It was bound to happen.
Even though it’s been more than three years since COVID-19 reared it head in Wuhan, China, and even though I’ve had five of the COVID-19 vaccine shots recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — two primary series doses and three boosters — plus the seasonal flu shot, COVID-19 finally found me.
On a recent Thursday night, my throat began to feel scratchy. The next night it bothered me enough to force me out of bed in the middle of the night to gargle with warm saltwater. That helped, but during the day Saturday, my nose wouldn’t stop running, I was sneezing a bit, I had a semi-productive cough, and I had a temperature of 99.2 F — slight, but my normal is usually around 97.8 F. It was enough to push me to pull a COVID-19 test out of the bathroom closet, where it had been waiting for this day to arrive.
The pink stripe next to “Sample” appeared almost immediately. No need to wait the full 15-minute period to know I’d become one of the millions infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.
Time to call the doctor
I popped an Advil to control the fever and called my primary care physician (PCP) here in Florida. I listed my symptoms for the on-call doctor, told him I had a positive COVID-19 test, and asked about a prescription for Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir with ritonavir). That’s the antiviral medication that can significantly reduce the risk of severe illness and hospitalization, if taken early enough after COVID-19 symptoms appear. The medication is recommended for people ages 50 and older, like me, and those who have suppressed immune systems.
Surprisingly, the doctor told me to take a second COVID-19 test the next day and to call him with the results.
On Sunday morning, the pink “positive” line on my second COVID-19 test was just as bright as the first had been, but a message left on the doctor’s answering service went unreturned. My symptoms continued and my fatigue worsened. I got in bed around 2 p.m. on Sunday and stayed there. By 6 a.m. on Monday, I’d developed a seriously sore throat.
Time for a second opinion
Later that morning, surprisingly, I felt a lot better. The sore throat was nearly gone. My runny nose had slowed to a trickle. The sneezing was gone, and my cough had pretty much ended. My energy had returned to levels that are normal for me given my multiple sclerosis fatigue. Even so, I called my PCP in Washington, D.C.
My D.C. doc was very surprised that the Florida PCP hadn’t prescribed Paxlovid right away, when my symptoms were in high gear. She told me she would’ve prescribed it. On the other hand, she confirmed that the latest omicron strain of the virus, though contagious, is much less severe than the earlier strains. Her experience has been that once an infected person starts to feel better, that trajectory continues. That was probably going to be the case with me, she predicted. She said my most recent booster last October was particularly good at keeping omicron at bay.
On the other hand, many of my doctor’s patients who were treated with Paxlovid experienced a COVID-19 rebound a week or two after their symptoms ended. She told me that taking the Paxlovid, rather than allowing my natural antibodies to work, would increase the risk of such a rebound. When I told her that antibody tests had showed that my vaccinations had produced a robust antibody response, it sealed the deal. We decided that I would self-quarantine for five days and let my COVID-19 run its course, but she would also proactively send a Paxlovid prescription to my pharmacy.
The next day I was feeling much better. The day after that I was feeling back to my normal MS self. Five days from feeling crummy to feeling good: I’ve had colds a lot worse.
Careless about COVID but prepared
I guess I let my guard drop. It seems everyone here in Florida has. People wearing masks are few and far between, even in crowded areas. I haven’t worn one since leaving Maryland in mid-October. Also, in all honesty, my hand-washing hasn’t been as great as it once was. I’ve been careless about COVID-19.
I feel fortunate that I had five COVID-19 shots. I suspect that’s why my illness was so mild and ended without me needing to be treated. But I filled the Paxlovid prescription so that it’s here, in the bathroom closet, just in case. Fingers crossed that it’ll sit on the shelf and gather a lot of dust.
(A version of this post first appeared as my column on the MS News Today website.)
(Featured photo by Ed Tobias)
