Anyone else struggling with Covid issues, guilt, sadness? Come on in and vent

[mommyoffive]

Anyone want to join me in the Covid struggle bus today?   My state is still surging although possibly on a decline just based on how the state was importing cases, so who knows?   I have been keeping my kids home from their one activity.   It is ballet so indoors and I am the cold midwest.   In the last month we have shut down a s how because of a covid outbreak in the pros, 4 different cases in classes since classes started back in the last 3 weeks.  Mind you these classes are tiny.  They were close contacts of people who went positive the next day.  Part of me wants to just let them go in and get covid and move on.  The other part of me really wants to not get it because you just don't know.  I know most of the people around us are having mild cases so then I struggle with what I am withholding from my kids.  I am sad and tired of being the one that is saying no.  I am so sad of what they have missed out on in the last 2 years and yet I am still not letting them do things.  I am tired of running predictions in my head.  What is risky what is not.  If I keep them out of things for a month and then we go back and just get it anyway, then what the heck was the point?  Is waiting even the right thing to do?   

I am so tired of carrying the weight of this on my back.  

Anyone else want to vent and complain about Covid?

[YaelAldrich]

@mommyoffive  I hear and totally understand your concerns and worries.  They are mine too. Our state (MA) is coming off the peak and so I am starting to look forward to loosening the reins some soon.

[Faith-manor]

I am in a funk today.about it. Dh really wanted me to go get a box of cod loins from the fish market because they are getting harder to find, and his mom wants to have Friday night fish fry during Lent. Yesterday's covid numbers for our county over a five day period was 17,202 per day. The whole area is just a disaster. Yes, I have a KN95. No, I did not have the slightest motivation to put it on, drive over there, duck in, and get that fish even though I would not have been inside very long. I just feel like it is no different than diving head first into a sewage pond.

Hopefully, I will overcome this. It would be nice to have the fish fry. Mark makes a wonderful gluten free breading, and mil doesn't have a whole lot of Lents left. I would not be shocked if this is the last one.

I managed to pay attention during class. (Online, synchronous astronomy course.) But just barely, and I have read the same three paragraphs of the text three times, and mostly drew a blank which is NOT like me at all. So I am giving up for now because I don't need to have the reading done for a day or two, and will try again. If the wind wasn't howling like mad, I would go take a walk and see if fresh air would help.

[Acorn]

I skipped a family funeral recently because 1) masks not required 2) visitation for 2 hours before the funeral in the same room 3) food available during visitation.

Even if that is the norm of the funeral home, I feel like my family could have required masks.  

I feel so sad though. 

[freesia]

I’m having a down day about this, too. I am also in an area where numbers are dropping really fast, so I’m starting to feel more hopeful. But winter gets me down anyway, so I think I’m bored, stir-crazy ( many of our winter activities postponed starting until February), and tired of everything being a hard decision. 

[BusyMom5]

Well, one way to look at it if you have younger kids, is that schools where I live have been in person the entire 2 years- they let out in March of 2020, but otherwise the kids go to school everyday.  I have kept my kids home for various reasons, but we are going back to normal activities now.  Its time.  I feel my kids have suffered enough from lack of friends- mental health matters, too.  Older ones and family are vaxed, several friends and family have had break through cases, but they were mild.  In fact lots if people I know have Omicron right now, and ots by far the most mild and most contagious.   I think we are going to get it- no matter if we stay home and masked or if we go out and about.  This is endemic, it isnt going anywhere,  its time to manage it instead of living in a bubble. 

Of course this would change if you have an immune compromised person in your home!  I'm assuming young, healthy kids and healthy, vaxed mom and dad.  

[kbutton]

I am fine with vaccinated people getting on with their lives, but I don't agree about their definition of what that means, so I am defined out of existence. We use all our risk budget on sending one student to school half days, one person working a high risk job (frontline HCW), and all of us seeing unmasked people we can't avoid (tutors, chiropractors). 

The few people we know who are both vaccinated and getting on with life are getting sick or rearranging their lives to test/quarantine on the regular because of exposures to others. I don't blame them for doing what they're doing, but we aren't comfortable seeing them inside without masks, and they really don't want to mask (if they are in my home, I think they would, but they won't mask inside theirs, etc., and it's too cold outside this time of year to visit). It's lonely. I feel like I can still be friends--it's not like they are leaving us out; they just don't have the ability to be as careful as we are. I do wish that they'd mask more so that we would feel like we could socialize with them in person, but it is what it is, and they will mask when required. 

And everyone else, especially in the under 65 crowd, is largely anti-vax and anti-mask in any of my so-called social groups. Even when our old church said you needed to mask or stay home, people largely didn't mask. They just won't follow rules of any kind--they violated plenty of other rules before Covid (don't climb on the mobile basketball equipment, no running around at church dinners to keep from knocking over the old people, remodeling bathrooms to be handicapped without actually really making them completely handicap accessible, and on and on). It was disheartening before, but easy enough to overlook if you weren't personally inconvenienced. It really makes me think about all the things we do all the time that leave people out because we don't want to be inconvenienced in some ways. It's really changed my perception of people as being nice or not nice. There are a lot of people who use niceness to be not nice, more than I'd ever guessed. 

ETA: I guess I don't really know how to resume life being friendly with people who don't give a crap about others. It might not bug as much if these people acted like individuals, but they all prize group identity. There is just tons and tons of group think and group standards. They talk the good talk about accepting people who are different, but it's not really acceptance. It's very, very conditional on asking people who think differently to do what they do even when it could be different and even when being like them is detrimental or exclusive, and even when the bar is high or unachievable due to things you can't control but they could if they wanted to.

