Jensen Update - Covid Craziness & Baby

November 10, 2020

 

First of all -- Happy 50th Birthday, Jen!! Also, we are praying for a speedy recovery for Kim!! 

As you have heard our family got hit with Covid the past couple of weeks. I experienced almost every symptom (but not all at the same time -- it varied from day to day) It went in this order: itchy throat/dry cough, dizziness, nausea, loss of appetite, feeling feverish, chills, body aches, fatigue, runny nose, food tasting "off," decreased smell, complete loss of smell (but only for one day and then it was back), dry cough again. This was over the course of two weeks -- and really only one or two days where I felt bad enough that I just watched TV all day. Other than that I didn't feel great -- but not horrible -- and could still do most of my usual stuff around the house -- with a few extra naps that is! But now, two weeks later, I feel back to normal! 

I started self isolating as soon as I could when I started having symptoms and scrambled to find subs for all of the classes I interpret for. But I wasn't sure I wanted to get tested -- all of the contact tracing and quarantining just disrupts so many lives and I was really worried about the girls being forced to quarantine and miss out on their musical production -- which was only a couple of weeks away. They had been rehearsing for two hours everyday after school for the past two months and had multiple parts in ten different songs. Between early morning Madrigals, school, rehearsal, then jobs -- they were almost never home and I hated to have them quarantine if they hadn't been exposed. I didn't sleep well worrying about what to do! 

Then Jared started getting sick. He was pretty sure it was Covid and was excited about the prospect of earning more money donating plasma! He went ahead and scheduled an appointment for a test. (However, he hadn't been around me at all and so we aren't sure who gave it to who). A few days after me Rick started complaining of dizziness. But he had been having these dizzy spells on and off for about three weeks and so we didn't know if it was something totally unrelated or not. The next day he woke up feeling fine and went to his high council meeting. But he came home feeling really sick and dizzy and went back to bed. That day he felt feverish and chills and body aches. He set up a doctor appointment for the next day for some blood work and lab tests to try and get to the bottom of the dizziness. He also got a Covid test.  

I was still not sure I wanted to be tested and decided to wait to see Rick's results. He didn't think he had Covid since the symptoms didn't really match up. Meanwhile Jared and I had experienced some loss of smell and so we figured that we probably had it. A couple of days later Rick got his Covid results back and they were positive. It was early in the morning and so we kept all of the kids home from school and set up virtual doctor appointments with each one in order to get everyone tested that day. An hour later we were all getting tested. Everyone had to quarantine while awaiting test results. I know that we should have started everyone quarantining right when Rick first went to the doctor to be tested -- but we didn't. 

Jared had gotten tested on a Tuesday and got his results back Thursday -- positive. We were tested Wednesday morning and got our results back Thursday evening. Mine was positive. Josh and Jenna were both positive too (that was a surprise -- especially Jenna since she didn't have any symptoms) and Jaiden and Janelle were both negative. Josh was just barely coming down with some mild symptoms. I had to call all of the schools to let them know. The kids had already been in quarantine for two days but now they had to do contact tracing at Josh and Jenna's schools and send a bunch of kids home. I would be surprised to see some statistics on how many of those kids from school actually get it. With proper social distancing and mask wearing I am guessing the rate is really low. 

We had Jaiden and Janelle move into Jase and Ellen's apartment to start their 14 day quarantine. If they had stayed at home they would have had to quarantine 24 days. If someone in the family tests positive they have to self-isolate for ten days and other family members have to quarantine the whole ten days too -- and then start their 14 day quarantine after that. So it ends up being a long time! If Jaiden and Janelle end up getting it later we will just have them move back home.

So as it turns out the girls were not going to be able to be in the show. They were SO distraught over this and so was I! The director was a champ and had even tried to move the show just for them. She arranged for professional recordings of the girls so that they could show their duet on a screen during the show. That helped a little, but it was still sad! Then the governor made his announcement on Sunday night and we were pretty much jumping for joy! I know not everyone was happy about his restrictions, but for us it was an answer to prayer. Because all extra-curricular activities were shut down for the next two weeks the school was forced to postpone the show! Now it is scheduled for the first week of December and so the girls can be in it again!! Yay!!

Of course we aren't out of the woods yet -- anything could happen. The girls could get sick later on -- or other cast members could. They could be exposed again and have to quarantine -- the schools could shut down...  But for right now we will be grateful and just keep saying our prayers that it all works out! 

So...one of the teachers at Dixie Tech had to be quarantined for a few days thanks to me (I sit right next to him) -- boo hoo! Hopefully he gets Covid-pay! (I called my supervisor at work to ask about Covid pay -- I don't receive it. Even the full time employees don't get it. Luckily Rick does). Anyway, five or so kids had to be quarantined from Josh's school -- and probably a dozen or so from Jenna's school (I guess they don't social distance as much there for some reason). I am really surprised that none of the other seminary teachers had to quarantine. Although one of the other seminary teachers (pre-service) got Covid before Rick did and they share a classroom...possible exposure there I suppose. 

