Personal covid experiences

[Not_a_Number]

30 minutes ago, Jaybee said:

Someone else I know thinks he is being careful because he wears a mask in stores and into/out of restaurants. But he eats in the restaurant, and he doesn't mask at work or at church. These are not stupid people! I just don't get it.

Yeah. We're definitely failing to communicate risk assessment to people. I can do it because I'm trained in it. But I'm not surprised that the level of misinformation out there results in people UNABLE to make good decisions. 

[Dmmetler]

2 hours ago, teachermom2834 said:

Yes, my biggest anti-maskers and covid deniers on my FB feed claim they are being really safe just to make everyone else feel better. If you asked they would say they hadn't done anything or gone anywhere. But they have done everything. These are the kind of folks that document every movement on social media normally and they are doing all the things.

We live in an area with many mega churches and churches are exempt from any kind of government restrictions of which there haven't been many anyways. Well people are getting it at church and then saying they haven't done anything or gone anywhere. If pushed they will say they went to church but church is exempt.  Or that they ate with a group but masks aren't required when eating. So, here at least, not only are people not honest about masking, etc. they also do not consider anything legal to be risky. It's making me crazy. 

 

And the Governor preaches personal responsibility and seems to be totally ignorant of the fact that, for the most part, as soon as you leave an area with a mandate, there isn't even an attempt at mask wearing, social distancing or staying at home. All I can think when I hear his statements is that he must truly have not left his house in months, because that's the only way it makes sense. 

 

I was downright furious, and trying to hide it at a friend of mine, who was SO upset that her ex husband went to a party for his niece's virtual graduation because "doesn't he know he's putting my kids at risk", but then, only minutes later, talked about how they weren't going anywhere for Christmas, but would just have a "small family dinner". With at least 12 people from four different households, many of whom work outside the home.  It's a good thing we were on the phone vs zoom, because I'm SURE my face would have shown anger. 

 

 

Edited December 23, 2020 by Dmmetler

[Wheres Toto]

48 minutes ago, kokotg said:

 

https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/another-dull-quarantine-weekend-at-home-target-chipotle-home-depot-and-our-nieces-graduation-party

This would be so much funnier if it wasn't so real.  

[kbutton]

9 hours ago, kbutton said:

My relative took a serious turn for the worse, and the hospital called family in. His wife is too weak to go in—sick for three weeks with what has felt like a bad cold, but a negative Covid test.

He’s gone. She’s feeling like she turned a corner.

We’re having a lot of non-Covid deaths this year in the family as well, some among fairly young people. My aunt passed away last night also. She was about 66 and had a heart attack.

8 hours ago, wathe said:

Others are ashamed  or afraid to tell the truth.  And some just don't think, or forget.

It's a strange thing that many patients, who come to the ED with covid symptoms, don't think they can possibly have covid, because "I haven't been anywhere", or "I don't leave the house".  

One unfortunate woman I cared for a few weeks ago insisted she couldn't possibly have covid because "I haven't been anywhere".  Except she had had an outpatient surgical procedure just days previously, at the same hospital, clearly documented.  Her definition of the words "haven't", "been", and "anywhere" do not match mine! 

I think many cautious people mean they haven’t been anywhere they didn’t have to go. Not all, obviously, but not all areas have equal access to curbside orders, and plenty of folks have to work in person or see a doctor in person. We are crazy careful, but DH works on healthcare, and we do have some medical appointments.

I imagine the woman who had outpatient surgery had Covid testing before surgery—perhaps she had been nowhere else since then. It would be devastating to pick up Covid while having surgery.

I am not trying to give the broadly ignorant and uncaring a pass, but I do know that people who have stripped their outings down to what they absolutely have to do and nothing else feel very judged when they catch Covid in spite of this. They’ve had to make peace with their level of caution and risk, and then they get the stink eye from others for getting sick.

And some people are stuck with needing to care for relatives, but other people who are also related to that person are not careful or have to work in person. It’s really difficult. 

[wathe]

51 minutes ago, kbutton said:

I think many cautious people mean they haven’t been anywhere they didn’t have to go. Not all, obviously, but not all areas have equal access to curbside orders, and plenty of folks have to work in person or see a doctor in person. We are crazy careful, but DH works on healthcare, and we do have some medical appointments.