Edited January 20, 2022 by kbutton

[fairfarmhand]

23 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

I am in a funk today.about it. Dh really wanted me to go get a box of cod loins from the fish market because they are getting harder to find, and his mom wants to have Friday night fish fry during Lent. Yesterday's covid numbers for our county over a five day period was 17,202 per day. The whole area is just a disaster. Yes, I have a KN95. No, I did not have the slightest motivation to put it on, drive over there, duck in, and get that fish even though I would not have been inside very long. I just feel like it is no different than diving head first into a sewage pond.

Hopefully, I will overcome this. It would be nice to have the fish fry. Mark makes a wonderful gluten free breading, and mil doesn't have a whole lot of Lents left. I would not be shocked if this is the last one.

I managed to pay attention during class. (Online, synchronous astronomy course.) But just barely, and I have read the same three paragraphs of the text three times, and mostly drew a blank which is NOT like me at all. So I am giving up for now because I don't need to have the reading done for a day or two, and will try again. If the wind wasn't howling like mad, I would go take a walk and see if fresh air would help.

Can you call the shop and ask if someone can meet you at the door or bring it to your car? You could pay over the phone with a card. I hate how this disease makes the simplest task a bit frightening. My friend's less than a year old baby grandson has covid. It's a bit scary. The toddler brother who's 18 mos felt bad for a single day so they're hopeful the baby will not get too bad, but there really is no way of knowing.

[HomeAgain]

Just tested ds again.

Last year's team had exactly *1* case.  It was a parent.  Because of the precautions taken on everyone's part, the team never had to be shut down.  Everyone stayed masked, dressed in their cars, spread out..I was happy with how things went.

This year.  There are 14 children.  7 have already been out for COVID and there have been 2 team shutdowns.  And it's not like these things were unpreventable. One unmasked parent popped positive after being in the locker room unnecessarily.  DS is one of the only children wearing a mask and/or bubble at all times. 

Cue this week...team meeting meant 12 children were in a tiny locker room for 25 minutes along with 3 adults.  Only ds was masked.  Would you like to guess the email we got yesterday?  Yep, another positive test from the last practice.  That makes 8, and the email vaguely hinted at at least one other being out for the same reason. 

I don't want my kid to get Covid, especially right now in the middle of winter and flu season.  And I cannot understand why everyone is so nasty and thinks everyone wants to breathe in their disgusting germs.  Like, why? Just why?  Why be that dirty person who insists on sharing the bad?  Nobody even wants to smell your breath, why do you think they want your viruses?

/vent 

Gosh, I miss last year and competency.

[prairiewindmomma]

We went to the zoo this past weekend because Youngest hadn’t been on an outing for forever and we were balancing issues, iykwim. Zoo promised: timed entry, masked patrons, promoting social distancing. Patrons inside the zoo largely did not wear masks, crowded and pushed people to have their turn seeing the animals, and largely were ill behaved. One dude either had massive RBF or was literally glaring at anyone in a mask. Zoo staff never asked anyone to replace masks (though they were checking at entry).

I am tired of having what few spaces I can go to not be safe because people are maskholes, iykwim. 
 

We saw only half the zoo and had to leave when we saw arm to arm crowding in the African zone.
 

 

[Loowit]

My DH's cousin is on life support right now, but they will be taking him off tomorrow.  He has no brain function, and his organs are dying.  I suspect he had covid, but that is not what we are being told so I can't know for sure.  He is only in his early 50's.  They are likely going to have a service and I don't feel comfortable going.  DH's aunt and uncle are anti-mask/anti-vax and the church where the service is likely to be is also.  DH says, if he goes, he will go alone, but he is the one all of us in the house are worried about protecting at the moment.  He lost 30% of his lungs to cancer, and I do not want him to get covid if we can avoid it.

Our area is getting really bad, and our local health department is making it sound like it is no big deal.  People are not masking in public, even though it is required.  I am avoiding stores like the plague, literally. DH had to go inside a store last weekend because I needed an OTC medication that has to be bought in the pharmacy and they wouldn't let us get it in the drive-thru.  He was disgusted with how many people were unmasked, including employees.  Covid numbers are higher than they have ever been and I don't think we have peaked yet.

The new associate pastor at my parent's church died of covid recently, as have several members of the congregation.  I think my mom was the saddest about the pastor who was young(ish) and left behind a wife and teenage daughter, all of whom laughed about the mask mandates and talked about how stupid they were.  My parents who have gone to church all their lives have stopped going because of the lack of precautions, and it makes me angry.

One good thing is DD's college classes are online for the first few weeks and she can even work remote for her campus job.

[prairiewindmomma]

Loowit, your post helped me put a finger on what is troubling me…. There is a taunting, defiant, almost malicious vibe from the anti-maskers. It’s not a random Kathy who just air-brained putting on her mask while walking into Target with her screaming toddler. It’s this rippling tension of people wanting to be confronted about not wearing a mask so they can fight about it.

There are organized protests in my area where they storm county commissioner meetings, school board meetings, stores, etc. I thought it was a small group of crazies, but I am realizing it’s a much larger pool of people…who just are filled with anger and hate and want to rain hate down on others.

