COVID Negative

Negative COVID Test!

After 8 long days, I have finally tested NEGATIVE ➖ for COVID!

I had been testing every day since I tested positive to see how long it would take. Apparently my dad caught COVID around the same time, not from me but a Pickleball Tournament, however COVID cleared his system a few days before me!

I tested this morning around 12 PM and tested positive, the “sample” line was very faint and did not appear until closer to the 15 minute mark, where I thought I was negative for a second.

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Morning Positive Test vs Evening Negative Test

I decided to rest up a bit, get some more vitamins and electrolytes and test again. At 6 PM, I tested again and was pleasantly surprised to test NEGATIVE!!! I did it on a whim, since I have so many at home tests, who knew a few hours would actually make a difference!

COVID Positive

Looks like COVID finally caught me, but I did make it pretty long without catching it.

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All the at home COVID tests I took since I tested positive

So I’m sure you guys are all wondering what happened - how and when did I catch, when did I test positive and what symptoms do I have?

Here’s the answers to it all.

Who caught it? Me
What did I catch: COVID 19 - BA.2 Omicron Variant, also known as the stealth Omicron subvariant - this variant is much more contagious than its predecessors, but the symptoms are not worse.
When did I test positive? I tested positive on Sunday, June 5, and had tested negative the day before
Where did I catch it? I am not 100% sure, but can confirm it was related to going to work/happy hour last Wednesday or the Corporate Challenge in Central Park (which was entirely outdoors). Everyone I was with and spoke to did not test positive for COVID, so it is unclear.
Why? I think I had a weakened immune system from a lack of sleep from a jam packed week in Atlanta for work/fun followed by 2 late nights of work events leading into the weekend when I tested positive.
How? The COVID germs found me!

While I was not asymptomatic, my symptoms were somewhat mild. Here’s a rundown:

All the positive tests

• Fatigue leading into the week of potential exposure

  • May 24-May 29 - Trip to Atlanta with jam packed days & late nights,

    • Woke up feeling tired (more than usual), the days leading up to the positive test, despite getting normal sleep

• Potential Exposure:

  • June 1 - Work and happy hours with coworkers

  • June 2- Corporate Challenge at Central Park

• Tested Positive:

  • June 5 - decided to take a COVID test from a mobile testing center since I had a scratchy throat and was losing my voice

• Symptoms:

  • June 5 (Day 1 ➕) : Woke up more tired than usual, fatigued, scratchy throat, starting to lose voice, feeling warm (99.4F in the morning to 100.9 F by 6 PM)

  • June 6 (Day 2 ➕): Woke up more tired than usual, throat is on fire, it is in a constant burning and I can barely speak, essentially lost voice, fever (100.9F the highest), very fatigued

  • June 7 (Day 3 ➕): Woke up very tired, throat is no longer on fire, but scratchy, but voice is cracking in the morning but basically back normal by the evening, super tired/fatigued, but much better in the afternoon, slightly elevated temperature. Boss made me take the day off, felt a big difference from 9 AM to 9 PM

  • June 8 (Day 4 ➕): Head a bit cloudy, but more functional than earlier in the week, dull constant headache and fatigue as the day goes on, temperature is back to normal

  • June 9 (Day 5 ➕): Basically back to normal, a small cough here and there & tired voice from talking in meetings, dull headache as the day went on, somewhat strong by 930 PM

  • June 10 (Day 6 ➕): Basically back to normal, a cough here and there to clear my throat

  • June 11 (Day 7 ➕): Feeling good & back to normal, did get hungry and felt a bit light headed from not eating before lunch, usually I can last through lunch. Also got tired walking up the stairs, but was wearing a mask which impacted my oxygen intake

  • June 11 (Day 7 ➕/➖): Feeling good, tested positive in the morning with a faint line and NEGATIVE by 6 PM!!!! I am now COVID FREE!

To help remedy the virus, I hydrated with plenty of electrolytes (Pedialyte & Gatorade), Vitamin C & D and an attempt at getting some more sleep. Despite knowing I was still testing positive, my boss had some placed some expectations on me to get some data analysis done, which I think caused headaches and delayed my recovery, but made sure to rest up on the weekend!

COVID Booster Shot - ✔️

Finally got my booster shot!

