Today has been the best day. Sure… it stinks to celebrate your birthday in the middle of a pandemic, while being COVID positive and under order to isolate from my family and others, but I don’t know that it could have been any better. Well, a huge hug from Brian and the kids and hanging out with my mom and siblings would have made it better, but that’s it. It was otherwise perfect.
The morning began with breakfast from Brian.
Then, I was allowed in the living room (socially distanced) to watch a short film. This 27 minute video was filled with messages from some dear friends and family. It featured some of my favorite Broadway stars, Jessica Vosk and Amanda Jane Cooper. Like, I nearly died. It featured one of my favorite instagrammers/singer/songwriters Molly Reed Grayson. It featured a stopmotion Barbie movie from my niece, Stella. AND. It opened with Dolly Parton singing a Happy Birthday song to ME (well… all “Nora”‘s in general, but I’m pretending Brian got her to sing just for me :))). I laughed. I cried. I screamed. Everyone deserves that type of video once in their lives. I told Brian, he will never top that gift. That was epic. He can retire. He won all the birthdays from here until eternity.
I decided I needed to begin this first day in my 40s with a run and went for a short run. Brian ran in front of me… beginning with 6 feet and gradually increasing the distance because he’s a much faster runner than me :).
My sister stopped by to drop off birthday treats and I was able to talk to her from across the yard! Made me SO happy!!!
After lunch, I sat on the porch as sweet friends drove by to honk, wave and give birthday wishes. It was so sweet!
In the middle of the fun, I received a call from the Health Department. My new friend, Sara, discussed my isolation procedures and took the information on my contacts 48 hours prior to diagnosis. We talked through my family’s quarantine rules and I was told I would be checking vitals daily and reporting to her. I was told that I needed to E-sign a couple of documents for me and for Bethany since she is a dependent and another contact tracer would be contacting Daniel and Brian. What she said at the end of the call made me sad… She said, “Wow. Thank you. I wish everyone I called was like you. I’ve been cussed at and hung up on a lot. Thank you for complying.” Y’all. We have got to do better.
You may be wondering what the documents that a COVID positive person or a direct contact of a COVID positive person have to sign say. Well, in the state of Kentucky, this is what they look like. (Marked out info on my County and my contact tracer’s name).
After all the birthday fun, Bethany and I carved our pumpkins outside, socially distanced of course.
We’re finishing off the night with some scary movies and ignoring the poor little trick or treaters walking down the street (we promise you don’t want candy from us this year! We will give you double next year!).
Self-Assess time… Still no symptoms. The only weird thing so far is my heart rate got unusually high at the beginning of my run. Typically, my HR doesn’t climb above 155 on a run unless I’m running sprints. Today, .2 miles in, I had to walk because it hit 180 and I felt like my heart was pounding out of my chest. After another minute or so I was able to resume the run and my heart rate was it’s normal 150-155. This could be explained by a lack of regular running lately, being a little out of shape, or maybe the fact that I had two cups of coffee before my run. But it could also be COVID related, so that’s why I’m documenting it. An MS friend of mine who is an active runner found that her HR took a long time to return to normal after getting very sick with COVID. Recently on a slow walk, her HR reached 180. She’s slowly recovering and regaining her strength and stamina. I’m thankful that she’s shared her story so I could know to watch for this symptom in me.
Here are my vitals for today:
Not Today, MS 