[fraidycat]

Bewilderment is more accurately what I am feeling at this point. No idea what the right answer is to anything anymore. Our province has a mask mandate for all indoor spaces. School, work, shopping. Vax + mask mandates for eating in restaurants, attending theaters, sporting events, etc. Fully vaxxed rates are somewhere in the mid to high 80's % of all eligible to be vaxed (I can't find the most up to date info atm). And yet, our numbers are rising and I know they do not reflect the true number, because people (including my all double-vaxxed family) are isolating due to at-home + rapid test and trying not to add strain to the system by getting "officially tested", nor spread it by going to said testing facility when we already know we have it. 

Now, I know that our mask mandate does not accurately reflect that we should all be in tight fitting n95s at this point, but to gain compliance, compromises must be made and for the most part, people are complying with the original "put something over your face" that came out way back in 2020 - most at least wear cloth or surgical masks, whether they agree with it or not. There are hand sanitizer stations at almost all entrances to buildings, etc. 
 

People who managed to avoid all the other waves are not avoiding this one. It feels like sometime in the near future we'll have to view this as endemic vs. pandemic. But, I'm not sure what gets us to that point or how we create the infrastructure to deal with it on an ongoing basis so that it does not collapse the health care system when there are many serious cases.

We've not eaten in restaurants, not done ANY traveling, not done anything outside of school or work (except DS's one sport that only he attends, no parents watching), got our vaccinations, and now are infected (mild symptoms) and in isolation. I think we will go on summer vacation this year, because Why not?

[ShepCarlin]

I'm tired of this. So tired of this. My youngest has a co-op class on Tuesdays and Thursdays for one hour each of those days. We are the only ones masked. At his homeschool music co-op we are the only family masked. Most of the teachers are masked but literally no one else. Someone brought in a 6 week old baby last week and she was being passed around. I was having a hard time watching everyone snuggling up to this little one, breathing in her face. We've upgraded to N95 masks. We are fully vaccinated and boosted. Yet, still I worry one of us will get Covid due to the irresponsibility and recklessness of others. I just don't understand the callousness of it all. Most of the people at these co-ops proclaim to be Christians but they sure aren't acting like it. 

[JustEm]

In on week 3 of covid and it is no fun and we got mild cases. It is just lingering. So, please don't feel bad making those decisions for your kids. I used to sometimes think, 'i wish we could just get it and be done with it.' but now having it is such a pain in the ass.

Ds13 sleeps all day just feeling cruddy. Dh has a cough he can't shake. I have a headache that won't go away and I have no energy. The other kids are bored out of their minds because they are fending for themselves a lot. This has resulting in my 2 year old screaming ALL the time.

[mommyoffive]

31 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

In on week 3 of covid and it is no fun and we got mild cases. It is just lingering. So, please don't feel bad making those decisions for your kids. I used to sometimes think, 'i wish we could just get it and be done with it.' but now having it is such a pain in the ass.

Ds13 sleeps all day just feeling cruddy. Dh has a cough he can't shake. I have a headache that won't go away and I have no energy. The other kids are bored out of their minds because they are fending for themselves a lot. This has resulting in my 2 year old screaming ALL the time.

Oh man Hjffkj, I didn't know your family was still sick.  I am sorry.  I hope you guys get well soon.

[mommyoffive]

37 minutes ago, fraidycat said:

Bewilderment is more accurately what I am feeling at this point. No idea what the right answer is to anything anymore. Our province has a mask mandate for all indoor spaces. School, work, shopping. Vax + mask mandates for eating in restaurants, attending theaters, sporting events, etc. Fully vaxxed rates are somewhere in the mid to high 80's % of all eligible to be vaxed (I can't find the most up to date info atm). And yet, our numbers are rising and I know they do not reflect the true number, because people (including my all double-vaxxed family) are isolating due to at-home + rapid test and trying not to add strain to the system by getting "officially tested", nor spread it by going to said testing facility when we already know we have it. 

Now, I know that our mask mandate does not accurately reflect that we should all be in tight fitting n95s at this point, but to gain compliance, compromises must be made and for the most part, people are complying with the original "put something over your face" that came out way back in 2020 - most at least wear cloth or surgical masks, whether they agree with it or not. There are hand sanitizer stations at almost all entrances to buildings, etc. 
 

People who managed to avoid all the other waves are not avoiding this one. It feels like sometime in the near future we'll have to view this as endemic vs. pandemic. But, I'm not sure what gets us to that point or how we create the infrastructure to deal with it on an ongoing basis so that it does not collapse the health care system when there are many serious cases.

We've not eaten in restaurants, not done ANY traveling, not done anything outside of school or work (except DS's one sport that only he attends, no parents watching), got our vaccinations, and now are infected (mild symptoms) and in isolation. I think we will go on summer vacation this year, because Why not?

Hoping you guys feel better soon.  I am sorry your family got Covid.

[Faith-manor]

1 hour ago, fairfarmhand said:

Can you call the shop and ask if someone can meet you at the door or bring it to your car? You could pay over the phone with a card. I hate how this disease makes the simplest task a bit frightening. My friend's less than a year old baby grandson has covid. It's a bit scary. The toddler brother who's 18 mos felt bad for a single day so they're hopeful the baby will not get too bad, but there really is no way of knowing.

Wish I could, but the owners are "Covid is a hoax" people and barely tolerate me wearing a mask to go in. I would like to NOT give them the business, but our two other markets that so carry it are out of stock and do not expect to get any in the next month.

[JustEm]

9 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Oh man Hjffkj, I didn't know your family was still sick.  I am sorry.  I hope you guys get well soon

Thanks. It's weird. We're testing negative now but we certainly still have symptoms that cycle. Like all of us will have a good day or two but then for a day or two feel like crap again. All with different symptoms but we cycle the same ones individually.

