You know that moment when you felt something was wrong, and when your fear got validated your whole disposition crumbles?
The moment I received the news that I was covid positive, I closed my eyes and cursed to myself. Where did I go wrong?
Then the idea of the butterfly effect came to me. Every careless thing I did for the past week led me up to this moment of having to go through with this ordeal. It's not as terrible as some consequences get, but it was enough to put my life and some of the people around me to a halt. Surely, it was from those few instances when I felt like putting my defenses down resulted to this ripple effect.
If I were to look back, it started with the decision in my head, that I was gonna work myself tired after enjoying a night of drinking at home with my girlfriends. I watched the clock tick to 2:30am on a Sunday and I looked at the empty bottles of wine and beer on the table, all I could think about is getting up early in the morning because we had to leave for La Castellana to work on the glamping site. The entire week was dedicated to looking for materials needed for the construction, and this meant tiring myself out almost every day on top of lacking sleep most nights and not taking any vitamins then. By Wednesday I knew I was close to falling ill because I couldn't keep myself up past 10pm. I was exhausted. I managed to recover by the time I woke up and started working again at the glamping site. By Saturday I was able to do more work for our glamping, but by evening I couldn't sleep and I found myself awake until 3am, that I promised myself that right after celebrating Mother's Day at lunch I would sleep all I want from Monday onwards. I just had to finish our family lunch and then allow myself a good long rest for the week ahead. Little did I know that is exactly what will happen. It was the worst feeling to have to drive out to order take-out in a restaurant that took two hours to prepare the food while feeling like I was about to collapse. I had three hours of sleep that day, and I was starting to sneeze repeatedly while hearing the 6am mass. My greatest relief was when I finally sat to eat lunch and think to myself that I was done for the week. That turned out to be a proper rest that would last for more than two weeks.
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| This is what the inside of the ambulance looks like. No porous thing allowed. |
Thinking about how everything unfolded, I could say that I most probably got the virus in La Castellana, because that was the only place I bothered to not put up my defenses against covid. It was very much an open-air area with people who don't go far from their village. There were only two possibilities that I was able to catch the virus and wound up getting sick that took some time for me to recover: I got it from the restaurant where we usually eat, or from my friends who were asymptomatic and I got it from the long car ride that we take going to and fro the glamping site. Those were the only instances where I found myself being less cautious and thus in turn being vulnerable to the virus.
The mistake was thinking I was healthy enough not to fall sick to the virus, expecting myself to be asymptomatic at most should I catch the virus. It was allowing my immune system to weaken with stress, lack of sleep, and skimping on daily vitamins. It was for a moment, trusting that people around me didn't have the virus because they seemed healthy and okay. It's lowering my guard by removing my mask in front of my close friends and relatives thinking that all will be well.
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| This was my view for thirteen days. I'm facing Lacson St. |
Day 1: May 12, 2021
Probably one of the longest days of my life.
At 7:02am I woke up to the tune of my phone ringing. I looked at an unregistered number calling, I answered and heard a woman speaking on the other end. She went to proceed with asking me a couple of details saying that she was from the barangay. I knew at that moment I was in trouble, but I had to hear her say it.
"Did the result of the come out already? Is it positive?" I asked, half-expecting the confirmation.
"Ma'am this is why I'm calling. Your result came out positive. We will need to fetch you from your house and take you to a quarantine facility. Expect the ambulance to arrive around 11am today."
The news made me take a deep sigh. Thinking to myself that this is actually happening, my greatest fear was for my parents, not myself. I know I'll be fine, but if anything happens to them because of me the guilt will be unbearable. And so came the barrage of phone calls and coordination that needed to be done. The first thing I did was tell my mom, and I saw the deep dejection on her face, a kind of misery that every mother has for an ordeal that her child has to go through with so much uncertainty. I had to shake her out of her distress by telling her what needed to be done, that I'll be fine, and in a disposition that showed no panic. All I could think to myself what that I was going on vacation...and try not to die in the process.
I packed my stuff that's good for two weeks while my parents rushed to stock up on provisions. Thirty minutes after they left the barangay called that the ambulance was coming, so I had to call my parents to come home to avoid any possible repercussions. They arrived a few minutes after...but not the ambulance, not for another six hours. They could've done a lot more if not for that untimely call. I even had to call the barangay to inform them that I haven't been fetched yet and it was 1:30pm then.
