Dearest Reader,

I decided to write this blog entry because I feel there appears to be so much confusion and scaremongery about #Covid19. When I tested positive, I thought it would be refreshing for people to hear what actually happened on a day-to day account from some who had actually experience #Covid.

Please note that this is only my experience and other people may have had either similar, or different experiences – it’s just to provide a genuine account of one person’s experience of testing positive.

I trust you’re sitting comfortably so let me begin.

Thursday 30th December 21:

In my mind it all started on Thursday 30th December 21. Apart from going ice skating a few days earlier with a friend – where I tested negative afterwards – it was the only day over Christmas that I did something different. I went to the #Supermarket!

Friday 31st December 21:

Early during the evening I started to feel just a little heady – I noticed because it’s sooo unusual for me to feel “heady” at all. I also had a slight cough that was so mild it was difficult to know whether it was chesty, or dry. – What a night to not feel well!!!!

Saturday 1st – Monday 3rd January 22:

I took just one lemsip each morning – it was all I felt I needed. On Saturday I thought I could see a very faint, sporadic rash on my chest. Because it was so faint, I dismissed it. On Sunday and Monday I decided to do a #Covid LFT because being #Montessori trained I was helping one of the local nurseries that was short staffed due to Covid and you have to regularly test when working with #children. Both tests came through negative.

Tuesday 4th January 22 – Day 1 of Isolation:

I was up as usually to go to work feeling really pleased that the slight #cough I’d had over the weekend had gone and I felt so good – I didn’t feel I needed a lemsip! Interestingly this particular nursery always requires you to do an Onsight #LFT so they can be sure you’ve done one. I knew I needed to go and repark my car and I was just thinking about what I should do with the developing test when I noticed it was beginning to come through positive!! – For a moment I starred in utter disbelief!! – How could this be when I was negative the day before and any symptoms I’d had that could have been connected to Covid had gone!!

Then my senses returned and I though; “I need to do the right thing and get out of here, isolate and go for a #PCR.”

I informed the nursery Manager – we were both surprised – and then promptly left to get a PCR and start isolating.

Because I’d been staying at my Dad’s over the Christmas period I phoned him to let him know and he promptly did a LFT test too. Would you believe it, my Dad – who is treble jab – I am double jabbed – came out #positive too!

NB I would just like to make a note here and say that the reason I haven’t had my booster yet is because the 91-day time period after my second jab was up on Christmas Day! – The day I was going to book the booster!! – You have to wait four weeks after testing negative to get the booster- so that will be early February for me now.

Seeing as my Dad had also tested positive and needed to go for a PCR Test it seemed sensible to go together in one car. We both did a PCR at the nearest Walk-in Centre and filled in the required documents – that seemed to take forever!! Then it’s the waiting game!! The current isolation period upon testing positive is 7-10 days – You have to have two clear LFT’s in a row with a 24 hour gap and you can only do the first on Day 6 – Sunday 9th January 22 for me – then you are officially clear.

Wednesday 5th January 22 – Day 2 of Isolation:

My Dad and I both received our PCR #results early today and we were both positive. I was pleased I was able to isolate with my Dad – because if he’d had it after me he would have been on his own. It felt as if my Mum had ensured my Dad would have me to isolate with from her heavenly standpoint.

Another thing that gave this an interesting feel was the fact that 4th Jan 22 marked exactly 13 months since my Mum passed. 13 months on 4th Jan – My two “lucky numbers” – nothing to do with being born on 13/04!! – This had me feeling strongly that I was to view this as a gift, or blessing. As I had no #symptoms now whatsoever, after emailing the nursery I made a plan – I wanted to use the time in a way my “Future Self” would be #grateful!!

One thing I felt compelled to do was some house cleaning for my Dad to help him out. I wonder why I would have felt a cleaning urge!! – Is it because you feel as if you have “the dreaded lurgy” when you have a positive test result! Whereas that was the only difference to me and another healthy individual was the fact that I had tested positive. I continued to be totally asymptomatic and just to be clear:

  • I’ve never had a temperature.
  • The minor symptoms I describe all went before I tested positive.
  • I have never experienced any loss of smell/ taste. Interestingly though – and just for the record – the only think I can think of that tasted different briefly was water!! – from about 3rd-5th January 22!! – Is that due to testing positive, or because I feel water can do that sometimes anyhow?
  • I’m not sure whether this counts – My digestive system has been working super efficiently – more so than usual, as if speeding up renewal of my cells!!

