issues, and yet I am stuck, not seemingly making any meaningful progress despite all my resting.

5.30pm. I slept most of the afternoon after taking pain relief. It seems to really knock me out but t does ease the coughing which is good. Other than sleeping this afternoon, I read a bit and watched a movie with Mia, my energy levels are pretty low. My temp is 35.40c. I ate some chocolate for easter and an apple and planned to make hot cross buns but was too tired.

10.15pm. What a lazy day. I watched some Netflix tv with MIa and had a little bit of dinner. Haven’t done much else. I am going to bed soon. Temp is 34.57c I don’t seem to be coughing but I am hardly moving, it seems worse when I move around and when I have had no medicine.

Day 19, Saturday April 16, 1.40pm.  

Mia and I ventured into town today to the mall. My first outing in nearly 3 weeks. She needed some things, so we did some shopping and also met my friend Pam for a real coffee in a café…which was so great as I had missed her so much and it was lovely to catch up after nearly 3 weeks at home. By the time we got home nearly 2 hours later, I was exhausted. My chest is very sore and my upper back aches so much and I did cough a lot (and also try to supress coughing the entire time) while we were out in the mall. Fortunately everyone still wore masks, so I could hide it well. I can hardly keep my eyes open now and am going to take some drugs and lie down. My temp is 34.91c.   I feel like I should be able to handle a few shops and a coffee with my dear friend, but I am really feeling stuffed now and very tired and sore. I wonder when this will end.

6pm. Temp is 35.56c. I feel really, really hot however. I have spent the afternoon on the sofa after the combination of pain relief and my trip out left me exhausted. I slept a lot and read a bit and did not much else for most of the afternoon.

9.45pm. I made pizza for dinner once I felt better and even had an appetite to eat some, then blobbed on sofa all evening. My best meal in 3 weeks. I felt much better after my big rest this afternoon. Temp is 35.97c I had two weird kind of blackouts today, like when I get up too quickly and can’t see anything and almost faint. Happened twice today, once mild and once much longer when I couldn’t see for quite a few moments. Other than that, I am feeling better this evening, not hot or cold, although I do have 3 layers on and socks.

Day 20, Easter Sunday April 17, 10.45am

I am making pancakes for breakfast for family. I guess this is a good sign, that I have more energy and/or I feel so guilty at having been sick for so long and so useless around here as a wife and mother (and as a side, as an employee also). But that is what being sick does, I guess, render you useless. My temp is 36.10c.

I am pleased I got out yesterday even though I was tired, I feel like I am improving…slowly, but it is taking ages! Today, despite my burst of energy and activity to make pancakes, I cannot stop coughing and I can already feel it grabbing onto me and pulling me down, sucking my energy and making my body ache yet again. The drugs help with easing the coughing, but they seem to make me so tired. I haven’t taken any yet. I’m not really hungry but I ate a pancake and had two feijoas. I am feeling hot after all that activity making in pancakes but I have no energy to clean up the kitchen. My temp is now 35.51c at 11.10am.

2.45pm. Colleen came over for a coffee, I had a massive sweat while she was here, drenching my t- shirt under the arms, across the back and under my bra. I was exhausted after her visit even though it was just coffee, and couldn’t stop coughing. Now, I have done a few chores and am still hot, it is 26-28c degrees in our living room, sun is pouring in, but my temp is 35.08c, I feel like it is about 40c…I am hot, sweaty, clammy and I cannot gauge temperatures. My back is aching and I feel ready for a lie down, exhausted after my visitor and my few jobs. I am going to take some ibuprofen and Panadol now and change into a fresh t shirt.

5pm. I took medication and lay about resting on the sofa while hubby roasted pumpkin and stewed fruit. After that I felt a bit better and mad a snack of cheese and crackers to share, then decided to throw some chicken and potatoes in to roast to have for dinner along with some of the roasted pumpkin and to throw a crumble top on the stewed fruit for a desert. Well, that has exhausted me. I am absolutely sweating like a pig, my head is spinning and I feel overcome with exhaustion but my temp says 35.89c. I have had some water and sat down to rest before I tackle the few dishes. My head is pounding also. I feel dizzy. It is hot but now the afternoon sun has lowered, but I am only in a (now sweat covered) t shirt but I am sweating and feeling so hot, my neck is slick with sweat. I have stopped coughing so much at least, thanks to the ibuprofen and Panadol seemingly. I am retaking my temp after 15 minutes and it is rising fast and is now, at 5.22pm, 37.03c (normal in other words, even though I feel like it is about 100c). I feel sick.  

10.20pm. I have not been feeling so great but better than at 5pm. My temp has settled down and is now 36c. I haven’t really moved off the sofa for the last few hours and finished my book. I am frustrated that today I seemed to go backward not improve. I am hoping CJ is not bringing it here or has got himself re-infected so soon after just recovering. I just have to hope I guess that it is all going to be ok. I am getting anxious about returning to work on Tuesday especially after the set back I feel I had today.  I guess I will have to see how it goes….

Day 21, Easter Monday 18 April, 10.15am.

 It is 21 days now, 3 weeks I have had this debilitating illness. Temp 35.84c when I got up. I had a weird sciatic type pain in my left leg last night, waking me up with spasms and pain shooting down one leg and feeling like blood was pumping in it about 10x the normal rate. I took some Panadol and ibuprofen and eventually went back to sleep. I had no back or leg pain as such at the time, just this incredible twitch and jolt down one leg and a real sense of unease. Anyway, it has gone now, but it was rather strange. Today, my main issue, as it has been for the last few days is the coughing which seems to not be abating, as soon as I start moving around I start coughing. This and the general breathlessness and the ache in my upper back and upper chest area and the ongoing tiredness are the five main things. I still have little appetite and have to largely remind myself to eat (especially when I need to take pain relief) although it comes and goes a bit more now. Temp is 35.39c

2pm. I have been busy, making soup and putting on laundry and doing some writing. Making a plan to get some much needed groceries and also go to the sea this afternoon for a coffee and small walk perhaps. But I am tired now. My temp is 34.70c I am not sure why as I feel hot, but not uncomfortably so. I can’t stop coughing (which seem so much worse when I am active) and will take some pain relief now before I do anything else.

5.30pm. I didn’t take any pain relief and just battled on. I have been out to the sea side and listened to music and had a coffee and felt human. I tried not to cough too much. Then we got a few groceries and now we are home and I am exhausted beyond belief. Lucky the soup is made already. My temp is 35.74c I am collapsing on the sofa now, my chest is aching and my back has a deep ache also. I am going to take pain relief now.

6.30pm, pain relief has kicked in. I am still tired. Temp 35.89c. Not coughing any more.

10.15pm. Felt a bit off and tired. Had soup, not coughing. Temp was 34.11c even though I felt fine a bit earlier. I have put on another sweater (I have 2 on now) and now my temp has now increased to 35.47c. I feel tired and am ready for bed. I am not in too much pain as the drugs are working still. I am so frustrated that I am still feeling crook and not really on top of everything and I have to return o work tomorrow, after almost 3 full weeks off work. I will just have to do my best, I guess. I did more today that any other day so far, in terms of normal activities but I did it with pain relief and I am exhausted.