Exactly. I believe that being vaccinated is no guarantee that you will not catch Covid. I believe you will have milder symptoms, so I still stand behind vaccines. However, if you have Covid symptoms, even mild ones, and test negative, you should not assume you do not have Covid. If you've been exposed to Covid and test negative, you should not assume you are negative, with or without a vaccine. I was careful after I tested had my symptoms and tested negative, and I'm grateful.

I have another thread describing my son's Covid pneumonia experience. He is now recovering well after fourteen days of symptoms. He was not vaccinated and became very sick. I was fully vaccinated in March with Pfeizer. I was around him briefly a few days before he developed Covid symptoms. In the middle of his sickness, I had mild Covid symptoms. On my second day of symptoms, I had a rapid and PCR test, taken at separate locations, that were both negative. I needed another test before returning for work. Ten days after my symptoms, I took a PCR test and it was positive. This has caused me to lose confidence in negative Covid tests. While I had body aches, congestion, and low grade fever for 3 days, it was nothing compared to his symptoms. I am grateful I had the vaccine and cannot imagine Covid without it. (I specifically asked people not to comment on vaccines in my other thread, so I chose not to mention my Covid/vaccine experience, either.)

He was discharged from ER after six hours. He spent much of this time lying on the tile floor in the waiting room. He was given a CT scan and bloodwork, and then sent back out to waiting room. He was discharged with an inhaler and not given test results. He's too sick to advocate for himself and didn't ask for results, either. Husband is on his way to retrieve him. We have access to good medical care. The system here is not as overwhelmed.

Update: He has double lung pneumonia. He's in an ER waiting room for the past several hours. The ER is packed with Covid patients, and the hospital is full. We are waiting to hear if they will admit him (they would keep him in ER as that is the only option), but they said they may not since they are so full. It is a 10 hour round trip, but we will go and bring him home to recover if he is not admitted.

Mild??

I just asked him to do this next time he gets up. How reliable do you think a pulse ox purchased on Amazon for $14 is?

I was wondering this. So anything below 92/93 means going for medical care?

Please do not quote. My healthy 22-year-old son has Covid-19. He has no underlying health conditions. He is recovering in another town that is 5 hours away. He was not vaccinated. (Please do not use this thread to discuss vaccines. We encouraged him to get it, and he did not. I only mentioned the fact that he was not vaccinated because it can sometimes affect the course of the illness.) Today is his 10th day of symptoms, which include: Fever -around 101 for the first 7 days, may have low grade fever or no fever now Body Aches-significant Fatigue-he can get out of bed to use restroom but nothing else. He is in bed all day. Talking on the phone is difficult and only lasts about 5 minutes. Stomach issues No taste and smell Coughing/congestion *No breathing issues or chest pain Sent him a pulse ox from Amazon--not hospital quality, obviously, and it reads between 94%-97% Three days ago he was prescribed an antibiotic (Z-pack) and steroid after a phone call to our local doctor. The day following this was the day his fever broke. Yesterday he did not take either medicine because he says couldn't eat food due to low appetite and stomach not feeling well. He's a very bright kid, but I can see his cognitive abilities are slower likely due to lack of food. He is drinking plenty of Gatorade and water. All day he lays in bed in the dark as moving around is difficult due to fatigue. We just sent a friend a list of groceries--soup, applesauce, etc. because nothing sounds good. This makes sense with no taste and smell. Does this sound like a normal course of Covid? This fatigue seems severe. Anything else we could be doing? Update 7/28: We brought him home on Monday. So, he lives in a very small town five hours from here. The only healthcare is a small clinic that fortunately had an x-ray machine. On his 10th day of Covid symptoms, he went to this clinic due to a low pulse ox, and he was diagnosed with double lung pneumonia and sent to the ER. The closest ER was 40 minutes away and overrun with Covid. There were no beds left and anyone admitted with Covid would've stayed in the ER until a bed became available. He spent six hours in a Covid waiting room, much of it laying on a tile floor. Some of the other people in the waiting room were on oxygen. He had a CT scan and blood work and was discharged with an inhaler. Once we knew he was discharged, we picked him up. Friends drove him partway, and my husband met them on the road. We were so grateful! He arrived home around 11:30pm on Monday night. The hospital sent the CT scan and bloodwork to our local doctor, whom we trust. He said my son is "on the edge" of needing to be hospitalized or not. If he gets worse or does not get better, he will need to go to the hospital. We are less than five minutes away from a large hospital that can provide excellent care, so this is a much better place for him. We are monitoring him regularly and using the pulse ox. It's running 92-95. The doctor said the pulse ox should be fairly accurate, but I ordered a different one today so we can compare. We are getting some food in him now; he has lost over 15 pounds. I cannot imagine someone with an underlying health condition or someone elderly having this. I cannot. Thank you for all the comments and private messages. I came here for help, and I received it. You all are THE BEST. 7/31 Update: DS turned a corner on Thursday, July 29. He came downstairs on his own that day and started eating. Yesterday was better, and today was better than yesterday. I found out his oxygen levels were in the 80s on Monday's ER visit, when he was discharged with an inhaler at the hospital that was full. On his Wednesday ER visit at a different hospital near our house, the doctor said he could go home or be admitted. This is the difference between a health care system that is overwhelmed, and one that isn't. It was sobering to go through this process. He is moving in the right direction but just needs to gain back some weight and strength. He has youth and good health on his side. Thank you all, again. You've been wonderful.

