Kellie Faces Covid19- May and June 2021

 Kellie Faces Covid19

May and June 2021 

Such a beautiful picture... Seen from a different view. 

As a bystander for the past 15 months, I watched the news of people getting COVID and even watched friends get this terrible virus and deep down I thought "I won't get it. I have a GREAT immunity system". I never said this out loud but I will be honest and tell you that I did, in fact, think it. I am not someone who gets sick very often. In fact, in all 16 years of my teaching I have only taken a true sick day about 4 times out of approximately 2,992 days. I have taken personal days or "mental health" days but I have rarely ever been so sick I could not report for work. I've built up a very strong immunity system and even when Chris or the kids would get sick with a stomach bug or some other contagious sickness, I would remain healthy. The Thanksgiving of 2010 when Natalie had a stomach bug and then got EVERYONE sick at my in-laws house... Everyone but ME! I remained "healthy as a horse". So I just knew I would be fine if I did ever get COVID19. 

The Last Week of School 2021 (May 17-21)

My campus is getting a new building for 2021-2022 and this was the week we were all packing up EVERYTHING in our rooms to take to the new school. My orchestra kids were done playing for the year and I was inventorying all of our instruments and supplies to be taken to the new building. My classroom was built for me in 2019 and the air conditioning does not work at full strength. It will cool my room a little bit but it is always super humid and hot in my classroom. Again, since we are getting a new building, repairs were not allowed for this old building. In other words, I just dealt with the crazy hot and humid temperatures in August and May and the SUPER cold temps in January. 

But this week I was working so hard and there was LOTS of physical work involved. Most days I was not eating lunch in order to get more work done while I did not have kids in my classroom. And looking back, I was drinking coffees and Cokes and not water. By Friday, the last day of school, I was very dehydrated and I could tell. I was also having stomach issues. I checked for a fever and did not have one so I just assumed I was physically worn out, dehydrated and possibly had a stomach bug. 

Luke had a baseball tournament in Beaumont, TX this weekend and I was so worn out and having bathroom issues on both ends that I told Chris he would have to do this one alone. I came home from school on Friday, May 21st and literally passed out on the bed around 5PM. I NEVER do this! 

Saturday, May 22nd

Chris and Luke left for Beaumont mid-day and I told Chris I just didn't feel well at all. I was starting to cough but in the afternoon did not have a fever but I felt as if I was ran over by a dump truck. I tried to stay away from Natalie in case it was a 24 hour stomach bug or something. The poor girl had to take care of herself that evening as I was asleep in the guest bedroom before the sun even went down. 

Sunday, May 23rd

I woke up and was still feeling AWFUL and took my temperature and sure enough, I had a fever. I had developed a deep cough as well so I knew this was not good. I went to the Urgent Care near our home around 11AM and got a positive result by 11:30AM. I came home and went straight to the guest bedroom to isolate from Natalie. Luckily we had lots of snacks and groceries for her but she did have to take care of herself, for which she did an amazing job. By 6PM I was in a LOT of pain and coughing so hard, it hurt. Chris and Luke got home from winning the tournament around 10PM. It felt so good to have them here to take care of Natalie. I said hello from the upstairs hallway but stayed as far away as possible. I felt terrible missing his tournament and just stood at the top of the stairs and cried.  

Monday, May 24th

This was a Profession Development (PD) day in our district and even though I was in quarantine for COVID, since Chris was fully vaccinated he continued to go to work like normal. The kids stayed downstairs and watched movies and played on their iPads while I was upstairs in the guest bedroom. I still had a fever and it was creeping up little by little to 102* by evening. I did not have an appetite at all and was coughing around the clock. I called the doctor from the Urgent Care and asked for some medication for the cough. He prescribed two types of medicines and I started those around 4PM. 

I spent the afternoon trying to sit up and do my grades for the end of the school year. I would enter a class or section then lay back down. I didn't even have energy to sit up. When Chris got home I told him I was not getting better but worse. He made me try and eat some soup but I couldn't even keep it down. I could not remember a time in my life when I felt this bad. I remember praying, "Lord please just heal me and let's this be an EASY bout with Covid". I also remember a friend telling me to NEVER lie on your back since the virus will accumulate on the lungs if you do this and you could develop pneumonia. I did not sleep hardly at all but when I did, it was on my side. 

Tuesday, May 25th

After a long night of uncomfortableness and an elevated fever, this day was pretty much "same song, second verse" from the day before. The medications for the cough did not help that much but made me super dizzy, nauseous and my mouth really dry. The kids continued to stay downstairs and were on their iPads literally all day. I hated this but there was nothing I could do. Natalie did an exceptional job of making breakfast and lunch for her and Luke as well as taking care of our dog, Oxford. Again, I tried to do some end of the year work for school but I could not stay sitting upright for longer than about 5-10 minutes before getting nauseous and dizzy. Around 3PM on this day I noticed my heartrate was elevated. Even when I was trying to sleep. My FitBit would register my heart-rate at 120 or higher when I was laying down and when I got up to use the restroom it would go as high as 140-145bpm. While this did seem odd to me, I just thought it was part of Covid. 