The next thing I did was contact all the people I was with prior to me feeling any symptoms, which were my business partners. I told them to isolate and contact those they were with since the weekend. I'm so glad I didn't meet up with anyone else this week due to how busy I was with our glamping business.
It didn't take long before I received a couple of calls, this included the guy in charge of contact tracing...and speaking with him was a big eye-opener with how inefficient we are in handling the whole covid situation. He asked me to recall who I was with and all the places I've been to a week before the onset of my symptoms. That meant my itinerary from May 2 - May 9. Naturally, I had forgotten most of what happened. All I know I spent most of my days either at our construction site in La Castellana or at home. I tried to trace other places that I've been checking the photos I took. He took note of it, and in those days I can't remember he left blank. Then I mentioned to him that I was with three of my business partners the day before exhibiting symptoms. I'll never forget what he said as I was about to tell him their names, "That's fine ma'am, I'll just take note and call you if the barangay decides to get their names." He took a mental note but wrote nothing in his notebook. I soon found out that he didn't contact any of the people I traced having direct contact with, not even the place I said where I was most of the time. This made me wonder why he didn't get my BacTrack QR Code...it could've saved us both some memory cells and put an actual purpose to the whole BacTrack system. What is it for if not for easily tracking the movement of a covid positive patient?
And so at around 2:30pm, an ambulance came to pick me up. It was my first time riding an ambulance, and it's a weird point of view having to look from the inside out. Watching the bystanders take a peek as to who sat inside made me feel like an outlaw. I wasn't expecting the driver to turn on the siren because it's not a life-or-death trip, but then he did and started driving like a madman. I had to hold onto the stretcher I was sitting on and my stroller with my other hand to avoid being hurled around at the back. A couple of my stuff toppled over from the swerving and uncareful corner turns.
From the ambulance, I was escorted up to my hotel room where I will be staying for the next 14 days. Room 215 would be my temporary home...or fancy prison...depends on the day. It was a nice room with a high ceiling and a full glass window that stretched from wall to wall. I had a king-size bed and four pillows, plus a thick comforter to protect me from the freezing aircon at times. I didn't bring a whole lot of stuff since I knew all I needed were some comfortable clothes, my laptop, my phone, my journal, a whole lot of medicine, some food, and minor comforts here and there. My sarong is my comfort blanket, and carrying the blessed pendant of St. Benedict gives me a sense of security from possible negative energies. The lighting was good as it was mostly ambient light, and the TV also worked, plus the WiFi. It was an unsolicited 2-week staycation.
I unpacked my stuff and laid out my toiletries in a way that made the room feel more cozy than stiff. My phone kept ringing and I had to answer a lot of messages from family as my mom got the word out to call for prayer warriors in her circle. She even told me that my name was sent as far a Rome to be prayed for. It was both flattering and embarrassing as I knew I wasn't in a horrible state. Still, there is always a sense of gratitude towards any favor being given.
Late this evening a person from the La Castellana LGU called and asked the most ridiculous question. With a hard Filipino accent, he inquired in a deep raspy voice "Ma'am, what is your relationship to the owner of Mandayao Falls?" Unclear at the motive of the question, I answered, "He's my uncle." The guy proceeded, "What were you doing at Mandayao Falls? Why were you there?" In my head I was WTF, but then I explained that I was there for work, monitoring the construction of the glamping business I was working on. That conversation struck a chord as to how farfetched this whole contact tracing is. And our conversation ended there. No sense of reason at all. I was then informed days after that no one from the LGU even bothered to go to Mandayao Falls, nor coordinated with my uncle. What was that about?
The damn hotel didn't serve me dinner tonight, and I barely ate anything for lunch. I called the front desk a couple of times, but by 9pm I gave up because I peeked out the hallway and saw that they have turned off the lights. I'm just glad my parents made me bring a bag of fruits and that I also brought some snacks with me to keep me from succumbing to hunger. I just hope that this is not the tone I've set myself up for the next few days.
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| My room was spacious and had good lighting. |
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| I loved sleeping on that bed. But there was no escape from the air-conditioner where I had to sit the whole day. No matter what I did I was freezing at the far end of the room. |
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| Our door had an alarm system which was reassuring. I loved taking hot showers, the only problem was that the water took forever to drain. |
Day 2: May 13, 2021
I could start tasting salt again, nothing else but salt. I found this out after being served tapa for breakfast, and all I could taste was nothing but salt that went with the rubbery texture of the meat. I had to eat a lot of rice to dilute the amount of saltiness that filled my mouth. Other than that, my tongue felt numb...like nothing else could bother it but sodium. I wouldn't even know if I was eating soap at this point.
