I Tested Positive for COVID-19 With A 102.4 Fever

At 6 pm on Wednesday, June 22, I tested positive for COVID-19.

During the afternoon on Saturday, June 18, my fever peaked at 102.4 degrees and hovered at 102 for about 5 hours. My fever was gone when I rolled into bed at around 10 pm that night, and it returned the next day, hovering at 100 degrees for 10 hours.

Walking outside during these two days was a struggle. One time, I turned around after 5 minutes due to how fatigued I felt. I talked to my parents on Sunday morning and explained how I thought I hit pure exhaustion from the conference I had attended just days earlier. I didn’t think I caught a viral or bacterial infection. Aside from feeling fatigued and having a fever, my voice had been hoarse since Thursday.

By Monday morning, my fever was gone, but I still felt fatigued, and my voice remained hoarse.

Why I Got Tested

On Wednesday at 3 pm, my boss informed me that a few attendees at the conference we attended the week prior had tested positive for COVID-19. Starting on Sunday, a good friend of mine whom I love dearly encouraged me to get tested, but I shrugged it off, telling her that I wasn’t sick but rather hit pure exhaustion.

In hindsight, these thoughts were idiotic. Fatigue and fever are common symptoms of COVID-19. Voice hoarseness is another symptom. While walking to the testing site to get tested, I was sure I had COVID-19 as it all made sense.

Why I Caught COVID-19

On Sunday, June 12, I drove 3.5 hours from Miami to Orlando for BKX — a conference for bookkeeping professionals. I enjoyed a relaxing dinner with the gal I volunteered with and then met and conversed with colleagues.

The next four days were a shit ton of fun, but because I didn’t sleep enough and hardly relaxed, it came at a great expense.

The following is a summary of the activities I engaged in and why I was bound to catch COVID-19:

• As of June 25, there are still about 100K people testing positive each day in the United States and 10K in Florida; thus, the virus is still all around us.
• As a volunteer, I was endlessly conversing with about 300 people from 8–5 during each conference day.
• Each night from Sunday through Thursday, I attended one or two large gatherings that included shared food, dancing, conversation, or singing.
• During these gatherings, I danced more than anyone else (literally) and sang my heart out at the piano bar and then karaoke on back-to-back nights.
• I slept an average of 6.45 hours per night for five nights while in Orlando. When I’m home, my minimum target is 7.5 hours per night.
• I hardly relaxed from Sunday through Thursday, and it was almost nonstop action from sunrise to sunset and beyond.
• I never ran or engaged in any formal exercise from Sunday through Friday, which is very abnormal.

I am vaccinated but got both shots in April 2021 and haven’t received a booster shot.

On Thursday, June 16, just as the conference was winding down, I caught myself coughing a few times. I also noticed that my voice was becoming hoarse. That night at the karaoke bar, I sang Hakuna Matata into the microphone with the gal I volunteered with and also sang my heart out during most other songs before and after. It was so much fun. I was filled with pure joy and didn’t cough at all in the evening.

But this endless fun, conversing with hundreds of people, singing my heart out without getting enough sleep or relaxing much, is a sure bet to get whatever illness is going around.

Monday through Saturday

Although I’ve been feeling better each subsequent day, the virus has shown up loudly. When I sit or lie down, I feel normal. But when I stand up and start walking around, I usually cough a few times. My voice is still slightly hoarse but has improved at least 80% since it was at its worst.

I worked four full 8-hour days this past week with relative ease. Monday was the most difficult, but each subsequent day was more manageable.

Each evening Sunday through Saturday, I laid down on my bean bag and watched a movie or YouTube. I hate being sick and feel that resting and sleeping is the best healing tool.

I never lost my sense of taste or smell.

Sunday, June 26

It’s now Sunday, June 26. I got two tests again this morning. Within 30 minutes, the CR-19 (rapid) test came back negative. Six hours later, the PCR test came back positive.

WTF?!

Honestly, I was surprised that the CR-19 test was negative. I was coughing more this morning than yesterday, and my voice is still hoarse, albeit less so. And so, while one of my sisters suggested that the second test may be a false positive, I highly doubt that’s the case.

At this moment, as I type these words, I feel great. I feel my usual self.

But to increase the odds that I score a negative PCR test by Thursday, I will continue to rest more than I usually do. Tonight that entails laying on my bean bag and watching Sound of Metal.

Tuesday, June 28: Negative PCR Test

Side note: Sound of Metal was a damn good movie.

I took my final COVID-19 PCR test on Tuesday at 10 am. The result came back as negative about 6 hours later. Woot woot!

Although this news was more than welcoming, it didn’t mean much to me as during a work meeting today, three people stated that some people test positive for COVID-19 for up to 3 months, even after all symptoms are gone. They said this was specifically for the PCR test.

So I googled it and found this:

Research shows many individuals who recover from COVID-19 may continue testing positive for the virus for weeks to months, despite no longer being contagious.

Interesting. Later on, in the same article, it states:

PCR is very sensitive and used to extract genetic material from samples embedded in paraffin and other inactivating substances as well as from ancient fossilized samples. In the case of SARS-CoV-2 (and other viral infections), the RNA fragments persist after symptoms resolve and can be detected for up to three months.

Thankfully it doesn’t matter for me, as I officially have a negative CR-19 and PCR test.

You can find me at Disney World July 2–4. 🙂

Post COVID-19 Concerns

As a runner, I’m slightly concerned about the long-term consequences of catching COVID-19 and having symptoms. COVID-19 is still a new virus that we still have much to learn. NBA player Jayson Tatum was fatiguing faster than usual after he started to play again after having COVID-19, even more than a month after testing positive.

The hoarseness in my voice and what I felt in my upper chest area were unique. But I sang my heart out two nights in a row which is also unique.

As a holder of 2 3-day tickets to Disney World for July 2–4, I plan to not run again until July 5. I may bike for 3–6 miles at a slow pace once this week, do yoga, and swing my kettlebell. But all of this will be at a slow pace to give me the best chance of feeling my best for Disney World. I’ve been eager to go back for 26 years!

If you’re interested in my running journey, then take a gander at my most recent article here on Medium. I’m on a quest to break an 18-minute 5K and plan to continue that quest after July 4.

I never took any medicine, Vitamin C, Zinc, or anything else. My medicine of choice was sleep, rest, several walks outside, soup with bone broth, and other healthy foods that I eat every day were my medicine.

Second Half of 2022

While having COVID-19 over the past week, I’ve had a lot of time to reflect. Half of 2022 **is history. Relative to 2020, time is flying by at the speed of light for all of us. In the blink of an eye, it’ll be 2030.

I wanted 2022 to be the year of slowing down, but I’ve only slowed down a little. I also wanted to focus on writing, but I only have in short bursts. Attending BKX and subsequently getting COVID-19 put 2022 into a clear focus for me. I haven’t been intentional, but I’m mindful of this and plan to spend the next six months and beyond with clear intentionality.

Even COVID-19 comes with silver linings.

Have you caught COVID-19? What was your experience? Please share your story by leaving a comment.