One could say that being young and aerobically fit is the reason I experienced no symptoms. However, my Dad is in the “higher risk” age bracket, and he barely had any symptoms either. The only difference was that his symptoms came whilst testing positive.

My sister niece and nephew also did a PCR because they had all been in recent contact with us. They all tested negative. Probably because I know my niece and nephew were positive at the beginning of the Summer last year. Their report back then was the same – it’s just like having a light cold.

Thursday 6th and Friday 7th January 22 Days 3-4 of #Isolation:

I continue to have no symptoms and my Dad’s are minor. Interestingly when it came to food – Could I have been better prepared? – Yes probably. I felt as if the lesson I was being taught was not to always be concerned about how well prepared I am – rather use what I have creatively. For example, I remembered a homemade soup I had in the freezer – I had some multigrain with quinoa and red rice etc. I cooked a bit of it and mixed it with the soup and added some extra veg. – The soup lasted comfortably for two days and this simple trick gave me a really good feeling of being culinary creative!!

Another more practical thing I did was to clear out things both in the physical environment around me that were mine to clear out. Plus, I deleted various photos, messages and emails I don’t need that are slowing down my phone. The beginning of a New Year felt like a really appropriate time to be clearing out the old to make way for the new! It felt as if I was creating space for something exciting to happen!!

Interestingly one thing I wanted to start getting back into is writing. – What a first #topic to be given!!

Saturday 8th January 22 – Day 5 of Isolation:

Today I did my first LFT after testing positive. Interestingly although it still came out positive – for a minute it looked as if I was going to come through clear. The “test line” was far more faint than it was when I tested positive on Tuesday. – This is a sign thing are moving in a positive direction – I should probably say clear direction rather than positive!! I emailed a photo of the results to the nursery to inform them of my progress.

I also shared a #TotillaEspanola with my Dad that I had forgotten I’d put in the freezer a few weeks ago – I’ve been quite serendipitous with food!! My Dad did an online order – this only arrived today. For the most part both of us have used things we had in the fridge/ freezer – I was lucky to have a few extra things I’d forgotten about!! We also had enough fresh fruit and vegetables, along with some frozen to keep meals healthy for a few days. I found that having things like seasoning I use the most, eggs, nuts, crackers/ oat biscuits, my favourite teas, some 100% coco drinking chocolate and of course – a bit of dark chocolate very helpful because it meant there was enough wholesome food to keep us going for most of the time. My Dad would probably add porridge and coffee to the list!

A point to note here is that one doesn’t need to “clear the supermarket shelves” of stock to get through an unexpected self-isolation period – that by the way is “fear driven” – definitely not a message you want to give yourself. It just takes having a few wholesome foods and some creativity to keep one going.

I also feel it’s very relevant to mention here that My Dad did his usual weekly Zoom Call with the ladies my Mum shared a Flat with whilst training to be a #nurse as #UCH. Anyone who was important to my Mum is even more important to my Dad now since she passed.

When we were talking about barely having had any symptoms my Dad mention that one of the ladies my Mum had shared a flat with had a daughter who new a man who’d refused to become jabbed and had since tested positive and was in hospital on a ventilator.

The reason I am mentioning this is because to a degree it surprised me. I would have though someone refusing to be jabbed would have a solid mindset. This helped me realise that following scientific guidelines calmly and sensibly – without panic – isn’t being “over-cautious”. One can still have a strong mindset – that calmly considers all evidence and move forward in deliberate intention – will best serve anyone in a “crisis.” My Dad and I both have a strong mindset, yet we still calmly followed the #NHS #Guidelines. This led to being practically unaffected by Covid when we tested positive.

Sunday 9th January 22 – Day 6 of Isolation:

Today was the first day I tested negative again at 07:30!!!! – Although to be full clear I need to have a second negative result 24 hours later – I am certain that I will test negative again tomorrow morning – I emailed the nursery to let them know I was able to help them out! – I took two photos again – one two minutes after putting the solution on the test – the second 20 minutes – so it was obvious that not second red line emerged.

Interestingly my Dad still tested positive. Just to note here that as long as I have two negative results in a row – my Dad’s result does not affect me being able to go back to work.

