​ISSUE 978 - MAY 2023

This week, I recovered from my 3rd bout of Covid in 3 years. It wasn’t much more than a light cold with the sniffles and two days of fatigue. I was, however, ready for worse, and this is why.

In March 2020, after four days of pushing my way through crippling exhaustion, the symptoms all over the news started catching my eye;
extreme fatigue, body aches, high fever, coughing, and nausea.

I had to wonder if I had this new disease called Covid19. 

I’m a high-energy girl. I never stop! But I did with Covid. It stopped me dead in my tracks. I laid still as humanly possible for eight days with a fever of 103. 

If I moved, the horrible coughing would start. My body shut down. Even watching television was too much for me, which seemed crazy, but now we know how much our brains are affected by the virus. 

Laying in my bed, barely moving, hour after hour, I had no choice but to travel within. 

For the first time in adulthood, I was still long enough to look at my life. I mean, really look at it. I did a thorough investigation, examining in detail my existence. I asked myself what I wanted the rest of my life to look like. 

On the 9th day, I knew I was in trouble. I couldn’t breathe or wake up fully. My sons got me to the hospital. At the door, they were told to leave. I was whisked away. There was no time for goodbyes. It could have been the last time I saw them!

I was put on an isolated floor, and I only saw the eyes of strangers for the next five days. I could hear them suit up in the anti-chamber, adorning their protective gear and courage. 

The city had just shut down days before. Remember how little we knew back then and how lethal the first strains of Covid were? I was grateful they were brave enough to come in, even if only for a few minutes, to check on me.

I wasn’t ventilated. I took a positive turn toward recovery. Although I lost my hair and had a year of cognitive challenges, I still consider myself one of the lucky ones.

Being so sick with Covid was an incredibly profound experience and consequently has changed the trajectory of my life. My motivation for how I wanted to live my life going forward changed. My forgotten dreams resurfaced and became my focus instead of being pushed aside by excuses. Relationships changed. My perspective, choices, mindset, and attitude changed. What is meaningful in my life became very clear to me.

Interestingly, this week is the same week I returned from the hospital three years ago. As I lay in my bed, not because I was trying not to move for fear of causing an excruciatingly painful coughing fit, but because I needed a nap, I remembered how different the last three years have been from my previous mode of operation. 

The changes I have made due to having Covid have been life-changing. I am now aligned with my purpose. The thoughts and considerations that held me back are gone. I am definitely one of the lucky ones.
​
©2023 Vivian Cobb, DTM

Want to read more? Go ahead and checkout Vivian's column on Snippetz Magazine!