For Whom the Bell Tolls
After two and a half years of careful conduct, I’ve succumbed to the virus that has turned the world upside down. For me, the news that I tested positive for COVID-19 was slightly more worrisome because of my drug suppressed immune system. Along with several other unfortunate medical conditions.
It means there will be a riding disruption. It’s funny how that weighs on my mind.
After reviewing my behavior I can only account for the infection because I have become less resolute in wearing a mask. My history before the pandemic shows annual bouts of flu, colds, sinus infections, and pneumonia. Wearing a mask the past couple years eliminated all of that suffering. I was already a bit of a loner and didn’t congregate with people. So the mask was a sort of Holy Grail.
Emergency Use Authorization
Paxlovid was prescribed. An anti-viral cocktail taken twice a day for a period of days. Because of my underlying conditions I qualified for its use.
I seldom question my doctors. They are clearly more experienced and more knowledgeable than I am. I listen carefully to their arguments for treatment and focus on times where I am given a generalized diagnosis that does not account for the unique and peculiar medical risks that my body presents.
I don’t gather my information from news sites, social media, or conversations with others.
And just as I hope my doctors don’t dismiss or declare with a sweep of their hand, neither do I do the same myself. While no one is perfect, the odds of positive help are good in our medical realm here in the United States.
I Feel Like Crap
What I thought was a cold wasn’t. Slight fever, chills, sweating, head congestion, headache, fatigue, muscle pain, and a general malaise that precludes much of anything. I take the dogs out back for a brief period of ball tossing. I get food. I go back to sleep.
Thankfully there are no breathing or lung issues.
My wife tested negative so I’m spending my time on another floor of the house. We communicate by text and phone for the most part.
And I wear a mask anytime I go downstairs.
I’m trying to think of this as a rite of passage. But it’s not even though my rheumatologist told me once that eventually everyone will contract COVID-19. I’m not sure about everyone else but I have.
Life goes on. I’ll mask more carefully now. My next Pfizer booster is scheduled. And as a triage nurse told me after going over my vaccination records, I am statistically in a good place. My risk of dying is much higher with riding than it is from COVID-19. It appears I’ll be sidelined for the next 10 days unless something worsens. So the riding disruption will last awhile.
My fingers are crossed and I want to believe those statistics.
Stay well Steve and enjoy a good read and or a good movie. The dogs will keep you busy enough. Had the 19 a couple times. All is well. Peace Brother
Thanks Mike. Right now it’s pretty uncomfortable. I hope to wake in the morning to less discomfort.
Let your mind be at ease Steve, This too will pass… with time and a few day’s rest. Crack open that book that you’ve always intended to read or re-read. Reach out to an old friend you haven’t spoken to for a good while. Hang in there, we’re thinking you and hoping for a speedy recovery.
Books are out of the question. My brain is throbbing and it’s difficult to focus. Mostly listening to podcasts and trying to sleep.
Good thoughts for a swift recovery.
Thanks Mark.
I hope all is well with you on the other side of the country!
I had Covid last winter and it knocked me completely on my a*s for almost 4 weeks. I slept about 24 hours a day for the entire time. Then I recovered. MY primary care physician in hindsight said that I had a “mild” case. I certainly disagreed with his assessment, but I recovered and all is well now. Hopefully you will have a speedy recovery as well.
A month or so ago my wife shared her covid with me. What a loving spouse. Her condition was mild and my was mild minus. No fever, mainly just some coughing and a little fatigue. Others much younger and healthier reported great fatigue ( maybe they move more than old people) and unable to talk without coughing. Vicki and I found it interesting that her civilian doctor and my VA doctor said not to test any more. Hers said quarantine for 5 days and then go where you want for 5 days but with a mask. Then she was free. The VA said to quarantine for 10 days in an email but later said they in person they subscribed to the 5 and 5 program also.
I am off to Sicily on Wednesday and there will be no more testing no matter the symptoms until we return in November.
I hope you have a mild time of it.
Congratulations
My doctor gave me the 5 and 5 plan with one caveat — if I have a fever after 5 days I’ll need to quarantine longer. So far, no fever to speak of. Still feel pretty crappy though.
Sicily! You have one adventure after another Ken. I hope all goes well for you.
Sorry to hear you have met COVID face to face. Hopefully a quick and full recovery will be yours. In Ontario, Canada. They advice a waiting period – 3 months?) after a positive infection before getting our next booster – apparently it’s less effective if done too soon after infection – I ‘m sure your health providers can give you good direction re next booster. Heal well and take care!
