Dealing with Covid and University at the same time and what I learned

Photos and written by Amy Bridges

                We are in wave … 52… of the pandemic and unfortunately, my number was up. On December 19, 2021, I woke up feeling like death. I finally was able to get my hands on a test on December 30, 2021, and on January 3, 2022, it was confirmed. It was Covid. As I struggled with getting through Covid and dealing with my normal health issues at the same time I also had to deal with the winter semester coming up. The stress has not been helpful in my healing process, but I am getting there. It is now a month and a half from the initial bad morning, and I am finally starting to feel like a normal human being. Not only have I been dealing with the dreaded ‘Rona but at the end I also got Strep Throat to end this with a bang. I am not out of the woods with some long-lasting effects (my cough seems to not want to leave, breathing issues, damage that leaves the cold air burning my throat and lungs, just to name a few) but I am much more functional and have been able to go to in-person classes luckily.

                Throughout this mess I have had to go to online classes and have still had to be a university student because well everything isn’t going to wait for me to recuperate. Unfortunately, the risk of getting Covid isn’t out of the woods for myself or anyone else so I thought I would share some of the things I learned while navigating through it.

                Lesson 1 – I have never been so grateful for a vaccine in my whole life. Without being double vaccinated I doubt I would have survived. While the symptoms I had were milder in comparison to some I am fully aware that it was the vaccine that helped manage that. My body does not do well with illness, and it always takes me much longer to deal with it then others. Covid hit me hard and tried it’s best, but thankfully I am still here. 

                Lesson 2 – Tea was my best friend, it normally is, but it was a big help. I lived off David’s Tea and Tetley’s Decaffeinated tea the whole time. David’s Tea Cold 911 tea not only helped me to sleep but also helped to navigate through some of the symptoms. The heat of all the tea that I was drinking also helped to soothe my throat and warmed me up despite all the cold shivers from the high fevers I was dealing with.

                Lesson 3 – Take naps. I was and am still dealing with exhaustion. While I definitely have a lot more energy now, I am still struggling. I was never a nap person before, but I am now, at least for the mean time. Sleep helped to not only heal but also to give a break from the pain and frustrations of being sick.

                Lesson 4 – Give yourself a break. While I was and still am angry about the whole thing, I needed to learn to be okay with being sick and that I am not going to be able to do everything I want at the pace I want or was used to. I have had to force myself to slow down because I just couldn’t do it. I would either fall asleep with my book in my hand or would just get too exhausted that I would go into coughing fits that just wouldn’t stop.

                Lesson 5 – Ask for help. This was a hard one for me. I do not ask for help lightly but this was something I had no choice over. My household was on lockdown from December 19, 2021, until January 25, 2022, when I finally went outside. This meant we needed groceries, medications, and other things either brought or delivered to us. Since I was having breathing and energy issues, I also needed help doing small tasks like making my tea or going up the stairs to get to the bathroom.

                If you end up having your number drawn there are many things you can do to help your healing and getting through university at the same time. First, take care of yourself and make sure you stay home. Email all your professors and your boss(es) so that a plan can be made. Take all the time you need, don’t rush it because if you do it will take longer for you to heal. Make sure you nap, drink lots of tea, pace yourself, forgive yourself for being sick and lots of cold medicine (this also helped me navigate some of the symptoms).  Hopefully this is my one and only experience with it and well … May the odds be ever in your favour.