I imagine the woman who had outpatient surgery had Covid testing before surgery—perhaps she had been nowhere else since then. It would be devastating to pick up Covid while having surgery.

I am not trying to give the broadly ignorant and uncaring a pass, but I do know that people who have stripped their outings down to what they absolutely have to do and nothing else feel very judged when they catch Covid in spite of this. They’ve had to make peace with their level of caution and risk, and then they get the stink eye from others for getting sick.

And some people are stuck with needing to care for relatives, but other people who are also related to that person are not careful or have to work in person. It’s really difficult. 

I totally get that people have to go places and do things.  Absolutely.  And no judgement or stink-eye from me about it - I'm going to work in a high-risk environment myself after all.  It's the disconnect between going to those necessary places and doing those necessary things, yet denying having gone anywhere, that's the issue.

Edited December 23, 2020 by wathe

[Not_a_Number]

21 minutes ago, kbutton said:

He’s gone. She’s feeling like she turned a corner.

I'm so sorry about him 😞 . I hope she keeps improving. 

21 minutes ago, kbutton said:

We’re having a lot of non-Covid deaths this year in the family as well, some among fairly young people. My aunt passed away last night also. She was about 66 and had a heart attack.

Oh, geez. I'm really sorry. 

Not to be a paranoiac, but I wonder if this was really totally unrelated to COVID. You'd never know with a test, because infections of other organs don't get picked up by the nasal swab. 

A friend of my MIL died this year of a stroke. Her son had a stroke this year, too. I do not think we'll EVER know whether these were COVID-related. It's like the COVID toes or the Kawasaki-like syndrome thing... you would have never figured out it's COVID, except that it happened enough to make a pattern. 

[Not_a_Number]

8 minutes ago, wathe said:

I totally get that people have to go places and do things.  Absolutely.  And no judgement or stink-eye from me about it - I'm going to work in a high-risk environment myself after all.  It's the disconnect between going to those necessary places and doing those necessary things, yet denying having gone anywhere, that's the issue.

Plus that kind of sloppy thinking actually LEADS people to make bad decisions. If you understand that going to work is a real risk, then maybe you don't form a pod, and maybe you don't hang out with elderly relatives that are genuinely staying in. But if you don't understand that you're taking a risk, you act differently. 

Edited December 23, 2020 by Not_a_Number

[catz]

38 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

 

A friend of my MIL died this year of a stroke. Her son had a stroke this year, too. I do not think we'll EVER know whether these were COVID-related. It's like the COVID toes or the Kawasaki-like syndrome thing... you would have never figured out it's COVID, except that it happened enough to make a pattern. 

I do wonder about these type of cases too.  My MIL died of a stroke in April.  Her and FIL definitely weren't as careful as they could have been and I would have considered her in particular very high risk for covid.   

It'll be interesting seeing overages on deaths for 2020. Like there are some states I've been following I wonder how well they've done testing and identifying covid cases and deaths, especially earlier in the crises and in rural health care facilities where they might just be stretched all the time. 

[Not_a_Number]

3 minutes ago, FuzzyCatz said:

I do wonder about these type of cases too.  My MIL died of a stroke in April.  Her and FIL definitely weren't as careful as they could have been and I would have considered her in particular very high risk for covid.   

It'll be interesting seeing overages on deaths for 2020. Like there are some states I've been following I wonder how well they've done testing and identifying covid cases and deaths, especially earlier in the crises and in rural health care facilities where they might just be stretched all the time. 

I think we'll really only know the answer after we calculate the excess deaths -- that's how you can separate the random events from the COVID events that were never picked up by the testing... 

(This year, it may make sense to also subtract off the excess overdose and, say, cancer deaths -- things that may have been caused by isolation or delayed surgery. But I would guess the latter category will be a small fraction.) 

[kokotg]

11 minutes ago, FuzzyCatz said:

I do wonder about these type of cases too.  My MIL died of a stroke in April.  Her and FIL definitely weren't as careful as they could have been and I would have considered her in particular very high risk for covid.   

