Jenny - Flat Rock, MI #LongCovid
My name is Jenny, and I’m 51 years old. I contracted Covid in November of 2020. I received a text informing me I had been in close contact with someone, and they tested posted the day before a holiday photo with all my kids and grandkids was scheduled to be taken. I know that she felt awful sending that text, but I was so grateful for her honesty. I immediately canceled my family picture and went and got tested. When my test came back positive, I couldn’t help but think of that picture and how the virus could’ve run through my entire family without that text. I hadn’t been feeling well, but with no fever and no respiratory symptoms, I thought it was just a stomach bug. A couple of weeks later, it became well known that diarrhea could also be an early sign of Covid. After that subsided, the headache, body aches, and cough came on full-fledged. I still felt grateful to have what I considered a “mild case” and recovered with lots of rest. Due to Michigan’s pause at the time, the casino I’m employed at was closed for eight weeks, and I felt so lucky to have that time to recover. By the time I was back to work when the casino had reopened, I felt I had won my battle with Covid. This was when I realized that mild case was about to become an ongoing battle. I had been a dealer for almost 16 years, and doing my job was second nature. Now, it was different. I couldn’t remember payouts I’d been doing all those years at times. I’d lose track just adding the cards to 21. The noise and crowds were overwhelming, and I had never suffered from headaches, but now I had them daily. My immune system was still in overdrive, so it attacked my thyroid and led to hypothyroidism and all the symptoms that accompany that. I was taken off work for three weeks to try and get that regulated. I didn’t feel ready to go back, but I forced myself to because I needed the income. Now my peripheral nerves are having issues. A casino dealer's hands must be good. The numbness and tingling in my hands and fingers mean those hands now fumble and stumble and don’t do what they should. Facing the fact that I now am dealing with “Long Covid” and that I must be patient while the exact effects and cures are just beginning to be learned and shared, and ways to deal with it and help those suffering are just being implemented gives me hope that someday I will feel like I did a year ago. Saying, “you don’t look sick,” or “you don’t seem like yourself anymore,” or “why are you always tired” or “it’s just anxiety” are all things heard by us still battling this every day. We have to worry about losing our jobs, income, and health benefits at a time when we need them most. I am joining others in advocating to be seen, heard, and understood and to educate and fight for funding to help us understand post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC).
Jenny’s family photo that did eventually get taken.
The Michigan Covid 19 ‘Survivor Stories Blog’ highlights fellow Michiganders to continue building connections and shedding light on long-haulers that need additional resources and support.