Can you get COVID-19 Twice?

Google Search: “Can you get COVID-19 twice.?” The answers to my search query were an absolute “YES.” I also know for a fact that you can because I have had COVID-19 twice. In less than 7 months, this disease has had its way with my body. The first time was not so bad. The second time was very different. It hit me harder. I am now on the mend, but I am afraid of getting it again. It also got my wife and my son this time. This time it was personal.

COVID-19 YOU PRETTY LITTLE HATE MACHINE!

I woke up last Thursday and I looked at my wife. She didn't look like herself. She looked like she had a cold. I didn’t feel right either. I asked her what her symptoms were. I knew it all too well. I knew I had COVID again. I had the same symptoms as last time. Eyes feel like they are going to bug out. They itch but are watery. There is a weird dry cough deep in my lungs. A slight fever and weird body aches. Without being tested I knew for a fact I had it again. The symptoms were identical as last July. So I called our family doctor. He is aggressive and progressive with healthcare! He is amazing. He got us in for testing that afternoon. We had the RAPID and PCR test. The one test came back within 30 minutes. Positive for both my wife and myself. The other test came back yesterday and was positive for both my wife and me. We are in day 5 of quarantine. We are on medication that our doctor gave us and we are dealing with the sickness. Then our 17-year son old started to hack and wheeze. Now it is personal. YOU CAN TAKE ME COVID but not my children. Fleeting response, yes. COVID you are in charge.

WE DID FOLLOW THE CDC GUIDELINES!

I have some rules for all you would be COVID-19 warriors out there:

1. Wear your MASK! It is definitely not perfect but at least it is something.
2. Wash your hands. Again, not perfect, but we wash our hands all the time. We have more hand sanitizer than any family could need.
3. Social distance and stay away from crowds. We don’t go to bars, clubs, or hang out with lots of people. We don’t have people over to the house. We don’t go to parties.
4. If you are sick, stay home. Please quarantine. Do not spread the disease.
5. Don’t call your sudden cough, sneeze, or sniffle an allergy. The first time I got COVID-19 the person said it was allergies 3 hours after being around them. Thanks, you gave me COVID-19.

We followed the rules. We still got it! I got it twice so the immunity is not long-lasting or I caught a different strain. The point is that no matter what you do, it is possible to catch this disease. Being in the wrong place, around the wrong person, at the wrong time is all it takes. Touching the wrong surface and then touching your nose or eyes is all it takes. But do wear a mask, stay home if sick, wash your hands, and social distance.

We are on day 5 of being sick and this time it is worse. I am more fatigued than last time. I feel like 1/2 of my life has been taken from me. I wake up and it feels like my body and head are 5 times heavier than normal. I don’t want to move. Tuesday, I had a weird tingling feeling in my fingertips. Doctor google says that this might be because of anxiety or swelling. It comes and goes. The fatigue does not. It is constant. I cough all the time and the need to clear my throat is a constant. I have a dull headache. Another weird thing is the intense dreams I have had almost every night. I have had strange, exotic, and intense dreams about foreign lands and people I have never met. Not sure why. Maybe it has something to do with how fatigued I am and I am just in a really deep sleep. I don’t know.

We are also tired of being in our home. Then something came over my wife.

She was relieved. Yes, she was sick but the next thing she said was very smart and very true. “We are sick, but we are going to be alright.” She was right. It could be worse and it is for many. We are very fortunate people all things considered. Yes, we are uncomfortable. Yes, we are sick. Yes, we are fatigued. But we are at home and we are together. We are not in the hospital. We are not incubated. We are not at high risk. Many people are and many people have died because of this awful disease.

Whatever this is I do not want to get this again. I am afraid of getting it again. If it gets much worse than this episode I am not sure if I will be alright. The first time was a breeze. I was more terrified of symptoms that never really manifested. Sure they were there but this time COVID really took me out. I don't want to find out what the next round will be like. I am afraid of COVID-19.