Once again, I caught COVID.
The last time was in August 2022, so it has been two and a half years since I was infected.

Even though I wear a mask every time I go out, I still catch it sometimes...

When I was infected last time, the sore throat was extremely painful, making it really hard for me, so I made this memo with as many countermeasures as possible based on that experience.

Last time's situation ↓

Symptoms

Day 1

From the moment I woke up, I felt a slight discomfort in my shoulders. It felt more like joint pain than muscle pain.
My temperature was 36.8℃, so I managed to visit Sora's hospital, a nearby park, McDonald's, and Nishimatsuya in the morning.

Once I returned home, I felt a slight worsening of my condition, but I had to go out since I needed to drive for the next appointment.

At my wife's parents' house, I helped with the Hina Matsuri decorations, filled the car with gasoline, and did some grocery shopping on the way back.
By the time I went shopping, joint pain had spread across my entire body, and I felt so unwell that I waited in the car.

When I got home and checked my temperature, it was 38.4℃.

Since I had joint pain, I thought it could be the flu or COVID, and I isolated myself in my room.

I was in so much pain that I took Calonal and lay down.
After about 30 minutes to an hour, it started to work, making my body feel warm and relieving the joint pain.

I wanted to go to the hospital, but unfortunately, it was the first day of a 3-day holiday and the hospital wouldn't open until three days later.

Day 2

The joint pain was not as intense as the first day, but there was still a bit of pain.
My nose was very congested, and I also had a headache close to sinusitis.

I remembered that I had some leftover COVID test kits from a long time ago, so I decided to use one, and it tested positive.
From there, my complete isolation life in my room began.

It wasn't as bad as the first day, but my fever rose to about 39.4℃.
I tried not to interfere too much as my body fought back by raising my temperature, but after some time I took Calonal and went through that flow twice to reduce my fever.

I felt my throat starting to hurt slightly, so I took preventive measures as much as possible.

1. Increased humidity to 60% with a humidifier
2. Avoided eating spicy or hard foods
3. Used a throat hydration mask to further moisturize around my mouth at bedtime
4. Drank honey ginger lemon
5. Made a conscious effort to breathe through my nose

Day 3

Thanks to my countermeasures, my sore throat did not worsen, so I felt reassured.

The joint pain improved further, but my fever fluctuated between 36 and 38℃.
I noticed that whenever I had a headache, my fever was usually rising.

As someone with allergic rhinitis, I am prone to sinusitis.
I could tell that bad nasal mucus was accumulating in my sinuses, which was causing headaches.
When this bad mucus drops into my throat, it causes inflammation there and results in a sore throat. Mucus also builds up.
If I try to cough up the mucus forcefully, it tends to hurt my throat even more, and in the end, it could cause a never-ending cough; that's how I usually end up with pertussis.

I believe I have understood quite a bit about my body.

I try to get rid of the bad mucus as much as possible by blowing my nose and not letting it drop into my throat (like the moment my nose clears).
I don’t forcefully expel the mucus, tolerating it to some extent.

This should lead to victory.

Day 4

The 3-day holiday has ended.

Today, the sore throat was not bad (only a little sore).

I hesitated to work, but since my fever had gone down and I had no joint pain, I started working normally (fully remote).
When I spoke, there was a slight strain on my throat and I was a bit anxious about that, but by the end of the day, it had totally recovered to a level that was no longer a concern.

The mucus started to get thicker and I began to cough.
I felt a larger piece of mucus stuck in my throat and it became uncomfortable, so when I forcibly coughed it out a couple of times, I felt like I hurt my throat a bit.
Did I overdo it...? I wondered and took Calonal to suppress inflammation before sleeping.

Additionally, for some reason, my back had been hurting all the time, around the middle of my back.
Upon researching, I found information that suggested this could be a symptom of post-COVID syndrome.

I noticed my head feeling somewhat fuzzy and I might have had symptoms similar to brain fog.
I had thoughts in my head, but struggled to find the right words.
I thought I became a worse speaker.

Day 5

The state of my throat was about the same as the previous day.

The back pain persisted. It could resemble pain similar to joint pain or growing pains.
Not only my back but my neck also had similar pain.

It has not worsened since yesterday, but I still felt a bit off.

My fever was around 36.9 to 37.2℃.

Similar to the previous day, I had a lot of mucus. It was uncomfortable, so I expelled it. My throat seemed to be okay.

Day 6

I still had slight joint pain that had shifted to my lower back, so I took Calonal to finish it off.
After that, the joint pain disappeared, and I could say that I was almost completely healed.

I started to get a dry cough, but it was at a level that did not affect my daily life.

Day 7

Only a dry cough remained.
The brain fog seemed to have settled down, probably.
COVID is over.

Things I Noticed

Throat pain is preventable.
This is a significant finding.

Also, food matters a lot.
If I eat something bad when I get carried away, I end up suffering in some way.
By the way, I lost 3 kg during this COVID period.
I believe it was because I was eating about one dish less than usual and did not eat any sweets at all.

Overall, I was glad that this time it healed smoothly.