Tomorrow will be the start of another series of quarantine. Metro Manila is under ECQ for two weeks, starting August 6 to August 20. I am included in Skeletal Work force so I am always at work during the week days. Another risk I give myself that made me remember what happened last year. I will share you my Covid Story and this is no difference with others who had it. It is full of risk, fear, worries, anxiety and depression.

July 12, 2020

I think it was Sunday. I woke up okay but later in the afternoon I got a severe headache. It started from the forehead up to the back of my head. I thought it was just a regular headache because weekly, I have a headache due to incomplete sleep. I drink paracetamol every 4 hours and I ask my sister to massage emy head because I can it take it anymore. That was so painful that I cannot open my eyes anymore. I stayed in bed for whole day and I went okay during the night.

July 13 to 16, 2020

I am in Sick leave because I have fever that is 40 degree and went lower. I drink paracetamol and bioflu thinking it was just muscle pain and flu. I monitored my temperature. July 14, I lost my appetite. Also that day, I lost my sense of taste and smell. I don't have cough or cold, just muscle pain, headache and fever. I let the office know what happened to me. July 16, I went to office for rapid Test, I was negative to antigen. They ask me to rest and come back on Monday which is July 20. I got my sense of taste Saturday, but I can still taste sour and bitter combined. My sense of smell came back little by little as the days goes on.

July 20, 2020

I went to work, as if nothing happened. I know in myself I am still not recovered but knowing me, I am Addicted to work and not being able to work makes me feel useless. On that same day, we found out that one of our office mate was positive with covid.

July 23, 2020

Rapid Test schedule again. I did the test and went back to my cubicle. After 2 minutes my manager called me and asked me to go to isolation room. We already have isolation room at the office because we have a weekly Rapid Test procedures and this is for safety.

I felt numb while waiting. My heart was like wants to go out of my chest. I was seriously nervous. My manager went to me but she was only at the door of isolation room and she told me I am positive with IGM antigen. This means, through my blood it found out that I have infection. It doesn't mean it is covid but still I am infected and the onky test that can verify this is through RT PCR TEST or swab test.

My world is doom!!

I feel like collapsing. I was alone in the isolation room. I want to scream, I want to cry. I was praying and asking God. I ask God why it needs to happen to me. I recalling what could have I done to get this infection, I wish it is not covid. The another officemate joined me in isolation, he is positive with IGM antigen too. The next hours was so dark with us. I received text messages from my office mates, they are giving me comfort and says they will pray for me. At 3pm, our Vice President and Covid Officer advised us to get a swab test for safety. Our schedule was July 24.

Not at peace at all

I always wish of peace. Peace of mind is always a chosen gift when someone is wishing for me. I don't have it during that time. I didn't tell my family about it. I isolate myself immediately and was just trying to calm myself. I didn't get enough sleep too. I was just rolling in my bed and playing praise and worship songs to calm me down. It didn't. Only when I ask God to give me wisdom to understand it made me decide to do the swab test. I was planning to escape it to tell you the truth, but God whisper, swab is the right thing to do, so I did it.

July 24, 2020

We had our swab schedule at PGH. There were few people and we were lining up with them. At first we were advise that it was drive-thru but the doctors told us that we can get out and line up because it was fea people during that time. I was scared of swab to be honest, but it was just fast and I got teary eyed after. I feel peace knowing that it was done.

Going home makes me feel at peace. This is my officemate that had a swab test too.

July 27, 2020

It was A long day fore because I was waiting for the results. I was set to work from home and not on leave. I rather work that worry a lot when I am not doing anything. In the afternoon, my worries became anxiety because I have an instinct or a strong feeling that my manager knows the results. At 1pm, I know and I feel I am positive from covid even without anyone telling me, this is because one of my officemate told me that the managers are having closed door meeting. At 3 in the afternoon my manager called me to say the bad news. She said that the result is positive but since I already recovered from sickness and no symptoms at all, she said that it could be remnants of the virus that was tested to me. Our covid officer told me as well that the virus that tested on me is already dead, so the remnants thing is true.

