Personal covid experiences

[Terabith]

I think this thread got deleted in the purge.  It seemed valuable.  I appreciated hearing about people’s experiences.  
 

@Plum, how is your husband?  @lewelma, how is your sister?  
My friend who lives in DC area had it. Thinks she’s over it now after three weeks.  Was basically a really bad cold with a cough and fever.  She felt pretty bad but normal sick bad.  Her elderly father had symptoms but I don’t think got tested.  She’s heard he’s doing better, from his home health aid, which is kind of a miracle.  
 

My former housemate has a fever, cough, and headaches.  He is waiting on covid test.  He just got out of hospital for congestive heart failure, and his heart is in a fib again.  He lost 130 lbs in just over a month from fluid from the heart failure.  Covid would be bad.  

[Carrie12345]

I was looking for it the other day, and thought it was weird that I couldn’t find it!

My son’s grandmother appears to have beat it. I don’t technically believe in miracles, but it’s pretty miraculous. She was hospitalized for major health issues and acquired it there. She is still hospitalized for major health issues, but said to be over COVID.
This is a woman who was in hospice from cancer decades ago and made it out of that, too.

[Not_a_Number]

Sorry it went poof!

[*****]

A friend of mine had it.  Started with a scratchy throat, then nagging headache for about a week, lost his sense of smell/taste, very tired, but no fever.  It was gone within 10-12 days. He was one of the lucky ones to have it mildly. 

[Pen]

 

My elder relatives whose home HCW got it did not catch it from him.   Very close quarters assistance is given and for substantial time, but all parties have been masked, and the elder wears glasses and has/have high vitamin D / substantial is sunshine exposure  .   The HCW person apparently is doing well - has mild case recovering at home. 

Otoh a NY friend’s relative seems to be a “long hauler “ situation. 

[Frances]

I have a fairly young neighbor who started with all of the classic symptoms and has been continuing to experience some of them on and off for the last six months. So I guess that makes him a long hauler. 

 

[mathnerd]

I heard that one of my aunts (who I have never met because she moved abroad after she married 45 years ago) died last week from Covid. I also learned that my cousin's FIL (a smoker with preexisting lung disease) died in the past 10 days. The details are hazy as I am not directly connected to them, but, the people I am connected to are sad and scared.

[MEmama]

I’ve mentioned before that DS had Covid toes back in May. Since that time he seems to have developed chronic angioedema, which we are trying to sort out. While there is no concrete way to tie the two together, his asthma and allergy specialist thinks a virus might have triggered the autoimmune response. Covid was the most recent virus he has had.

So far it's been sporadic but flare ups might be tied to his anxiety. We all feel helpless because there aren’t clear answers and therefore have no clear action plan for prevention.

(We also suspect his asthma developed after he had the swine flu)

[Ausmumof3]

1 hour ago, MEmama said:

I’ve mentioned before that DS had Covid toes back in May. Since that time he seems to have developed chronic angioedema, which we are trying to sort out. While there is no concrete way to tie the two together, his asthma and allergy specialist thinks a virus might have triggered the autoimmune response. Covid was the most recent virus he has had.

So far it's been sporadic but flare ups might be tied to his anxiety. We all feel helpless because there aren’t clear answers and therefore have no clear action plan for prevention.

(We also suspect his asthma developed after he had the swine flu)

I must have missed it but did you end up getting confirmation that it was Covid causing the toe thing?  I’m so sorry about the ongoing consequences and feeling of helplessness.  

[MEmama]

20 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

I must have missed it but did you end up getting confirmation that it was Covid causing the toe thing?  I’m so sorry about the ongoing consequences and feeling of helplessness.  

Various Doctors confirmed. Our testing here was so unreliable at the time they have universally dismissed the negative outcome as meaningless. (In addition to the high false negative rate, it is also likely we didn’t test during the most reliable window. We were pretty late in the game).

[Terabith]

My friend with congestive heart failure who developed a cough, headache, and fever a week ago and is still waiting on covid test went to hospital this morning with O2 stats in the 60's.  He's still talking.  I'm having a hard time imagining this as anything other than covid at this point.  

 

Edited September 26, 2020 by Terabith

[MEmama]

Terabith! ((HUGS!!!))

[PinkTulip]

I went and got tested this morning. I was told yesterday I was exposed to someone who tested positive. I have a very light cough, and possibly a mild sore throat, but I think I’m also paranoid and could be imagining the sore throat. The positivity rate in my area is ridiculously high (almost 15%), so I won’t be surprised if it’s positive. 

