Out & About #840 | Conquering COVID-19

Upon completion of my final round of P1Harmony edits, I decided it was time to step out for fresh air.

​Truthfully, I had nowhere to go, and no event warranting gas and travel time. The late hour of 6:30 PM made it unsuitable for undertaking a cycling run; there was insufficient energy to muster up a round of pilates either.

​I ventured out towards Golden Square Centre, my heart set on the Chung Chun Rice Hot Dog I had been denied of on the previous evening.

​The lineup was nonexistent at my time of arrival. Two customers waited within the establishment for their orders, positioning themselves along the perimeter of the space as there were no tables or chairs for dine-in.

Unsure of the order format, I took to one of the Combos for simplicity sake. The Chung Chun Combo comprised of Sweet Potato, Ramen Chips, Squid Ink Cheese, Gamsung, while the Cheese Bomb consisted of Whole Mozzarella, Double Cheese, Marble Cheese, and Cheddar Cheese. Mixing and matching between the combos was not permitted, thus I sought the former on the basis of variety.

​An estimated wait time of ten minutes was relayed to me. I took to undertaking a loop about the parking lot, observing partial curb replacement and shoddily placed interlock at one of the medians.

Entering the space again, I was surprised to see a queue spanning at least six people. My order number was called out at this time, and sauces were offered to me for drizzling atop the dogs. Expressing hesitation at the addition, the girl behind the counter offered to place my selections on the side, to which I happily agreed. To prevent sogginess, two containers of each condiment were fitted between the bottoms of the skewers.

Squid Ink Cheese was sampled first: the top inch of the dog was filled with a soft (but not stringy) mozzarella cheese, while the remaining three quarters an extremely salty wiener dog. Odd was it to discover that the cheese was not uniformly distributed along the length of the dog. The squid ink batter was largely bland in profile, while a panko-style exterior offered crunchiness.
Ramen Chips was an amusing pick with phenomenal texture but an otherwise gummy interior. The rice flour batter was dense and hardly appetizing; the wiener sausage, while packed with less sodium than the Squid Ink, was nothing formidable either.

Gamsung, the supposed classic of the franchise, emerged as the least popular option. The potato bits were extremely satiating, especially when consumed along with the gummy rice flour batter. Only one quarter of the dog saw depletion. Its remnants were tossed to the side, sausage removed.
Sweet Potato was declared the winner of the quad for its delightful sweet-yet-addicting exterior, a comparatively less tacky rice flour batter, and comparatively less salty sausage. Munching on the coating was akin to enjoying a side of sweet potato fries.

Although having tasted all four specimens, we failed to comprehend the novelty of the rice hot dog trend. Beyond the various toppings and specialty inclusion of squid ink, neither the rice flour batter nor sausages were compelling enough for a second visit. Cheesiness was also found extremely lacking.

​The dogs had been downed with a side of Izumi's Premium Plum Sake for a sweet, fruity contrast.

​A light sour from the French-speaking portion of Canada was also sampled, but proved merely passable in all aspects.

​The arrival of a new week saw the annual release of Smile Cookies. As with last year, icing saturation had dulled to pastel pink and blue. Though, the Chocolate Chip Cookies, while sugary, do remain delectable.

​It was, on that same morning, that I awoke to a crippling headache and feelings of unwellness. Pain emanated from my left temple, as if I had blocked combat attacks in my sleep with that side. My face was hot. I later became aware of chest pain, a runny nose, and cough with phlegm. I would also begin feeling uncustomarily cold: chills.

To confirm my suspicions, I reached for the rapid tests. The result emerged negative.

The sleepy polar bear delivered items "of care" later that evening, even though I had requested them not. In the care package came Pocari Sweat, instant packets of Brown Sugar Ginger Tea (that I'll likely never drink), a Paw Patrol weighted blanket (that I'll likely never use), and barely washed spinach separated between two compost bags (why not Ziplocs?).

As the spinach had come raw, I took it upon myself to cook for later consumption. Feebly transferring the withered leaves to a pot, my hands came into contact with grit. Frayed stems hadn't been removed, and neither had holey leaves. Furthermore, a beige being with beady black eyes gazed back up at me. So much for washing.
It wasn't until I had put the pot away that a second bag of spinach was discovered. The first round of cooking had been tiring enough, let alone a second.

