Updates from Covid Isolation

Well we’re still here, and we’re all still isolating.

This is my 10th day of being at home, but only my 9th official day of isolation (the day you test positive or have symptoms (for me the same day) is day 0). I tested positive again yesterday afternoon, as did both my kids. My son tested super positive, my daughter less so. They get to keep testing, and if at any point before Friday they test negative, they can go back to school. If they never test negative, they can go back on Friday.

If I never test negative, I can go back on Wednesday.

Yes, I understand there are people who don’t love that idea, but it’s the policy at my school, and it’s what I’m going to do (with a high quality kn95 on, of course).

My kids will likely miss their last week of school. They have classes on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, so it’s not like they won’t be able to say goodbye to their friends. But they are missing their last days of instruction.

This is especially difficult for my daughter, who is in middle school and had tests and projects last week and has more this week. I’m going to email the school to see what we should do. If she doesn’t go back until Friday she will not have enough time to make everything up. (There is some work she can do online, but not a lot of it, at least it hasn’t been shared with her yet.)

A bunch of kids are out with covid at my school. It’s like January levels again. It’s crazy because 90% of the kids at my school have been wearing masks – good quality kn95 masks – since the mandate was revoked in March. And yet they are still all getting it. That doesn’t necessarily mean they are getting it from school, but they are getting it somewhere, despite taking general precautions (I assume kids who wear masks at school when it’s not required are taking other precautions as well.)

It’s all over the Bay Area, and San Francisco especially. People still wear masks here pretty much all the time. That means that even if people mask in stores, and on public transportation, they are still getting it. Maybe they are also eating in restaurants or doing other things that provide more opportunities to get it, but the point is that even in a city where most people are still taking most precautions, it can spread like wild fire.

Of course, it would probably be a lot worse if people here didn’t wear mask so consistently. Who knows how many people would have it if that were the case.

I’m tired. I’m tired of writing sub plans and being stuck in my house, and being stuck with my kids. My husband finally had a fever free day yesterday, which helped take some of the pressure off. But that was day six of being sick for him! He had a fever for most of Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and even some of Saturday. He definitely got hit the hardest it. It was really nice having him around yesterday to help with the kids on Sunday. I really needed a break.

I also got some of my taste and smell back yesterday. I’ve been aggressively treating my allergies – with a pill and nasal spray – for three days and I wonder if that helped bring some of my smell and taste back. I’ve heard that other issues can exacerbate the loss of taste and smell, like allergies, so I wonder… It was SO NICE to taste my food yesterday. It was still a little muted, but nothing like it had been when all I could discern was sweet, salty, bitter and sour. I really hope my senses of taste and smell stick around; losing it sucked way worse than I anticipated.

I also worked out yesterday, on the elliptical machine, and that helped bring me out of a serious emotional funk in the morning. I was feeling so bummed out, but 45 minutes of cardio definitely balanced me out a bit. Not getting any real exercise for so long has been hard. I wanted to give my body time to rest, and I think it got enough of that because I felt fine during, and after, the workout. I didn’t push really hard or anything, but enough to get some endorphins pumping. I really, really needed that, and I intend to exercise again today.

And that’s where we’re at. Still testing positive, so still stuck at home. I’m very thankful there is an eventual light at the end of this tunnel. We’ve already missed so much, I’m ready to rejoin the world.

I just hope we can see my SIL and her kids before they leave. I think we’ll need to test negative for that…