Then sometime today, another body from a different agency from La Castellana called me again. This time he asked more questions regarding my whereabouts for the duration. I was there on May 6 and May 8. I was honest and explained that I don't really chat with much of the people there. I was only there to give instructions and monitor the work of the people. I didn't stay in the lobby as most of the time I was at the construction site and practiced wearing a face mask and social distancing. I couldn't give the names of the workers that were with us at that time because I didn't know their names. So the contact tracer said that he'll just go there instead and interview the people. That didn't happen though. At least that's what I was told.
I've grown the habit of people watching from my window, catching a glimpse of my brother and his wife as they delivered the stuff for me. I also watched as my cousin came to drop off lunch for me. With not much to do in the afternoon, I started watching Castlevania on Netflix, a videogame I used to play with my brother on the PS1. I love the character styles and the folkloric elements of the series. I ended up binge-watching it until probably 2am, while falling asleep through two episodes in between. This is my problem with Netflix...the need to finish an entire series ASAP...which is why I avoid watching series and go for documentaries instead. Having to stay up late is never a good idea for someone who is ill and needs all the sleep they could get.
Right before sleeping, I started typing a short essay of my situation thinking of sending it to my barkada's group chat. I started getting emotional as I gathered my thoughts and started to read out loud as I was typing it in. I found myself in a pitiful situation. I left it there on the dialog box without hitting send...and after gathering myself I pressed the backspace button to delete the whole thing. I decided not to tell everyone, just those who happen to chat with me along with the duration of my quarantine period. This turned out to be the right decision as this avoided me from answering all the questions that I really didn't want to answer.
Highlight: Seeing my brother clumsily drag out the two-gallon water jug out of the car and it flew out rolling down the road and into the gutter. When the water was delivered up to my room it was full of mud that I had to wipe alcohol all over and wash it with soap.
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| The I had longganisa 4 days out of 12; tapa 3 days out of 12; tocino 4 days out of 12; and the only day I was served corned beef I wasn't able to take its photo. |
Day 3: May 14, 2021
I finally found out how to open the hotel door without triggering the alarm. Every time I open the door for more than two seconds an annoying alarm sound starts buzzing off that makes me kinda panic. Now at least I know better that by swinging the door wide open I won't let the whole floor know that I took the trash out or peeked if my food has arrived.
I spent the afternoon trying to finish the last season and a half of Castlevania, and I'm glad I got to finish the series before sunset. Today I've also come to realize how bad the covid situation here in Bacolod is. Judging by the number of ambulances that stop at the hotel to drop off covid positive people and the multitude of sirens I hear from morning until evening.
Highlight: Realizing that I could taste sweet notes after having a cup of flat white from Studio Cafe. This was a bittersweet moment as I really enjoy the flat white they serve at Studio Cafe, and the last time I had it was December 2020 when I was also in quarantine here after arriving from Manila and waiting for the swab result. I was negative then. It's just weird though because I couldn't taste the coffee nor the bitter notes of it, just the milk's sweetness at the tip of my tongue. So today I have two flavors to watch out for, salty and sweet.
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| These were some of my favorite meals for the duration of my stay. |
Day 4: May 15, 2021
I could taste sour notes this time. I had a full variety of viands for lunch, a little bit of comfort at every bite...even if I couldn't distinguish one food from the other. The one that felt so good eating was that bowl of dinuguan because being in a cold air-conditioned room, there's nothing better than having a hearty bowl of blood stew. I felt the sourness of the vinegar on my tongue, and it felt so good not having to just taste salt this time. I ate so much today, and I ate well...as I should because I have to take heaps of medicine that I'm concerned for my kidney and liver. I have to drink a lot of water every day to lessen all the medication being pumped into my system. I take a multivitamin pill in the morning, plus another vitamin D gel, paracetamol, a 650mg antibiotic after lunch, another Vitamin D + calcium after the antibiotic, another paracetamol in the afternoon, a mucolytic after dinner, and lastly a Vitamin C + Zinc before going to bed. I don't like it.