It'll be interesting seeing overages on deaths for 2020. Like there are some states I've been following I wonder how well they've done testing and identifying covid cases and deaths, especially earlier in the crises and in rural health care facilities where they might just be stretched all the time. 

yeah--we're going to be figuring this stuff out for years, I imagine. Totally anecdotally, I know of so many heart attack deaths in young (30s and 40s), seemingly healthy men over the past few months. It could be completely coincidental or it could be that they're just standing out to me more because I'm on high alert from covid. 

Edited December 23, 2020 by kokotg

[kbutton]

43 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

I'm so sorry about him 😞 . I hope she keeps improving. 

Oh, geez. I'm really sorry. 

Not to be a paranoiac, but I wonder if this was really totally unrelated to COVID. You'd never know with a test, because infections of other organs don't get picked up by the nasal swab. 

A friend of my MIL died this year of a stroke. Her son had a stroke this year, too. I do not think we'll EVER know whether these were COVID-related. It's like the COVID toes or the Kawasaki-like syndrome thing... you would have never figured out it's COVID, except that it happened enough to make a pattern. 

One death could maybe be. There was some vagueness (found unresponsive), but that relative had massive health issues, including autoimmune stuff. I have wondered if they were vague because it was Covid, but I think it was likely a stroke even if it was Covid (neurology consults were part of the process). One death was in the spring when cases in that person’s rural county were still in single digits, and he was fairly reclusive—he had congestive heart failure and other health issues that he did not take care of at all. His heart was functioning at something like 1/5th of what it should’ve been. The aunt that passed last night had a nearly complete heart blockage in her widow maker artery. I think the profile of Covid heart stuff has been different, but I haven’t kept up on that aspect of Covid.

 

[Not_a_Number]

10 minutes ago, kbutton said:

One death could maybe be. There was some vagueness (found unresponsive), but that relative had massive health issues, including autoimmune stuff. I have wondered if they were vague because it was Covid, but I think it was likely a stroke even if it was Covid (neurology consults were part of the process).

COVID can cause strokes, though -- that's documented. 

 

10 minutes ago, kbutton said:

 One death was in the spring when cases in that person’s rural county were still in single digits, and he was fairly reclusive—he had congestive heart failure and other health issues that he did not take care of at all. His heart was functioning at something like 1/5th of what it should’ve been. The aunt that passed last night had a nearly complete heart blockage in her widow maker artery. I think the profile of Covid heart stuff has been different, but I haven’t kept up on that aspect of Covid.

I haven't kept track of the COVID heart attack stuff, either. If you look it up, I'll be interested. 

[kbutton]

6 minutes ago, kokotg said:

yeah--we're going to be figuring this stuff out for years, I imagine. Totally anecdotally, I know of so many heart attack deaths in young (30s and 40s), seemingly healthy men over the past few months. It could be completely coincidental or it could be that they're just standing out to me more because I'm on high alert from covid. 

Like seeing pregnant women everywhere when you’re pregnant yourself? I tend to be suspicious of Covid first, but heart attacks are really common. I think people at risk for them are not being monitored as closely either. Before Covid, my FIL had a heart attack that did zero damage. It was a stress event, but he’d not had a stressful event; it’s thought that his kidney issues (genetic) brought on new congestive heart failure that he was on the verge for already. What is good for severely damaged kidneys is not good for the heart and vice versa. I can imagine if he were still alive and doing virtual doctor visits, it would not be pretty to balance those issues carefully (he passed from a stroke well before Covid).

I do think there are a lot of Covid heart deaths as well, but I think sorting them is going to require some serious work.

[Not_a_Number]

Just now, kbutton said:

I do think there are a lot of Covid heart deaths as well, but I think sorting them is going to require some serious work.

We'll never sort them. Most COVID heart deaths will coincide with preexisting heart conditions, just like most COVID deaths coincide with other conditions. Basically, if you get heart damage from COVID, it's most likely to finish you off if you already have things wrong with you.  

And people are REALLY not eager to do autopsies right now, because you might get COVID. 

