November 15, 2020

Shutting Down Michigan... Again

I'm STILL waiting for the results of my COVID test. I was told 24 hours and it's been 32 hours now. It's no wonder the cases are skyrocketing. I felt sick on Wednesday and the earliest I could get in for a test was on Saturday. Now, it's after 9:00 on Sunday night and I still don't know.

Jerry's not allowed to stay home from work to quarantine unless my test is positive. If I had been able to find out by Thursday, then he could have avoided going to work (if my test was positive) and possibly infecting others (he has no symptoms, so it's unlikely, but theoretically, the virus could be passed all over the place simply because of the long waiting period for testing).

We had learned last month that the schools were going to go to a four-day per week in-school session (so Eli would be going four days instead of two days and doing virtual learning on the other days.

However, tonight the governor issued orders to shut down high schools for three weeks beginning Wednesday. This is so frustrating. I understand why they're doing it, but it's been so hard to get used to the new system in the first place and Eli REALLY needs in-person classes. 

Noah's schooling is completely different because he is taking mostly college courses now and those each have their own rules.

I'm really dreading to see what happens after Thanksgiving. I bet the number of cases will jump dramatically because people will still be having big gatherings. I told my mom that I don't think we should do a family dinner together this year and she agreed.

Last night before bed, I checked the weather forecast for my walk this morning with Joey. I was NOT excited about what I saw!


Wind and rain with a real feel temp of 34? Yikes.

I haven't had the issue yet where the weather really does stop me from walking. I walked in a total downpour in the summer--but it wasn't cold, so I didn't mind it so much. I've walked in severe wind--again, it wasn't super cold, so I managed. But walking during a wind advisory, with cold and rain? I was honestly dreading it.

If it wasn't for Joey who adores his morning walks, I would have just done it on the treadmill. I felt too bad doing that, so I dressed in my running tights and a big, warm water resistant coat. I wore a hat with a brim to keep the rain out of my eyes and and off we went!

There wasn't a single soul outside this morning. I was listening to my audiobook and when we got to a road that is right next to the lake without anything blocking the wind, I felt like I was going to blow over. I couldn't hear my audiobook at ALL over the wind and Joey and I were walking directly into a headwind. I had to hold onto my hat because it kept trying to blow off.

When I was a mile away from home, my headphones powered off. I'd forgotten to charge them and I was super bummed! My book was getting really good. So I had to walk the rest of the way in silence. 

I'm going to write a post soon about what I've been reading, watching, and listening to. I love writing those posts! But I have been waiting until I finish a couple of books. I had a hard time finding a good book and I bounced around until I found one.

I thought my cold symptoms were gone but today they've been acting up again. My nose feels super dry and almost burns which makes my eyes water. And my throat is still sore. Nobody else in the family is sick, so I hope it stays that way! And good grief, I hope I get my test back soon.

Out of curiosity, have any of you tested positive for COVID? What was your experience like? Were your symptoms just mild or did you get seriously ill?

Stay healthy, everyone! :)  Just for fun, here is a cat meme that Jerry sent me. Anytime I sit down, at least one cat immediately sits on my lap. It drives me crazy! Sometimes I just want to sit without the cats on me. But I feel bad moving them, so I'll just sit there until I have to pee so badly I apologize to the cat and as gently as possible I scoot out from under them so they can still sit where I was. Haha! Spoiled is what they are.

20 comments:

  1. It’s so interesting hearing about the difference in rules. Here in the UK if someone in your household has symptoms the whole house has to isolate for either 14 days or until there’s a negative test from the original person with symptoms. And that means complete isolation, so no going out for walks or anything. I’m not saying one way is necessarily better than the other, just interesting to see the differences

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    1. Honestly, I think that's how it should be--if people have symptoms, then anyone in the household should quarantine/isolate for 14 days. It's ridiculous that my husband would lose his job for isolating while waiting for my test to come back. Thankfully, my test was negative! The results finally came in at 2:00 AM (I was still up reading a book and checking every hour, haha).

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  2. Hi Katie! I am sorry you’re feeling under the weather and very much hope it’s not COVID! I have not had it myself but I had read another blog where a woman documented her parents’ experience with COVID. Her brother is a physician and told them that even though they felt under the weather if they could maintain 10k steps a day it was important to keep their bodies moving. So I think you’re doing the right thing if it is COVID, continue to (safely) keep active as long as you’re able. If you were interested in reading that post it was on Hungry Runner Girl’s page, I’m sure google results would pop it up with key words parents, COVID, etc. :) good luck and fingers crossed!

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    1. Thanks, Valerie! I'm familiar with Hungry Runner Girl, so I will check that out. I'd be very interested to read about it. Listening to my sister's stories has been terrifying and so sad.

      That's interesting about maintaining 10K steps a day! I get about 15,000 and while I'm on this walking streak, I don't want to quit ;)

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  3. My area will probably be shutting down again too. They just started testing kids in school today so... they will reevaluate at the end of the week... ugh

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    1. Honestly, I feel like it's the best decision until after the holidays. I'm sure that the numbers are going to increase exponentially after Thanksgiving. We are playing it safe and not doing holiday get-togethers. Life is just so different now!

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  4. Hope your test is negative. My uncle is on his death bed with the virus right now. We have the antique mall here in Marquette Ia. Yesterday a woman came in without a mask and when I told her it's required she started yelling at me about the law. I yelled back and she said she was calling the cops on me. I gave her my name and DOB. I told her to please call them and report me. Then she coughed on me as forcefully as possible and slammed the door as hard as she could. I'm a full time hospital nurse and they want me to come in to cover another nurse who's tested positive. When people complain that they have to stay home, it pisses me off 'cause all I want to do is stay home but can't.