[mlktwins]

I missed something!  What was the big purge?!?!?

 

[Pen]

3 minutes ago, PinkTulip said:

I went and got tested this morning. I was told yesterday I was exposed to someone who tested positive. I have a very light cough, and possibly a mild sore throat, but I think I’m also paranoid and could be imagining the sore throat. The positivity rate in my area is ridiculously high (almost 15%), so I won’t be surprised if it’s positive. 

 

I hope you will be ok. Let us know.

 

 

[Pen]

 

 

@Terabith  I’m sorry  - that’s awful -  I hope you can have some sense of relief    Maybe do some emotional release exercises 🤗   

[Not_a_Number]

5 minutes ago, mlktwins said:

I missed something!  What was the big purge?!?!?

I'll PM you. It wasn't really a purge, but it did result in threads disappearing. This one was the most active one, I think. 

[Guest]

I think the question of what to do about college students living away was in the vanished thread. My son and his gf possibly have COVID. They are getting tested Monday (tommorow). They are “lightly” sick and ds says it is worse today with fever, congestion and fatigue. And a sore throat. Gf had a sore throat and headache yesterday.  He is in an off-campus apartment but is only ~ one hour away by car. 

He expects to remain at the apartment and quarantine in his room and will “fix food when roommates are not there.” Im very dubious on that strategy. I also don’t particularly like not monitoring him myself. He told me the university does not have any quarantine or sick support dorm. 

[Catwoman]

55 minutes ago, Quill said:

I think the question of what to do about college students living away was in the vanished thread. My son and his gf possibly have COVID. They are getting tested Monday (tommorow). They are “lightly” sick and ds says it is worse today with fever, congestion and fatigue. And a sore throat. Gf had a sore throat and headache yesterday.  He is in an off-campus apartment but is only ~ one hour away by car. 

He expects to remain at the apartment and quarantine in his room and will “fix food when roommates are not there.” Im very dubious on that strategy. I also don’t particularly like not monitoring him myself. He told me the university does not have any quarantine or sick support dorm. 

Does he want to come home?

Can you get your house set up for quarantine in case he gets worse and needs to come home? 

I’m thankful that he’s not far away, in case you need/want to go get him and bring him home.

I hope he and his gf get well very quickly!

 

[Not_a_Number]

58 minutes ago, Quill said:

I think the question of what to do about college students living away was in the vanished thread. My son and his gf possibly have COVID. They are getting tested Monday (tommorow). They are “lightly” sick and ds says it is worse today with fever, congestion and fatigue. And a sore throat. Gf had a sore throat and headache yesterday.  He is in an off-campus apartment but is only ~ one hour away by car. 

He expects to remain at the apartment and quarantine in his room and will “fix food when roommates are not there.” Im very dubious on that strategy. I also don’t particularly like not monitoring him myself. He told me the university does not have any quarantine or sick support dorm. 

Yeah, sorry about the disappeared thread 😞 . 

Maybe have him come nearer but stay in a hotel or AirBnB or something? Although I don't know if they'd want that... 

[Not_a_Number]

Our personal COVID experiences so far: 

Our 20-something babysitter had it back in March (no test, but this was in NYC, she had lost her sense of smell, and she had to go to work, so almost certainly COVID.) Was pretty sick but recovered relatively quickly. No bad effects that we know of.

 A 90+ year old man with dementia in our apartment building has died of COVID. 

Several of DH's coworkers (in their 50s and 60s) had COVID and had lingering effects. One of them had to step down from some positions; the other two had serious sequelae but seemed to be improving last we checked.  

My dentist apparently has the antibodies but didn't feel that sick. No long-term effects. 

A friend of my BIL didn't get hospitalized but wound up in the emergency room with COVID. 

A secretary at my MIL's work (in her 60s) had COVID and had lingering fatigue and lung issues. Don't know how she's doing now. 

[Guest]

15 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

Does he want to come home?

Can you get your house set up for quarantine in case he gets worse and needs to come home? 

I’m thankful that he’s not far away, in case you need/want to go get him and bring him home.

I hope he and his gf get well very quickly!

 

He does not want to come home. If he does get sick to the point of not wanting to stay there, I could go retrieve him. It is not hard to quarantine in our house because we have a section with a bedroom, attached bath and “studio” room. This is technically dd’s bedroom but she moved out and, by putting a bed in there, he could stay there for a week or two if need be. 