Did I tell you about the CNN special I watched where the person who had been interviewed for the special because she did autopsies on COVID patients in NY died of a heart attack before the special aired? She was one of the few people doing autopsies on these patients. It could be a coincidence, of course. It could be. But it was the worst possible end to the special... 

[kbutton]

4 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

COVID can cause strokes, though -- that's documented. 

 

I haven't kept track of the COVID heart attack stuff, either. If you look it up, I'll be interested. 

Yes, that is why I wonder about his death and why his wife was vague. I just don’t have confirmation. 

[kbutton]

3 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

We'll never sort them. Most COVID heart deaths will coincide with preexisting heart conditions, just like most COVID deaths coincide with other conditions. Basically, if you get heart damage from COVID, it's most likely to finish you off if you already have things wrong with you.  

And people are REALLY not eager to do autopsies right now, because you might get COVID. 

Did I tell you about the CNN special I watched where the person who had been interviewed for the special because she did autopsies on COVID patients in NY died of a heart attack before the special aired? She was one of the few people doing autopsies on these patients. It could be a coincidence, of course. It could be. But it was the worst possible end to the special... 

That’s so tragic.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we find multiple heart damage profiles from Covid, but it will probably be from damaged hearts of survivors, sigh. 

[Not_a_Number]

3 minutes ago, kbutton said:

That’s so tragic.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we find multiple heart damage profiles from Covid, but it will probably be from damaged hearts of survivors, sigh. 

It IS tragic. Here's the special: it's actually about long-haulers: 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-long-haulers-60-minutes-2020-11-22/

I had serious goose bumps when I got to the end of it and it said Dr. Fowkes had died 😞 . 

[ktgrok]

Yeah, people lie aobut masking, etc. I mean, I'm sure the people who let their nose show would tell a survey they were masking. And the people wearing masks to the sstore, but then eating inside a restaruant unmasked would say they mask. And the people that mask out in public, but not when they get together with family at their own home, etc etc. 

[*Jessica*]

4 hours ago, StillJessica said:

Did anyone here who was sick have the gastro symptoms and the respiratory symptoms?  My grandparents had diarrhea yesterday and what Grammy called cold symptoms.  She woke up today with a sore throat and Poppy is coughing.  My mother is taking them for a COVID test at 1, but they are 86 and 90 years old so I’m worrying.  Ugh, I HATE not being able to go take care of them!  

Quoting myself.  They did rapid tests and Grammy and Poppy are both COVID positive.  When Mom picked them up Poppy fell out of his chair getting up.  😭  

I’ll keep the thread updated with symptoms as it progresses.  

[Not_a_Number]

1 minute ago, StillJessica said:

Quoting myself.  They did rapid tests and Grammy and Poppy are both COVID positive.  When Mom picked them up Poppy fell out of his chair getting up.  😭  

I’ll keep the thread updated with symptoms as it progresses.  

Oh no 😞 . I'm so sorry. Please keep us updated. 

[Ausmumof3]

1 hour ago, StillJessica said:

Quoting myself.  They did rapid tests and Grammy and Poppy are both COVID positive.  When Mom picked them up Poppy fell out of his chair getting up.  😭  

I’ll keep the thread updated with symptoms as it progresses.  

I’m sorry.  I really hope they pull through.

[busymama7]

I can't remember if I replied to this thread in the last couple days but Monday was the best day I had had so far.  Felt totally normal. Had energy and could do some Christmas stuff.   I was attributing it to switching to Liposomal vitamin C and adding a lemon drink with fresh lemons and turmeric.   Sounds weird but it's good.  

Tuesday was moderate.  Felt pretty good until 4:00 when I got a covid headache and went to bed for a bit but couldn't sleep.  Today however I am right back where I started.  Feel crummy.  Just had a little crying breakdown because I am so sad about not feeling well for Christmas but mostly I feel like I have no idea where the end of this is.   Feeling like I'm never going to feel better and be myself. Laying around is not in my personality 😭. School hasn't happened since the first week of November and I have no idea how I will ever get back to it.  Sending them isn't an option as it is virtual anyways and a nightmare as per my friends.  So yeah feeling really really sad and hopeless at the moment. 