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    1. I'm so sorry about your uncle. That is terrible! I haven't had anyone close to me get the virus so it's hard to put it in perspective. It makes me worry, though.

      And how horrible about the woman who coughed on you!! I would have welcomed the police at that point. Wearing a mask is seriously NO BIG DEAL and I don't see why people are so against it. Even if it doesn't help, despite evidence that it does, it doesn't hurt to wear one. It's mandated here to wear a mask in any public building. But I've heard some altercations at a couple of stores where people refused.

      I hope you stay safe! xo

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  5. My son and I bother tested positive back in August. Thankfully, our cases were both pretty mild and we recovered over the course of a week or so. He had coughing, fever, shortness of breath, fatigue, and loss of taste. I had no cough or fever, but I had fatigue and really bad body aches. At first I thought I was dealing with a kidney infection because the pain was so severe in that area. I hope you get your results back soon, I was lucky to get the quick result test and knew in about 15 minutes, but we waited two days for my son’s results. Take care and feel better!

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    1. Thank you for sharing! I would be so worried if my family members got it. I'm glad that your cases were mild and that your recovered quickly! <3

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  6. I hope you feel better soon and that it's not COVID! Sorry to hear about your headphones powering off, too - that's always a bummer!

    I think I had COVID at the end of February/beginning of March. I live in a city that had some of the first COVID cases in the US, and it was later known that community spread was happening around the time I got sick. My sickness was overall pretty mild - I had a slight sore throat, fatigue (sleeping 9-10 hours a night and still feeling tired), and lost my sense of taste and smell for about a week. At the time, there was no way to get tested. I even went to the doctor, and they could give me a flu test (negative) but not a COVID test. They didn't think there was risk of COVID anyway since I hadn't traveled recently. I feel lucky that I'm young and healthy and don't seem to have any lasting effects; just hope I didn't pass it onto anyone else since we didn't even know the virus was spreading yet.

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    1. I can't decide if it would be better to have it before knowing so much about it or worse! Like I wrote, I just had very minor symptoms that I normally wouldn't give a second thought to, so if I hadn't known about COVID, I wouldn't have worried. But now, every little cough or sniffle is scary! I'm so glad that you are okay! <3

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  7. The inconsistency with schools is so frustrating :(. If we drop below 80% attendance, our schools shut down and we have had multiple schools in our district transition in and out of virtual learning since September. I am a librarian in my girls’ district, so we are all constantly wondering if one or all of us will be in-person or virtual. The numbers here in Wisconsin are BAD, so I wouldn’t be surprised if our governor issues a mandate again soon.

    I personally haven’t had COVID but several of my friends/coworkers have. Some have gotten very ill, like a bad flu, while others basically had cold symptoms. One of our staff members got tested before a surgery and his test came back positive - he didn’t even know he had it! It seems to affect everyone so differently, which is the unnerving part...

    Good luck to you - fingers crossed for a negative test!

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    1. Yes! It's the inconsistency that is so frustrating about schools. Just when I accept one form, they change it up again. I can't help Eli with his work because I have no clue about history or any of the other things I learned and never used after school. Noah is great with studying on his own, but Eli needs help. I've been doing my best (and I've certainly brushed up on my years of Spanish, haha!) but I just worry he's going to fall far behind because of all this.

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  8. Hi - so sorry you're having to wait so long for your results. I'm actually recovering from Covid now - day 12 since symptoms started. I was able to walk right into a clinic and get tested and had my results back in less than 36 hours. It has been miserable but thank goodness no serious issues with it. It started out just like a normal sinus infection - stuffy nose with sinus drainage, cough and general feeling yuck. Then 2 days of feeling great, than BAM, full on symptoms, fever, severe aches & fatigue, lost of smell & taste, stomach issues and chest congestion. Each of my 3 children have had it as well. they are 20 & 16 and their symptoms were pretty mild. Stuffiness like sinuses with loss of taste/smell and tiredness. They've been fine within a few days. I'm really hoping you get well soon and it's not Covid.

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    1. Wow! I'm glad you're recovering okay, but I'm sorry it's been miserable. It sounds awful! The loss of smell and taste would drive me crazy. As petty as it sounds, that's one thing that is maddening when I have a typical upper respiratory infection. I'm glad that your kids are back to normal, too! <3

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  9. I tested positive for Covid in July. I got very lucky and had a super mild case - I almost didn't get tested. I had a cough and shortness of breath, but all told I only had symptoms for less than 3 days. None of my family got it that we know of (my husband had to get tested for work following my positive test and he was negative, but we didn't test the kids).

    On the flip side, a friend of a friend who had Covid recently just got diagnosed with serious vascular damage. She went in for an ultrasound on her lower body due to pain and ended up getting 4 stents put in that day and will probably be on blood thinners the rest of her life. Her doctor told her that prior to Covid, he'd only ever seen that kind of damage on elderly, life-long smokers. That's what scares me the most about this virus - the long-term effects some people have.

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    1. That's so interesting that your husband didn't get it! I thought for SURE if I tested positive that my family would, too. Thankfully, my test was negative.

      That's so scary about your friend! Did she have any prior health conditions? It's worrysome about the longterm effects that COVID might bring. Please wish your friend well from me <3

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  10. I teach at a university that had some in-person classes (until this week, when we went all online) so I was required to get tested at least monthly - free, on campus. I have four negative tests, and my next test is tomorrow. Yes, the test is very easy and quick.

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    1. I think it would be kind of reassuring to get tested regularly. It's always in the back of my mind whether I have it, even if I don't have symptoms. I'm paranoid! Especially when I see how many people around here don't wear masks (I do, always).

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