So I was exposed to COVID… again. I have quarantined I don’t know how many times just this year alone because of having contact with someone who was positive for COVID. Each of the previous times, I know that the people in question were taking precautions and followed all of the protocols. This time however, was someone from outside my regular circle, and they were unfortunately untruthful about their status.

I work with a vulnerable population and also have my mom at home, who is at high risk as well, so I have been very cautious for the last 2 1/2 years. Ever since the initial lockdowns, I have masked and social distanced. I have stopped shopping at certain stores that seem to be more crowded or less sanitized. I don’t eat out at restaurants. I basically don’t go anywhere other than work, the grocery store, and home. And honestly, if I lived somewhere I could get groceries delivered, I wouldn’t go there either.

Recently we have started introducing more in person meetings for work, so I’ve started traveling throughout the state again and staying in hotels. I am very particular about the hotels I choose to stay in and wipe everything down as soon as I arrive. On my most recent training trip last week, one of the participants was not truthful about their status and did not actually take the rapid test that they used to show the were negative. This came to light after the training ended and we were all notified over the weekend of our possible exposure.

I took a home test at 3 days post contact, which came up negative, but decided to wait and test again at 5 days before returning to the office. In the past 24 hours I have started coughing, have been short of breath, and have a slightly elevated temperature. I’m worried that my time has arrived and that my test tomorrow morning will be positive. Which means I will have exposed my mom as well.

Needless to say, I am completely frustrated by this.

And maybe my head is just messing with me and it’s anxiety that’s causing the cough and shortness of breath (it has before), and I’m not actually sick. I just have to wait and see what the test says in the morning… and to be prepared either way.

**edited to add that my second test is negative as well, must be something else that’s making me not feel well.**