Thanks for the head’s up on the booster. I had scheduled it before I tested positive. I’ll reach out for guidance.
Ouch! Good luck with that. “I am statistically in a good place.” Well, you have that going for you, which is nice, as Bill Murray says in some movie when his charater is down and out, now a popular meme.
No consolation to you, but Lynne and I had it last Spring. Ouch!
If this is as bad as it gets I’ll consider myself fortunate. I remember the early days of the pandemic when it seemed like a potential death sentence
I guess it’s full speed ahead as best I can at the moment.
It’s a scary thing to me mostly because of the unknowns. But also because it’s real and we aren’t much in control of it. I remember the first month or two when Covid-19 came to America whoa. I was really concerned for Americans it got real!
Yeah, there’s the imagined COVID and the real COVID. So far, the real one isn’t as bad as I thought it might be.
Praying that you will have a fast and complete recovery!
Thanks Clyde. I’m not getting worse. But no better either yet. Time and patience…
Sorry to hear about you contracting Covid. Will keep you in our thoughts and prayers hoping you will recover quickly and completely.
Thank you Karl. I appreciate the prayers.
Hi Steve… as I write this, I’m on the tenth day of what you’ve just started. I finally tested negative just this afternoon, so it looks like the predictions for recovery time are fairly accurate. Essentially, it felt like a serious head cold. Not fun, but far better than when Covid first arrived! Here’s hoping that you’re back on your feet soon. Cheers.
Thanks for the insight Jim. I appreciate it. I’ll test again on Thursday if I’m feeling well. And again the following week. You’re right though, so many dying when it first arrived. Our hospital ICU was packed. Now there are no COVID patients on ventilators there or in the ICU. And only 7 patients in the hospital for other reasons that are positive for the virus.
Hi Steve,
As with the rest, wishing you a speedy recovery. I had the latest anti-variant booster today, which has left me a little out of sorts. So far I have escaped infection, but I am currently preparing for my riskiest behavior yet – performing in a show. I did a show over the summer, but thankfully it was an outdoor venue. This is my first indoor show since the pandemic began. I test twice weekly (as does the rest of the cast), and so far so good. It’s when the audiences start to show up that the big test will come. Thankfully it’s a quiet show with no singing/dancing or other large physical requirements. I wear a KN95 whenever I go out. Get your rest and soon you’ll be riding again!
Thank you Tom. Recovery has been slow but moving in the right direction.
I’ve had no adverse reactions from the boosters. My worst reaction was to the shingles vaccine. I was sick as a dog for a couple of days. Didn’t stop me from getting the second shot though.
Good luck with your show. And make sure the audience doesn’t start singing. Break a leg!
Wishing you a speedy recovery (and fantastic riding weather in 10 days)! COVID sucks–love your content, cheers from MN.
I’m hoping I can be riding again in 10 days. That would be nice. Thank you for the well wishes and kind words about the things I post.
I am sorry to hear. Despite working at a health center when the pandemic arrived, I’ve been fortunate not to get Covid. People still make fun of me when I am wearing a mask, which I wear at all times, but I prefer them to make fun than me getting Covid. Get well soon.
If there’s a lesson for me, it’s that the only real change in my life is a “softening” of my mask wearing. My distancing and isolation has remained pretty much the same with outdoor gathering being the norm.
Perhaps if I had no underlying medical conditions I may say an illness now and then is the price I pay for living. For me though, the now and then illnesses I get too often led to more serious things. So as I do with riding in the winter, I’m learning how to manage my risks on the health landscape.
Stay well.
Well Steve plenty of rest,fluids, meds and plan on a slight slower recovery. Our chance of life over is greater on two wheels than from your temporary illness.Not everyone will get covid or our basic flu that is for the most part seasonal. Plenty of rest you will b back in the saddle again Soon .Take care friend and best regards to all. Dr.Don
Thanks for the suggestions Don. I’m starting to feel better so I’ll need to pace myself so I don’t over tax my recovering body. I’m hoping to test negative today for the first time.
As autumn progresses I’m sad to not be on the road to see it more closely. The fall colors are starting to glow and it’s perfect riding weather. Another opportunity for me to practice patience!
Steve,
I have followed your blog for many years. I am impressed!
In my youth, and until I graduated as an architect, I rode a yellow 50cc scooter. I have only good memories of it. Then adulthood began with a car, house, wife, career and dogs – the whole package. I gave the scooter away.
