Peak period of the virus… Just went grocery shopping again, after more than a week had passed, As always, it is a stressful task because some people fail to keep their distance. (I tried to get a few canned goods from one aisle at one grocery store, but there were a bunch of women who kept pacing closer to where I was standing, ignoring the rules… It was as if they did not see me, even when I started making coughing noises to alert them–yes, I really did fake cough because screaming at them would have gotten me kicked out without food…)

In the time that I was remaining indoors, all was going well. I was able to work on some writing for this blog and {getLITfilam}. I also built more on my personal website and updated some sections of the other websites. And of course, I played more Sims 4.

There was one late evening/early morning where I had a scare… I decided to wait for a few days to finally talk about it, to make sure that I was alright. Not sure if other people have had these kind of scares, aside from it becoming the most obvious and confirmed scare. But what of those who thought they were experiencing symptoms but went away like a passing cold?

It started around evening, when I was still on the computer playing Sims 4. I started coughing, but not terribly. It was more or less the kind of cough that comes when you have a dry throat and need to drink some water. I did just that. A few more times while gaming, I coughed but it wasn’t painful enough that would make me clutch my chest and abandon my activity. Anyway, it was already getting late (~2am), so I exited the game and shut off the computer. Got ready for bed.

I lay down in bed, feeling the headache I had started getting since playing Sims 4 every day. I thought that it was something that was caused by constant exposure to blue light from the screen. (In the beginning, I would play 8-10 hours; since the headaches began, I reduced gameplay to 4-6 hours, depending if I’m playing households or creating Sims/building houses and community lots.) I even adjusted the brightness and color saturation settings to try to make it less straining to my eyes. I also thought that it was my poor posture while at the computer, so I would take breaks in 5-minute intervals and do stretches in my living room.

This headache persisted, even when I tried to keep still, then change position, then take deep breaths, then clear my mind of thoughts… But no matter what I did, the headache kept throbbing and the coughs returned with greater frequency. I held my breath for 10 seconds to make sure that my lungs were working. I hugged my pillow while trying to fall asleep.

But I could not stay asleep. It was like I was sunken into the back of my mind in a conscious limbo, only to be thrown back awake, an hour later. I had coughing fits, hot flash & sweat, and aches in my ribs. I was scared, thinking, maybe I finally got it… but I haven’t been out in 4 days! I checked my forehead; no fever. But I still felt like I was burning. My coughs had phlegm, requiring me to blow my nose into numerous tissues until my nose felt clear enough to breathe through. It was dawn, so I went back to sleep, hoping I would feel like myself again.

4 hours later, a little past noon, I woke up feeling better. It was as if nothing happened. But I was sure that it was not a bad dream. I really did wake up and feel sick that maybe it was what I thought it was… but I guess it was not. I waited a few more days to see if I experienced any more “symptoms” or had another episode.

None.

Since it did not happen again, I did not go see a doctor or try to get tested. I still feel fine. The best I could do was stay at home, keep myself hydrated and nourished, take vitamins, and rest my body. I have enough food to last for a while; but during this Lenten season, I took to fasting a few hours a day, for both observance and preservation…

I am fine, physical and physiological health-wise. How my mind is doing, a different story for another time…