Covid 19/Coronavirus

[High Plains Drifter]

People look at me seemingly in disgust that I'm still sporting a mask but I seriously don't care at all. I don't live in fear and even last week my wife and I decided to go to a new restaurant cause we hadn't done that in like two years. And I told her on the way there that if they had a patio that I'd rather eat outside. They didn't but fortunately it was a big place and because it was on a Sunday, the place was almost completely deserted. We sat away from the other tables and had a fantastic meal and a really nice time out.

If people wanna scoff or laugh at me, I'm so totally okay with it. If I don't catch covid then that would be awesome, but if I do... at least I tried and it cost me literally nothing to do what I could do.

 

[Demiurge]

I've been symptomatic since last Weds/Thurs last week. It's not the most sick I've been but it's the longest I've been sick in recent memory. It just kind of hangs-around, like this nuisance-level of chest & nasal congestion plus a "you only slept 4 hours" lethargy for the past few days. What a pain in the ass.

 

[Randy]

People look at me seemingly in disgust that I'm still sporting a mask but I seriously don't care at all. I don't live in fear and even last week my wife and I decided to go to a new restaurant cause we hadn't done that in like two years. And I told her on the way there that if they had a patio that I'd rather eat outside. They didn't but fortunately it was a big place and because it was on a Sunday, the place was almost completely deserted. We sat away from the other tables and had a fantastic meal and a really nice time out.

If people wanna scoff or laugh at me, I'm so totally okay with it. If I don't catch covid then that would be awesome, but if I do... at least I tried and it cost me literally nothing to do what I could do.

You're doing the right thing. It's a healthy habit to have. This "the pandemic is over" stuff is a crock of shit. I think it will be over (ish) eventually but the race to "old normal" (what happened to accepting "new normal"?) is massively premature.

First thing I heard from everyone is "wow and you've been so careful this whole time". Yeah, except literally the 4 or 5 people I don't wear my mask around (family) that don't wear their masks anywhere and were sick, denied it and refused to test themselves.

This sucks. Fuck everyone that says it's a cold or it's gotten less lethal or whatever. I'm vaxxed and boosted. I'm in my early 30s and very healthy with zero pre-existing conditions or co-morbidities. My pulse ox dropped about 10 points from the day before to the day I did test positive. I'm gonna be alright but 1.) Don't chance it 2.) Don't be an irresponsible ass and pass it to someone else not knowing what it'll do to them

 

[Randy]

I've been symptomatic since last Weds/Thurs last week. It's not the most sick I've been but it's the longest I've been sick in recent memory. It just kind of hangs-around, like this nuisance-level of chest & nasal congestion plus a "you only slept 4 hours" lethargy for the past few days. What a pain in the ass.

My co worker's wife had it three weeks ago, it was like season allergies but the lethargy has continued now a couple weeks after she stopped testing positive.

 

[TedEH]

The bit that frustrates me in particular is that I had been doing so well - 2+ years of not getting even so much as sniffly, I got the jabs, I'm still wearing masks most places despite the obligation being gone, I generally only hang around people who are careful - then the one time I see that side of the family, they out themselves as being right on the border of denying it was ever a big deal, and it's most likely they're where I caught it from. I have no proof, and probably will never get any since I'm not in contact with that side of the family usually. But I mean...... ugh.

 

[Bodes]

On the bright side @Randy , most I know who had it bad during their +ve stage have felt good after about a week. Hope you are the same.

 

[StevenC]

People look at me seemingly in disgust that I'm still sporting a mask but I seriously don't care at all. I don't live in fear and even last week my wife and I decided to go to a new restaurant cause we hadn't done that in like two years. And I told her on the way there that if they had a patio that I'd rather eat outside. They didn't but fortunately it was a big place and because it was on a Sunday, the place was almost completely deserted. We sat away from the other tables and had a fantastic meal and a really nice time out.

If people wanna scoff or laugh at me, I'm so totally okay with it. If I don't catch covid then that would be awesome, but if I do... at least I tried and it cost me literally nothing to do what I could do.

I still wear a mask everywhere, but i constantly have dreams of going places, forgetting my mask and feeling like an idiot for it, despite no one else wearing a mask.

 

[Dumple Stilzkin]

@Randy rest up man, it get's better. I too caught it from a family member who was being careless. Tested positive on Wednesday and felt like death for three days. I've got my booster and two rounds, and am recovering quickly. But the damn sinus congestion and body aches were intense. I basically laid around and played guitar a little, taking naps seemed to help.

 

[Randy]

Thanks folks.

Feels like I'm on the mend. Last night without the chills, today congestion and respiratory stuff all feel 1/3rd of what they were previous days. Pulse ox back up to 95% to 97%.

Stuff I still have: headaches, lethargy (less than before though), the random ass pains in limbs, etc.

Stuff I didn't have but now do: lightheadedness when I do anything remotely physically demanding (like carrying dishes into the kitchen)

Worth noting I am on a drug cocktail of steroids, codeine, antibiotics, with tylenol and ibuprofen sprinkled in as I need it. So I'm not 100% what I can attribute to the drugs and the virus breaking but it feels less like death today, so that's good.

 

[Drew]

Worth noting I am on a drug cocktail of steroids, codeine, antibiotics, with tylenol and ibuprofen sprinkled in as I need it. So I'm not 100% what I can attribute to the drugs and the virus breaking but it feels less like death today, so that's good.

