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Day Five – A Whole New Beast

Tuesday 05 April 2022 Day Five – A Whole New Beast

Don’t take a cough bottle on an empty stomach. Just don’t. Don’t be like me.

There I was, after cooking up a nice breakfast, taking all my medications and supplements, and doing my best to fuel myself well for recovery, I become more thankful for the dioralyte than I realised I would be. Suddenly everything I had taken that morning had all been but flushed away.

I will admit, although I knew my IBS was likely to be triggered when fighting off a virus, I did begin to worry that this could be a symptom to take much more seriously. Gastrointestinal symptoms of Covid can be found in patients who end up in hospital. Dehydration can leave the person susceptible to pneumonia. Was I about to be that person?

The triumphant wave of my positive antigen test in an attempt to lighten my mood on Thursday felt like a steady smack of reality as I weighed out my options. Was I experiencing a bad Covid symptom? Or, did I eat something bad? That’s when I realised I had taken my cough bottle before eating and it contains xylitol, a sweetener known to have a laxative effect.

Aaand breathe. Jeez, I gave myself a fright.

Back to bed with the Irish old reliable, tea and toast. I’m not a tea drinker, but it does give me a sense of comfort when I’m not feeling well. Usually, I’ll even put some sugar in tea if I’m feeling really unwell. I’m sure my first-year Anthropology tutor would only love to hear about the soothing and comforting notion that is associated with tea in Ireland.

Side Note: We were asked to do an assignment about something quintessentially Irish, and why it was so. We were also asked specifically not to focus on tea, the GAA, or a roast dinner. I did it on tea. A lot of us did. I don’t think I did very well.

The day consisted of bed rest, bland food, and finally, a shower. It was all starting to come together when I tried to help clear my blocked ear with a gentle swivel of a Q-tip. Blood. Like bright crimson blood. Obviously, I have Covid, so I can’t go to a doctor or a chemist. After a few phone calls and a number of smarmy receptionists later, I both booked and canceled my 65 euro KDoc appointment and settled on sleeping on it. That, and I booked an online GP appointment through my health insurance (I am more and more thankful for that day by day).

Queue another covid-somnia night. 

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