The Build-up
Last week Monday started off pretty regular, early morning busy days so when I woke up on Tuesday feeling a bit run down I put it down to just regular exhaustion. I do the COVID check every morning before I leave for work and I had no fever, no cough no loss of taste or smell so I went about my day.
At about 10:00 I started feeling worse and I developed a crazy case of sneezing and a runny nose. I suffer from pretty bad allergies and figured it was probably the change of seasons because it is getting a little warmer. So I pushed through.
After the students had their lunch I started packing up and decided I would head home early because at this point I was struggling to breathe and my chest was so heavy. I couldn't figure out if it was anxiety or allergies but in line with our health and safety protocols, anyone with any difficulty breathing is not allowed on school premises so I had to go. I was packing as fast as I could while making sure I wiped down everything I might have touched. The rush and panic were obviously leaving me more out of breathe. The more out of breathe I got the more I worried.
As soon as I got home I logged on to the Intercare website to book an appt with my doctor and the earliest I could get was 08:45 the next morning. So I went to bed that night a little panicked. At this point I was low key freaking out it was COVID but I was keeping positive, convinced that once the doctor saw me she would say it's just allergies and send me on my way.
Getting Tested
Now going in I knew that the procedure to see the doctor would probably be different but I was still thrown by all the changes. At reception I got screened before I was allowed in to only then be taken into another screening area.
Here the nurse was a lot more thorough, I had to answer what felt like a million questions and had my temperature, blood pressure just about everything checked. This was all done with minimal to no contact. After my screening it was decided that due to my symptoms I would see the doctor in a separate room which they had set up specifically to assess possible COVID patients.
I still thought this was all just a precautionary measure when the doctor came to fetch me. Now this special COVID room is so impersonal and so sterile. They had divided it into 4 separate areas with the hospital curtains and as soon as one patient was out a cleaning crew came in and ripped off everything that might be contaminated and sanitised everything in sight. I don't remember the exact conversation with the doctor but I did start off by saying "in spite of the symptoms I'm about to list I don't have COVID." As soon as I finally gave the doctor a chance to speak the only thing I clearly remember her saying was "I think we should test for COVID."
I zoned out after that and I started crying I had no control over the tears I just felt so scared and alone at that moment. The test was pretty simple it was a swab to the back of my throat which made gag and I kept thinking " please don't puke on the doctor."
After the swab was taken I was moved to another room to fill out more forms consenting to the test. There was also a Department of Health form that had to be filled out. I had to list all the people I had been in contact with. Even though we had been following the rules and not had contact with anyone, the 3 people I work closely with plus Tony and Toren just kept staring back at me on that form.
Once I was done I went to the pharmacy to collect my prescription and at the door I was asked if I had been tested for COVID. Without thinking I said yes not realising the gravity of this statement. I was told I would have to wait outside while they prepare my prescription. At that moment it clicked just how serious all of this was. I was meant to get groceries and now I realised that just standing here outside the pharmacy I was potentially putting people at risk.
THE OUTCOME
I received my results on Friday and it took a while for me to understand the SMS because it read " not detected (negative). Did this mean I was in the clear and it was just allergies after all? Thankfully the doctor called soon after to confirm if I had received my results and explained that according to this I was good and I could go back to my normal life. However she did mention that if I still felt like my symptoms were getting worse I should isolate as there is a chance of a false negative
Thankfully my symptoms are a lot better today and I am certain it was my allergies. I am in a way glad I got this scare because to be honest I was getting a bit lazy and complacent about everything. I was pushing through even though I could feel my body was not OK. I shudder to think what would have happened if it was positive and I was wrong about it being just allergies.
Going forward I am definitely going to be a lot more careful.
Keep safe everyone.