It’s rough working while chronically ill. It’s even worse working while chronically ill during COVID-19. Personally, the majority of COVID-19 symptoms is just what I deal with a lot of the time. I personally get low grade fevers almost every afternoon—if not every other afternoon. I’m not sure what causes this, but it does make things slightly aggravating and concerning. For example, I did way too much last week. Work was hectic, and I found myself using my cane almost every day this past week. I almost called in sick on Friday, because I was so tired. I had multiple leg cramps the night before, and my back was bothering me again. Fast forward to Friday evening where I felt like crap. I was dizzy, nauseated, had sore lymph nodes, low grade fever, and some drainage in the back of my throat with a sore throat. No surprise, I had overdone it. On Saturday, I felt slightly better after sleeping. I still had a low grade fever and some drainage in my throat along with feeling dizzy every time I stood up from my chair.
I know any able bodied people would assume I was sick or had a sinus issue, and I will admit at first, I wasn’t sure if it was me crashing or being sick. By Sunday, I figured out it was me crashing. On Sunday, I had a little dizziness with a low grade fever in the evening, but that was all. And in the evening, that’s normal for me anyway. It’s so weird to have this happen, and not be sure if I should work or not. Especially during COVID, these types of crashing and flares make life confusing at times.
I always just have to remember that no one knows your body better than you do. At times, you might not be sure yourself of what your body is doing, and that’s okay. Listen to your body. Rest when able, and try to pace your activities according to what your body is telling you.
I hope you’re all doing well. It’s already Monday, a beginning of a new week for me. I’m hoping I can pace myself a little more this week than last week, but we will see.
Can my fellow warriors relate? I’d love to hear from you!
CFS Warrior (Alexandria Brooke Martin)