Highlight: The blooper of the nurses trying to check my oxygen levels. They placed the oximeter on my finger and I saw the reading of my oxygen level at 88. That alarmed me because that was way below the number I was comfortable with. The nurse must've seen my expression because she was quick to remove the oximeter off my finger and say, "Don't worry ma'am, you should be normal. Our device is broken. See?" She showed me the device with the reading of 70 for the oxygen level before adding, "We really should stop using this device because it's causing a panic among patients." I didn't know how to react to that except to be more vigilant with my breathing today. But damn, that did result in a momentary panic.
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| More food that the hotel served for lunch...except for the beef nilaga. |
Day 5: May 16, 2021
I woke up earlier and decided to do something a little different today. The first thing I did was open up my curtain so that I could see the outside much more clearly. I little more sunlight is always a good thing especially for a room temperature that plays between 23-25 degrees. I'm not sure if the glass window is a one-way mirror or if that they see me clearly inside, looking at them. It would be better if it's a one-way though...but I doubt since I couldn't see any sort of shade on the glass...just a lot of stain that seriously needs cleaning.
I had my favorite for lunch today...kansi soup. I tried to have the soup before it clogged down into a solid oil from the cold room. I managed to do it 2/3's of the way before I had to stop because the oils started clumping up. Boooo! At least I get to taste the sourness and saltiness of the soup this time...not the savoriness of the meat though.
Highlight: Recovering my bitter taste profile. I found this out by having a cup of coffee today. The first sip, my God it was like drinking bitter melon juice. It was much worse than the worst cup of coffee I ever had. I didn't taste any flavor profile from the coffee, just the sensation of bitterness on my tongue.
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| Some days I ate well, some days were just sad food day. |
Day 6: May 17, 2021
My friend sent me a nice chicken soup with ginseng from Hanok and a slice of ube cheesecake from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. She was one of the first I had to tell I was in quarantine because she messaged me of wanting to go to our glamping site with her family yesterday. I had to explain myself and why that wasn't possible.
It was today when I realized the value of smell and taste in defending yourself from being screwed. I reserved my lunch for dinner because I ate the soup that my friend sent, and had the worst stomach ache right after eating it for dinner. I wasn't sure if I ate spoiled rice or fish because I didn't taste anything wrong nor smelled it turning bad. That screwed me over at how careful I should be timing the freshness of the food and making sure I don't die the next few days from food poisoning due to my covid symptoms. Damn, that was so bad I had to rehydrate myself after a couple of trips to the bathroom.
Highlight: Having the weirdest dream, one that was so vivid I felt the dread had I not woken up sooner. The scene was in La Carlota city again, but the whole feel to it is different, kinda like a Taiwan feels with the structure of the buildings (I must miss traveling so much) but I knew I was back home in La Carlota. It starts out with me being in a hotel, still in quarantine...something relevant and realistic with my current situation...but then somehow I left the hotel with nothing but a small bag, leaving everything behind including Php20,000 cash that was supposed to be my payment for the hotel. Again, realistic, as mom gave me P20,000 before leaving the house for the quarantine. Next scene, I was with my friends Karl and Philip who drove me to a different hotel to check-in, a little far from my previous hotel, but when they left me there I decided to go home to our house in La Carlota first. Did I get there by walking maybe? Scenes that reminded me of Chiang Mai this time. My brother met up with me at the house, and I wanted him to drive me back to the first hotel because I just realized that I left without anything but a small empty backpack. I felt nervous about why I left so much cash and that another day has lapsed without me checking out of the hotel which meant I had to pay for another extra day. It would be a long way back, but then my brother had other plans because he brought his katana with him saying that he was leaving for his martial arts practice. Urgh! So I thought I'll take a tricycle instead, but on our way out I saw this huge procession marching past our gate. The sight of it gave me goosebumps. It was a horde of young men in old red English costumes carrying a larger-than-life statue of San Isidro Labrador. Hundreds of them in procession, much like the videos I see of Andalusia, Spain during the holy week. Then as they meld into the darkness like a surreal painting, I looked to my left with my mouth agape. There I saw a sea of people coming down the flyover (in reality there is no flyover there) in front of the Our Lady of Peace church in solemn garments and holding candles. An eerie sight with people holding up the carroza out of the church's huge wooden door, while much closer to where I stood people in black were also holding up the Santo Entierro covered in a white ornate blanket. The colors reminded me much of the scene in FFVIII during the parade of Edea where hues of red are mixed with the darkness of the evening. After all that, all I kept thinking to myself was how was I going to get myself to the hotel. Was I glad I woke up because I can't imagine losing that P20,000!
