Amy Lu's View

At about 2:00 this afternoon, I noticed my brain wasn’t fuzzy and that I was able to think clearly (or as clearly as I ever can). 

I officially declare that my “I’ve recovered from Covid” moment. As I think back on it, I’m pretty sure majestic orchestral music played while a beam of heavenly light shone down on me. 

I tested positive for my first–and hopefully last–case of Covid on January 4. Yes, poor Chad literally started the new year with having Covid, and I followed in his footsteps just a few days later. It was actually a type of relief when I officially had Covid because I didn’t have to try and avoid Chad and constantly worry about getting Covid anymore. 

Of course, in the hours since that hallelujah time of feeling over Covid, I have become slightly congested, because there doesn’t seem to be a hard and fast line between Covid and non-Covid life. I definitely feel much better than I did, but I think I’m going to continue to have some lingering Covid-related irritations. Not Long Covid or anything serious, but just a “I had a lot of mucus in my head for several days and that takes a while to resolve” situation. 

The world probably doesn’t need another–or any–blog post about sinus congestion, but I’m definitely following the “write what you know” adage, and for the last twelve days I’ve known Covid. Having Covid means I’ve known congestion…and tiredness, frustration, anxiety, and gratitude. 

I am so grateful that I had a mild case of Covid (which I attribute to being fully vaccinated and boosted, praise be) and that I’m not in any high risk categories. Having Covid was annoying and unpleasant, but not life-threatening–like it was for my sister, who had to be hospitalized because of Covid. I never had a fever, body aches, a cough, or messed up sense of smell and taste. Mostly I was just congested, and that didn’t even seem that bad (I could usually still breathe through my nose) until it started to feel never-ending. 

I’m also really grateful that I have plenty of sick time and can work from home and I didn’t have to try and take care of children or aging parents when I felt icky. 

The most challenging thing for me about having Covid was it was a powerful reminder that I am not in control–at least not to the extent I usually can pretend that I am. I couldn’t will my head to clear up, or summon up more energy. I couldn’t decree the at-home tests would have a negative result. (I learned that people can still test positive after 10 days but that doesn’t mean they’re contagious and the CDC guidelines say that can be out of quarantine: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/06/30/1108615724/positive-test-isolation)

Covid didn’t care that I had plans and that I really wanted to go to play rehearsal. (Although I am extremely grateful that I didn’t actually have to cancel that many plans and that rehearsal-via-Zoom was a good option). 

It’s not surprising that I felt frustrated that I couldn’t be around other non-Chamy people and do the things I wanted to do, but I also started to get worried that after spending so much time sequestered at home I wouldn’t be able to function out in the world. Maybe I would emerge from having Covid as a person who was mostly equipped and motivated to hang out on the couch watching “Interview with the Vampire” (which OMG is AMAZING and a definite upside of Covid is it gave me the time and inspiration to watch it). 

I also had similar fears about my ability to re-enter the world during the Covid lockdowns of 2020/21, and that time did help me realize that I actually do like spending more time at home and that having more downtime is a good thing for me. So I guess if having Covid transformed me into someone more comfortable with and qualified for extended TV and lounge pants time that would be okay, too. (I don’t think that’s happened though–yesterday I went to church and accomplished some things and it felt really good and energizing). 

I’d like to say that having Covid has given me more appreciation for my health and everything my body can do (even when it doesn’t look quite like I want it to in a particular dress) and more empathy and compassion for people who are dealing with chronic illness. And it has–but I know that as I move farther away from my Covid time, the insights I’ve gained will feel less real and I’ll need to keep re-discovering them. 

One Having Covid Life Lesson I do think I will retain is that Jacob Anderson and Sam Reid (stars of “Interview with the Vampire”) are extremely attractive young men.