DAY 1

​The next morning, I awoke to not only my face feeling hot, but the rest of my body as well. Tenderness was felt throughout. Surely enough, I was running a fever. ​This time, the rapid test revealed two lines for positivity.

Observations:

• Fever and headache
• Cough with phlegm continues; sore throat emerges
• Chills
• Fatigue; slept for 3.5h during middle of the day
• Dehydration: minimal need to visit bathroom as fluids are absorbed into body without perspiration. 3 cups of Pocari Sweat were consumed along with water

DAY 2

​Sleep was acquired in fitful bursts over the course of the night. Periods of disruption stemmed from either Tylenol wearing off or the need for hydration. The next day, an even more painful headache awaited me: the thermometer would read a blazing 100.4 F.

​Observations:

• Fever suppressed by Tylenol
• Able to function for majority of day beyond pounding headache in the morning
• Body was warm, no chills (possibly because A/C was malfunctioning?)
• Less coughing, but phlegm and sore throat still present
• Finished Pocari sweat and drank water; more regular bathroom visits
• Throat begins to swell from constant coughing
• Tough to swallow

DAY 3

I took to preparing a thermo for quick bedside hydration. It assisted in combatting dry mouth and difficulty swallowing as the night progressed. Of course, it also led to waking in the middle of night for bathroom needs. Thankfully, the following morning saw lower temperatures than the last two days: 98.6 F and 99.1 F. Roughly ten hours of sleep had been accumulated.

Observations:

• Tough to swallow; mouth dry. Kept water nearby for hydration
• No fever after taking Tylenol (97.7 F, 97.8 F), but feeling loopy and confused. Difficult to structure words.
• Persistent headache. Struggled with concentration; most miserable day thus far.
• Fatigue returns; rested for 1.3h after late breakfast
• Tenderness in body remains
• Three days' worth of constipation relieved with solid food from previous night's dinner
• Feeling slightly cold again, but not to the extent of chills
• Frequent need to blow nose; body feels dehydrated overall
• COVID rapid test not taken
• Lowest level of concentration; most miserable day thus far

DAY 4

​I slept decently for roughly seven hours that evening. Though I didn't wake throughout the night, there was difficulty falling asleep due to a stuffy nose. By the time morning arrived, the fever phase had passed me: I measured at 96.5 F! It was the lowest starting temperature since infection. I was also able to move about quickly, in that the conversion of intent to muscle engagement was unobstructed.

My mind was far from sharp, yet I managed to pull myself together for a much-anticipated interview. The act of communicating was challenging, considering that I was still coughing an hour prior. My mind was foggy, impacting the ability to execute concise points for conversation.

​As my appetite returned, I attempted one of two Smile Cookies delivered by the sleepy polar bear. Two had been purchased in response to my request for "the prettiest cookie". One emerged with smeared icing eyes; the other remained intact, exuding an identical appearance to its paper bag packaging after a strategically-placed bite.

Observations:

• Did not wake throughout the night, but had difficulty falling asleep due to stuffy nose; woke to sweat around neck
• Lowest starting temperature; no fever
• Can move quickly
• A bit loopy upon waking up but ability to concentrate is much better; things appearing very saturated, as if downed espresso shots too early
• Dry cough but no phlegm; very dry mouth
• Can feel appetite returning
• Headache persists, but concentrated on top of right side of head rather than across temples
• Skin appeared dull; eyes slightly red and lifeless, even with the assistance of complexion enhancers

DAY 5

​I resided in bed for a total of twelve hours. The previous day had been demanding on the limited amount of concentration I could muster.
Anxiously venturing downstairs in seach of Tylenol, I would suffer a mild panic/confusion attack before the acetaminophen actuated in my system. That said, a reverberating headache persisted. From dagger-like tremors at one temple, the pains would travel to the other temple, then the back of the head, and lastly the front before subsiding slightly at bedtime.