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| Some of the get well deliveries my friend and relatives sent. |
Day 7: May 18, 2021
I don't know why, but I guess it has something to do with getting some quality sleep that I get to dream a lot again, long lucid dreams. Prior to being in quarantine, I can't remember my dreams nor not having any dreams at all. This time it's with strangers...but somehow I felt like they were relatives who I haven't met at all. I got a vibe that they were either from the Feria or Lorenzo clan judging by their character. They came to the house for dinner, and while I was welcoming them I realized that I wasn't wearing any bra underneath my top...so I rushed to my room (a room that didn't look like my room at all) to put on some underwear only to realize that they all followed me in thinking that I was giving them a tour of the house. My dream ended with me thinking whether I should bother wearing a bra or just tour them around the house without wearing one...all the while wondering if they had noticed it at all. That dream was so petty, and it was the first time I dreamt anything of that nature. Quite funny really.
And for some reason, I don't know why my metabolism seems to work really well the past week. It's like I don't feel any bloating because I go several times a day...which is perfect since I don't do much physical activity lately. I don't know if it has something to do with covid, the medicine, or my body adjusting to the situation, but it's good because this way I don't have to worry about gaining all the weight I lost before being in quarantine.
Highlight: Feeling a sense of relief that the barangay didn't call today regarding the results of my parents' swab test. This usually means if they let the result bypass for more than 24 hours then it means the result is negative.
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| The upper left photo destroyed my stomach. The one on the right was a typical setup wherein I'd eat in front of my laptop screen watching more food videos to help with my appetite. |
Day 8: May 19, 2021
It's been exactly over a week of being in quarantine and I no longer feel like engaging in a lot of conversation regarding my health. I try to explain a brief summary of how I'm feeling as I know their pressing concern...but I'm not into the nature of repeating my stories too much. I don't revel in answering the same question more than twice, which is why I'm choosing to no longer tell anyone about my situation in the days ahead...at least until this is all over. I want to focus on working on my blog entries from here on out.
Today I felt really hungry. A lot of cravings started coming in including a couple of cakes, but most especially a good old hotdog sandwich. I guess this is a sign that I'm feeling better because my appetite is back. So I indulged by ordering a cup of matcha latte, a slice of graham milky flan, Jollibee's jolly hotdog, and a large cup of Coke Zero. I didn't taste any of them save for their most dominant flavors which were either sweet or salty. I really am starting to miss the indulgence of flavor and aroma. I had a little oops moment when I ordered delivery from Foodpanda and was told that the hotel doesn't allow to hand over cash to be given to the rider...so the front desk had to pay the rider the cash and charge it to my room when I check out. I felt kinda sorry for the rider when he had to call me that he wasn't allowed to go in nor did they entertain him, so I had to call the front desk to do something because he waited for quite a bit. Now I'm not sure if this has something to do with my missing taste buds, but perhaps why I'm eating so much is that I find no satisfaction in what I'm eating. I can't comprehend that feeling of being full until I find myself bloating because I quite satisfy that craving on my tongue. It's tragic really.
I watched the crypto market crash today, very very badly. OMG! I'm in so much trouble the next few weeks until this one corrects. This is not good for my health.
Highlight: Getting a good long steaming shower to ease up my sinuses. I feel really really good after every hot shower, but today I had extra showers, so I feel extra good. That satisfying first bite of the Jolly hotdog was also nice because I could feel the saltiness of the hotdog and the sourness of the honey mustard. Any sort of distinct taste and texture is truly pleasurable.
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| Some of the food I had delivered. I didn't taste any of them. |
Day 9: May 20, 2021
For some reason, I didn't remember my dream today. I was woken up by a loud knock on my room. It's that enthusiastic staff who pounds the door to say good morning and say that breakfast is there...he gives me a heart attack every time. I had pork tocino and three slices of watermelon for breakfast, no flavor though. I still can't taste anything.
I started spraying Salinase up my nostrils to help aid in declogging my sinuses because it's been too long for my recovery.
One of the first things I did was check on my eToro account and watch my bloodstained portfolio maintain its deficit streak. Damn! It wasn't a good way to start the morning. So the next thing I did was sell two of my local stocks after a breakout yesterday. I need to lock in some gains because I seriously don't want to lose any more. Glad that by afternoon, the crypto market was able to bounce back a bit.
