Have you had COVID yourself?

[Not_a_Number]

1 minute ago, plansrme said:

Well, I've never actually had my guard UP, so no worries there. 

As in, you don’t mind getting it? I hope your optimism is justified for your family 🙂 . I’m more risk-averse.

[plansrme]

3 hours ago, kand said:

Yikes. How seriously was the ER taking precautions? We’ve had to make two ER visits this year, and it made me so nervous to have to be in that situation. I consoled myself with the idea that the ER is probably taking really good precautions, so hopefully I was less likely to pick it up there than somewhere else (and I don’t go anywhere else, lol). I’m glad you have a mild case and I hope your poor dh is better soon. Frustrating that he’s the one with a negative test (rapid or PCR?)

I have no idea what their precautions were, but I did not really care. I'm not worried about covid. The only reason I think that is where it is from is that it was the only place I had been that the entire household wasn't, and the friend I accompanied (age 18) also had some sniffles at almost exactly the same time that I did. She did not get tested. My husband has tested negative with both tests. I truly think he is negative. He is well within the window that he should have tested positive if he were.

[plansrme]

Just now, Not_a_Number said:

As in, you don’t mind getting it? I hope your optimism is justified for your family 🙂 . I’m more risk-averse.

No, I do not mind getting it. I've figured all along that it was inevitable.

[Not_a_Number]

Just now, plansrme said:

I have no idea what their precautions were, but I did not really care. I'm not worried about covid. The only reason I think that is where it is from is that it was the only place I had been that the entire household wasn't, and the friend I accompanied (age 18) also had some sniffles at almost exactly the same time that I did. She did not get tested. My husband has tested negative with both tests. I truly think he is negative. He is well within the window that he should have tested positive if he were.

If the rest of you have it and he has symptoms, he almost certainly has it. False negatives are common.

[Not_a_Number]

Just now, plansrme said:

No, I do not mind getting it. I've figured all along that it was inevitable.

I’ve gotten my first vaccine now, and DH got both shots 🙂. So definitely not inevitable if you aren’t anti-vaccine!! At least, I hope not.

[Masers]

No positive test, but almost positive we had it in February 2020, shortly before it blew up. Husband had been traveling and in and out of international airports. He had to come home early from his business trip because he was sure he had the flu. However, he went to get tested and it was negative for influenza. They obviously weren’t even thinking about Covid yet, even though it was only about 3-4 weeks before the shutdown. I got sick a few days after him, and my mom got sick a few days after me. Her doctor said he is certain she had it, based on symptoms. 
We were all different. Husband felt like he had the flu for about 2 days...fever and tired, achy. However, it was less severe than flu and lasted shorter. I would say only one day of actually feeling really bad. 

i felt like I had an awful head cold. It lasted about a week. Never really got me down...I kept going about my business (and going out in public, oops!), but it just felt like a bad cold that lingered longer than my usual 2-3 day colds. 

my mom didn’t really ever feel sick at all, but she had a cough that lasted quite awhile and lost her sense of smell for almost 6 months. 

none of my kids got sick at all. Zero symptoms of anything. 

my brother had confirmed Covid several months ago, and he felt like he had the flu for a day. His wife and kids did not get sick. 

[importswim]

I had it. Started out with allergy symptoms: Runny nose, water eyes, sinus pressure. Progressed to headaches, muscle aches, lower back ache. At this point I thought maybe I was about to get my period and had allergies until I lost my senses of smell and taste. Fogginess, anxiety (mostly from being stressed that it would progress to breathing issues, though it never did). Tested positive with a rapid test and didn't confirm with the PCR as I had lost taste/smell and was sure that I had it.

Started to turn the corner on day 6, felt much better by day 8. Fine, with the exception of taste/smell by day 10. Didn't get taste/smell back until week 3 past first symptom date. Currently have no issues. I'm quite a bit overweight so am surprised that I didn't have any type of lung issues or cough.

DH was out of town when I had it and stayed out of town so that he could continue working (we need the money). Kids may have had it as they seemed more tired than usual but didn't have any other symptoms. I didn't get them tested since we all quarantined (and poor DS had been tested before and didn't want to get the nose swab again, lol!)