[mommyoffive]

3 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

Thanks. It's weird. We're testing negative now but we certainly still have symptoms that cycle. Like all of us will have a good day or two but then for a day or two feel like crap again. All with different symptoms but we cycle the same ones individually.

All of you are vaxxed right?  

Are you doing anything extra to try and recover?  The vitamin for when you get it or taking over the counter drugs?   I am trying to keep mind of it for when we get it.  Not sure if does help or not. 

[fraidycat]

14 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Hoping you guys feel better soon.  I am sorry your family got Covid.

Thank you. DS (was) and I (am) so slightly symptomatic that we're almost asymptomatic. Dh and DD basically have a cold with some congestion and feeling tired. Very mild cases so far. thankfully! 🤞🏼 That is passes quickly and stays mild.

[JustEm]

5 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

All of you are vaxxed right?  

Are you doing anything extra to try and recover?  The vitamin for when you get it or taking over the counter drugs?   I am trying to keep mind of it for when we get it.  Not sure if does help or not. 

Yes, we're all vaxxed other than the two youngest who can't be.

No, we aren't doing anything extra other than treating the symptoms we have. Honestly, it was so mild in the beginning I just thought that it'd run it's course quickly and we'd be fine. I did not anticipate the lingering symptoms, especially once we were all feeling better.

[Faith-manor]

52 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Loowit, your post helped me put a finger on what is troubling me…. There is a taunting, defiant, almost malicious vibe from the anti-maskers. It’s not a random Kathy who just air-brained putting on her mask while walking into Target with her screaming toddler. It’s this rippling tension of people wanting to be confronted about not wearing a mask so they can fight about it.

There are organized protests in my area where they storm county commissioner meetings, school board meetings, stores, etc. I thought it was a small group of crazies, but I am realizing it’s a much larger pool of people…who just are filled with anger and hate and want to rain hate down on others.

This is what I face locally. More and more, I fear going into businesses. Meanwhile, my daughter has outdoor, socially distanced field trips and a science class for her son's secular group of home schoolers, and everyone wears KN95 or double masks for these, and are grateful to be getting together while making an effort at staying safe and not contributing to spread. No one gives her the slightest attitude about the protocols. I just cannot move from here soon enough.

And my sewing machine is broken, and may not be worth fixing. So I can't quilt which would at least give me a distraction. The piano needs to be tuned, but while case loads are high, my tuner won't come, and it is getting enough out, that with my perfect pitch curse, I find myself not wanting to practice. I should have taken three classes instead of one so I would have a lot more homework and studying to help distract me.

I keep reminding myself that today is the 20th, that leaves 11 days this month, and 27 days next month before I go get my college senior for spring break, and we have a quick ski day. Then after he returns, I only have about 50 days left before commencement, and we will spend part of that uncovering Ina Belle, and getting her sea worthy for our first spring sail. Plus, we leave the 30th of April after commencement for our vacation. When we get back it will be time to get the raised bed gardens cleaned out, and decide what to plant. The nurseries will be opens and I can get plants at my favorite outdoor plant market. I just have to get myself through this funk.

[kbutton]

1 hour ago, prairiewindmomma said:

We went to the zoo this past weekend because Youngest hadn’t been on an outing for forever and we were balancing issues, iykwim. Zoo promised: timed entry, masked patrons, promoting social distancing. Patrons inside the zoo largely did not wear masks, crowded and pushed people to have their turn seeing the animals, and largely were ill behaved. One dude either had massive RBF or was literally glaring at anyone in a mask. Zoo staff never asked anyone to replace masks (though they were checking at entry).

I am tired of having what few spaces I can go to not be safe because people are maskholes, iykwim. 

It's dishonest to violate the rules the facility puts up, and it's dishonest for facilities to advertise environments they won't enforce. I am tired of the constant dishonesty. I think we're going to see societal fallout from pretending that rule-breaking/dishonesty, especially for pleasure and to the detriment of others, is okay.

58 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Loowit, your post helped me put a finger on what is troubling me…. There is a taunting, defiant, almost malicious vibe from the anti-maskers. It’s not a random Kathy who just air-brained putting on her mask while walking into Target with her screaming toddler. It’s this rippling tension of people wanting to be confronted about not wearing a mask so they can fight about it.

There are organized protests in my area where they storm county commissioner meetings, school board meetings, stores, etc. I thought it was a small group of crazies, but I am realizing it’s a much larger pool of people…who just are filled with anger and hate and want to rain hate down on others.

Yep, they've gone all Heidi St. John.

I know a few that aren't mean, but they are still militant and full of ignorance and defiance. Even the ones that truly think they are being evidence-based (I am not anti-vax, I am for medical freedom!) are often acting on information that can be traced back to anti-vaccine propaganda or reasoning. They don't see that they are drinking from a polluted fountain with out a filter because their filter is "my friend sent me this, and she's cured her own xyz/wouldn't lie to me/is a spiritual giant, etc." 

52 minutes ago, ShepCarlin said:

I'm tired of this. So tired of this. My youngest has a co-op class on Tuesdays and Thursdays for one hour each of those days. We are the only ones masked. At his homeschool music co-op we are the only family masked. Most of the teachers are masked but literally no one else. Someone brought in a 6 week old baby last week and she was being passed around. I was having a hard time watching everyone snuggling up to this little one, breathing in her face. We've upgraded to N95 masks. We are fully vaccinated and boosted. Yet, still I worry one of us will get Covid due to the irresponsibility and recklessness of others. I just don't understand the callousness of it all. Most of the people at these co-ops proclaim to be Christians but they sure aren't acting like it. 