Lunch was supposedly good with ensaladang talong and kansi steak...but then again all I got was the tangy sourness of the ensalada and the saltiness of the kansi steak.
Highlight: Feeling the sun on my skin again after four days without ever seeing or going under the sun because I was either asleep or it was too cloudy in that short timeframe when the sun enters the glass window of my room. It's only between 2:30pm - 3:30pm when I get a bit of sun...not the best time to under it...but it's the only option I got. A few minutes after sitting next to the glass it started raining. I love people watching whenever it rains. Observing how they go about their ways, covering their heads from the trickle of water down the sky is one of the few leisurely amusements I do.
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| One of the last few room service I got before checking out. |
Day 10: May 21, 2021
I started watching the Korean vlogger Kieun Choi and all her cafe hopping videos around Korea. It's one of my frustrations not being able to push through with my trip to Korea, twice now. My dream and core reason for wanting to go there is to take photos of as many beautiful cafes as possible and eat all the Korean food I love. So I spent a whole afternoon binge-watching her vlogs while chatting with a couple of people in between. I MISS NOODLES! I've been craving it for the longest time since I watch a lot of food vlogs eating either pancit canton or ramyun. I'm so tired of eating rice...HELP!
This afternoon I may have smelled the slightest scent of the alcohol up my left nostril. It was just for a split second though, but that felt so good to find that glimmer of hope that I'm going to smell again soon.
The guys working in front of my window finally moved their stuff out of my view and off to the other end of the building. At least I won't have to be conscious of what I'm wearing or try to hide from their sight whenever they were hanging out my window working on the signage. Seriously, they were delaying their work by taking their time with something that could have finished two days ago.
Highlight: I had a video call with my cousin this afternoon, then my aunt from Iloilo an hour later. They are faces of people I haven't seen for quite some time and I miss them dearly. It's a little funny that their first reaction when they saw my face that I look good and not sick at all. They were probably expecting that covid would destroy me and that I look miserable...but I tried to turn things around by taking care of myself instead, faithfully taking a hot shower and applying toner on my face and lotion. I don't look sick at all...but I do sound sick. So yeah, add to that the number of vitamins I've been taking...so it's no surprise I look better now than when I first went in. I had to explain to my cousin that I was so paranoid about not being able to smell myself that I make sure I clean myself as much as possible. Plus, the natural lighting in my room makes me look good that I was tempted to get a couple of selfies because of it.
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| The amount of medicine and vitamins I had to take everyday is alarming. Just for the one week of lowered immunity, I have to take in so much to catch up on my health. |
Day 11: May 22, 2021
I've reached a bump today. As I get closer to ending my quarantine, the more anxious I am with the days after I'm free. I can't go back to my normal ways just yet, not while I feel like I still have a hint of virus in me. They say that if I take another swab test before leaving the facility it'll still come out as positive because the virus strain still inhibits my body. It'll take at least a month of recovery until the virus will be flushed out of my system and I can have another swab test by then. If I am to have a realization why I'm feeling like crap today, it's probably because of hormones. Typical.
I had to take a power nap right after lunch then have some coffee and cookie to make me feel better. I guess I got pissed off with a bit of banter with my mom and her opinion on my decision on how I want to get vaccinated. Oh well...add to that the ongoing crash of the crypto market, urgh! I seriously don't know how long it will take to get my money back, and if when the next bull run will be. It's extra cash that I invested in stocks, I know, but opening my portfolio and seeing how red almost everything is quite heartbreaking.
I have to answer the same question every day to several people since I first arrived here: "How are you?"
And seriously I feel almost the same every day, a little ill from the virus and cold from the air conditioner. I make some stuff up at every response just so it's personalized although in truth I just want to copy-paste everything. I come up with answers with a bit of humor to alleviate their worry, especially to people who visualize all those with covid as gasping for air at every breath. If anything, I'm so thankful that was never the case for me as the worst I had was coughing whenever I took a deep breath a week ago. Now I can take a deep breath without choking on air. I am on my way to full recovery after all. Attitude on top of self-care is what's gonna help in situations like these.