I started to monitor my temperature and my goal is to get a negative results. I was advise that after 14 days since the swab, I will be on isolation then I will get to have a swab again after it. My worries came from all I had read about isolations when you are tested positive.

Quarantine is a must, but on some places, they fetch the infected and submit them on quarantine facility. During that time, I don't want that. I know that there is no Internet connection on some facilities, how can I work. Also, I don't want to be away from my family as they are the source of my strength.

My family knows about this and we build an isolation room for myself. I was locked there and they will just give me food. Another worries came from, what will happen if the neighbor found out? For sure someone will gossip about our family. My family is on isolation too and no one will get out but it only started a week after July 27, because the LGU in our place is too slow to contract trace. I was calling them a week before but they are not answering. Then, the gossip begun and the treament of barangay and the people around us was not good at all. Our Baranggay handled it poorly. They don't even know how to talk to us. They treated us like a virus itself. They even shouted at my mother to do not get out of our house. If I was there, I could have get out of the door and talk to that person. I complained to the LGU how they treated us.

Horrible

I remember I am watching Korean Series called Dream High, but in the middle of my watch time, I found myself crying. I was hurt. I was talking to myself on when did I get complacent and failed to follow the protocols. Maybe I did. That is the consequence of not taking it seriously. It really hit me mentally. I got weak but it only lasted for 2 days. I pray that my family will not get it and hope everything will fall into place soon.

I pray to God to put all the worries and anxieties away because it will not helped me. It does. He did it. I was through all of stress but it was manageable. My family was tested as well but they are all negative. Before my second swab test, I received my Baranggay certificate allowing me to get out of the house.

Swab test at Chinese General hospital, Aug 10, 2020.

I was a long wait I experienced at Chinese General hospital. There are lots of people in there, especially OFws because it is required for them to have it before they leave the country.

It took me 8 hours to finish all the process. I didn't eat breakfast and lunch. I ate after the process. During that swab test, I felt sad for myself and all the patients there because we all need to get through the process, alone. It is a breathe of fresh air after it. I went home and started listening to Christmas Old songs and I dozed off because I was too tired.

The Result of second swab, August 14, 2020

I was confident that I am negative on my second swab and it is. I received the results, August 14, Friday. I informed my manager and family right away. I was still on isolation but I get out of it as soon as I learned about it, though I retain wearing mask at home just to be safe.

We had a little celebration at home. I informed the LGU and I graduated from Isolation. Moreover, I don't want to go to work at the office, because the experience was traumatic for me. I want to get out once I am strong again. Before my birthday on September, I started working at the office and the rest was history.

Still happening

History repeat itself, meaning, despite my complete vaccination, I am not spared of nit getting it again. Because I don't want that to happen again, I am seriously careful since then. I don't wish anyone to get it, please take care of yourself. We are under ECQ because the pandemic is not ending soon, for me, it is just started with new variants. The number of infected is increasing rapidly and I wish since we are under ECQ starting tomorrow, will really help to lessen the number of virus spreading to us.

My Realization

How hard it is to suffer from it. There are people infected, in isolation, in the hospital, at home but hungry, at home and no source of income, and many situations that we do not wish to happen to anyone. The only thing we can help is by taking care of ourselves. You don't need to experience it to understand. I believe this is a manads biological war that started in one country that is up against the whole world, but who knows the truth. I only fewl it, my instinct tells me or got influences my people who are against all the lies. God onky knows the truth. I gave it all to God. While we are still here, we need to fight, this is the fight against virus and we need to fight for our family and community.

I already recovered and learned my lesson the hardway. I moved forward and having hopes to end this soon.

On a lighter note, thanks that I have additional sponsor. I was about to sleep earlier but I saa the Notification that I have new sponsor, so a topic about covid came out of my coconut shell, I started to write and it is done.

Hope you get something from my story!!