[Not_a_Number]

Just now, busymama7 said:

I can't remember if I replied to this thread in the last couple days but Monday was the best day I had had so far.  Felt totally normal. Had energy and could do some Christmas stuff.   I was attributing it to switching to Liposomal vitamin C and adding a lemon drink with fresh lemons and turmeric.   Sounds weird but it's good.  

Tuesday was moderate.  Felt pretty good until 4:00 when I got a covid headache and went to bed for a bit but couldn't sleep.  Today however I am right back where I started.  Feel crummy.  Just had a little crying breakdown because I am so sad about not feeling well for Christmas but mostly I feel like I have no idea where the end of this is.   Feeling like I'm never going to feel better and be myself. Laying around is not in my personality 😭. School hasn't happened since the first week of November and I have no idea how I will ever get back to it.  Sending them isn't an option as it is virtual anyways and a nightmare as per my friends.  So yeah feeling really really sad and hopeless at the moment. 

I'm really sorry you're feeling that way. I totally get feeling frustrated.

HOWEVER... the fact you had a good day is GREAT. That shows that things are on their way up. Fingers crossed you have more and more good days. 

[busymama7]

20 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

I'm really sorry you're feeling that way. I totally get feeling frustrated.

HOWEVER... the fact you had a good day is GREAT. That shows that things are on their way up. Fingers crossed you have more and more good days. 

Thank you.  I will cling to that.  

[Pawz4me]

I posted a couple of weeks ago (estimated) about a pregnant relative who had the virus. She seems to have recovered well as far as how she feels, but now she's having some BP problems and her liver counts are slightly elevated. Her OB doesn't know whether either of those are related to Covid or not. Right now she's taking it easy and the plan is to induce her around the first full week in January, which is a couple of weeks ahead of her due date.

[Dmmetler]

2 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

I posted a couple of weeks ago (estimated) about a pregnant relative who had the virus. She seems to have recovered well as far as how she feels, but now she's having some BP problems and her liver counts are slightly elevated. Her OB doesn't know whether either of those are related to Covid or not. Right now she's taking it easy and the plan is to induce her around the first full week in January, which is a couple of weeks ahead of her due date.

I’m glad they are keeping an eye on it. There have been several cases of HELLP in women who also have/have had COVID, which might be just coincidence, but it’s definitely not something to play with. 

[YaelAldrich]

My update: both the husband and I took covid tests on Tuesday. Negative. The mother of my youngest son's best friend (he also comes over to our house for school everyday) just let me know her oldest (a good friend of my second oldest) has Covid-19 as of Monday (just got the results back today). She's quite worried as he has Type 1 diabetes and evidently this can be a problem. Thank goodness for a holiday break that started last week Wednesday and my husband's insistence that the two of us get away for a quick trip this week so anyone in our family last saw them Sunday afternoon (that's my daughter who is best friends with their older daughter who was coincidentally tested yesterday and found negative). We're getting back tomorrow and isolating until we can get tested on Sunday morning (the whole family). It keeps skirting around us.

Also a notoriously not-masking family (father) in our community may or may not have covid. Rapid was positive, first PCR negative, waiting for results of second because of symptoms.

[Pawz4me]

8 hours ago, Dmmetler said:

I’m glad they are keeping an eye on it. There have been several cases of HELLP in women who also have/have had COVID, which might be just coincidence, but it’s definitely not something to play with. 

Thankfully, she's a nurse (master's degree level) and is going to the top OB/GYN group in our city. So I'm sure both she and her docs are staying on top of things. Still . . . it's a worry.

[mathnerd]

On 12/23/2020 at 9:10 AM, Not_a_Number said:

A friend of my MIL died this year of a stroke. Her son had a stroke this year, too. I do not think we'll EVER know whether these were COVID-related. It's like the COVID toes or the Kawasaki-like syndrome thing... you would have never figured out it's COVID, except that it happened enough to make a pattern. 

2 of my neighbors (in their 70's, different households) passed away in the last 2 months. One developed a kidney infection that was not controllable and other had heart issues. Their families say that it was not covid but, there is no way to know if it was unrelated to covid. These 2 people were still working at office jobs every day when they got ill.