Highlight: The food I had today was a little extra special. No, I still didn't taste them, but I knew they were good. It was the first time the hotel served corned beef for breakfast, and I was supposed to take a photo of it, made it all fancy by adding an apple and orange on the side...and then I got distracted watching YouTube that I was halfway done my meal when I realized I went from plating straight to digging in. So yeah, I didn't get to take a photo of it. Lunch was nice and healthy as the hotel served laswa with monggo, so I ate the soup while waiting for my actual lunch. Today I get to eat my favorite paksiw na bangus cooked by the wife of my cousin. She cooks it with batwan and atsuete and it's so divine...if only I could taste it today. I even had to use the paper plate I was keeping to accommodate the rice doused in vinegar sauce and the head of the bangus. Also had pinakbet on the side, which made it more healthy. Dinner was grilled cheese and a side of fries...which I seriously didn't get why they decided to pair french fries with grilled cheese. It should've been a salad or tomato soup. Carbs on carbs is a very common reality here in the Philippines. Seriously, I'm sick of eating rice and want more bread and noodles...but I don't have much choice.
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| This was the extent of my world for 13 days. |
Day 12: May 23, 2021
I finally ate all the fruits that my parents sent me twelve days ago. The struggle is really having to consume fruits that I have to peel myself since I'm always spoiled with my dad or brother preparing the fruits for me back home. I hate peeling stuff in a bratty sort of way. Add to the fact that I'm not too fond of their texture if I don't taste their fruity flavor, I had to force myself to eat them. It's crispy fried stuff that I want right now, especially nachos and spring rolls.
Right around lunchtime, I managed to get the slightest taste of the vegetables from the sinigang that was served. I tasted the sweet plant-like taste of the sitaw, the grassy taste of the kangkong, the slightly sour tomato taste of the soup, but it was devoid of any meaty taste...and I've come to the realization that it was because I couldn't taste the pork at all. I couldn't taste the gamey-metallic taste of meats just yet. When my lunch #2 arrived, it was tinola...and I managed to taste the ginger and that got me excited. Any sort of flavor is truly a delight.
For dinner, I tried ordering caesar salad and chicken wings because I thought I might be able to taste it, but I barely did. I lost my senses again which is annoying.
Right after receiving a phone call that I am allowed to leave the premises I had to start fixing my luggage just to make sure I pack everything before sleeping. I guess this has something to do with consistently getting a high reading of 99% on my oxygen level and 36.7 degrees temperature level for the last five days.
The nurse said something that made me go wow. She said, "Once your service arrives and you have settled your bill with the hotel you can be integrated back to the outside world and rejoin society once again." That moment made me feel like an outcast.
Highlight: I was in the middle of the mass of the Pentecost of Fr. Orbos when the phone started ringing. The front desk informed me that the nurse at the station has given me the green light to go home tomorrow. And I said, "What? But I still have another day. I'm supposed to go home on Tuesday, not Monday." I kinda want to extend another day here...because another day won't hurt. But then it dawned on me that if I check out tomorrow, the savings should suffice the bill I've accumulated from all the room service I've been getting. Plus I'm starting to sneeze in the room a lot today...I seriously need to go out because I see all the dust plumes flying in the room already. I'm breathing too much of my dead skin cells at this point that I might fall back into being sick again under stuffy conditions. And my skin is really really dry at this point because of the lack of oil my body is producing from not sweating...even putting a layer of lotion no longer helps.
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| I can't believe how much I miss eating on a proper plate and using chopsticks! |
Day 13: May 24, 2021
Today I finally go home. I figured this might have something to do with the hotel needing to use my room instead of me qualifying to leave the premises early. If anything, I know how to operate a business and how capitalism works. I received multiple phone calls from the nurse's station and the front lobby asking me if what time I'll be picked up. Their calls started as early as 8am with the nurse telling me I should go home now, and all I could answer was, "I just woke up." In my head, the check-out time is at 12nn...I'm in no rush because when I go home I'll still be self-isolating for the next week anyway.
I called the contact person in my barangay telling her that I was allowed to go out and that they should remove the cordon on our gate so that my parents can come and fetch me. She said that my parents can just remove the cordon anytime if the hotel has already coordinated with the barangay and it is assumed that we are good as free on this day forward. I called my mom to tell her this and she started crying from the outpour of emotional relief as they also finally received news that the entire household was negative on their covid test. It's like the good news came all at once after being so stricken since last week. She even said that the barangay official dropped my name stating that they have already told me regarding the results, and I was like, "No! They told me the results haven't come out yet." But yeah, they were finally free from the house quarantine, and at around 11am they arrived to settle the bill. And you know what? The hotel refused to accept the cash that I brought with me because they don't want to risk receiving money from a covid-positive person. I guess that awful dream resulting from paranoia was pointless.
