It had been 150 days since I received the text that I tested positive for covid and was subsequently hospitalized. I was tempted to say it seems just like yesterday. But, that would be a lie.
I suspect for others who have been hospitalized because of covid and for their families this also rings true. The days are mostly a repeat of the day before with only slight changes in symptoms and progress. Hallmarks no doubt will remain being released for ICU and then discharged from the hospital to home care.
Other notable events were positive feedback received during and after medical appointments and the encouragement from family and friends. Just a few days ago I received and update from a follower of my blog. He was cleared by his pulmonologist to come off supplemental oxygen. Good for him ! His victory is a victory for all covid patients as it adds to the case history of the disease and how to treat it. No more tanks, seemingly endless tubing, or the drone of an oxygen concentrator at night. He contacted covid in November and has been in recovery for almost two months more than I.
Although there are some similarities in each covid patients recovery, each of us has some uniqueness. I just came off steroids and the accompanying antibiotics. At the same time, I received my last dose of the Moderna vaccine. Later in the day and for the next couple days I experienced some symptoms that could be either attributed to the vaccine and/or steroids withdrawal. These included body aches and pains, nausea, insomnia, and changes in appetite. They subsided and so now I am essentially off all covid related meds.
I still use supplemental oxygen and my demand for it seems to related to the on going heat wave the West is experiencing. It seems overall I still am making some progress, but progress remains slower than I and I am sure others in the same situation would like. As I become more mobile and thanks to my portable oxygen concentrator, I have returned to some semblance of work as I try to catch up. However I still vividly remember the time spent in ICU, and those who made it possible for me to still have these memories.
Still a ways to go to define my new reality. But the air never smelled as sweet.