Well, it finally happened. After dodging it for two and a half years, I caught covid. At first it felt like a normal sinus infection. Monday: Congestion in one nostril, slight sore throat. I didn't think anything of it because I feel like that at least once a year and it's always a sinus issue. After work however, I suddenly started feeling a lot worse, and texted my boss that I'd be taking a sick day on Tuesday. That night came the chills, aches, and an even stuffier nose.

The next morning, I felt like crap. So I took my first covid test. Sure enough, bright pink line. I was pregnant (/s).



Over the following days, I had a fever that felt like it lasted forever, cough, and diarrhea. Fever cleared up Wednesday night, but I still felt a bit off come Friday, so I went to get checked out just to be safe, and I was prescribed Paxlovid. At the time of this writing, I've taken three doses so far and it seems to be helping. My energy level today was almost back to pre-covid levels, and I just felt better in general. Whether this was due to the medication or the natural progression of recovery, I can't say, because I had been slowly feeling better little by little since the fever wore off. However, I do feel like the recovery rate may have been sped up simply because of how much better I feel today.

Now, a little bit about Paxlovid. Each dose is three pills, and you take one dose in the morning and one at night. The two pink pills are nirmatrelvir which is the actual drug that's supposed to do the heavy lifting. The white pill is ritonavir which is there to slow the breakdown of the other medication. You must start taking it within five days of symptom onset.



Paxlovid seems to be helping me, but with one very annoying downside: the taste. You don't taste anything when you take them, but after the drugs start to enter your system, you get a nasty taste in your mouth; something of a mix between chemicals and bad grapefruit. This lasts for hours, and when you take it at night, you will wake up with a nasty taste in your mouth. So far, hard candies, drinking sips of water, and saltines have helped cut down on the bad taste a bit.

I'll post another update on my progress in a few days. Unfortunately, my parents are also showing many of the same symptoms I had, and my mom also tested positive. My father took two covid tests, however, and both came back negative. But since he's having the same symptoms as my mom and I, it's pretty safe to assume he has it too.

For now, peace out.