Joe Kelly: I Had COVID and This Is What I Went Through

Before I begin, let me say that all the opinions expressed below are mine and mine alone. This is not an attempt to sway anyone to or from vaccinations.

I remember the exact moment I thought that I may have COVID-19.

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I was sitting in the Cat Country 107.3 radio studio Friday, January 7th. It was about 8:45 am and there was a song playing on the radio. My morning show partner Jahna and I were sitting in the studio and our microphones were off. All of a sudden, out of nowhere I sneezed.

"God bless you," said Jahna.

"Thanks," I said. "I don't have the `Rona, but that was weird."

It was weird. A sneeze and the immediate feeling of congestion. It was as if all of a sudden I felt like I was allergic to something.

I didn't think much more of it at the time, and life went on.

I did sneeze a few more times during the morning, and I didn't think much of it.

I made it through the day with some stuffiness and the occasional runny nose, but nothing major. I just thought I had a little cold or allergy.

At bedtime Friday, I had a little trouble falling asleep as my nose was a little more stuffed up.

I woke up and did a few minor chores Saturday, nothing of much significance. Again, I felt like I had come down with a little cold - or, again, I was all of a sudden allergic to something.

Sunday I was a little more tired than usual and kind of took it easy - I watched football for most of the day.

I remember having a hard time falling asleep again Sunday night - and I even used some Vick's vapor rub to clear up my nose. I also had a bit of a headache, so I took some pain reliever at bedtime.

Monday morning I woke up at my usual time (3:15 am), showered, and headed off to work. I felt a little stuffiness again and had a little bit of a cough.

At work, as we were getting ready to do the morning show and Jahna arrived, I suggested that maybe we do the show that morning in separate studios "just because I have a cold, nothing more." She agreed and we did the show across the hall from me in a separate studio.

As the morning went on, I started thinking that maybe this was more than a cold, and maybe I should get tested. I knew that testing was hard to come by, but I lucked into an appointment online at the pharmacy right down the street from the radio station that afternoon.

Still feeling only like I had a cold, I went to the drive-thru at the pharmacy to get tested "just in case."

They had me swab my own nose, put the swap in an envelope, and hand it back.
I went home and I didn't have to wait for long.

Within two hours the result was in my email: Positive.

Huh, I thought. I finally got it.

Almost everyone in my family has had COVID and I finally had it.

Here's the part about vaccinations: I did get the vaccinations early last year, and got my booster in November. I've also known that the vaccine wouldn't prevent me from getting COVID, but, hopefully, it would lessen the effect on me.

I got the vaccine because I've always thought it was the best choice for me. I'm overweight and I have high blood pressure. I honestly have a great immune system, but I felt the vaccine would be the best choice.

So, there I was, Monday afternoon, and I had COVID. I immediately notified my boss and co-workers - and my family.

As I mentioned some of our family has already had it, and while we try to be smart at home, we were never very intense on the idea of isolation and quarantine in our home.
We decided I'd primarily stay in our bedroom and my wife would sleep in another bedroom or the living room. (My wife has been tested for COVID often and had always been negative to that point.)

As Monday evening kicked in, I began to feel worse. It was as if my cold was now a bad cold, and I started having a bad headache. Additionally, I felt very tired and worn out.
I decided to take Tuesday off work but made arrangements to get the necessary equipment to co-host the morning show from my bedroom for the rest of the week.
I remember Monday night being very difficult to fall asleep. A lot of nasal congestion, headaches, and tossing and turning.

Tuesday wasn't much better - I slept the first half of the day.

By Tuesday evening, though, I had set up and tested the radio equipment and went to sleep earlier than normal. Again, a lot of tossing and headaches.

Throughout the time, I tried to drink plenty of fluids, took Vitamin C, and took pain relievers for my headache.

I started out trying DayQuil and NyQuil but neither seemed to help much. What really made a difference was Benadryl - and Vick's Vapor Rub. I also had a vaporizer running in the bedroom almost continuously.

Wednesday morning, I woke and felt OK. I did the morning show with Jahna, but as the morning went along I got tired very fast. By the time 10 am came along, I turned off my microphone and crawled directly into bed. (Having your bed right next to where you work is AWESOME - I recommend it!)

After I woke Wednesday afternoon, I felt a little better - still feeling like I had a bad cold, though.

Thursday was much of the same - I did our show fine but tired quickly. I took another nap, then woke up and did some work on my computer.

I should point out, this whole time I never had a fever, and I never lost taste or smell.
Friday, I felt a little better, but still needed a nap. Or a couple of naps.

Saturday, I woke up and I felt about 90% better - still feeling like a cold, but not so bad. I did have a headache a few times during the day, but a pain reliever did the trick each time.

Sunday brought with it the end (I hope). Just a little congestion now and then, and a smaller headache now and then.

That brings us to Monday (today) and I feel almost back to normal. Really the only thing I'm feeling as I write this is a slight headache, and a little more tiredness than usual.
Knock on wood - hopefully, that's all there is.

I will say that I'm glad that I am "vaxxed" - I feel that my COVID experience could have been so much worse.

Stay safe and stay well!