I received my booster shot this morning at Walgreens!!! Apparently this one had just opened up 4 days ago, which was also exciting!

Its crazy to think how things have changed so much from last year to even this May when I was fully vaccinated to now being boosted. I remember being hesitant to do a lot, as were many others! I am so happy that the vaccines and boosters are now available to everyone 5 and older!

I hope this alleviates a lot of the fears everyone is having and most importantly that people can see their loved ones this holiday season!

Symptoms:

I was fine, until later afternoon, my entire arm is now sore and I may have fallen asleep earlier, unclear if it was the topic at hand or if it was the booster though, but I am fine otherwise!

Update:

Thursday night - it was painful putting on my PJs and to lift my arm

Friday - my arm was a bit weak and could not really use it, it still hurt to raise my arm but I could use it more than yesterday and was painful when you touched the shot area, but much better than Thursday

Saturday - arm feels less weak/tired, but noticeably still weaker than my other arm and only minor pain if you poke the injection site (AM), no pain when you poke the arm but still weak (PM)

1 Shot Down, 1 More to Go!

Today I received my first dose of the COVID-19 Vaccine! I was pleasantly surprised how seamless and painless the process was, literally!

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1 shot down, 1 more to go!

I had made an appointment to get my shot at my local pharmacy, Walgreens. I arrived 15 mins early (as directed) and I had checked in, completed all my paperwork and received my shot before my appointment time! Walgreens was super organized when it came into the check in process and did not have a backlog of patients, so no long waits.

I was a bit fearful of the pain from the shot, but it was not even a prick - I did not even feel it. I know people say “you barely feel it” about the finger prick test, but you can definitely feel the initial penetration of the needle; this was not even close - I did not even feel it happening.

Needless to say, I was very impressed at how quick and painless the whole process was!

For those of you who still need to get the vaccine, it is not as daunting as it seems. I would suggest booking your appointment through the Walgreens or CVS website or app, I personally found the app super easy to use. Walgreens usually releases their appointments around midnight EST and CVS sometime in the morning (9 AM or earlier). Walgreens will make both appointments for the 1st & 2nd shot for you at once, which is super helpful and convenient.

Feel free to message me if you have any questions or need help booking an appointment!

Thank you to the amazing crew at Walgreens for a wonderful experience, see you in 3 weeks for my second shot!

Thanksgiving COVID-19 Testing

Today I went to get tested for COVID-19 before heading home for Thanksgiving and spent 9 HOURS waiting for a COVID-19 rapid swab test at CityMD. I thought I’d show up 20-30 minutes prior to opening to beat the rush, but I guess everyone had that idea…

Here was my schedule for the day.

6:40 AM - Arrived at the end of the line

• 6:15 AM - Wake Up

• 6:25 AM - Walk to CityMD

• 6:40 AM - Arrive at CityMD & look for end of the line. The line went down the avenue and around the corner to the end of the block (and wrapped around the next corner behind me)

• 7:00 AM - CityMD officially opens

• 8:00 AM - I made it to the front of the line, only to learn they were just taking down names and phone numbers a list and would call me when it was my turn, then I will only have 15-20 minutes to return

  • I was #82 on the list. There was only a small group of people (~12) waiting around outside at this point, so a few others and I stuck around and waited around for our turn - how long could it take? I live 15-20 minutes away, which was exactly how long it would take me to get back, so figured I should just stick around and worry about hustling back - my mistake!

• 8:45 AM - 45 minutes later everyone still seems to be waiting outside

  • I asked the woman checking people in what number they were up to, in disbelief I learn they were only up to #6 on the list & she laughs that i am #82 on the list

  • Shocked they are still in single digits, I tell my line buddies to hold up one hand and one finger and that was the # they were up to. They were shocked as well!

• 8:48 AM - At this point, I was freezing and disheartened by the lack of progress on the list - I decided to go home and wait to be called since it would definitely be a while.

• 10 AM - No call yet

• 11 AM - No call yet

• 12 PM - No call yet

• 12:15 PM - I called CityMD to see what # they are up to… Any guesses? They were only up to #50 since they opened, 5 hours ago. I guesstimated they see ~10 patients per hour

• 1:30 PM - I received a call to return to CityMD - “you need to return in 15-20 minutes, your number will be called soon”

  • I immediately drop my fork, stop eating my lunch and hustle back

3:18 PM - Made it inside!