I now live on the west coast of Norway, in a place called Jæren. The landscape here is scenic, full of contrasts and a popular destination for anyone who rides on two wheels.
To my amusement, twise every summer, a group of Vespa enthusiasts drive by my house. They form a long line and ride very slow. I often feel the urge to wave at them. My wife was probably not surprised, having just seen them drive by our house when I told her how much I missed driving a scooter. Much to my delight, she immediately said I should buy one!
But, my joy was short-lived. Eventually, it dawned on me that it’s a big difference between riding a scooter as a 16-year-old weighing 60 kg, and me as an adult weighing closer to 90 kg. A more powerful engine was a practical necessity. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a motorcycle license and buying a Vespa was put on ice.
But the dream was kept alive by you, Steve. I continued to read your weekly posts. I studied the pictures carefully. And, to make a long story short, I finally decided to go for it. The following morning I booked driving lessons and ordered a Vespa GTS.
I am now $13,000 poorer, thanks to your enthusiasm and writing skills
But, this is one of the things I am most proud of having achieved this year. I now have a license and a lovely yellow Vespa GTS 300 Super waiting outside, always ready for use.
Steve, your blog inspires me. Thank you for conveying a biker culture that I can relate to. Thank you for being creative and exploring different media in your blog. It makes it rich and varied. I know from experience that it can be tiresome to create something just from your mind. I hope you never let the tyranny of the blank page stop you.
Again, thank you very much!
Einar Wahlstrøm
Hello Einar,
Sorry for the delay in getting your comments out of moderation. I’ve been sick with COVID-19 and have not been doing much on the blog.
There isn’t much as joy inspiring as a spouse saying, “You should buy one” when the one is a scooter or motorcycle. I am sorry that I led you to spend 13 thousand dollars. I have to believe in the long run you’ll see it as an investment in serenity and sanity!
Thank you for your kind review and comments about the things I share on my blog. It’s always nice to know something resonates with another person.
I spent some time with Google Maps and Street Views looking at the Jæren area of Norway. What a beautiful place to ride. A Vespa GTS seems a perfect riding companion.
Thank you for taking the time to reply, and I hope you feel better soon.
I know of an American lady who runs a travel blog, and she seems to have fallen in love with Jæren. For those who are curious, her experience and photos at:
https://big5travel.com/norwegian-scenic-route-jaeren/
Sometimes I also post photos and write a bit at: https://vespaivinden.no
Good luck with all your future Vespa adventures.
Einar
Thank you for sending the links. I love your dogs. I thought our Belgian Sheepdogs were mythic, but your Wolfhounds are even more so.
I hope to get out on the Vespa soon! It’s getting cold already. 34F this morning. Time for winter gear…
Wow… if Steve Williams can get Covid, no one is safe.
Maybe you got if from the Vespa? The dog?
All kidding aside, I wish you all the best for a speedy and sound recovery.
Susan and I have been blessed, so far.
That said there are other risks…
Such as going to France, going for a bicycle tour of caves owned by a winery in the Loire, and Susan momentarily losing control and hitting a wall… fractured clavicle that turned an amazing experience into pure hell. Each day is a little improvement. She got her orthopaedic assessment today, surgery is looking like it is probably not in the cards. Fortunately that was on the second to last day of our first post-covid adventure, on October 2nd.
Does she regret the adventure? We were discussing it this morning. Absolutely not.
We are nowhere near as adventurous as Ken. But it looks like we share Ken’s approach and your approach to life. Do more, live more.
My brother in law (definitely not an adventurer, more of an amateur philosopher) is fond of saying “find what you love, and let it kill you”, a sentiment that seems attributable to Kinky Friedman way back in 1986.
I let my guard down. I have no idea how I got it. I’ve finally tested negative again but I’m dogged with a lack of energy. Not as bad as it was but enough of a decline that I don’t want to ride yet. I guess I’ll wait until it snows…
Sorry to hear about Susan’s unfortunate encounter with a wall. No fun on a scooter or a bike. I’m glad that surgery probably won’t be necessary.
Find what you love and let it kill you. I’ll need to sit with that for awhile. It may be a fine way to look at life.
Thanks for stopping by. It’s nice to see your name appear here!
Hope you recover completely and get back on that scooter.
Thanks Peter. I’m recovered but distracted from riding as I catch up with other less exciting activities…