My very indirect/distant relative of my generation (not even 60 years old) had a massive stroke and died 2 months ago. Another older relative, in her 70's, died of "natural causes" all of a sudden. All of them are attributed to non-covid causes. But, it makes me wonder if they might have had covid in some form earlier and then died later due to other after effects.

Edited December 24, 2020 by mathnerd

[mlktwins]

I met a wonderful lady through FB marketplace this summer.  She was selling a bunch of cross-stitch supplies (I do cross-stitch LOL).  I don't usually make friends that way 😁!  But...she was cleaning out her elderly parent's house (where her sister also lived) to sell it.  Her 90 year old mother was in a nursing home, her father died of Covid in April, and her sister died at home the same day her dad died.  She said that wasn't from Covid, but I wonder!  Anyway, I felt horrible for her having to deal with the house and all the stuff while grieving her dad and sister -- while her mom was in a nursing home in PA during a pandemic.  Just horrible situations for so many people!  

[Not_a_Number]

28 minutes ago, mathnerd said:

2 of my neighbors (in their 70's, different households) passed away in the last 2 months. One developed a kidney infection that was not controllable and other had heart issues. Their families say that it was not covid but, there is no way to know if it was unrelated to covid. These 2 people were still working at office jobs every day when they got ill.

My very indirect/distant relative of my generation (not even 60 years old) had a massive stroke and died 2 months ago. Another older relative, in her 70's, died of "natural causes" all of a sudden. All of them are attributed to non-covid causes. But, it makes me wonder if they might have had covid in some form earlier and then died later due to other after effects.

Yeah, it’s exactly like that 😞 . We will never know. Most of the Kawasaki-like syndrome kids had negative PCR tests... you’d probably need an autopsy to know after death or something.

[Matryoshka]

I just heard from my mom that my 2nd cousin has Covid (so, her mom is my mom's cousin).  She's a number of years younger than I am (late 40s-maybe 50ish?) and has triplets in their teens.  She's apparently been in the hospital and is getting plasma(?) but has a lot of lung involvement and clotting.  So that doesn't sound good. 😞  She lives in Tennessee.

[alisoncooks]

My nephew has been exposed at work and he/his family are all currently sick. He's awaiting his test rsults. 

Rant ahead: despite the above, he had to be firmly told NOT to show up at his elderly grandma's house Christmas Eve (she has COPD/asthma, currently also has bronchitis).  🙄 Like...how can he NOT understand this??!!

[Not_a_Number]

5 minutes ago, alisoncooks said:

My nephew has been exposed at work and he/his family are all currently sick. He's awaiting his test rsults. 

Rant ahead: despite the above, he had to be firmly told NOT to show up at his elderly grandma's house Christmas Eve (she has COPD/asthma, currently also has bronchitis).  🙄 Like...how can he NOT understand this??!!

Yeesh. He should really know better... 

[*Jessica*]

On 12/23/2020 at 2:27 PM, StillJessica said:

Quoting myself.  They did rapid tests and Grammy and Poppy are both COVID positive.  When Mom picked them up Poppy fell out of his chair getting up.  😭  

I’ll keep the thread updated with symptoms as it progresses.  

Poppy had O2 sats dipping down to as low as 89 after moving around and wouldn’t eat anything and was barely drinking, so my mom called 911 and they went and evaluated both of my grandparents and took Poppy to the hospital.  If the ER doesn’t think he needs admitted, which seems unlikely, the ambulance will return him home.  It is so hard to not be able to be there to care for them.  

[Not_a_Number]

2 minutes ago, StillJessica said:

Poppy had O2 sats dipping down to as low as 89 after moving around and wouldn’t eat anything and was barely drinking, so my mom called 911 and they went and evaluated both of my grandparents and took Poppy to the hospital.  If the ER doesn’t think he needs admitted, which seems unlikely, the ambulance will return him home.  It is so hard to not be able to be there to care for them.  

Oh, gosh 😞 . How old are they? 

[*Jessica*]

23 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

Oh, gosh 😞 . How old are they? 

