In a year that’s been wholly out of the ordinary, Chelsey Bode was looking forward to achieving some semblance of normalcy.
The 37-year-old president of Pearson-Kelly Technology in Springfield, Missouri—a social butterfly with high energy and a zest for life—was eager to embark on the Labor Day weekend, and the itinerary included a weekend trip to the lake with husband, Kraig, and their children, ages six and nine. It would be a great way to cap off the summer and provide the kids with a final holiday hurrah before school started.
On the Thursday leading up to the holiday weekend, Chelsey and her family sat down with her parents for dinner. Everyone was enjoying the meal except for Kraig, who felt the Reuben sandwiches were disgusting—in fact, he said they tasted like “cleaner.” Neither Chelsey nor the rest of the family sensed anything out of the ordinary with their meal.
The next day, Kraig was experiencing a “summer cough/cold,” but she felt fine. That is until Chelsey got a call from her sister-in-law. It seems one of the participants in Kraig’s fantasy football league—which had held its draft at the Bode home the previous Sunday—fell ill and tested positive for COVID-19. Mindful of Kraig’s taste complaint and mild cold/flu-like symptoms, Bode became alarmed.
“When I heard this, I had a panicky shortness of breath,” she said. “I didn’t feel 100%, I felt icky and didn’t want to do anything, which is the opposite of my M.O.”
Come Saturday morning, the trip to the lake was canceled. She had a fever of 101 and felt achy, with a sinus headache and a cough. They both got tested but needed to wait until the labs opened on Tuesday to receive the news. Still, they already knew they had COVID-19. And in fact, they did.
Different Experiences
What was striking is the difference in how husband and wife were impacted. Throughout their isolation, Kraig only experienced a loss of taste and smell (it returned after 11 days). Chelsey felt better by the third day, and was able to salvage Labor Day poolside at their home. But when day 10 arrived, COVID-19 hammered Chelsey in different and wholly unpleasant ways, as she experienced a wide range of symptoms.
“The worst part of it was the sinus pressure,” she said. “I’d had sinus infections before, but on the worst days of this, when I couldn’t get out of bed, there was so much pressure. I’ve never suffered from migraines, but I have to imagine this experience is similar. I had pressure around my eyes, swelling of the face, and I couldn’t lay flat. It was like the pressure you experience on a descending plane.”
Her doctor prescribed Singulair, normally used to treat asthma patients because her breathing was extremely shallow. Her chest and heart area felt achy, and even now—despite being cleared on Sept. 18—she still feels occasional chest pain. For a 37-year-old with no pre-existing health conditions, it was an alarming experience.
“I got hit a lot harder than I thought I would,” she added. “We have friends who have gone through it, and a lot of their experiences were similar to my husband’s—very mild. My expectation was that it would be a lot easier to endure. I don’t think I took it as seriously for my situation as I should have.”
Her biggest fear throughout the experience was the knowledge that they had exposed her parents (and the Bode children) to the virus, although everyone else was symptom-free. Her only other exposure consisted of being near two Pearson-Kelly employees in the break room earlier in the week, and Chelsey informed them that she was symptomatic. Fortunately, they were not infected.
“I’ve steered clear of the office since (testing positive),” she said. “Frankly, it’s almost like you have leprosy, the way people react when they hear it. My doctor told me to stay away from the office for five to eight days after the symptoms end, and I was cleared on Sept. 18. I didn’t go back until the week of the 28th.”
Fortunately, Chelsey has been able to quarterback the Pearson-Kelly Technology team from the comfort of her home office. She relied on Microsoft Teams to conference into office meetings. Now, she hopes to fall back into her normal office routine.
What Now?
Chelsey tries to avoid reading too many articles about side effects that are still being discovered in COVID patients, but news is hard to avoid. For instance, her sister lives down the street from a 30-year-old chiropractor who was in great physical shape prior to contracting COVID-19, and that man is now saddled with permanent heart damage.
“Hearing things like that drives me crazy,” she added.
All that remains now is the memory of a lost weekend, bad Reuben and guilt over hosting a fantasy football draft. “After six months, you get to the point where you still have to live your life to some degree and want that social interaction. That is why we went for it,” she said. “In hindsight, that was dumb. But COVID-19 has lingered for so long, it’s a fine line of mitigating risk and also still being human. Until we get a vaccine, it’s just going to be a vicious cycle, in my humble opinion.”
But there is an upside for Chelsey. “On the flip side, I’m the safest person you can be around for the next 90 days. I feel like I have a pep in my step for a hot second.”