Yep, and the ones who are being halfway reasonable won't stand up to it. They just say things like, "People just don't think." That's how they continue to participate; they refuse to make moral judgments about people perpetuating lies on purpose. 

Two different newletters/blogs I follow have talked about being the adult in the room. I was the adult in the room for the last few years, and no one listened. The silent majority that just isn't speaking is not mythical, but it doesn't see silence as a problem. It won't magically speak up when someone sticks their neck out.

I have no idea how to find a church after this. None. 

I now have years of data to prove that people do NOT go back to baseline after these events. They go back to forgetting about the crazy, but when something else comes up that triggers it, they come back as crazy as last time, lugging around all their cumulative baggage and being triggered by next to nothing to go back into fight mode. When people who thought that xyz was the anti-christ in the 80's and abc was the anti-christ in the 90's, etc., they won't wear masks now because...antichrist. Wash, rinse, repeat with other reasons/beliefs/conspiracy theories.

Somebody has to tell the truth, and enough people have to say enough is enough, and where I live, that's not going to happen.

But according to the masses, not attending church in person (we listen online to a relative's church that seems to be holding crazy under the radar and too far away to attend) makes me un-Christian. Being consistently pro-life about the pandemic makes me not pro-life. Up is down; down is up. 

It won't go away after the pandemic; it will just go underground until something else triggers it again. 

[TheReader]

I am totally with you. 

We've been doing some things, because we were fully vaxxed, and things were going well in our area, and our county had a high vaccination rate, and....and then we went to Christmas Eve church at our old church, so our youngest could give gifts to his 2 friends there, and turns out there were enough already infected people that didn't know it, that the whole congregation (basically) ended up sick a few days later. And it really felt like.....really??? We've skipped so many things. We've kept wearing masks long after most we know have not. We had booster appointments scheduled for the Monday after (which we went to, not knowing we were already sick). Dang. 

And even now....maybe/probably we're really extra protected now, since we've also now had it, but only the 3 of us who went, got it. So 2 still haven't. So now we're still juggling things. And numbers are crazy in my county. Going down, but we're talking from 5,000+ cases added in a week "down" to 1200+ cases added in a week. So. Ha. Still that's double or more what the rate was during Delta. 

A friend in another state has tickets to see the same traveling Broadway show as me (in my my state); her tour just got rescheduled for next year, b/c Covid. Mine is a month after her original date, and now I'm just waiting to get that same email (maybe not, b/c different casts, but.....). We're skipping other events that are coming up, because we really want to visit friends over Spring Break. So, we'll extra-super-hunker-down for the 2 weeks prior. Which means skipping stuff we'd otherwise feel comfortable doing. 

And I'm just....done. When we decided to skip the things, I told DH -- I'd rather *decide* to skip it, now, than plan on going, and then it's cancelled or we can't.  Like, I just cannot take another Covid cancellation of a thing. I just can't. 

And it seems pointless. Because at this point we're now triple-dosed with the vaccine, plus we've now had Omicron, so.....shouldn't we be able to just get on with life??? But that's what we thought when we were "fully vaxxed" during Delta, before Omicron, before boosters. And here we are now, so who knows. 

And everyone keeps saying "but it's so mild...." and, yea, sort of. But the thing is, when we had it, all 3 of us who had it, had different symptoms, to different degrees. All in similar shape (and healthy profiles). All fully vaxxed. All impacted differently. And, even if it had been super mild, there's still the 5 days of isolation and the 5 days of continual masking after. 

And I am just.so.done. And I feel guilty complaining/whining about this stuff when close to a million people have died in the US alone from this. Not to mention the count in the rest of the world. It's horrific. I get that. I don't mean to downplay it.  But.....I'm so over the cancellations. 

I listened to a song the other day, and one of the lines had something about "until we have a vaccine..." and it was so hope-filled. And I just wept, bitterly wept, at how wrong it was. 

[TheReader]

33 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

Thanks. It's weird. We're testing negative now but we certainly still have symptoms that cycle. Like all of us will have a good day or two but then for a day or two feel like crap again. All with different symptoms but we cycle the same ones individually.

Same exact thing with those of us at my house that are getting over it/over it. 

For me, the headache keeps rebounding. For DH, the fatigue, and the congestion. DS seems to mostly not have this part, although he has had a random headache or two since being "better." It's so weird. We're also all fully vaxxed (and had our boosters between our exposure and onset of symptoms, so....???)

[DreamerGirl]

38 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

Wish I could, but the owners are "Covid is a hoax" people and barely tolerate me wearing a mask to go in. I would like to NOT give them the business, but our two other markets that so carry it are out of stock and do not expect to get any in the next month.

Is there an Asian grocery store near where you live ? They usually have fish and will cut it up for you according to your specifications. They have whole fish with bones including head. Not sure if you are ok with deboning. But they will definitely insist on masking so it is safe there.

I go to the Asian grocery store and Halal store in person. Get amazon delivery to top up. I have not been inside a local grocery store in person since March 2020. DH went once or twice to the pharmacy for medicine for a shoulder injury while working out. 

[Danae]

1 hour ago, hjffkj said:

In on week 3 of covid and it is no fun and we got mild cases. It is just lingering. So, please don't feel bad making those decisions for your kids. I used to sometimes think, 'i wish we could just get it and be done with it.' but now having it is such a pain in the ass.