I went down the hotel lobby and the two nurses at the station greeted me. They handed over my certificate of completion of undergoing the mandatory quarantine and being marked as recovered and has fallen to the category of asymptomatic. I asked them when it is possible for me to get another swab just to make sure I'm already negative. Both nurses discouraged me because they say it'll come out positive still. I shouldn't get another swab until at least after over a month just to be sure because if I get a positive result again, the whole process will be repeated with me having to through another mandatory quarantine and the house needing to be locked down again. They said that as much as possible I should try to recover and avoid getting swabbed again. This is another way of saying that I should be more responsible with my decisions next time. They made me take a photo with them holding up my certificate as part of the "graduation" ritual. The nurse even joked that they were supposed to be a marching band and cake that went with the graduation rites but both didn't arrive on time. This was the second time I received the certificate...it's not a gratifying feeling.
First this I noticed when I left the hotel premises was how hot it was being back outside. Seriously, it was an ungodly hot day with the car feeling like an oven. We had to make a few stopovers, like buying lunch, fruits, snacks, bread, gas...I'm sure my parents missed going out as much as I did. They didn't allow me to leave the car though, so I was stuck waiting inside the car with a hellish temperature because we had to make the trip without using the aircon based on a hard lesson learned. I could see my skin burning up with patches of dry scales forming on top.
Back home I had to disinfect every single thing I brought back with me from the hotel and change all my clothes before going inside the house. I have to keep on wearing my facemask and not go around the house too much. I'll be staying in my room most of the time and will probably go out to get some sunshine in the morning or forage for food but eat all meals in my room. This will have to go on for the next couple of days, avoiding contact with everyone still.
By evening I started feeling itchy. I may have developed prickly heat after staying in a hotel room that maintained a temperature of 23 degrees and thrown out into a 32-degree weather isn't good for me. It'll take a while before my body adjusts to this heat, but damn it's not any comfortable. At least I get to breathe in the fresh air again.
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| A couple of YouTube channels that I spent some time watching while in quarantine. |
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| More YouTube channels, plus two podcasts that I usually listen to. |
What have I learned after all this? It's to be more responsible for your actions because it's not gonna be just you who will be inconvenienced for an extended period. And that in moments like these, it's really the family that pulls through.
I can't believe how fast time can pass by watching YouTube videos or watching a series. For two weeks I was not able to do much work, and that is due to watching too many vlog videos...they fulfill my desire to walk around somewhere and be free. I also realized how mentally stable I am with being alone for two weeks because not once did I shatter or feel loneliness. This has something to do with being a bit of an introvert and being in control of my emotions. It's a very useful skill to learn to keep your sanity because at some point in everyone's lives we'll have to go through something alone. There's nothing to be sad about keeping your own company...you will have to be the most interesting person that you meet to make that happen. It's all matter of creating this character that you would like to hang out with and never grow sick of, and becoming exactly that.
I also learned that I have to be patient with my healing. My God it's taking forever to get my senses back! It's been more than two weeks since I lost them (taste and smell) and any sort of progress makes me giddy. I look forward to the day when I wake up and realize that I can smell again, taste again.
With this I became part of the country's COVID-19 statistic chart:
Counting in as part of Bacolod's 63 new cases together with the Philippines' 4842 new cases, totaling to me with the 1,118,359 other Filipinos that became covid positive as of May 12, 2001.
On May 25, 2021, my name was included in the 150 recovered covid patient from Bacolod. This joined with the 4659 recoveries of the country, raising the total recoveries to 1,120,452 that day.
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| This was my certificate of completion at the end of my quarantine. |
I stayed at Avenue Suites for Php 2,198.00 per night. They serve 3 meals a day...but their meals won't pass as a proper meal on certain days. The quality of the food that they serve would be my biggest complaint. Some meals will be a matchbox size meat with some sauce and a cup of low grade rice. The service though is nice, and a stationed nurse will check your temperature and oxygen levels everyday. You can order from their Studio Cafe and add it to your room charge upon check-out. They won't allow for any cash transactions, so if you order delivery be sure to pay it through a cashless method. 👉 Avenue Suites
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