It has been just over 10 weeks since I was exposed to COVID and 9 weeks since my first symptoms appeared. It has been an interesting roller coaster, to say the least. I thought I was being careful, but apparently not careful enough. I was fortunate and had a mild case of it, plus no preexisting conditions. But then came the complications after I thought I was better. And now I am one of those who meets criteria for being a “long hauler.”

I had regularly been making posts on my Facebook profile so that friends and family could stay up to date. In fact, for almost the first five weeks, I posted an update daily. When Christmas came around, I slowed up the posts. I felt like I didn’t really have anything new to add. It was a constant roller coaster and I felt like all I was doing was complaining. Plus, it was Christmas. Why should I share my depressing story during the holidays?

I thought about starting up again around New Years, but again, I didn’t want to mess with the holidays. Then because my weekly anniversaries all hit on weekends, I didn’t feel right updating because we have all been so excited about the Bills run toward the Super Bowl for the first time in 25 years. I wanted to celebrate that, not dwell on my issues.

And then there was the inauguration and the fun of the Bernie memes. Again, why be a damper?

But then I kept reflecting on it. People told me for weeks that they appreciated my updates. They wanted to know how I was, but also I was showing that it was a real disease. COVID hits everyone differently. My story wasn’t exactly like anyone else’s. Others felt confident to share their stories with me and started to do so. I was honestly amazed at the number of people I knew who had contracted it, not just locally, but all across the US. They just hadn’t spoken up about it.

You know, there is a bit of a stigma attached to it. People freak out when they know you have it. But it’s still important to share our stories. I even came across an article at one point that emphasized the importance of people sharing their stories. So I made a decision.

I started writing my COVID Chronicles a few weeks ago. I still have a lot more to say and keep jotting notes. So each week, for an undetermined number of weeks, I am going to share a part of my story. If you want to follow along and be supportive, I appreciate it. If you still think that it is a hoax or something political, please go away. I don’t want to deal with you.

I hope that you can learn something from my experiences. I hope that you stay healthy and do not have to deal with this. And I hope we can get it all under control sooner rather than later so that fewer people have to deal with this.

Thank you for reading.