Pre-ER Vlog: 

Wednesday, May 26th (Hospital Day 1)

I woke up and my fever was still sitting right at 102* and I was still coughing  quite a bit, more than I would have assumed with the help of the medications. I was really dizzy and when I got up to use the restroom, I nearly blacked out. My heartrate continued to stay in the 120-130bpm zone all night and in the early morning. Around 10AM I sent Chris a text and told him that when he got home, if my heartbeat was still high I wanted him to take me to Urgent Care. Within 5 minutes he called me and said he was on his way home. The rest of the day was a whirlwind. Covid Pneumonia came and hit me like a TON OF BRICKS. After HOURS in the ER, I was wheeled up to room 572 as a Covid Pneumonia patient and was starting the Remdesivir drug in hopes of getting better. 

My home for God only knows how long...

Hospital Day 1 Vlog:

Thursday, May 27th (Hospital Day 2)

I was SO TIRED. I was running on minimal sleep anyway but you add a HARD hospital bed and it was so much worse. I felt like a leper in that hospital room as NOBODY was allowed to be in the room and even the nurses had to put on 3-4 layers of protection. I was isolated and alone and it was absolutely miserable. I prayed and sang Praise songs most of the night to help me not go crazy. I was reminded of something my dad said at my Grandma's funeral in 2015... "When Jesus is all you have, Jesus is all you need". He was all I had and He was all I needed. 

The door could only stay open for 15 seconds or a LOUD alarm would go off. The nurses were in head-to-toe protection and I just felt like an STD or something. It was so awful! 

Hospital Day 2

Friday, May 28th (Hospital Day 3) 

Another restless night in the hospital but I could tell the fancy drugs and medicine I was taking were working because I actually started to feel better. I no longer had a fever and my appetite was slowly starting to come back. However, by mid-day my anxiety was as high as ever. I was going completely insane due to isolation and my mind was racing thinking of all of the long term effects this might have on me. I did SO MANY PACES in that small hospital room on this day but near evening, Chris and the kids made their way to the "bridge" and I was actually able to see them. I cried many, MANY tears. But they were tears of JOY! I missed my family SO MUCH! 

As most of my teacher friends OFFICIALLY started their summers with pictures of beaches and mountains... This was MY view! I think this made the anxiety even worse! 

Even through the window and hearing their voices on the phone... I felt SO MUCH better. 

Hospital Day 3 Vlog

Saturday, May 29th (Hospital Day 4)

I kept praying and kept singing and was able to get a decent night's sleep and woke up refreshed. I was feeling better everyday and even was able to get off the oxygen machine by the afternoon. The medicine was working very well and I was hopeful I could go home the following day. 

Hospital Day 4 Vlog

Sunday, May 30th (Hospital Day 5 and DISCHARGE)

I woke up and prayed that after this last dose of medicine I would be able to get a green light to be discharged on the following day, Monday (Memorial Day). Every time I was woke up for a blood pressure check or blood draw, I prayed and prayed for a good report so this evening would be my last night at St. Luke's. My parents and sister surprised me and came to the bridge to wave hello and I was giddy with excitement thinking that soon, I would be able to actually see them in real life and hug them! It was a slow morning but shortly after lunch my doctor came in and gave me the green light to go home... TODAY! God is SO GOOD!

My sister, dad and mom from "The bridge" outside of St. Luke's in The Woodlands! 
I cannot even begin to describe how much this meant to me. Thanks y'all! 

I have the papers... LET'S GO! 

When I got home... This was waiting for me from my parents and sister! 
This meant SO MUCH to me! 

Hospital Day 5 Vlog

I'm going home today... WOOHOO! 

Monday, May 31- June 3, (The rest of quarantine) 

These days were FABULOUS but so hard as I was still in complete isolation and could not be around Chris or the kids... BUT I was at home. It felt right and felt normal again! On Thursday, June 3rd I had a post-discharge appointment with my PCP and was released from quarantine. The chest X-ray showed I still have some lingering pneumonia but contagious Covid had run it's course. I had been in isolation so long, it almost felt weird to take my mask off and be around other people. I will NEVER forget the hug Luke gave me when I got home and told him it was time for hugs. This was literally the best hug of my entire life. 

POST HOSPITAL VLOG

Week 1 Post- Covid (June 4-10)

The day after I got out of quarantine Luke and Chris headed out to another tournament. This was in Austin and was supposed to be the start to our family vacation 2021. I did not feel it was a good idea if I went since I was still not 100% so the boys went alone. My parents came to spend the weekend with me and then took Natalie back home with them to Arp, TX for the week. 

1st day out of quarantine and I wanted to get dressed up. 
I was SO EXHAUSTED afterwards but felt so much better!

