Sometimes the scariest part of life is the unknown. In an effort to shed some light on various aspects of COVID locally, we’re sharing what we can to help alleviate some of the mystery surrounding the virus. In March, we shared a story from a Wood County patient with COVID.
Last week, our own sports editor, Steven Okonek, was tested for COVID-19 in Marshfield and he wanted to share his testing experience with all of you. Here’s what he said:
Starting with the good news, my test came back negative so I do not have COVID, but this is my story of getting tested.
I started getting a little bit of sinus congestion and a cough over the past week, and it started getting really bad on Thursday. While I did not have the fever or some of the other symptoms, my job does include some limited contact with the public so I felt it was important to see if I could get tested.
My first step was to use one of the many online tools that allow you to answer some basic questions to see if you qualify. After answering these questions I was directed to call a nurse line to be further evaluated. The nurse, who was working from home, went through a long series of questions to see if I qualified.
After about a half an hour it was determined that I was able to be tested and was set up with an appointment for about an hour and a half after the call. I drove up to the clinic and parked in a pre-marked spot in front of the Urgent Care entrance and a nurse came out.
The test itself takes about 3 minutes and is a nasal swab. If you have never had a nasal swab before, it can feel like they are trying to take a chunk of your brain, but the discomfort goes away in a few minutes.
The hardest part of the test was waiting for the results, mine took the full 24 hours and you are supposed to stay quarantined for the full time. It was a little nerve racking waiting for the results!
A nurse called me the day after the test and told me that my results came back negative, and informed me of a few things I can do to help with my cough, which was starting to get better. Right after that, I was called by the research department and joined a study to help with learning more about the test and virus – which I was happy to participate in.
Do you have a COVID-19 story to share? Email us at [email protected].