Ds13 sleeps all day just feeling cruddy. Dh has a cough he can't shake. I have a headache that won't go away and I have no energy. The other kids are bored out of their minds because they are fending for themselves a lot. This has resulting in my 2 year old screaming ALL the time.

I’m sorry you’re stuck in this.
 

 My 15 year old is on day 11 of fever, sore throat, and exhaustion.  Also brain-fog.  He’s also still testing positive and is starting to get distraught at how behind he is in school and how much he’s missing and worried that he won’t ever get well.  My worry about his mental health is much higher now than it was when we were locked down.  

[Faith-manor]

6 minutes ago, DreamerGirl said:

Is there an Asian grocery store near where you live ? They usually have fish and will cut it up for you according to your specifications. They have whole fish with bones including head. Not sure if you are ok with deboning. But they will definitely insist on masking so it is safe there.

I go to the Asian grocery store and Halal store in person. Get amazon delivery to top up. I have not been inside a local grocery store in person since March 2020. DH went once or twice to the pharmacy for medicine for a shoulder injury while working out. 

No, I live rural. The nearest ethnic market is about an hour away or more so two + hours round trip. Sigh.

[regentrude]

I am struggling to reconcile my opinion of what I thought were decent human beings with the blatant disregard for their community members' welfare. Even after another plea, only a third of my college students wear masks in class (except my biologists; they rock the masks and I love them). 
I cannot bridge, cognitively, the discrepancy between wanting to care about my students and being appalled at the callousness with which they disregard their classmates' and instructors' health. How can I teach someone I cannot respect?

I have dropped the classes I had signed up to take because it just is too uncomfortable in a classroom. I am back to meeting friends on Zoom because it's too cold for outdoor sitting, and with the numbers on campus worse than ever before, I don't feel safe to get together indoors. I spend one hundred percent of my Covid budget at work.

A slight brightness in my day: my help session students did put masks on when I asked every person directly. 

Edited January 20, 2022 by regentrude

[plaidpants]

So tired of all of it. Being sick, things closed, people being awful, putting stuff on hold, postponing my life, worrying about family, passive agressive emails from "leadership", poor decision making from so many points, being stuck in the house...

I'm worn out.

Edited January 20, 2022 by plaidpants

[Frances]

Over the weekend we cancelled, for the third time due to covid, our trip to see my mom who I haven’t seen in person since the summer if 2019. We were supposed to leave yesterday. I’ll let you all know when we reschedule it for because then you’ll likely know when the next variant surge will be. We’re 2/2 with Delta and Omicron.

[prairiewindmomma]

6 minutes ago, Frances said:

Over the weekend we cancelled, for the third time due to covid, our trip to see my mom who I haven’t seen in person since the summer if 2019. We were supposed to leave yesterday. I’ll let you all know when we reschedule it for because then you’ll likely know when the next variant surge will be. We’re 2/2 with Delta and Omicron.

Please avoid the week before the 4th of July.  😂 We've been having the same set of challenges. 

[DreamerGirl]

1 hour ago, Faith-manor said:

No, I live rural. The nearest ethnic market is about an hour away or more so two + hours round trip. Sigh.

Can you order online ?  I do not know what price a 1lb of Cod Loin sells for, but we have ordered seafood from online stores that ship direct with dry ice as gifts for friends and are recipients as well.

[Faith-manor]

The dishonesty is a major point. Dishonesty and hypocrisy. The anti-vax, anti-mask, anti-protocol, anti-contact trace, let her rip crowd believes they are the only one with rights, and they will lie and defy any attempts to protect others. They sign up for this, that, and the other KNOWING what the rules are, and then openly flaunt their defiance, often being quite menacing about it. I don't think they have stopped to consider just how many bridges they are burning. Even at my husband's huge corporation, they are already rejecting applications for open positions from people based on their social media posts about covid, there reactions when informed of company protocols, etc. They don't want let it rip people who'd don't give an eff about their co-workers.

We have family we will never speak to again. It.is.done. There reaches a point at which their utter disregard for humanity is not something we can look past or get over. Why should we? Our inner circle does not need to include such narcissistic people. But, already, the word on the grapevine is they are stunned and full of rage that they are cut off. Absolutely no concept of consequences for actions.

I don't know how we recover from this as a nation. I know that I trust people on this board whom I have never met, more than the vast majority of people I once counted as family, friends, and colleagues.

I think part of my malaise is just that feeling that being isolated is kind of a permanent thing, at least until we move. There is a UU church in Huntsville that has been really covid conscious, and from what we can tell, is a good groups of people. They are involved in a lot of community projects, good works for children, social justice. I have this tiny silver of hope that we might be able to make friends there when we move. Tiny. I don't want to get my expectations up there.

[Frances]

3 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Loowit, your post helped me put a finger on what is troubling me…. There is a taunting, defiant, almost malicious vibe from the anti-maskers. It’s not a random Kathy who just air-brained putting on her mask while walking into Target with her screaming toddler. It’s this rippling tension of people wanting to be confronted about not wearing a mask so they can fight about it.

There are organized protests in my area where they storm county commissioner meetings, school board meetings, stores, etc. I thought it was a small group of crazies, but I am realizing it’s a much larger pool of people…who just are filled with anger and hate and want to rain hate down on others.

One of these organized protests happened recently in my state, so they had to move county commissioner meetings back online. The irony, if you can call it that, is that the chairwoman of the commission pretty much encouraged this type of group think and protesting against covid rules early in the pandemic and openly defied the Governor on gathering sizes, but now is having to deal with people going crazy and being threatening. It’s hard to have much sympathy for her, but I do feel bad for any of the commissioners who were on board with covid policies and are now facing dangerous protestors.

