I Wrote This At 4am Sick With Covid

This article was written during the 4 AM witching hour, under the haze of a 102.4°F fever, with a cough that sounds like a broken lawnmower and a brain that has been replaced by static. The following is not medical advice. It is a survival diary.

Bring a full water bottle back to bed. You will not get up again. i wrote this at 4am sick with covid

One of the strangest parts about having COVID in 2026 (or whenever you are reading this) is that the panic is gone, but the isolation remains. This article was written during the 4 AM

You are just a fragile animal in the dark, trying to breathe. Bring a full water bottle back to bed

And yet, in the middle of this, you’re typing. Why? Because the alternative is lying motionless and listening to the ringing in your ears—a high-pitched tone that sounds like a mosquito with a philosophy degree, asking you questions about mortality you aren’t ready to answer.

I have watched the same episode of The Great British Bake Off three times in a row because I keep passing out and missing the ending. I have smelled my own candle collection trying to see if I still have a sense of smell (I don't. Lavender now smells like sad air). I have had a text conversation with my mother that consisted entirely of the "skull" emoji.

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