I was retired nine months when GPA hit me. My first symptoms appeared in mid-December, and I went downhill pretty quickly thereafter. I doubt that I could have done my job (desk work with a lot of meetings throughout the community) for at least two months. I was hospitalized for a week (diagnosed on the 5th day) after about a month of symptoms, but didn’t start feeling better for another week after I was released.

My doctor suggested that I use good hand hygiene and avoid sick people. Avoiding sick people was easy as a retiree, but would have been very difficult in my last job.