Getty Image
You have to go back more than a century to find the last time the world was faced with a pandemic on a comparable scale to the one we’re currently grappling with, and while our present situation is anything but ideal, we’re lucky enough to have over 100 years of medical advancements on our side that have helped prevent COVID-19 from wreaking the same havoc the Spanish flu did a couple of decades into the 20th century.
One major difference between this pandemic and the one that arrived in the wake of World War I is that we have the ability to test people who’ve potentially been exposed to the virus to determine if they’ve been infected. That’s certainly not a bad thing, but it would be a whole lot better if the test in question didn’t involve having to get something shoved up your nose.
Sure, the unique discomfort you experience during that procedure is probably nothing compared to the immense pain and possible death that can come with contracting COVID-19, but after being lucky enough to get subjected to the sensation firsthand a few weeks ago, I feel like people don’t understand just how unpleasant it is.
I’m still kicking myself for falling for the “just the tip” strategy that was deployed by the person who did my test, as I was lulled into a false sense of security when they started swabbing my nose nice and gently before suddenly shoving the plunger device so far inside my nasal cavity that I thought it was going to come out of my eyes. The best part? All they talked about during this grave invasion of my personal space was how they hadn’t encountered a patient who’d been bothered by it. Well, I was. I was very bothered.
Now, I can take solace in knowing I’m not alone thanks to a clip from this season of Hard Knocks featuring Chargers cornerback Casey Hayward that proves you can be tough enough to play in the NFL but still have an issue with the prospect of someone shoving a stick up your nose.
I’m glad to know that I’m not the only person who won’t be adding biweekly sinus swabs to my personal care regimen even after this all blows over.