I have been wanting to journal my COVID-19 experiences, and remembered, hey! I actually have a blog! So, here is what has been going on with me.
I work for a university in their online learning department, so work has been an avalanche the past few weeks, trying to get everything ready in case we went to online-only instruction. It should not be a surprise to anyone now that all our face-to-face courses are now moved to remote teaching through the end of the spring term and for the first part of the summer. Thankfully, my field makes it easy for me to work remotely (although not seamlessly).
Last Monday was the beginning of our spring break. This was good timing because students were off campus and there were no classes scheduled so we could focus on hardware, software, and training for our instructors to get them up to speed. I didn’t feel well however, and despite feeling terrible Tuesday I dragged myself into the office since our jobs are particularly urgent right now. I managed to get an appointment with my doctor squeezed in that afternoon and it turned out that I had a sinus infection and beginnings of bronchitis. I had some minor issues getting my antibiotic, but was able to start steroids and a heavy-duty decongestant right away. Despite being out on sick leave for the next few days, I tried to keep up with work from home. Fortunately, one of my team members was able to step up into training mode,which is usually my role. I also had a persistent fever, which I worried was from my rheumatoid arthritis flaring up, since I haven’t been able to take my biologic for two weeks now due to the infection (yesterday was my last day of antibiotics!~ Yay!).
Between my autoimmune diseases, immune suppressant meds, and sinus infection/bronchitis, my sequestering started a week before the rest of my office. Thankfully, hubby is in good health and is able to do all our errands as well as help out his homebound parents. It does require us doing some weird things, like wiping down all our groceries with disinfecting wipes when he brings them home. We are not ordering take out or delivery either to make sure I’m not exposed to anything. We had been eating too much take-out lately anyway, and I wouldn’t be surprised if being away from the coffee shop at work for a couple weeks doesn’t help me lose some weight! We exercise at home together a couple days a week and take walks in the neighborhood.
Before all this started we already had 2-3 weeks worth of food in the house, so we just stocked up on some long-term foods for variety. I am supposed to limit beans due to kidney stones, but hubby is making himself a crockpot of garlic chili to enjoy while I eat chicken and fish. Most of our stores have limited hours now, and our county has a curfew, but we are fortunate to live where we do and to already have been prepared ahead of time. We also have been drying fruit, which is one of our favorite snacks, including strawberries, apples, and pears. The cats have been confused but delighted to have us both home every day, and since they are usually shut out of the guest room they’ve had fun exploring while I work here. Scout especially likes to supervise my productivity!
Hubby and I are both working remotely and we quickly decided that it will be better if we work from different rooms instead of from our shared home office. I was already relegated to the front guest/craft room while I was sick, so I have my work setup there and now we don’t have to worry about disrupting each other (I have a lot of video and chat calls, and he likes to listen to the news while he works). Now that my infection is over it is nice not to be stuck in this room 20 hours a day, however! I am having to work on enforcing boundaries around my non-work hours, and make a point to walk away from the computer for an hour at lunch to read a book. I also try to get up, stretch and walk around every hour. This is something I do at work as well, so it’s just continuing the habit. I have been doing a lot of cleaning and organising in this room since I focus best with a clear environment. People watching is a bit distracting at times, but having an office with a window is really nice!
Keeping sane:
- I have a list of Things To Do Around The House. In addition to regular housework there are several things I’ve been meaning to do when I have time. Well, now I have time! I also have an equally long “Fun Stuff” list of things I’d like to do, and I alternate back and forth between the two. I add ideas to both all the time.
- I have a small stash of daily “emergency chocolate”. I like Lindt dark chocolate truffles, and I allow myself two a day for “dessert” after lunch. It meets my chocolate/sugar craving and for the last week has worked very well.
- My friends have a Discord chat, so we can log in, chat with each other, and share pictures and videos. It’s a great way to keep in touch, and we’re looking at playing some online games together since our monthly board game nights are on hold indefinitely!
How are you all faring? Most of my prescriptions are already on a three-month mail-in cycle, so I am doing well there, although I worry about deliveries as things go on. Stay safe!
Leave a comment