A spot of unintentional and unhelpful research
So, I’ve begun the process of writing my book. For those who don’t know already the book, once finished, will be the story of my journey from contracting Covid-19 and subsequently suffering the effects of Long Covid in 2020 to skiing to Nordkapp this year (2022). These seemingly unrelated events being linked by my, some may say, odd idea that such an extreme challenge would give me the encouragement to get over the Long Covid symptoms that continued to dog me..
Work on the book is progressing (note that I didn’t use the word ‘well’ there) and I have 11,000 words in the bag. Just another 40-50,000 to go. I must admit however, that I have been struggling with the chapter on my descent into Long Covid. This has been slowing me down some and providing me with a first hand insight into that thing they call writers block.
I have fortunately been helped enormously by the diary that the inimitable Mrs P kept at the time. However, her notes are not exhaustive, so a little research has been required. To this end I have been looking at timelines of the spread of Covid-19 across the world and the UK, researching symptoms, investigating numbers affected and investigating timelines of national policy and health system responses. Not much use to the book, but I do have a tendency to disappear down information rabbit warrens.
Then, a little more than a week ago I began what can only be described as a period of ‘unintentional research.’ when I caught the bloody virus. Again! What better way to remind myself how it felt all those years ago than to recreate it in the most realistic way possible by catching it again! Did I mention ‘again’ already? I mean, seriously, surely I’m immune by now? But, clearly not.
Positively Positive
I wouldn’t mind so much, but contracting Covid again hasn’t even been useful from a research point of view. The symptoms this time around have been quite dissimilar to my first experience. The only similarity really is that I felt pretty rough and got to stare at the TV quite a lot. Again. Ok, the latter is clearly not a symptom, but it is very much a consequence and as such bears comparison.
How did it compare? Well this time round I had a sore throat, ear ache, headache, a really chesty cough, lots of lovely catarrh and generally felt pretty rubbish. Add to that tired/weary and that about sums it up. It lasted about 6 or 7 days.
Symptoms of my first brush with this most irritating of viruses back in 2020 were basically, well, completely different. Yes I had a headache and felt pretty bloody awful, but I never had a cough, chesty or otherwise.
So, whoever it was out there who contrived to pass this lovely little virus on to me. You wasted your time. The research was unhelpful and the rubbish I watch on the TV has not improved since 2020.
Unfortunately, a few days after I started feeling unwell Mrs P decided that she wanted a piece of the action….
What’s mine is yours
Yes, Mrs P, that picture of health, that paragon of exemplary personal hygiene, also went down with the same symptoms as me. "It’s just a cold though?” says Mrs P. A test will prove it. 30 minutes later and we have the dubious opportunity to have his and hers positive Covid tests.
Deep joy.
Good news though. We are both on the mend. We are both vaccinated and so are pretty sure that this bout will not be a serious as the last. I certainly hope not anyway. If 18 months of Covid-19 and long covid convinced me that I should attempt to ski the length of Norway, who knows what weird extreme of physical endurance would I dream up should there be a next time.
I’ve got it sussed though. Lets assume that my one week of feeling under the weather does in fact also require a challenge. So, based on the assumption that 18 months of illness required 3 months of challenge I reckon that a suitable challenge to match one week of feeling a bit unwell would be an unsupported expedition to the local coffee shop for tea and buns. What do you think?
Anyway, I’m a bit fed up of the whole Covid thing. It’s been going on too long, so I shall stop talking about it. Except I have to go and write about it for my book… Arrrrggghh!
