MONDAY:  So now it’s starting to sink in.  Although we are still going to get an ‘official’ test.  I have a tiny hope that the at home test was incorrect.

DENIAL (still)

I’m starting to feel better, my fever is gone.  Still coughing that keeps me up at night, fatigue, low energy, but today is the day we are going on an outing!

We make our way to the convention center downtown Minneapolis.  Navigate to the free parking ramp, and skyway to the test site area.

I am extremely paranoid at being out.  I try not to touch anything and find myself holding my breath behind my mask.  This is a spit testing site which seems really gross and ironic.  During a pandemic which is spread through droplets from breathing, a bunch of people wondering if they have COVID are gathering in a space and intentionally spitting.  A lot.  Huh.  Well….

There isn’t much of a line, we go to the check in area.  We get a second complementary mask to put over the one’s we have.  We ask for parking validation and the young woman slowly pushes the validation pass across the table and then quickly retreats her hand.  Like a little prairie dog sticking it’s head out and then running back into its tunnel.

We are directed to a table and do some sign in things on our phones.  Brenda’s phone is not cooperating. The seemingly 15 year old young man worker, looks at her like she doesn’t understand her own technology and should really be using a Trac phone, asks is she wants a tablet. 

She explains her phone must be updating and give it a second.  He brings her a tablet anyway.  I suspect it may have been a “Granpad”.  Brenda mutters under her breath, her phone is done updating and she signs in. 

And now the spitting begins.  Our friend who had done this type of test before, warned us.  Try and save your spit.  I’m not exactly sure how she meant to do that, but anyway.  We started spitting away which is tricky.  You have to get the tube thing under your mask and make sure you are getting your spit in the tube and not all over your hand.  I’m usually an excellent spitter and thought I was doing a good job.  I look over and Brenda is just standing there. 

“Are you trying to work up some spit?”  I asked.  “No, I’m done.”  She said.  I looked at my tube, it was half bubbly spit.  “You have to have clear spit to the line.”  She said.  “Oh, I don’t know why my spit is so bubbly.”  Then I started having spit anxiety.  My mouth was going dry.  I was biting the sides of my tongue, my eyes watered but not much spit.  Finally, I got my clear spit to the line.  We turned in our spit and headed home.

That afternoon we had a virtual visit with my Doctor.  She answered some questions.  My doctor is used to me, I ask a lot of questions.  I asked if I could do some biking on my bike trainer if I felt like it, she said, “Why?”, I asked if my smell would come back.  I asked if there was something else I could do to get better. I asked about shortness of breath and she said that COVID can be deceptive, because people don’t experience shortness of breath even though their oxygen level is low.  She said we could get a pulse ox monitor to keep an eye on it.  That’s the thingy you put on your finger.  It never even occurred to me that I could own my own pulse ox monitor.  Before we were off of the call, Brenda had ordered one online.  She also said that even after quarantine and symptoms are gone, you can still get a positive covid test.  Well, that’s great, just great.

It had been a big day and I was tired.  We watched something stupid on T.V. and crossed Monday off of the calendar.  I tried smelling Roo’s feet before bed.  Nothing.