Observations:​

• Headache persists and mild panic/confusion attack occurred
• Tylenol has little to no effect on dagger-like feelings at temples
• Light dizziness; world seems to spin at times
  
• Coughing reduced and phlegm nearly gone except for at nighttime

DAY 6

​Symptoms began to lessen by the sixth day. The mind, now slowly regaining a sense of sharpness, could return to work on the screen. In the days past, I had performed editing operations. Forming words and sentences required an incredible degree more concentration, and I struggled to summon my inventory of vocabulary for the purposes of effective writing.

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Observations:​

• Headache hovering
• Bending down and looking down can cause dizziness
• Test results show severe positivity

DAY 7

Temperature is no longer taken in the morning, as worries about a recurring fever have passed.
​
Takeout of I Love Pho was requested: the 214 Lightly Fat Well-Done Beef & Beef Tendon w/ Rice Noodle Soup stimulated the appetite and eased cravings for warm, soupy broth.

​The rapid test was skipped on the assumption that positivity would remain, leaving with it feelings of discouragement.

DAY 8

​One week following the date of infection - or, more accurately, testing positive - I began to recover the ability to write. Command of vocabulary and smooth sentence formation was steadily returning.

With the occasional need to lie down, I had requested additional days of absence from work. By this time, the Thai ahgase, who had also fallen victim to the same viral exposure, had been cleared of her positive test result for several days. Unlike me though, her symptoms had persisted. She took to more rest, while I, being unable to stay still, continued to attempt activities about the house.

​An extremely faint line revealed low concentrations of the virus in my body, but nonetheless some degree of positivity. In this time, Larry remains a reliable companion, health unaffected by close proximity interactions.

DAY 9

​By the ninth day, otherwise known as my official return to work (from home), the line had diminished significantly since three days prior. Holding the cassette up against the light, I perceived no pigmentation in the T line. However, tilting the device towards me, the faintest of lines could still be perceived.

Pilates was attempted, concluding approximately 80% strength recovery. Perspiration levels were greater than normal, but the movements could be executed without inducing an mind-splitting headache, much to my relief.

DAY 10

​In my period of disappearance, I had failed to witness the rapidly plummeting mercury levels of the outside world. Gone were the days of tank tops and shorts; instead were mornings of breeziness and fall foilage against clear, blue skies.

​I ventured out to attend a long-awaited appointment, along with a lunch pickup from Yum's Kitchen.

​The sleepy polar bear had vocalized exceedingly favourable feedback towards the Grilled Chicken Banh Mi, prompting my own purchase of the item. A Grilled Pork Banh Mi, two Deep Fried Spring Rolls, and a Shrimp Mango Salad were appended to the order.

​Undeniably crunchy were the spring rolls, albeit ridiculously satiating. We were shocked to discover the staggering difference in protein portions. Although the Grilled Pork Banh Mi rang in at a more economic $6.50, the sandwich was meatier and juicier than the $7.25 variation with chicken. Compared to my first visit, I found the cilantro less aromatic and the baguette less toasty - though, the latter observation was more to my preference, for I prefer breadiness with mild flakiness.

​The Shrimp Mango Salad was enjoyable with toothsome bites of shrimp (sliced in the half lengthwise to give the illusion of frequent appearances) and just-ripe slivers of mango. The golden threads were slightly sweet and retained a fork-able texture despite yielding structural integrity.

​A Mango Soda, constructed of homemade mango jam and Perrier, accompanied this meal.

DAY 11

​After nearly two weeks since the creeping of symptoms, the Rapid Response cassette revealed the result I had been hoping for. Pure white was the section along the T, unlike the ambiguous test results from earlier in the week.

​As of the time of writing, I am steadily recovering physical and mental strength to execute my daily routine. The viral infection had adversely impacted countless bodily functions in a very short period of time, rendering me largely unable to complete majority of the tasks I would undertake on a regular basis. With this reduction in health, I became aware of the volume of duties and extent of energy expelled in a normal day.
Perhaps the same circumstances would not extend to every member of society, for I tend to be reminded of my high-functioning characteristics from time to time. Others who had also succumbed to COVID expressed that they had spent majority of their time resting in bed, utterly out of service. The difference in energy levels also led me to wonder whether uninterrupted rest would have quickened the recovery process. Mild pinches on my right temple and occasional dry coughs/runny noses persevere, but, in the very least, I am able to perform up to 90% of my standard working/exercising/writing/critical thinking routines.