Many of you don't know that I tested positive for COVID-19 last month. If you keep up with me on social media you probably had no idea I was ever even sick, because I was lucky and my symptoms were super mild. Apparently they were so mild, that my boyfriend NEVER ended up catching the virus from me...even though we were quarantining together. In fact, (LUCKILY) not one person I had been in contact with within 2 weeks of being diagnosed with COVID-19 tested positive. Why? I have no idea and my doctor has no clue. I never thought I would be here writing this, as I am a healthy/fit person with a good immune system.....but I'm here to share my story and experience of testing positive for COVID-19.
My Symptoms:
Bad headache
Fatigue
Loss of appetite for a couple days
Slight loss of breathe ONLY when working out
VERY slight loss of taste for 3 days
Ever since this pandemic began, I had been pretty careful in keeping myself safe. In March, I stayed completely quarantined with just my boyfriend and my roommate. As things started opening up, I thought it would probably be okay to see a few people that had also been quarantined. Two friends and I called ourselves the "quarantine crew," meaning we would only see each other during the pandemic and stayed quarantined when apart. Now, I have no certainty when I came in contact with COVID-19, but I will share what I was doing before I was tested positive.
My close friend shared with me that she just found out she was positive. I had not seen her for 9 days when she discovered she was positive. I felt fine, but I was supposed to be seeing my family in a couple of weeks, so I was already planning to get a test sometime soon. Honestly, if she hadn't tested positive and I wasn't supposed to be seeing family...I probably wouldn't have went to the doctor. That's how mild my symptoms were. It honestly felt like bad allergies/sinus problems...which I get ALL THE TIME. How crazy is that? COVID-19 really effects everyone completely different. So, I really cannot pinpoint where I got it from. Everyone else who was in contact with the friend who tested positive did not get it, only me. Did I get a false positive?! My symptoms weren't nearly as bad as my friend's and no one else I had seen was positive...so could it really be wrong?
My Timeline:
6/20 -
I found out that a friend I had seen 9 days ago tested positive on this day. She started feeling sick on 6/16. I scheduled a COVID-19 test immediately, because I had been in contact with her.
6/21 -
Day 1 of complete quarantine
6/22 -
Felt slightly tired
6/23 -
Headache, tried to workout but felt strangely out of breathe. I thought it was just because I took a few days off the week before. I went to doctor for my scheduled test and was given the throat swab. Now, it had been 11 days since seeing my friend and the doctor actually said "Ok, so it's been 11 days since you've been in contact with her? You are probably fine." Well I wasn't exactly... :(
6/24 -
Headache and felt like I had bad allergies/sinus issues. Noticed a very slight loss of taste. No appetite.
6/25 -
Tired and headache. I got my test results back and I was surprisingly positive. I had to text and call everyone I had been in contact with the last 14 days. Now here's the strange thing, every single person who I had been in contact with including my boyfriend, my roommates, my boyfriends family, a couple friends tested negative!
6/26
Headache
6/27
Very slight headache only in the morning. This was the first day I stopped taking Tylenol. Just took it once when I woke up.
6/28
Headache subsided
6/29
Felt perfectly normal again! I felt back to normal in just one week, but everyone is different. My doctor said I had to quarantine for 10 days after testing positive from the day symptoms started.
7/3 - THE RESULTS
I went back to doctor and was given a blood test to test for COVID-19 and antibodies. THIS TIME, I tested negative forCOVID-19 and positive for anti-bodies. My boyfriend tested negative for COVID-19 AND negative for antibodies. WHAT?!? This whole time we were quarantining, we figured he had already got it from me since we had been together the whole time. He had ZERO symptoms, so we figured he was asymptomatic...now we find out he apparently has an immune system made of STEEL! The doctor was like "Wow! You've been living together and in the same bed every night? And you've had no symptoms (to my boyfriend)? That's crazy!" Since we were both negative and had been quarantined for two weeks together, the doctor said we are clear to travel on our trip to see family, as long as we obviously wear masks and social distance.
*Side note and updated about my friend who I keep referring to that had COVID-19 a week before me. She had WAY worse symptoms than me, which is another reason I thought mine could be a false positive. She had about every single one you could get and was sick for over 14 days!
Wow, so that was a lot to take in! I hope you've stuck with me this entire time, because my story is quite unique and you need to read it in its entirety to understand completely.
It's so crazy and scary to me that you could literally get this virus from somebody at the grocery store or on the street, but not get it living and sleeping next to someone in the same home! Just a reminder to everyone to continue wearing your masks and practicing social distancing. This virus is real and effects every person a different way. I live in California and the virus is unfortunately on a surge once again. Even though I had Covid-19 and now have antibodies, I am not changing my safety precautions or becoming more lax in my day to day routines. I am still going to stay inside as much as possible, wear my mask outside, and keep using the hand sanitizer! I am continuing to hope and pray this pandemic is over as quickly as possible. We are all in this together!
If you have been in contact with someone who tested positive or you are not feeling well in Los Angeles, you can go here to schedule a free test.