She is 86 and he is 90.  She’s so relieved that my mom and I made the call to have him go to the hospital.  I really hope they keep him so she can continue to relax a bit.  She was going to wear herself out trying to keep an eye on him while being sick herself.  I was about ready to move in with them if the ambulance didn’t take him in.  She’s not nearly as sick as he is, and she will also treat food and drink like medicine and eat/drink even if she doesn’t feel like it.  

[vonfirmath]

On 12/23/2020 at 12:21 PM, kbutton said:

Like seeing pregnant women everywhere when you’re pregnant yourself? I tend to be suspicious of Covid first, but heart attacks are really common. I think people at risk for them are not being monitored as closely either. Before Covid, my FIL had a heart attack that did zero damage. It was a stress event, but he’d not had a stressful event; it’s thought that his kidney issues (genetic) brought on new congestive heart failure that he was on the verge for already. What is good for severely damaged kidneys is not good for the heart and vice versa. I can imagine if he were still alive and doing virtual doctor visits, it would not be pretty to balance those issues carefully (he passed from a stroke well before Covid).

I do think there are a lot of Covid heart deaths as well, but I think sorting them is going to require some serious work.

This too. Some people are delaying going to the doctor/not doing regular doctor appointments that otherwise would have. Trying to save the hospitals for those that need it more/trying not to get out and expose to others. etc.

 

[Terabith]

I have a friend who is a couple of years younger than I am (44), who he and his entire family (wife, step daughter, and 4 year old son) all have covid.  Step daughter got it from her father, so it was a fairly unavoidable contact, but my friend has type 1 diabetes, just had bariatric surgery, and has all kinds of health issues, so I am worried about him.

And I was just talking to my parents, who live in Tennessee, and I am just so disgusted.  This pandemic is never going to go away.  My brother in law's parents, who live in a tiny town in West Tennessee, both have major health issues.  His father has congestive heart failure, and probably won't live another year even without covid, but they've been eating out in restaurants with large groups of friends and going to church and not wearing masks.  Their daughter has always lived with them, and her daughter, their granddaughter, is in law school.  She came home for Christmas, and once there found out she had covid, pneumonia, and strep.  She's like 24 and very, very sick, and lives with these two high risk individuals who are still going out and about to stores, even though they live with someone who has covid.  And my sister's next door neighbors, who are in their late 50's, have apparently been going to their supper clubs with four or five other couples in restaurants and cafes, and now have been exposed to covid.  It's just so annoying and frustrating and idiotic.  

I'm so glad my sister found out about her husbands' parents' exposure before they came to visit for Christmas.  

My mom's sister's husband, in his 70's, wanted to fly from North Carolina to Memphis and then drive to her town an hour away and stay with my mom while he looked at a house, and thank God my mother said no, he couldn't, because that was a stupid covid risk.  (The whole process of buying a house sight unseen 10 hours from any of their children or grandchildren, and where their closest relatives are my aunt's older sister, who can be of limited help to them, is just a whole other story of idiocy.)  

[Not_a_Number]

7 minutes ago, Thatboyofmine said:

Is this normal?  

dh flu-like symptoms Sunday morning,

tested positive Monday morning, very mild flu-ish feeling Monday & Tuesday,

Wednesday & Thursday he felt really good, like annoyingly well (laughing, talking silly, acting like a nut even alone in the bedroom),

this morning he is running fever 101-102 (previously only gotten to high 99s) and feels like it’s a “really bad” flu, like much worse than previously.   He said a few hrs ago that it’s not in his chest, but has coughed some now. 
 

is that up & down normal? Or should I call dr? 

Yeah, it’s normal 😞 . It’s a bizarre illness. But you might still call the doctor.

[ScoutTN]

My SIL and her three teens all have it. Her husband does not. 

Two of the kids and SIL have had fever and have lost taste and smell. One kid has no symptoms. 

The irony is that both adults are docs and they were tested as a prerequisite for a planned trip to Aruba! Since the extended family was not gathering, they made other plans. Doctors! One works at the VA hospital. ALL of his patients are high risk.

Contact tracing here is a joke. They don't know where they got it. All the kids work and have in-person school several days a week. One doc wirks in a hospital, the other in a walk in clinic. 