[mmasc]

One of my closest friends had it (she’s a school teacher) about a month ago. She said she felt really, really fatigued one evening after school and went to bed early. Still felt tired the next day and then found out that her  11-month old grandson tested positive. She got tested and also tested positive. She never got any sicker. She was fatigued and that was all. She quarantined for the correct amount of time and nobody else in her immediate household got it. Her grandson had fever and cough and recovered in several days/week. 

[Catwoman]

35 minutes ago, Quill said:

He does not want to come home. If he does get sick to the point of not wanting to stay there, I could go retrieve him. It is not hard to quarantine in our house because we have a section with a bedroom, attached bath and “studio” room. This is technically dd’s bedroom but she moved out and, by putting a bed in there, he could stay there for a week or two if need be. 

It’s good to know that you can bring him home if necessary. I’m hoping he will start feeling better quickly, both for his sake and for yours, because it’s so hard to keep from constantly worrying, especially with Covid. 

[Pen]

1 hour ago, Quill said:

He does not want to come home. If he does get sick to the point of not wanting to stay there, I could go retrieve him. It is not hard to quarantine in our house because we have a section with a bedroom, attached bath and “studio” room. This is technically dd’s bedroom but she moved out and, by putting a bed in there, he could stay there for a week or two if need be. 

 

It sounds like his at school situation is not ideal but probably manageable...would be nice if a roommate could leave meals at his door, but if he feels well enough probably prep with mask while they are gone is not terrible . And then it sounds like distance plus home arrangement makes having him home if needed very feasible too.  

That’s lucky!  

Some people seem to have kids far away and /or neither the campus nor the home well adapted to dealing with infectious disease. 

 

[Pen]

What was “the purge”?

On 9/25/2020 at 12:47 AM, Terabith said:

I think this thread got deleted in the purge.  It seemed valuable.  I appreciated hearing about people’s experiences.  
 

 

 

[Guest]

20 minutes ago, Pen said:

What was “the purge”?

 

 

It’s just, a member was deleted from the roll and all her posts and threads vanished. (Except for quoted posts.)

[ktgrok]

So, in weirdness, another person I know has it. The weird part is his wife, my friend, had it two months ago. At that time he did not get sick, and I think he tested negative. Not sure he was tested, but I think so? But anyway, she recovered, and NOW he is sick, and tested positive. I don't know where he picked it up, and don't want to ask right now, but it sure is strange! Didn't get it while living with somone who had it, but then did get it later? Or was he harboring it in some less than fully infected way and something triggered it? Or?

Also, again, I'm not asking, but part of me wants to ask what the straight heck are they doing that they keep getting exposed! 

[Not_a_Number]

7 minutes ago, Ktgrok said:

So, in weirdness, another person I know has it. The weird part is his wife, my friend, had it two months ago. At that time he did not get sick, and I think he tested negative. Not sure he was tested, but I think so? But anyway, she recovered, and NOW he is sick, and tested positive. I don't know where he picked it up, and don't want to ask right now, but it sure is strange! Didn't get it while living with somone who had it, but then did get it later? Or was he harboring it in some less than fully infected way and something triggered it? Or?

Also, again, I'm not asking, but part of me wants to ask what the straight heck are they doing that they keep getting exposed! 

I have the impression that it's more like some people spread it a lot and some don't more than some people aren't susceptible? Although maybe it's both. 

[ktgrok]

Just now, Not_a_number said:

I have the impression that it's more like some people spread it a lot and some don't more than some people aren't susceptible? Although maybe it's both. 

Good point. Yeah, she might just not be a spreader. And then he came in contact with someone that was. 

Actually, that's likely it. I know she shared a vacation home with another family around that time and I don't think they got it from her. (also, WTF people??? NO SHARING VACATION HOMES IN A PANDEMIC if you are not otherwise isolated!)

[Terabith]

I had a terrible thought the other day, that my friend with probably covid will presumably be released from the hospital at some point and call me to pick him up.  But I don't want anyone with covid in my car.  But maybe I could drive my extra car we're not really using to the hospital and leave the key for him at the hospital, and then the car can just sit for a couple weeks.  Not like we're using two cars at the moment.  

I feel guilty for not wanting to be around him, but a car situation sounds like a likely transmission vector.  

[Not_a_Number]

1 minute ago, Terabith said:

I had a terrible thought the other day, that my friend with probably covid will presumably be released from the hospital at some point and call me to pick him up.  But I don't want anyone with covid in my car.  But maybe I could drive my extra car we're not really using to the hospital and leave the key for him at the hospital, and then the car can just sit for a couple weeks.  Not like we're using two cars at the moment.  

