This is my story. I cannot offer advice or recommend a better way. I can just tell you how my family and I faced this head-on when I tested positive for Covid-19.
We went on vacation in June and came back Covid-19 positive.
We went on vacation this summer after quarantining for literally three months. We came back with COVID 19.
We went to southern Texas, on the Gulf, where the Covid 19 numbers were initially very low. (Now they are the highest.) We weren’t in any close proximity to anyone during our stay in Texas. We had our own condo. We stayed to ourselves. We wore our masks when we visited the grocery store. We used hand sanitizer constantly. We washed our hands religiously. We spent our entire vacation on a mostly unoccupied beach (yay!) and inside our condo. So how did we get it? Most likely, community spread.
How I Knew I Had the Virus
Upon returning to New Mexico, I started to experience my first symptoms of the virus. Initially, my only symptoms were losing my senses of taste and smell. It was very strange. I had no congestion. No sinus pain, runny nose, or fever. But I was sneezing. I kept describing the sensation of having pool water in my sinuses. But that was it. Because I had no other symptoms, I realized that losing sense of smell and taste was a major indicator of the virus. So I decided to schedule a test.
Scheduling a Diagnostic Test
I found the nearest drive-through testing site that set up in the parking lot of a local grocer. In retrospect, I wish I would have contacted the NMDOH to get advice on where I should get tested.
I never considered customer service, lab result time frame, or communication necessary components in deciding who tested me.
As time passed, the major two-week delay I experienced waiting on results started to become a nationwide problem in July. It makes you wonder what those nightly numbers we see on the news really mean. For me, my case wasn’t reported to the NMDOH until two weeks after I had tested. By then, I had already recovered.
Our Symptoms
After losing my sense of taste and smell it took about 2 days before I experienced increasing headaches and a lot of sinus pressure. I never had a fever or congestion. I never had a runny nose. But I did experience some fatigue. Honestly, my symptoms were not any different than what I usually experience with seasonal allergies or tension headaches.
My husband started to show signs of the virus about a day after me. He started with a dry cough and a lot of sneezing. He also felt extremely tired and he slept a lot. But he still ran 4-5 miles every day like he normally does, and he still did yard work as usual. He never lost his sense of smell or taste. He never got a fever.
My three-year-old child, who has a history of asthma and other upper respiratory issues, showed absolutely no signs or symptoms of having COVID 19. We are so grateful to God for protecting her.
Managing Symptoms
We basically rested and spent most of our time indoors for two full weeks all while emailing, calling, and reaching out to the diagnostic center with absolutely no replies, no contact, no information from them. This was before the news started reporting the national delays.
We had no way of knowing if we truly had COVID 19, so we assumed we did and took all the precautions necessary to stay away from others and to monitor our symptoms carefully. Thank God we did!
My only relief came from running a humidifier 27/7, using oil diffusers for moisture, and taking prescription pain meds that I had on hand for the awful headaches. I also drank a bottle of water every hour to keep super hydrated. My husband managed his sinus pain and pressure with a facial steam inhaler, humidifier, as well as lots of water and rest.
Within a week of getting symptoms, we were back to feeling normal and over the virus. And . . . we were still waiting on the results.
We finally got a phone call from the diagnostic center, two weeks after the initial test, informing us that I had tested positive.
Life is back to normal. Well, life isn’t normal for anyone now. But at least we are over it and are feeling great and still taking precautions and supporting our state regulations to be as safe as possible!
