What It’s Like to Have Covid-19 Symptoms for 5 Months
Notes from a millennial long-hauler
In March, I tested positive for Covid-19, well before there was a curve that needed flattening. The grueling road to recovery has tested every fiber of my being, and it’s far from over. This is life as a long-hauler.
It’s a weird thing having Covid-19. It’s full of contradictions. You’re part of this morbid zeitgeist but, at the same time, stigmatized. There are peaks and valleys of varying degrees: The lingering primal fear of thinking you might not wake up the next morning followed by the unfettered relief and joy when you start to turn a corner. You assume you’re getting better, but really your body is in the eye of a viral storm. Tons of people send you love, but you can’t touch your loved ones. For some, Covid-19 is a blessedly short experience. For others, those of us the world has dubbed “long-haulers,” the journey doesn’t end when you finally test negative.
My story started with a road trip.
On March 15, I drove from New York to Washington, D.C. with my husband, Mike, and our demonic cat, Salem. Initial plans for a vacation had been scrapped as the world started to shut down, so my mom’s house sounded like a good place to be. I wasn’t alone in this instinct. Hordes of fellow millennial runaways were fleeing to…