• 1:48 PM - I make it to CityMD in just under 20 minutes and head to the front door of CityMD. The security guard shouts “MISS” and points to the line, of course there is another line. This one should be quick, right? WRONG

  • I see my line buddies from this morning and join them on this new line with ~10 people in front of me

• 2:48 PM - 1 hour later, I am still standing in line & have not moved a bit

• 3:00 AM - I am second on line… to get into the building, they are letting people enter the waiting room in small groups

• 3:18 PM - I made it inside!!! They let a few of us in, I checked in, sat down & waited to be seen

3:45 PM - Finally being seen!

• 3:38 PM - About 2 hours since I ran over, my name is finally called and I am taken to a room to be swabbed & tested

  • The nurse takes my vitals - temperature, pulse and blood pressure

  • I am given the nasal swab test and the nurse leaves (probably a total of 5-7 minutes max)

• 3:50 PM - The PA finally comes to see me after waiting for what seemed like a long time since the nurse left. She says sorry for the wait to get into CityMD and that they were trying to create a new more efficient system that gives a more accurate window of when to show up, asks if I need anything else while I am there and then dismisses me.

• 3:52 PM - I stop by billing, confirm my information is correct

• 3:54 PM - I am out the door. DONE!!!

• 4:03 PM - Results are ready - my test is NEGATIVE!

Overall I spent a little over 9 hours end to end, and probably spent ~5 hours between waiting on line and commuting between my apartment and CityMD. This is definitely an experience I would NOT like to experience again. (I did offer the PA help in creating a more efficient waiting window system). However I am thankful they did give us the opportunity to go home, which I was able to utilize working for a few hours. I know other CityMDs did not give people the opportunity to do so.

While waiting online, I learned a few interesting facts:

• The line was cut off after 2 hours of opening (7 AM - 9 AM) with 166 people on the list.

  • If I was half way down the list at #82 after 9 hours, how do they anticipate to finish another ~80 people by 9:30 PM in 5.5 hours?

• I overheard person #61 arrived at 6 AM, 40 minutes before me! I was debating arriving or leaving my apartment at 6:30 AM, so I am glad that the 10 minute difference did not make much of a difference. What time did person #1 show up?

Thank you to the frontline workers for all of your work, especially on days like today! I appreciate all that you do!

I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!

Quarantine Life: COVID-19 Antibody Testing

Today I went to CityMD to get tested for the COVID-19 Antibody. Currently, the there are 2 tests available for COVID-19:

• PCR (Nasal Swab): This test will detect if you are actively infected with the COVID-19 virus.  

• Serum Antibody IgG (Blood Test):  This test will detect if you have had prior exposure to COVID-19 and have built an antibody for the virus.

I thought it would be a good idea to get the antibody test for COVID-19 given that:

1. I had some symptoms back in March, thankfully nothing too severe though

2. If I have antibodies, then I can potentially donate plasma to help those who need it

Check-In Kiosks

The entire process was fairly simple and quick. I entered CityMD, registered & checked in. (I was very impressed how easy the kiosk was to use, it even had an ID card holder to scan your ID & insurance card to streamline the process!)

The RN called me in after ~5 minutes of waiting, took my vitals (temperature, blood pressure & pulse). The doctor arrived shortly after, drew my blood and I was out!

The process was very quick, granted I went during lunch hours on a Thursday. I should have my results back in 5-7 days!

For more information & FAQs on COVID-19 testing, I would recommend visiting the CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/testing/index.html

Thank you to all of the doctors, nurses and front line responders who are working tireless to keep our city safe!

You truly are #NewYorkTough!

Support for COVID-19 Frontline Responders

Hi Everyone!

As many of you know, COVID-19 has become a global pandemic, NY has been hit the hardest and is currently the epicenter for the US with over 120,000 cases.   

Unfortunately, many of our frontline responders (medical professionals, NYPD, FDNY, etc) do not have the protective personal equipment necessary to support the growing pandemic.

I hope you will join me in raising funds to purchase masks, hand sanitizer. gowns and food for our frontline responders throughout NYC who are need of support. 

Donations can be made here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-covid19-frontline-responders

100% of donations (less donation fees) will go directly to support our frontline!

Thank you!