So as the title says, I was recently diagnosed with Covid. Having mostly recovered since then, and now feeling more fit to return to writing (which I [promised myself I would do daily for a month](https://peakd.com/community/@fredrikaa/what-are-your-best-writing-habits), but had to give a break due to not feeling very well for the past week), I thought I would share what the past week has been like.

After all, with Covid still affecting most people and businesses worldwide either through direct health-implications or resulting regulations, I assume most would be curious about how I’ve felt the past week, if it’s been harsh, and what other implications it has had.

![Corona virus detected.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/fredrikaa/23xyveeiZBGcsz1ZwRYM8cKT5bUPN41hUMqAW9RfMxEGzawh9nz5GYtjvJXmf6FYm1LCU)

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<center><sup>My confirmation message saying I had tested positive for Covid-19.</sup></center>

#### How sick have I been?

###### Headache 
I experienced the first symptoms last Saturday (8 prior to writing this article and feeling mostly recovered). That day, I woke up feeling an unusual headache that seemed to have come out of nowhere. A kind of headache that was not really like anything else I had experienced earlier. At first, I was convinced that it was a result of the heavy workout I had done the day before, where I had performed three sets of 20 explosive 100 kg barbell shrugs. As I hadn’t performed these in a while, I knew it could cause a decent amount of soreness in the upper traps or some strain in the neck, both of which can cause headaches and/or dizziness for a while.

###### Fever

It was only on Sunday one week ago when I also felt a fairly strong fever that I understood I was actually sick, having woken up 4-5 times during the night feeling cold in some places of the body and warm in others, while also sweating a bit. Although feverish, I was still more than able to do most things, and felt more like watching some esports and being in the living room than lying in bed.

Monday and Tuesday I also tried to work a little bit, if only because I'm stubborn and wanted to be part of the meetings that were taking place. But the fever, headache and tiredness meant I got barely anything out of it, and was better off just relaxing. Having had a fever for 3 days and felt my pulse beating in my head at times, I knew I would have to take a Covid-test to be on the safe side. I suppose the worst part of this whole experience was the peaks of the fever, and reliably waking up 4-5 times per night needing to change sleeping positions due to the sheets, and pillow being too sweaty and wet where I had been laying.

###### Breathing

Additionally, I also started to feel increasingly irritated in my throat and also saw breathing become somewhat uncomfortable (not difficult). It was as if the air felt thicker, dryer, and somewhat "hairy". Having never had any real allergies, I can only assume that's close to what it's like having it during peak pollen seasons.

And while this wasn't too much of a pain in and of itself, it made me increasingly confident that I must have caught covid.

#### Getting the diagnosis
So on Wednesday, I took the test at a private drop-in clinique in town. I don't know how available tests are wherever you people are at, but it was nice to be able to come within an hour and get the whole thing done in 10 minutes.

Friday morning I woke up to an SMS message saying that I had an unread message from the public health organization here in Norway. Needless to say, I knew it was the results of the test. So I logged on, and got the "bad news".

In a sense, testing positive was a bit of a relief. I’ve always hated whenever you feel that something is wrong, and experience illness that doesn’t feel right, only to be told that “everything looks fine”. I would rather receive bad news in the form of a diagnosis than be left wondering what’s wrong.

#### Isolation

So needless to say, I was then obliged to stay at home. A few hours after receiving the test, I was called up by the local public "trancing" units, responsible for mapping when and where I likely caught the virus, who I would have been close to while contagious if any and to give instructions on what to do next.

So since I had already been mostly in isolation the past few weeks anyway, there wasn't really that much to say. I guess the only lesson for me is that it's possible to be contagious and not know it for a few days. Both because it takes a while for even the first symptoms to arrive, as well as because the first signs may be rather weak and thus not make you think that you could have Covid. This is just even more so a reason to be cautious, wear a mask, and avoid exposing people to risk you may not know that you're exposing people too before it is too late.

![IMG_20210307_085542.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/fredrikaa/23vi66xjbV77MGfh9i1Z79QqpebLKymYNzabXAyqJLgxpvryot27ZHteojTQnBWNdijR6)

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<center><sup>The best side effect of getting Covid is having family members sending you stuff. From flowers, to lunchboxes :)</sup></center>

But at the end of the day, I'm just happy and relieved to be feeling better. Not that I ever feared that someone in my age and health condition would have much to be afraid of, but there's still always a bit of concern that one could be unlucky.

So while I'm still pretty fatigued and tired, and very bored, I hope next week can be more or less back to normal.

Hope you're all doing better than me :)

Fredrik