Jaiden started experiencing some symptoms a couple of days ago and so I scheduled her and Janelle for another test today. Is it wrong for me to hope they are both positive? (As long as their symptoms are mild and there are no lasting problems). It is just easier to self-isolate ten days and then be done with it than to quarantine 14 days only to possibly get exposed again shortly after and be quarantined again -- and then never know when you will be exposed or quarantined again -- right at the worst times! I have to admit it feels good to have this behind me! Now I won't worry so much every time I feel the slightest sore throat or wonder if I am exposing someone anytime I have the sniffles. It is quite a relief! 

Anyway -- everyone is doing well -- except for Rick. He took a turn for the worse a few days ago and hasn't been doing well since. He has a continuous awful hacking cough and is extremely fatigued. He is sleeping on and off all day. Today he started feeling feverish with chills again. So pray for him that he will get over this! He was supposed to be able to go back to work today but it looks like that won't be happening any time soon! We are also praying that no one outside our immediate family gets sick from any possible exposure from us. So far it doesn't seem like anyone has that we know of. Praying it stays that way! 

Other than Rick everyone else is doing fine. Josh and Jared both can't taste or smell and went around experimenting with different foods. Josh even tried to swallow a raw egg -- gross! The boys pulled out some sugar cereal today and I asked them why they weren't eating spinach or kale or something. I mean if you can't taste anyway you might as well be eating super healthy foods, right? Funny story -- I made some bambido salad and doubled the recipe but must have accidentally quadrupled the spices. It tasted awful -- very salty. I tried diluting it with more and more ingredients but it was still pretty bad. Well, thanks to Covid Jared and Josh ate it anyway -- and were none the wiser! Later on Rick woke up and I gave him a plate. He took one bite and did the sign for "horrible" and dumped the rest in the garbage can.  

Also, here is a funny experience with Janelle before she started her quarantine... 

Janelle is taking a Child Development class and it was time for the dreaded baby simulator assignment. Basically the student brings home a baby in a car seat along with a change of clothes, diaper, bottle and so forth. There is actually a computer inside this baby doll and so it cries and will only stop if the caregiver figures out what she needs and does it (feeding, burping, diaper change, rocking). The baby makes sucking noises when feeding, burps, cries...the whole gamut. The first evening after rehearsal Janelle gave the baby to Jenna to babysit (along with a whole list of instructions) since she had to work. Jenna did a great job, but it was a little stressful because sometimes the baby would cry and cry (loudly) and we were all trying to help out and figure out what needed to be done. It seriously took up the whole evening. We were all tired and wanted to go to bed but it was like, "Ummm, what do we do with this crying baby?" Plus we didn't want Janelle to get a poor grade in the report that would automatically be sent to the teacher. Rick finally took over until Janelle got home from work. He wasn't feeling well and had been sleeping on and off all day anyway.

That night the baby only woke up a couple of times in the night but Janelle was so stressed over when she would start crying that she didn't sleep much. The next day the family was in quarantine and so we all got to experience the joy of a screaming baby throughout the day on top of the quarantine and Covid-stress. That night the baby woke up 12 times during the night (according to Janelle). Okay, that is a little much. Thankfully Janelle slept in a room by herself so as to not wake up the entire household. The frequent cries during the night was the only negative comment I wrote in my evaluation. I mean 12 times? Seriously? Overall I think it was a successful experiment. Janelle took her responsibility very seriously. The whole family was relieved when the two days/nights were over and the baby computer was "shut off." Wow, things have sure changed from when Janika had a similar class and brought home a sack of flour for a baby! Rick said that whenever this assignment rolls around at his school he tells his seminary students to send their baby to "the nursery" and lets the secretary take care of them all! 

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Jen: Very informative to hear about how Covid affected your family, helps us all have better ideas of what to look for. I guess the loss of taste/smell is the most unique identifier. Everything else COULD be so many other things, from allergies, to a cold, to flu. It's been interesting trying to update the blogs/histories, and going through my journal, to read how many times we've all been sick over the years in our family. Rose colored glasses ... often you forget, and that's not a bad thing ;) We've all had a really good stretch here (knock on wood), Keaton has had some allergies, and Coop had a cold earlier in the spring (had it been anyone else I might have felt obligated to get a Covid test, but at that point, he hadn't left the house in weeks) but otherwise we've all stayed healthy for quite a while now.