I did wash all towels, put my toothbrush head, tongue scraper and nail brush in the dishwasher. My Dad’s home is even cleaner than usual – well whilst I had the time I wanted to spend part of it helping him out. I spend some time in the garden. I had found myself slightly “mourning” my “creativity” at the coming down of the Christmas tree!! – It was especially beautiful this year. I gave thanks for the beauty and joy it had bought and decided to repurpose some of the branches on the Bug Hotel.

I am pleased with the variety of things I managed to get done – from helping my Dad out, to being #creative in different ways, meditating more and keeping up with my own learning. Tomorrow will be the last entry because my Isolation Period will be up!!

Monday 10th – Friday 14th January 22 – First Week Out of Isolation:

I decided it would be interesting to touch on various pointers revealed during the week.

As expected, on Monday morning I tested negative again. I also tested negative with the lateral flow the nursery still required me to do – so that’s 3 negative test results in a row! Interestingly I was required to where my face shield until Day 10 – Thursday 13th Jan 22!! – I find the masks incredibly uncomfortable and restricting, so I use a face shield instead. Wearing a face shield all day gets really uncomfortable – I’m so pleased it’s now Day 11 (14th Jan 22). The nursery was very grateful for my help as they had 6 members of staff off sick with Covid. Being Montessori trained I could also help them with observations.

My Dad didn’t test negative until 13:00 today – 14th January 22. – He was absolutely delighted!!

Conclusion:

I feel the thing that would be most helpful to touch on here is why I and my family had such an easy experience of testing positive and other people are seriously ill in hospital.

First, I would like to point out that there is no definitive answer. A few pointers that could be helpful are:

  • Notice that even the title of this #blogpost is “Diary of a Girl Who Tested Positive….” – I didn’t #identify through words in any way with being “ill” or in a “bad situation”. Do words make a difference? For me I feel “Yes”. There is a book called; “What to Say When You Talk to Yourself” by a PhD Student called Shad Helmstetter because your “mental chatter” makes a huge difference to how you experience life. I have never viewed Covid 19 as something that can harm me. – What do You tell yourself about Covid and what it would mean for you if you tested positive?
  • I also never dressed like someone “unwell”. Yes, I obviously dressed comfortably – as you can see in the last selfie I took before the Christmas tree came down that is no different to the first one I took upon testing clear!!– Both times I was not dressed as if I was expecting to spend most time sleeping on the sofa.
  • Primarily my focus was on well-being. I meditated more, I have some specialist exercises that I enjoy doing every morning and my Dad has a lovely garden that I chose to spend my outside time in because I love nature. I also focused on certain creative projects that I wanted to do for myself that stimulated my mind and bought joy to my heart.
  • It’s also definitely relevant to mention that “Yes”, I have had my #jabs. Being a Theology graduate who is used to philosophical debate there is a perspective that would say, “getting the jabs shows a type of fear.” I would like to point out here – to help anyone who may be struggling with feelings of fear when it comes to #Covid and the #vaccines etc. Because I work a lot with #families and #children I essentially have a #keyworkers role. – Well, it’s as good as law for me to become at least double jabbed. So, the “story I tell myself in my mind” as to why I am having the jabs is one of necessity as opposed to being fear-based. – Can you see the difference??
  • Before I sums things up, I also feel it relevant to mention that I feel the whole circumstance under which I discovered I was “Covid Positive” would not have happened had it not been for the due diligence of the nursery requiring me to do an additional onsite LFT. I would have passed the virus round had I not found out that morning that I was testing positive. Subsequently my Dad was also able to find out that he was “Covid Positive”. Imagine just how many people have been prevented from catching it off either one of us because the nursery took wise precautions. Heaven forbit I could have passed it on to someone who may have been less lucky and ended up on a ventilator. I feel sooo incredibly grateful.
  • I would like to take this opportunity to make an appeal to #BorisJohnson and #TheBritishGovernment to hold off from stopping free lateral flow tests for the time being. What does My Story show about how regularly – certainly #Keyworkers – need to do an LFT? This to me is proof of just how fundamental LFT’s are to slowing the spread of Covid and take care of everyone’s health.
  • I hope I have been able to give you some clarity about Covid 19 in general and how my focus made a difference to my experience of the virus. Remember the expression; “Where Attention Goes – Energy Flows”? – Well, my attention was firmly on creativity, learning and well-being – is it any surprise that that’s what I experienced?? I find that #Faith and trusting that somehow everything is working out for you is the #key to a solid mindset. Thank-you for taking the time to read My Story and please do get in touch with me on Instagram @FamilyTeamCoach if you have anything you’d like to ask.


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