[Penelope]

8 hours ago, ktgrok said:

Not to be a Debbie Downer...but previous exposure does not provide immunity to some of the new strains. I know the P1 strain in particular seems to easily infect those who previously had Covid - I think it was 25-60% of people who already had Covid were susceptible to the P1 strain. So as exhausting as it is, please don't let your guard down. 

I wouldn’t worry any more about this for natural infection than I would after vaccination. In other words, usual precautions until cases fall further and more people can get vaccinated.

There is still immune protection for the variants.
https://tech2.org/covid-pfizer-and-moderna-vaccines-give-t-cells-immunity-against-new-variants/

T-cell immune protection from natural infection could even prove to be superior to that of vaccination since vaccination only uses one of the viral proteins.

We should not expect that when we get vaccinated, we will never get infected. Having a disease become endemic means we will probably be exposed again, but the infection will be mild or asymptomatic. 
Much more on this here: https://www.virology.ws/2021/03/25/t-cells-will-save-us-from-covid-19/#comments

 

 

Edited April 7, 2021 by Penelope

[Not_a_Number]

13 minutes ago, Penelope said:

I wouldn’t worry any more about this for natural infection than I would after vaccination.

I thought there’s evidence immunity from the original virus doesn’t give immunity to at least some variants? 

 

[Penelope]

22 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

I thought there’s evidence immunity from the original virus doesn’t give immunity to at least some variants? 

 

I’m willing to look if you have some, but I don’t think so.

I read some things about antibody responses from the vaccine being less for a couple of the variants, but that doesn’t equate to not being immune. And why would natural infection not provide as much or more protection than a vaccine against a variant, if immune response is actually broader to natural infection?

This is the paper mentioned in the blog post from a virologist linked above. The link within it doesn’t work. https://www.icpcovid.com/sites/default/files/2021-03/Var 7 Tarke Negligible impact of SARS-CoV-2 variants on CD4%2B andCD8%2B T cell reactivity bioRxiv March 2021.pdf

And if someone already recovered from natural infection, why would we think that another infection would be worse? Is there evidence for that? 

Edited April 7, 2021 by Penelope

[Not_a_Number]

Anyone have more stories? I'd like stories from boardies who've had it 🙂 . 

[Not_a_Number]

Bumping up for more stories. Stories of mild infections welcome! (And of non-mild ones, too. I like all data!) 

[SKL]

Doesn't sound like many yes's here.  Not sure if that's because hardly anyone here had it (or got a positive test), they consider it too personal, or they feel like they'll receive hate if they admit it.

I have at least one person in my life who begged me not to tell anyone the family had Covid.  (They are all totally fine.)

[Not_a_Number]

10 minutes ago, SKL said:

Doesn't sound like many yes's here.  Not sure if that's because hardly anyone here had it (or got a positive test), they consider it too personal, or they feel like they'll receive hate if they admit it.

I have at least one person in my life who begged me not to tell anyone the family had Covid.  (They are all totally fine.)

I assume it's just that there aren't so many people who had it! And some people are busy and haven't chimed in. 

I might do a different one for immediate family members, but I wanted to restrict the sample for now. 

[Moonhawk]

Thanks NaN, even though I have no data to give, it's good to be able to read through the first-hand experiences in one place, and I think you've been a gracious host of the thread. 

[Ausmumof3]

On 4/6/2021 at 10:55 PM, plansrme said:

I just had it a couple of weeks ago. I think I picked it up at the ER with a friend. I had a positive test about a week later, but the symptoms--as mild as they are--started at Day 5 after the ER visit. Sniffles, partial loss of taste and almost complete loss of smell that are, thankfully, coming back (smelling is my super power). I did not have a fever, body aches or breathing issues. My home is rapidly approaching herd immunity, as one of my exchange students had it in January (before he lived here full-time, but he quarantined here); the other I think had it about a month ago (but I did not get him a test); my husband has symptoms now, including pneumonia, chills and fever, but he tested negative; my actual son is the last man standing. Ironically, my husband is the only one of us with any concerning symptoms, and he's negative. Go figure.

The only thing I have done that might have contributed to my mild symptoms is take Vitamin D supplements, which I started in January after my very heavy exposure. I also have attended a lot of high school baseball games for more sun exposure. The other confirmed positive, my then-bonus exchange student was 15 at the time, but he plays baseball year-around and is also not hurting for sun exposure. I am glad to have it over with.