At this point, it almost feels inevitable that we'll get hit at some point though, as everyone in the family is still out and about regularly. I can understand how you'd almost want Jaiden and Janelle to just get it and get it over with (as long as there weren't any lasting effects, which is the concern, you never know). I had thought about you guys with the Governor's announcement Sunday and wondered if that would help, pushing the girl's program back! Colton was a little disappointed to have basketball tryouts postponed. First games were supposed to be Nov25 ... and of course that can't really happen now, as they can't even have tryouts until Nov 24 now. And who knows what will happen next, if school sports will even be allowed.

Ironically, even though the coach and some of the other parents were pretty upset at the Governor's mandate affecting tryouts ... on Monday, we got the "quarantine call" for Colton that he'd been in a class with a positive person and has to quarantine for two weeks. It was basketball class ... so this affects almost everyone who would have been attending tryouts anyway. West Jordan's quarantine number went from 15 kids to 70. So I think that was the entire basketball class (10-12th grades, Colton is one of the three 9th graders included in that). The one positive probably affected everyone in the class, because it isn't as structured as a regular classroom with set seating and mask wearing. Colton's quarantine is just through November 17th though, not a full 14-days, so we're assuming the "contact" was a week before and it just took some time for the positive test and contact tracing to happen and get the calls out. Sometimes I hope I'm not too "Colton is so easy and can take anything" but he really does seem to be able to adapt and roll with the punches without it affecting him negatively. I am a little unsure if the kids are getting a needed education though, especially when it comes to AP classes and such. I paid the $95 fee for Colton's AP Geography class for the test coming up in the Spring, but who knows if any of the kids will feel adequately prepared! The school did say fees would be much more flexible this year. That although the fee had to be paid this week, it would be refunded in the future if the kid's don't feel up to taking the test (or ... if tests will be happening!)

The Jordan School District had an emergency meeting last night and ended up closing all the high schools for two weeks (through Nov 30) and almost all the middle schools. Colton's school is one of the three NOT closed. We almost wish it had been, because then Colton and everyone else would be in the same situation (rather than now, when Colton is learning from home while everyone else is in class). He is good at getting all his work done though, although Team Sports and Ceramics are hands on ... can't really do them online! That's the main struggle the schools say they are having - that kids in quarantine aren't doing anything, just taking the days off, and then they are two weeks behind when they come back. And it isn't just the official quarantined or positive kids who are missing school, anyone self-quarantining (like if a family member tested positive or it wasn't a school contact, it isn't counted in the official "school quarantine" numbers. Everyone is encouraged not to come to school if they are sick at all (even if it's not Covid) and some kids just aren't coming. They said West Jordan High had a 40% absentee rate.

I can see it would be even harder for elementary students to move online. That does really require a parent there to help (whereas older kids SHOULD be able to do it on their own). I hope the local elementary doesn't shut down, as that's where Coop's job is. He really seems to function better on the days he has a shift. I don't know if it's feeling productive, earning a little cash, or seeing friends (a couple friends work their too, which is how he got turned onto this) - but on days he doesn't work, he just doesn't seem to get as much done at home even though he has more time without a shift. 

Thanks for the birthday wishes! We got out to Tepanyaki (before the mandate. Party of 9, filled up the entire table) and were very happy we all had working tastebuds, because it was yummy.

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Wendy: I wondered if those school closures would affect your family or not, Jen. My kids do well with keeping up with their work as much as possible, but some teachers do better than other teachers with the kids who are home. I have paid AP tests for my kids too and hope they will be ready for their tests in the spring. Thankfully Janelle's AP Lit class sets up a zoom class for the kids at home -- which really helps. I wish all of the teachers would do that. Josh's science teacher emailed me his science test and asked me to print it and supervise him while he took it and then take a picture of both sides and email it back to him. So that is helpful! But other teachers say, "Oh just do this assignment or take this test after you get back." But then they give them an "F" for that assignment or test (until they get back and it can be resolved) and it is stressing my kids (and me) to check their powerschool and see all of these awful grades when they normally have straight "A's." I am sure they will figure it all out, but in the meantime it is really unnerving! I just wish ALL of the teachers would let them do their tests and assignments at home. It was easier last Spring when everyone was doing school from home. And some of the teachers are out on isolation and quarantine too and throwing subs into the mix makes it even harder. Jared lucked out because he was able to do all of his college classes from home and also his job since he was already doing Caption Call from home. Since he was feeling fine he even accepted more shifts since he was stuck at home anyway. He is anxious to start his new job at Dutch Bros, but in the meantime working at home has been a blessing.

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Chris: Yes, the loss of taste and smell seems to be the most distinctive symptom. Courtney had that and sure enough, we just found out this morning that she tested positive. Krystal tested negative. We tested Cayson yesterday, due to school, he has no symptoms. We hope to get his results today. Yes, some teachers do better than others with the online school, as far as communicating well with students and parents. I wrote his math teacher and told her that she was the best at communicating, followed by his exploring technology teacher. Cayson is doing very well, but it does take a lot of follow up from me at this point.