A Virus, But NOT Covid-19! Update: Well, maybe it was after all!

Glen and his mom, Davey, in Sarasota

Updated below in red as of November 2020...

On February 12, during a combination ministry/Mom- care trip to Florida, Glen became ill.  I came down with it upon our return to Colorado Springs on the 20th of February.  At that point, Covid-19 was a distant threat in China.  We were pretty miserable for 45 days, struggling to stay on our feet and work.  Once Corona virus was on the radar in the US, Glen attempted to get tested but was told that we didn't fit the parameters.  We had not traveled from Europe or China and had not experienced high fevers.

However, we experienced many other Covid-19 symptoms including, headaches, dry cough, no energy, body aches, etc.  We didn't realize how sick we had been until we started feeling like ourselves again!  Glen and I both are turning 65 (I was stunned when we saw a sign on the news that said "Elderly--55 and older)"!!  We certainly do NOT feel elderly or even old! But it is sobering that because of our "elderly" status, Glen's cancer and my auto-immune disease (Hashimoto's), we have "underlying conditions".

We were sure we had the virus and were really surprised when both of us tested negative for anti-bodies last week! Glen still has recurring waves of exhaustion and we're seeking to get to the bottom of that. All we know is that we had a virus that knocked the stuffings out of us! Glen did better than I did at working while sick. It helps that his office is just down the hall from our bedroom!

The Update:

In the early days of the pandemic we couldn't find a way to get tested.  We weren't sick enough or working in the medical sector.  It was May before we could get a antibody tests.  When they came back negative we decided that we must have had some "other" virus, but later we learned that it is fairly common to test negative for antibodies of the SARS CoV2 virus after having COVID-19.  There have been cases of people testing positive for the virus with a diagnostic test, then negative for the antibodies.  In fact it is not at all unusual for antibodies to diminish to the point of being undetectable three months after an infection. So, now we're back to thinking that we did have COVID-19 back in February, but we'll never know for sure.  BTW, just because we don't have antibodies doesn't mean we have no resistance to the disease. We all have other tools in our immune system toolbox and our protection likely lasts longer than our antibodies. 

God has also been working in our HEARTS!  What a gift that He continues to do His pruning and refining work as we age!  I am currently working through an excellent workbook with one of my mentees, titled, Core Healing from Trauma by Marti Wibbels.  What has struck me the most is how faithfully God has brought me to healing over the years.  It's been a step-by-step that His Spirit has led!

Just before we got sick,  I was reading Psalm 11:3 & 4.  Verse three asks the question, "When the foundations are being destroyed, what must the righteous do?" It seemed strange to me that verse four seemed like a complete switch of topic. It says, "The Lord is in His Holy Temple, the Lord is on His Heavenly Throne."  Then it dawned on me that between the two verses, we could write, "We must REMIND ourselves that:..."  Oh how these verses have come to mind in the last months!  Foundations of all kinds have been destroyed in the lives of people we love, not just due to the virus but because of the fallen world we live in! Reminding myself and standing on the truth that our Sovereign Lord IS in His Holy Temple and He is STILL reigning on His Throne has brought great comfort and hope!

We are thankful that God continues to work in us, we long to grow ever more deeply in the love and knowledge of our Savior and pass that on to everyone whose lives we touch!