Have you ever received this response? I used to hear this throughout my fifteen-year homeschooling journey. When people would ask where my children went to school, and I told them, I would often receive this response. I found it odd because I always felt my choice was not a reflection on them and vice versa. Oftentimes there was a small amount of negativity in their voice as they considered how much they would dislike to homeschool their children. While it was not meant rudely, I felt it was somewhat rude as it sometimes felt that they found my choice disdainful. Without going into much detail, I am working at a rewarding job but it is with a difficult population. If you told someone you worked at a certain job that could be considered challenging, would you consider this response rude? Particularly if they shuddered and shook their heads?

You know, that is a really good point. I like the idea of keeping this separate. I am wondering if the rental income could be put toward a part time caretaker position.

Good to know. Thank you.

We are not trying to bring in enough money to cover mortgage. The idea is to have someone to be a low-cost or no-cost caretaker in exchange for free rent. The small house has a bathroom upstairs with a shower. I would assume insurance would cover any injuries on the property. We would not have chickens, personally. However, I'd love to see the chicken coop used.

We are looking at a some property in the country with 13 acres. There is a family house on the property along with a large chicken coop, two-horse stall shelter and a very small house. Currently the owners have two horses, a pig, several chickens, a peacock, and some geese. We are trying to mitigate the expenses and/or time for the property's upkeep. We do not intend to have animals other than our small dog. We are wondering about the possibility of having a caretaker live in the small house rent-free in exchange for helping with the property. However, when we saw the house, it is very cute but very small--possibly 600 square feet with a small kitchenette. There is an upstairs with a very steep stairway. Outside in a small separate area is storage with washer/dryer and sink. This person could utilize the chicken coop, too. This property is in a town of 10,000 and the relator said there is a shortage of rental property. Also, I saw that to rent space for horses is $200/month for self-care and $300/month for full care. We could rent out the two stalls for self-care, which would net $400/month. Any ideas on how to make this work?

It's hard when someone says they should seek counseling and medical help but refuse it. In the meantime, I would not try and give solutions but give empathy and validation. This can be powerful and can provide help, too.

Somewhat off topic here... It sounds like you are discouraged, and I get it. Please know that much of this discouragement is likely Covid-related. This is a discouraging time for many people, in general. I just wanted to pop in and encourage you that much of the "hard" is not you, but it is Covid wrecking our normal socializing and community-related activities. Now back to the topic. I hope you find healthy and happy companionship. You posts always sound as if you are an active, adventurous, and generous person. Those are all attractive qualities.