Other SIL texted to say Christmas gifts for my kids from the cousins with covid are at their house. I said we'll get them in 10 days or so and please leave them by a sunny window in the meantime. 

Edited December 25, 2020 by ScoutTN

[kbutton]

Some friends of ours had a friend pass away; the friend was 21 and the picture of health, but he was gone in just days. 

[Shoeless]

My stupid cousins, who all refuse to wear masks, stay out of restaurants, do the right thing, etc all have Covid. My equally stupid aunt and uncle are driving down to Florida from NYC to visit them tomorrow.  None of them plan to get vaccinated against Covid when it's available. 😒

[Not_a_Number]

30 minutes ago, MissLemon said:

My stupid cousins, who all refuse to wear masks, stay out of restaurants, do the right thing, etc all have Covid. My equally stupid aunt and uncle are driving down to Florida from NYC to visit them tomorrow.  None of them plan to get vaccinated against Covid when it's available. 😒

Aaaaah. 

I’m sorry your family is so silly.

[Not_a_Number]

1 hour ago, kbutton said:

Some friends of ours had a friend pass away; the friend was 21 and the picture of health, but he was gone in just days. 

Oh my goodness. That’s awful 😞 . I haven’t heard too many stories like that...

[Matryoshka]

My mom tells me my cousin is doing a bit better today, but still in the hospital.  But she says apparently a bunch of my relatives down there (TN) have also had it, this is just the first serious case. But at least fortunately my mom's cousin and her dh (the parents) have been more careful because they have a lot of risk factors - one of them has had a heartvalve replacement (besides of course also being older).

[Not_a_Number]

31 minutes ago, Matryoshka said:

My mom tells me my cousin is doing a bit better today, but still in the hospital.  But she says apparently a bunch of my relatives down there (TN) have also had it, this is just the first serious case. But at least fortunately my mom's cousin and her dh (the parents) have been more careful because they have a lot of risk factors - one of them has had a heartvalve replacement (besides of course also being older).

Glad your cousin is doing a bit better... keep us updated.

[*Jessica*]

6 hours ago, StillJessica said:

She is 86 and he is 90.  She’s so relieved that my mom and I made the call to have him go to the hospital.  I really hope they keep him so she can continue to relax a bit.  She was going to wear herself out trying to keep an eye on him while being sick herself.  I was about ready to move in with them if the ambulance didn’t take him in.  She’s not nearly as sick as he is, and she will also treat food and drink like medicine and eat/drink even if she doesn’t feel like it.  

Quoting myself again.  They are sending him home, which is both fantastic because that means he’s not as sick as he seemed to us, and not for Gram’s sake because she is going to wear out.  I feel like I should consider moving in with them for a couple of weeks to care for them, but I don’t know how I could safely do that.

[Spryte]

33 minutes ago, StillJessica said:

Quoting myself again.  They are sending him home, which is both fantastic because that means he’s not as sick as he seemed to us, and not for Gram’s sake because she is going to wear out.  I feel like I should consider moving in with them for a couple of weeks to care for them, but I don’t know how I could safely do that.

I couldn’t decide between liking that he’s going home, or sad that she’s going to have to take care of him.  I just wish them both easy, quick recoveries, and wanted to let you know that they’ve been on my mind and in my heart.  

[mlktwins]

On 12/24/2020 at 3:32 PM, mlktwins said:

I met a wonderful lady through FB marketplace this summer.  She was selling a bunch of cross-stitch supplies (I do cross-stitch LOL).  I don't usually make friends that way 😁!  But...she was cleaning out her elderly parent's house (where her sister also lived) to sell it.  Her 90 year old mother was in a nursing home, her father died of Covid in April, and her sister died at home the same day her dad died.  She said that wasn't from Covid, but I wonder!  Anyway, I felt horrible for her having to deal with the house and all the stuff while grieving her dad and sister -- while her mom was in a nursing home in PA during a pandemic.  Just horrible situations for so many people!  

And...I just heard from her.  Her mom now has Covid and the nursing home won't even let her talk to her on the phone.  Her old neighbor works there though and let her talk to her on the neighbor's phone.  Said she sounds congested and is just praying she is ok.