
Unfortunately, I tested positive for Covid recently and had to isolate. This week I want to talk about managing Covid as a disabled person now that we are out of the initial pandemic.
Prevention:

I was recently diagnosed with something called vasculitis from my last bout of Covid in 2022. More research has come out to show that vasculitis can be a sign of long covid (NIH, 2022). Vasculitis is an autoimmune disorder where my body attacks blood cells. My specific autoimmune marker indicates that my body is attacking medium sized blood cells which can affect organ health. So far the vasculitis has been attributed to pancreatitis with lipase levels 8x higher than they should be, lung issues that required inhalers and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and extreme foot neuropathy that resolved with hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Now I currently dealing with ulcerative colitis like symptoms which actually helped me pinpoint the disorder. It is unknown if conditions like HSP cause any sort of autoimmune issues, but so far there is no direct correlation. Now that I have symptoms of long Covid, I really wanted to try to avoid catching Covid again because I was scared of an increase of symptoms. I have been very lucky in this journey that my immediate symptoms have been extremely mild, but it is too soon to tell if I will have any additional long covid symptoms.
As someone with side effects from long covid, I wish that masks were more common. The topic of masks has become political, and I am not trying to alienate or isolate any reader based on specific views. I just want to share what goes through my mind as someone who has been specifically told by multiple medical professionals that I have a disorder directly caused by Covid 19. The greatest benefit of a mask is to block others from the germs of the mask wearer. As someone who likes to still go out and do things that is also trying to be cautious, it is harder to protect myself now. It also does not help that I am allergic to the N95 masks that are used for fires and provide the most protection. If anyone has any tips for boosting your immune system, please let me know as I seem to be the one to catch Covid in my circle.
Symptoms:

I tracked my symptoms, partially to stay sane in my tiny room alone for more than a week, and partially to look back on for this blog. My weirdest symptom by far was mouth and teeth pain, which apparently is a rare symptom of the new strains of Covid. Chewing sugar free gum has helped a lot with the mouth and teeth pain, I recommend the brand Ice Cubes. Otherwise, I had the typical sore throat, runny nose, coughing, sneezing, and loss of appetite that comes with many viral illnesses. I have been very lucky with mild symptoms that mirror a cold. I took cold medicine to sleep through the night a couple times, and took some supplements that said they helped with immunity. I have been trying to eat a lot of chicken rice soup and fruit as that seems like the best sick people food. There isn't much I can do outside of that, so I have just been waiting slowly for the virus to pass.
Activities in Quarantine:

1: Watching TV
Whenever I am sick, I watch old seasons of Grey's Anatomy. I think having a story mirroring my HSP diagnosis would have been really cool on that show because my journey was not straightforward. I do not think it is necessarily an accurate medical show, but when I was at Children's Hospital in 2016 I saw all the interns and residents and felt like I knew about hospital dynamics because of Grey's Anatomy. I stopped watching after season 14 or so, so I stick to the early seasons. Christina Yang is my favorite character for those who watch it. Having a comfort TV show was helpful because having something to watch that is low effort helps the time pass by.
2: Coloring
I have a coloring book for not young children I got as a gift when I was recovering from being in the hospital in 2016 that I want to complete one day. I think I have posted about it before because it is the only coloring book I kept from being in the hospital. Once I started getting some energy, coloring was the first thing I did. I liked it because all I had to focus on was choosing colored pencils I liked. It felt meditative, but also did not require too much energy.
3: Writing
I have been slowly updating notes for this blog as I have energy. It has been helpful to have a place to get out my thoughts because this time I had to quarantine alone. I could call people outside of work, but that only lasts so long. I also didn't have as much to contribute in conversation because I really did not do much during my quarantine because I can tell my body needs to rest. Writing helped me feel purposeful when I didn't have much else I could do.
4: Switch games
I have some new games/game add ons that were gifts that I have been meaning to play. Once I came out of the slump of Covid, I started playing those games. I am able to relax while playing, and have options to connect to my TV or use the console as a handheld device which gives variety. I mainly play Animal Crossing and Pokemon games and this quarantine was no different. I recently got a new game called Detective Pikachu Returns, where the goal is to solve a jewel thief with the appropriate spookiness level for children and myself.
5: Going outside
I ate outside with my parents, and sat outside while my partner stood 6+ feet away and I wore a mask. I enjoy being outside, and seeing the natural sunlight helped my mental health a lot during the quarantine process. It also felt humanizing to see a living, breathing person for more than to swap out some food during the quarantine. Even if people don't visit, sitting outside while doing any other hobby helps to get the benefits of going outside.
Thank you for reading about my experience with Covid as a disabled person. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me through the questions tab or reach out at @Anniekrollblog over on Instagram or Facebook. I hope to see you next week!
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