There could actually be an explanation for that.  I heard an interview some time last year where they described how it might be possible for the virus to be there deeper in the lungs causing more problematic illness but no longer present in the upper respiratory areas which is where they take the samples from to test.  Either way I hope your DH recovered quickly.

Edited April 11, 2021 by Ausmumof3

[Janeway]

My two teens both had it. As far as we can tell, none of the rest of us had it. We THOUGHT we had it March 2020, but then 19 yr old definitely got it in January.  Maybe we did have it in March 2020 and the immunities were just worn off in January. The doctor thought we had it the year before, but we did not have a test for it.  The teen boys only had a loss of sense of smell and that is it. And despite having had it and having it confirmed, both boys were vaccinated and had no side effects at all, not even from the second shot. 

[Spryte]

I have 10 family members who have had it - only counting close extended family.

But nothing confirmed for myself (small possibility we had it in our house last Dec/Jan, but I’m inclined to think not despite all of us being very ill for a good 6 weeks).

I think you had more personal responses on the other thread.  It could be that people are not posting about it a second time, or that they are just tired of re-hashing it.  Have you compared responses on both threads?  Could be interesting.

Edited April 11, 2021 by Spryte

[Not_a_Number]

Anyone else? 

@Mrs Tiggywinkle, how are you doing? 

[lynn]

No and neither has anyone in my family.  

[Jyhwkmama]

We have stayed fairly isolated and I have not had it. Thankful. 

@busymama7have you been vaccinated yet? I have heard anecdotal evidence that some people have long haul symptom improvement after vaccination. 

 

[Jyhwkmama]

@happysmileyladyI am so sorry for your loss.

[busymama7]

1 hour ago, Jyhwkmama said:

We have stayed fairly isolated and I have not had it. Thankful. 

@busymama7have you been vaccinated yet? I have heard anecdotal evidence that some people have long haul symptom improvement after vaccination. 

 

No.  Yes some are  but the theory I've seen is that it is those with viral particles still present.  Encourages the immune system to finish them off.  Those for whom their long covid is autoimmune in nature will either not get better or will get worse.  Since we think mine is autoimmune I'm waiting for more information.  I have a Dr appointment on Wednesday. 

[AbcdeDooDah]

DD and I had negative tests but are pretty sure we (and DH and DS, who did not test) had it. Loss of of taste, smell, fever on and off, cough, dead-tired.  It has been 6 weeks and DS 13 still has not regained his taste. 

Edited April 20, 2021 by AbcdeDooDah

[Catwoman]

5 minutes ago, happysmileylady said:

Thank You. 

I was off the forum for quite a while, so I missed so many things.

I’m so sorry to hear about your husband. What an awful shock for you and your kids. It’s such a terrible loss that I don’t know what to say. I’m just so sorry. 

[Not_a_Number]

Just now, happysmileylady said:

Thank you.  I didn't really post about it until a little bit after it happened, and haven't talked about it much because I tend to be more private about that sort of thing.  I moved back to Indy after it happened (officially, between Christmas and NY) and lived with my parents for a bit, and then into my own rental here...almost 2 months ago now I guess it has been. 

Thank you very much for sharing your story on the thread. I'm so, so sorry about your husband 😞 . 

[busymama7]

I had my dr appointment on Wednesday.  He advised me to wait on the shot until we get some more answers.  I am adjusting doses on some meds and changing the type of B12 I'm taking as it is still very low.  Then we are running an autoimmune panel and some other tests.  

[Not_a_Number]

6 minutes ago, busymama7 said:

I had my dr appointment on Wednesday.  He advised me to wait on the shot until we get some more answers.  I am adjusting doses on some meds and changing the type of B12 I'm taking as it is still very low.  Then we are running an autoimmune panel and some other tests.  

Ugh. That makes sense, I think, but that's too bad. 

[busymama7]

3 hours ago, Not_a_Number said:

Ugh. That makes sense, I think, but that's too bad. 

I'm relieved honestly.   I can not get any worse.  And it isn't a good idea to get a vaccine when ill which I certainly am.  I get that there is a chance it could make me better but I just can't risk feeling any worse so I was glad to see he agreed.