I feel guilty for not wanting to be around him, but a car situation sounds like a likely transmission vector.  

Oooof. I like your idea with the second car, if he's able to drive at that point... otherwise, maybe masks for all and windows open 😕 

[Pen]

25 minutes ago, Terabith said:

I had a terrible thought the other day, that my friend with probably covid will presumably be released from the hospital at some point and call me to pick him up.  But I don't want anyone with covid in my car.  But maybe I could drive my extra car we're not really using to the hospital and leave the key for him at the hospital, and then the car can just sit for a couple weeks.  Not like we're using two cars at the moment.  

I feel guilty for not wanting to be around him, but a car situation sounds like a likely transmission vector.  

 

If he’s able to drive that sounds like a good plan.

depending on his situation he may not be very contagious by time of release from hospital - you might want to discuss this with him, and with your local public health office

 

It also seems like a question worth posting (in a general way about picking Covid patients up from hospital and helping drive them) on DrBeen’s twitter feed. Once per week he does a video trying to answer such questions 

[Terabith]

So, my friend who is in the hospital with what everyone was presuming to be covid had his covid test come back negative.  So they moved him off the covid ward.  They've done a second test, but in the meantime, I'm being asked to bring him clothes and DRIVE HIM HOME in a couple days.  

I.....don't really feel comfortable with this, given the rate of false negatives.  If the second test comes back negative before they send him home, I'll consider it, but I'm really uneasy.  And there's no way to drop things off for people who aren't on covid ward.  You have to go in and deliver it to him.  

Am I dumb for being uneasy about this?

[Not_a_Number]

1 hour ago, Terabith said:

So, my friend who is in the hospital with what everyone was presuming to be covid had his covid test come back negative.  So they moved him off the covid ward.  They've done a second test, but in the meantime, I'm being asked to bring him clothes and DRIVE HIM HOME in a couple days.  

I.....don't really feel comfortable with this, given the rate of false negatives.  If the second test comes back negative before they send him home, I'll consider it, but I'm really uneasy.  And there's no way to drop things off for people who aren't on covid ward.  You have to go in and deliver it to him.  

Am I dumb for being uneasy about this?

Definitely not dumb. But I also don't know what else you could do 😕  

[Not_a_Number]

Oh, as a brief random update: DH got an antibody test as he was getting his flu shot, and it's negative. (No surprises given how much we've been staying in...) 

[Not_a_Number]

Bumping up. Anyone else with things to report? 

[Selkie]

Just found out this morning that the parents of my sister-in-law are both ill with Covid. They are elderly and caught it from a caregiver. Sister-in-law said that it looks like they are both going to die from it.😞

On a happier note, my 51 yo high school classmate who was on a vent for 2.5 months is now off of it. He is still in the hospital (going on three months now), but no longer in critical condition.

 

[Catwoman]

21 hours ago, Terabith said:

So, my friend who is in the hospital with what everyone was presuming to be covid had his covid test come back negative.  So they moved him off the covid ward.  They've done a second test, but in the meantime, I'm being asked to bring him clothes and DRIVE HIM HOME in a couple days.  

I.....don't really feel comfortable with this, given the rate of false negatives.  If the second test comes back negative before they send him home, I'll consider it, but I'm really uneasy.  And there's no way to drop things off for people who aren't on covid ward.  You have to go in and deliver it to him.  

Am I dumb for being uneasy about this?

I don’t think you are dumb at all — I would be extremely uncomfortable! 

[PinkTulip]

Happy to report my Covid test came back negative. I still need to finish my quarantine, but feeling extremely relieved! 

[Terabith]

My friend who is in the hospital got a negative covid test.  Second test hasn't come back yet.  I am relieved that they aren't letting him out tomorrow as expected, so I don't have to figure out bringing him clothes and transportation yet.  

[Pen]

21 hours ago, Terabith said:

So, my friend who is in the hospital with what everyone was presuming to be covid had his covid test come back negative.  So they moved him off the covid ward.  They've done a second test, but in the meantime, I'm being asked to bring him clothes and DRIVE HIM HOME in a couple days.  

I.....don't really feel comfortable with this, given the rate of false negatives.  If the second test comes back negative before they send him home, I'll consider it, but I'm really uneasy.  And there's no way to drop things off for people who aren't on covid ward.  You have to go in and deliver it to him.  

Am I dumb for being uneasy about this?

 

I feel uneasy just around medical care facilities currently.   Even if not logically high risk I feel uneasy about it.  

I think if he is not sick or not shedding enough for a positive test, it is probably low CV19 risk, but I’d use masks and everything to the max.

also, if not CV19 does he have some other contagious illness? 