Overall, I was really tired this week and felt myself trying to get back to normal "too much, too soon". But I wanted to get back to normal.  Normal for me this week was laundry and dishes. Chris still made all the dinners and did most of the other housework. About every 3-4 days I had to just stay home and lay in bed. The Texas heat and humidity was an issue so I stayed inside most of this week while Chris took the kids to the neighborhood pool in the afternoons. 

Week 2 Post- Covid (June 11-17)

This week was much of the same from the previous week. However, now our summer really started as we helped Natalie and Luke get to and from summer camps and sporting lessons. I noticed that I was starting to do better with my nebulizer and my breathing exercises. I also noticed that I was not as tired as the previous week to 10 days. I still got tired every once in a while but it was about every 5 days. We had our first family outing of the summer to Neal's Berry Farm and I only lasted about an hour. I was just worn out and hot! This was also Luke's 9th Birthday weekend. I was able to go to Urban Air with the family, sit by the pool and Olive Garden. Thank you Jesus for this blessing! 

Now it feels like summer... A family outing! 

Happy 9th Birthday Luke the Duke! 

I am SO GLAD I was able to spend the day with you! 
I love you! 

Week 3 Post-Covid (June 18-24)

As I continued to make progress daily and I got the green light from my hospital doctor, the Montgomery County Infectious Disease doctor as well as my PCP, we decided to keep our vacations plans and we traveled to the San Francisco bay area for a week long celebration of our 15th wedding anniversary. It was an amazing week of incredible memories and my Covid fatigue only got in the way 1.5 of the 7 days and I count that as a blessing. I was able to walk across (and back) the Golden Gate Bridge, which was a total of 3.6 miles as well as do a 3+mile hike in Lake Tahoe. We did a lot and I paid for it (see week 4) but I am so glad we did it! Check out our San Francisco Blog! 

I did it... I actually walked across (AND BACK) the Golden Gate Bridge. 
It took FOREVER and about every 10 minutes I had to stop as I was short of breath but I DID IT!

Check out my short testimony below:

This was an "it can't get much worse" type of moment. I was already short of breath and winded so might as well go up a mountain top! I thought, if I am going to go "out"... I am going to go out SWINGING! I am so glad I pushed through (it was rough the last little bit) and got to the top! It was incredible! 

Week 4 Post- Covid (June 25-July 1)

This was a week of almost complete recovery. We picked up our kids from my parents on Monday and dropped them off with Chris's parents on Thursday. In the middle of that we took the kids and their friends to a local waterpark. It was then that I learned I am just not quite ready for long and hot days such as this. I really felt the fatigue on these few days and was completely wiped out. 

Week 5 Post- Covid (July 2-8)

Our kids were living up their life at "the farm" in Lubbock, TX with Chris's parents and in the mean time Chris and I were living it up... on the couch. We treated this week as a time to just relax, not have chores and enjoy each other's company. We watched movies, made meals we wouldn't make for the kids and ate out many times at our favorite restaurants. It was a vacation from parenting and a well deserved break. 

Alligator from Pappadeaux... My all-time favorite!

I decided it was time to get back to exercising on July 1st. 
This was a SO HARD! I was so winded... SO QUICKLY! 

Week 6 Post- Covid (July 9-14)

We picked up the kids from Chris's parents on Saturday and enjoyed being able to see the kids again. We had really only seen them 2 days out of the last month. They had each grown so much! Then we got home and heard all about their time at the farm with Gigi and Grandpa! 

Thank you Gigi Jackie and Grandpa! 
The kids LOVE spending time with you at the farm! 

Reunited and it feels so good! I have missed my babies! 

I had my 6 week follow up appointment on Monday and I was FINALLY all clear from COVID and the pneumonia was completely gone. My doctor said she was extremely pleased with my recovery and gave me the "green light" to return to work full time and life as we know it! It felt SO GOOD to walk out of that clinic knowing I was completely healed. Thank you JESUS for Your continued blessings. 

July 14. 2021... I am officially ALL CLEARED! 
Bye bye COVID Pneumonia! Peace out! 

With God by my side, I made it past this terrible virus and I owe my recovery all to HIM! He is the Great Physician and He healed me. I do not deserve this type of mercy and grace but I am forever grateful. Thank you to all of our family, friends and colleagues for the kindness, support, prayers, meals and so much more that you provided for our family in our time of need. I do not know what we would have done without y'all! God is so good to us and has blessed us with so many good people in our lives and we are so grateful! 

I hope and pray that my family and friends do not have any type of encounter with this virus and I pray it has "ran its course" in the future. But I made it through and am a living testimony for God and His faithfulness. If you have never accepted the Lord Jesus as your personal savior, please call/ email/ text me and I will help you receive the greatest gift of all time. 

When Jesus is all you have... Jesus is ALL you need! 
God is good... ALL the time!