Today marks the 120th day since I contracted COVID-19, so I thought I would give an update on things.
First and foremost, I am doing well with all things considered. I am not sure why my stress levels have not been higher, given some of the symptoms I had/have (i.e., tinnitus, fatigue, loss of smell, and taste). I still have my good and bad days, but they seem to be in the normal scope of things, and not higher due to the COVID infection. On another side note, I am getting my second shot today. I am anxious to see how this may influence my long-term symptoms. One of the groups I am in seems to suggest that it could help in that area. So, let’s go through the laundry list of things:
Smell: This is one of the most intriguing aspects to me. I would say that my overall sense of smell is about 30%. I seem to have periods of time when there is a constant smell of smoke which then becomes a smell of ammonia. There is usually a day (or 12 hours) where I can smell with nothing hindering it. I usually sleep with a dab of Vicks Vapo-rub under my nose as a test.
Taste: Taste is pretty much back, but things are a little bit blander. The biggest change right now is that I seem to taste salt in anything.
Breathing: I tested 2 weeks ago, and I was back to 83% of lung capacity. That is up from about 72% in January. I do not really notice it much unless I am doing any slight workload (carrying the trash cans, etc). It will be interesting to see where I am when I go back in May.
Fatigue: Still here and still bad. I try to fight through it so people do not notice, but the honest truth is that I could lay in bed all day probably. I have taken to constantly walking the floor when I am at practice, to keep me active. When I get home from work at the office or practice, I instantly need a nap for about 40-60 minutes. I really do wish I could explain this better. It is not like fatigue from working out or playing hard and it Is not like fatigue when you have the flu. Both have a physical “run down” feeling. This does not. It just feels like I have been up for 24 hours straight.
Dreams: Nonstop still. From the day I got infected until now, there has not been a night without a dream. Luckily, most are good with very few nightmares or sad dreams.
Tinnitus: Kent Taylors’ death, the founder of Texas Roadhouse, made me want to talk a little bit more about this. I guess because I have always had a little bit of tinnitus because of all the years of drumming. When I had my bells palsy in 2017 it was a notch up, but only for about 2 weeks. My current tinnitus is on a whole new level. It is suggested that Kent took his own life because the tinnitus became unbearable. The best way I can explain it is when you have a television turned on, but nothing on it. You can still sense/hear that the TV is powered on, but nothing is happening. It is like that but a few decibels louder. On a good day. On a bad day…Well…Imagine the sounds of a microwave oven cooking and now up the pitch a few octaves. It is not like I am sitting along the drag strip at Maple Grove Dragway, but in ways, much worse. I am not afraid to admit that it has brought me to tears a few times out of frustration, not pain. The only way I can really combat it is with counter-sound. Normally headphones. I almost always have headphones on if there is no other ambient music/sounds. I wear my Bose over-ear headphones most of the day, then wear my Power Beats in-earphones to sleep in. This is by far the worst of my symptoms and the one that not much can be done about. Sometimes I wish the people who see me understood how it affects me. It affects my speech, my thinking, my writing/typing.. It really disrupts everything.
Mental Fog: Still here and still pretty hard. I write almost everything down because I forget things a bit now. I also lose track of where I am in projects. It is not related just to work either. I find myself re-reading passages, my decision-making (nothing life and death or important) seems to be off. I find myself “zoning out” a lot more. I also do not have a lot of tolerance for chatty people. I get agitated with long stories, mainly because it takes a lot more energy and focus to follow them. Just get to the point and move on.
Overall Health: Things are ok. I have lost 21.6 pounds since the infection. Part of this is due to my bloodwork being crazy. I (we) am not sure how much is due to the infection vs being in lockdown. I do know that I was pre-diabetic prior to the infection. My levels were between 85-150 on a regular basis. In fact, I had blood work done with my arthritis two weeks prior to the infection and my blood sugar was at 120. When I got tested 2 weeks after the infection, my levels were at 380. Obviously, I made some changes, and I am back in the 120-150 range, but there is still more work to do. My uric acid levels did not rise, and my joints are feeling pretty good. I get tested every month, so it will be easy to monitor any changes in my blood/body moving forward.
I guess that really sums everything up. Overall, I am doing well both physically and mentally. I am checking in with the people I need to stay healthy, and I have an AMAZING wife and family to support me. My friends have been amazing and supportive, and my assistant coaches have been off the chart helping me out. There are just some days I “can’t do it” and they all understand.
Stay safe everyone, wear a mask, social distance, and get vaccinated!
Much love,