[kbutton]

1 hour ago, Faith-manor said:

The dishonesty is a major point. Dishonesty and hypocrisy. The anti-vax, anti-mask, anti-protocol, anti-contact trace, let her rip crowd believes they are the only one with rights, and they will lie and defy any attempts to protect others. They sign up for this, that, and the other KNOWING what the rules are, and then openly flaunt their defiance, often being quite menacing about it. I don't think they have stopped to consider just how many bridges they are burning. Even at my husband's huge corporation, they are already rejecting applications for open positions from people based on their social media posts about covid, there reactions when informed of company protocols, etc. They don't want let it rip people who'd don't give an eff about their co-workers.

People here are just defying things in a very...Ohioan way and nothing happens. They aren't asked to leave. People just say nothing. 

No one is facing social censure for this at all in my area.

I definitely do know some people who did protests, etc., and I know people that have lobbied for terrible law changes, including the ones that stripped our governor of his emergency powers (this will be fun when we have a natural disaster like a massive tornado), and the law that didn't go anywhere so far making it illegal for employers to ask an employee anything about any vaccine ever (including in healthcare settings). I know people that were planning to go to (and inviting people to) a noisy nighttime protest at the governor's personal family residence (not the governor's mansion). 

But mostly people just boldly defy the preferences of the venues quietly and boycott anything that asks for masks and/or vaccine/testing (when concerts and things started asking for vaccine proof, there were some very public FB posts with people wearing their freedom shirts while posting tickets for sale and saying things, "I can't believe they won't refund my money! They didn't require the vaccine when I bought my tickets!). It's like herding cats more than protestors, but I think some public meetings have been tense and ugly.

The great middle of the roaders either won't speak up or figure their vaccines are good enough. They don't want to lose their social groups. 

I am SO GLAD that our "fun" co-op that we were part of for one semester before Covid has intentionally not re-opened. I think they want to come back without having played favorites. It's a very diverse group for an area like ours, and I think they know it will be either a powder keg or people will quit in droves if they take a side in any way. 

[rebcoola]

Our numbers are still going up we are late to omicron party.  The numbers are getting out of control so fast not just cases but hospitalizations went from holding steady around 20 cases to 90 in like 2 weeks that's a 1/4 of our patients.  No one is doing anything no one is talking about. Masking is "required" but more and more places aren't enforcing even Costco. 

We are all vaxxed and booster except the 3 yr old but now I'm worried about needing the hospital for any reason. Especially for my parents.  Last winter DH had to wait 3 days to have his imaging done his gallbladder  that showed it was necrotizing and the hospital is worse now!!

I am sick of hearing omicron is mild and will end the pandemic or that only problem is the quarantine rules.  Sick of hearing from/with covid crap.  Just sick of the pandemic and people being a-holes

[Kassia]

We've also had some big and little Covid challenges/guilt/sadness/losses.  Too much to get into but I just wanted to say I'm sorry to everyone here for what they are going through and have been though.  Definitely hard times for so many.  Big hugs to all of you.  ❤️  

[KidsHappen]

Covid swept through my entire family about a week ago. A few people are still on their last day or two of quarantine. It was extremely mild for everyone except me who was already chronically ill. Most symptoms are gone now except I am so exhausted that I am sleeping almost all day everyday and I am on day 10 now.

Still no relief though because one of my dd is pregnant and she has traditionally had rough pregnancies and had a miscarriage just this past year. I have heard a few things about Omicron affecting pregnancies so of course I am worried, But I am hoping things will be better when the baby is due in Aug.

[fraidycat]

41 minutes ago, KidsHappen said:

Covid swept through my entire family about a week ago. A few people are still on their last day or two of quarantine. It was extremely mild for everyone except me who was already chronically ill. Most symptoms are gone now except I am so exhausted that I am sleeping almost all day everyday and I am on day 10 now.

Still no relief though because one of my dd is pregnant and she has traditionally had rough pregnancies and had a miscarriage just this past year. I have heard a few things about Omicron affecting pregnancies so of course I am worried, But I am hoping things will be better when the baby is due in Aug.

I'm sorry it hit you so hard. I hope you feel better soon and that your daughter and baby are OK. 

[ktgrok]

6 hours ago, Faith-manor said:

 

Hopefully, I will overcome this. It would be nice to have the fish fry. Mark makes a wonderful gluten free breading, and mil doesn't have a whole lot of Lents left. I would not be shocked if this is the last one.

 

recipe?

[Faith-manor]

12 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

recipe?

I will ask him if he has it memorized. He keeps it on her refrigerator.

(10 minutes later)

1 cup Gluten free pie crust flour (pie crust flour is much finer, and so it gets really crispy) Bobs Red Mill or King Arthur

1 cup corn starch

1 tsp GF baking powder

1.5 tsp sugar

1 tsp garlic powder

1 generous tsp onion powder

1 tsp salt

Scant 1/4 tsp of black pepper

1 whole Corona Premium beer 12 oz (this is not advertised as absolutely gf, but their distillation process seems to strip it all out. I am very reactive - wheat allergy - and am okay. But since your little man has Celiac and Pandas definitely check it out and see for yourself.

3" minimum of oil for frying - we use peanut, but sunflower works well though quite expensive

375° oil. If loins have been frozen, allow to thaw and then pat fully dry before breading. We cut into 3 " chunks. About six minutes of cook time on the pieces. We have a fryer that is roughly four quart, and we do six - eight pieces at a time so they don't stick together. Then drain on towel. Voila. Very yummy.