 

[Terabith]

Just now, Pen said:

 

I feel uneasy just around medical care facilities currently.   Even if not logically high risk I feel uneasy about it.  

I think if he is not sick or not shedding enough for a positive test, it is probably low CV19 risk, but I’d use masks and everything to the max.

also, if not CV19 does he have some other contagious illness? 

 

That's what I'm wondering!  He does have congestive heart failure, so it's possible that it's related to that, but he also developed a low grade fever and a severe cough a week before this hospitalization.  His cultures haven't grown anything bacterial.  It's theoretically possible that it's a medication side effect to a med they took him off of.  But.....I'm suspicious.  I was willing to visit him masked to bring him things when he was on the cardiology ward.  I'm significantly less comfortable with this scenario.  Frankly, there aren't a lot of illnesses where people's O2 goes into the 60's and stays there, while they're conscious and coherent.  I'm still incredibly suspicious about the possibility of covid.  I REALLY don't want to go, but he at least will need the key to our extra car and clothing.  He feels fine, but he's still on oxygen.  

[Pen]

6 minutes ago, Terabith said:

That's what I'm wondering!  He does have congestive heart failure, so it's possible that it's related to that, but he also developed a low grade fever and a severe cough a week before this hospitalization.  His cultures haven't grown anything bacterial.  It's theoretically possible that it's a medication side effect to a med they took him off of.  But.....I'm suspicious.  I was willing to visit him masked to bring him things when he was on the cardiology ward.  I'm significantly less comfortable with this scenario.  Frankly, there aren't a lot of illnesses where people's O2 goes into the 60's and stays there, while they're conscious and coherent.  I'm still incredibly suspicious about the possibility of covid.  I REALLY don't want to go, but he at least will need the key to our extra car and clothing.  He feels fine, but he's still on oxygen.  

 

How long was he in the hospital?

 

Could you take clothes to ward and then meet outdoors by car to give him the key? 

If he is being sent home when not capable of self care that would be another problem so presumably he can get dressed and leave hospital on his own whether walking or wheelchair or somehow? 

[Terabith]

Just now, Pen said:

 

How long was he in the hospital?

 

Could you take clothes to ward and then meet outdoors by car to give him the key? 

If he is being sent home when not capable of self care that would be another problem so presumably he can get dressed and leave hospital on his own whether walking or wheelchair or somehow? 

First hospitalization was almost three weeks in length.  

When he was on the covid ward, I could leave a bag and they would deliver it to him.  However, at that juncture I didn't realize he had gone to the hospital naked.  (Was admitted Saturday this time.)  However, when I dropped off his phone charger at that point, I was told that they ONLY deliver things to the covid ward.  For wards that allow visitors, they will not.  

I could wear my happy mask with tape around edges to improve seal, carry everything in a plastic bag, and just basically toss it at him and run.  Honestly, that's probably what I'm likely to do.  

He feels fine and it does sound like he's capable of self care, so that's a good thing.  I had real concerns after the first hospitalization, but he had made major improvements since then.  It's just this bad cough that he's developed and super low O2 when not on oxygen that's the problem.  

[Not_a_Number]

2 hours ago, Selkie said:

Just found out this morning that the parents of my sister-in-law are both ill with Covid. They are elderly and caught it from a caregiver. Sister-in-law said that it looks like they are both going to die from it.😞

On a happier note, my 51 yo high school classmate who was on a vent for 2.5 months is now off of it. He is still in the hospital (going on three months now), but no longer in critical condition.

Oh, I'm sorry about your SIL's parents 😞 . That's good new about your classmate, I guess (although it sounds like it was miserable for him.) 

[Andromeda]

A friend of a friend was sick with mild covid symptoms back in April/May or so. She's had a positive antibody test since. The main symptom was loss of smell. Now she smells something burning pretty much all the time, even though nothing is burning. Apparently it's a thing and some of the people she knows have similar issues except that everything smells like rotting garbage. In comparison, burning smell is an improvement. 😞

[caedmyn]

My aunt had it recently.  She’s 75.  It was/is basically like a long-lived flu for her.  Still recovering, but no major issues.

[Starr]

For us an elderly relative died in a nursing home. An elderly friend has survived but continues with lung issues. It's a rough go. There are others we went to church with long ago in NYC that died who were younger.

[ktgrok]

Just found out another friend has it - this one moved to Colorado, so not local, but she posted on facebook. She works in a retail store. She's very ill, but resting at home.