Symptoms: Battling With the Invisible Enemy

We are not as safe as we imagined.

Never think that you are already safe if you are fully vaccinated.

I always expect that one day I’d be infected by this killer virus. I never felt 100% confident even if I already received two shots of Pfizer vaccine.

The Symptoms

Day 1

Five days ago while I was riding my bike for a weekly cycling trip (following all the health protocols), my throat suddenly got a little itchy. I never got close to anyone as I was cycling alone and moving at normal speed. Still continued and finished my thirty-minute weekly cycling routine.

I knew where it was leading so I just kept calm and prepared myself for the next thing to happen.

Day 2

When I woke up the next day, I could already feel my palate itchy and my throat as well. What I did was to put a small piece of ginger in my mouth to act like a candy. This way it has lessened the irritating sensation in my palate and throat. Colds started to build up. 

Day 3

On the third day I already had a cold but the feeling was not like a normal cold. It brings pain in the nostril. I could feel the sting sensation inside my nose. I was sneezing and I could also feel the soreness in my throat. I got a mild fever which was tolerable. 

But during this third day of having symptoms, I also began self medication. I took over the counter Ibuprofen and took it every eight hours for a mild fever. I gargle sea salt dissolved in lukewarm water every four hours to lessen the sore throat. I also do the steam inhalation by adding sea salt in boiled water to get rid of stuffy nose.

I didn’t go to the doctor or run to the nearest COVID testing facility. If I do, for sure they will give me COVID positive results.

Day 4

During day four of having the symptoms I still continue the self medication. Just to be clear, I felt a little tired because I was still working  at home during those days. I never filed sick leave as I can manage myself. In addition my sense of smell and taste lessened to more or less 60%. Yes I lost those senses but not completely because I could still smell the scent of my dog and my cat's poop. I could taste the bitterness of my coffee for only a little. But I never lost my appetite.

Day 5

As of this writing, today is day five of experiencing stuffy nose. I don’t have a fever. I don’t feel anything unusual. I no longer feel itchy on my palate and throat. I cough but pretty seldom. My sense of taste and smell are going back to normal and still taking self medication as I mentioned earlier. 

Awareness Is Important

The reason that most people got severely ill by the virus is the lack of awareness. We should be aware of everything that is happening around us right now. It is not only that we are aware of how the virus spread but we should most be aware of the prevention.

I am not sure if the symptom I have just experienced was omicron related or not because I did not undergo the test. But with the loss of taste and smell even if it was not totally lost can relate to the current health threat.

There are a lot of things running through my mind if I did go to the testing facility. That is why I decided to just fight it with myself.

So far while finishing up this writing, I don’t feel ill. I am good. I still have a stuffy nose but it is starting to fade away. Besides I don’t stop gargling dissolved sea salt, steam inhalation and taking Ibuprofen.

We must understand that our front liners in every hospital and other medical facilities are having a hard time accommodating infected persons. We can help them lessen the burden by being aware of everything about this pandemic.

I know some of you may raise your eyebrows with this post. Of course it is always your right to disagree.

This post is for your awareness. I am not saying that you should not undergo tests if you feel you have the symptoms. I am not saying too that you should do what I just did to fight with this virus. It is always advisable to seek assistance with the people professional enough to handle these cases.

As for my experience with this flu I can still take care of myself.  I know if I feel good or not physically. 

You may think that I might infect anyone from inside my home with what I did. But you must know that I am aware of what is happening. 

Always observe health protocol. Obey the rules. Eat veggies and always stay hydrated.  

Remember that the cure is prevention and it is always good to always have awareness. 

Thanks for reading. Ciao!

Lead image source credits to Volodymyr Hryshchenko

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