Mil makes Cole slaw and hashbrowns (she browns these in the oven with very little oil used).

My son in law is allergic to fish, so we have two fryers, one which has never had seafood in it. We cook breaded chicken breast for him, and make a night shade free orange sauce for his pieces. He considers it a bit of heaven.

Hope it works for you!

Edited January 21, 2022 by Faith-manor

[ktgrok]

1 minute ago, Faith-manor said:

I will ask him if he has it memorized. He keeps it on her refrigerator.

1 cup Gluten free pie crust flour (pie crust flour is much finer, and so it gets really crispy) Bobs Red Mill or King Arthur

1 cup corn starch

1 tsp GF baking powder

1.5 tsp sugar

1 tsp garlic powder

1 generous tsp onion powder

1 tsp salt

Scant 1/4 tsp of black pepper

1 whole Corona Premium beer 12 oz (this is not advertised as absolutely gf, but their distillation process seems to strip it all out. I am very reactive - wheat allergy - and am okay. But since your little man has Celiac and Pandas definitely check it out and see for yourself.

3" minimum of oil for frying - we use peanut, but sunflower works well though quite expensive

375° oil. If loins have been frozen, allow to thaw and then pat fully dry before breading. We cut into 3 " chunks. About six minutes of cook time on the pieces. We have a fryer that is roughly four quart, and we do six - eight pieces at a time so they don't stick together. Then drain on towel. Voila. Very yummy.

Mil makes Cole slaw and hashbrowns (she browns these in the oven with very little oil used).

My son in law is allergic to fish, so we have two fryers, one which has never had seafood in it. We cook breaded chicken breast for him, and make a night shade free orange sauce for his pieces. He considers it a bit of heaven.

Hope it works for you!

than you so much!!! i will look for gluten free beer, I know I have seen some. Thank you!!

[Faith-manor]

21 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

than you so much!!! i will look for gluten free beer, I know I have seen some. Thank you!!

Here are some. I have no idea how readily available they are. I am not much of a beer drinker so I never shop for it. 

https://www.bonappetit.com/drinks/beer/slideshow/10-gluten-free-beers-that-actually-taste-good

Edited January 21, 2022 by Faith-manor

[iamonlyone]

Yes, I'll hop on the "Covid struggle bus" as well. I'm feeling the pandemic fatigue, for sure. This winter has been the most difficult part of the pandemic for me so far: all the hopes that things are turning around and then the new variants ... ever-changing (and confusing) guidelines ... and, yes, the decision making, and not even knowing what is prudent at this point.

I am staying home as much as possible and masking when out, but, yeah, it's isolating. (I too live in an area where the majority do not mask.)

We don't have children home any more, and that would be so difficult trying to make those decisions for their activities and helping them through years of disappointment. I feel for you younger moms!

It's hard having young adult children too. I don't have the tension of making their decisions, but there is the constant choice to seek peace/avoid anxiety because our three are all away from home (two far from home) and are all in high-risk environments.

I try to live in the day and to notice the good and the beautiful. Dark days, frigid temps, and all the world's craziness can make that a challenge, for sure!

[Jean in Newcastle]

3 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

Here are some. I have no idea how readily available they are. I am not much of a beer drinker so I never shop for it. 

https://www.bonappetit.com/drinks/beer/slideshow/10-gluten-free-beers-that-actually-taste-good

As someone with a celiac level gluten free household, I don’t trust beers that have been “stripped “ of their gluten. I use Redbridge Gluten free beer which is a sorghum beer. 

[Faith-manor]

4 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

As someone with a celiac level gluten free household, I don’t trust beers that have been “stripped “ of their gluten. I use Redbridge Gluten free beer which is a sorghum beer. 

Good to know. I do not have celiac, am just wheat allergic, and the corona premium does not seem to trigger the allergy. But when my sister comes home this summer, I need something safe for celiac sufferers. She really wants to have our fish fry.

[dirty ethel rackham]

Joining the Covid struggle bus.  K got sick with Covid on Christmas day (after getting it the previous December then getting vaxxed this summer.)  Now she is at her apartment sick with a fever and cough.  And she was here for a few hours yesterday.  So, if she tests positive, I have to quarantine and can't work.  And I only have 4 more weeks of training before I'm solo on a shift at my new job.  Found out last week that a coworker at my clinic job came down with covid.  Fortunately, I haven't had any contact with her.  

The hospital where I work is full.  I went to go scan an "admitted patient" today, only to find that she is still in the ER on day 3 because there are no beds.  No negative pressure rooms left so it is just Covid soup everyone is breathing.  Fortunately, we all wear N95 masks full time now.  Several other area hospitals are on bypass - not taking any new patients - ambulances turned away. 

I'm tired of seeing people out doing things without any concern about Covid while I don't feel comfortable getting a hair cut or going to a movie.

We stopped going to church because too many people were not wearing masks or wearing them under their noses.  And nobody enforced the rules.  And too many people took a hard turn right in 2016.  We might check out another parish that has better leadership.  

Next Friday, there is this super important shindig for my brother at a fancy hotel in chicago.  But with the way things are now, I don't want to be in a room full of people.  I so wanted to be there to support my brother, but I fear that I'll get Covid and bring it to others.  

Hope this makes some sense.  I'm pooped after a hard day of training aka learning by making all the mistakes.  

[math teacher]

I am struggling more than I have since the whole thing started. I will not spill my guts here, but I am so weary and feel trapped in a no-win situation.