Any day that you feel less like death than the last is a good day.

We seem to have crested a peak ad are trending back down here in MA - I'm no longer wearing a mask in the office, though I do any other time I'm out in public and if it picks back up I'll begin masking up here again.

 

[Randy]

Update here:

Recovery has been slow. The "scary" stuff are all stable thankfully, like pulse ox are all steady high (98%, 99%) and bad coughs/congestion are several days gone.

Really hard to judge, though. Had the best night of sleep in my entire life last night, woke up this morning and felt like a brand new person. As I acclimated to being awake, the same limb, chest and neck pains I had days before my positive test all started up. Did they start again? Were they there the whole time but they were lost in the white noise of all the other symptoms I was experiencing? Idk.

There was also crippling brain fog yesterday which happened again today but much milder and for shorter periods of time, thankfully. Spend most of the day totally lucid, albeit with some discomfort.

Finishing the last of my meds, so will re-assess what's coming from what when I'm off of everything this weekend.

 

[Bodes]

Almost 7 weeks since I caught COVID.

Chest feels like it was in a feather -weight boxing match with against a heavy-weight opponent.

Brain fogs and forgetfulness is still going strong. Took me 40 minutes to mark a class set of 10 multiple-choice questions, which was answered on a grid. Usually I can see a pattern in the grids and the class is marked within 10 minutes. I honestly couldn't see a pattern. When ever a student got an incorrect answer, I would forget what the next answer was, and had to look at the answer sheet again.
Still am struggling with a number of my students' names.

Get very tired and very frustrated, because I am very tired, which gets me frustrated....

Heart is alllllllll over the shop. My students know I can't walk around too much so I sit down for most of the day. they come up to me and I write my notes using a digital pen, so I don't even stand to write on the whiteboard.
I mean, look at this:

I'm not even remotely stressed at work...

Going to my GP this evening to see what if anything can be done.

 

[Dumple Stilzkin]

Almost 7 weeks since I caught COVID.

Chest feels like it was in a feather -weight boxing match with against a heavy-weight opponent.

Brain fogs and forgetfulness is still going strong. Took me 40 minutes to mark a class set of 10 multiple-choice questions, which was answered on a grid. Usually I can see a pattern in the grids and the class is marked within 10 minutes. I honestly couldn't see a pattern. When ever a student got an incorrect answer, I would forget what the next answer was, and had to look at the answer sheet again.
Still am struggling with a number of my students' names.

Get very tired and very frustrated, because I am very tired, which gets me frustrated....

Heart is alllllllll over the shop. My students know I can't walk around too much so I sit down for most of the day. they come up to me and I write my notes using a digital pen, so I don't even stand to write on the whiteboard.
I mean, look at this: View attachment 108564

I'm not even remotely stressed at work...

Going to my GP this evening to see what if anything can be done.

That is weird, have you tried going for brisk walks or anything that works the cardiovascular system?

 

[Bodes]

That is weird, have you tried going for brisk walks or anything that works the cardiovascular system?

No. Sometimes struggle to get up a set of stairs without needing a short breather. Plus when I deep breathe, I am an agony with my chest. Dr said the chest is either muscular skeletal or maybe a little pericarditis. The steroids I was on didn't really help.

Hope my GP can suggest something, or refer me to someone.

 

[Bodes]

So just got back from my GP. They want me to go for an echocardiogram. GP has a few post-covid patients who have similar issues. GP looked at my heart rate graphs from my watch, was surprised it was that bad, considering my age.
Pity it is Friday night. Only a few places open on a Saturday and was told by GP it'll be difficult to get an echo. Just start ringing every place from their opening times and keep trying.
Shit is starting to get scary.

 

[wheresthefbomb]

Applying for my "dream job" at the school district, reading a bunch of hellish accounts of where schools have been heading post-covid in the states. Has me seriously considering whether a ~45% pay increase is worth the massive increase in responsibility and the very real likelihood that I will end up playing substitute for a large portion of the time anyway due to staffing shortages.

There seems to be no relief for public schools in sight. It seems like we are approaching a critical mass of policy makers on all levels who are too happy to just watch the public school system implode so they can go "welp that didn't work time for charter schools also let's privatize the fucking library."

 

[Randy]

The reason why charter schools and a lot of privatized stuff "works" is because the participation level is low enough that you're serving one homogenous group, which makes it easier to provide the service.

It's very different than a public school where you have to take kids of every societal background, every level of (dis)ability, every income bracket, etc. and try to teach all of them in the same room with eachother, same curriculum, same grading system. And then you have kids that need extra help but it's like an assembly line where you have no time to give them the extra attention they need, before you need to send them out the door and refill the room again and start over. So outcomes are all over the place, and you get LESS help or you get funding for the wrong things. It's Hellworld.

 

[StevenC]

One year clot-free!

Still nowhere near where I was, but I think I'm improving slowly. One thing is for certain, it's made my migraines both much worse and much scarier (which makes them worse too). And given me more triggers. Like for example last night I went to see Sungazer in London, and man, the lights were just too much. It was incredible but I was not fit for it in that small of a room, compared to Meshuggah the week before, equally intense but in the Royal Albert Hall.

But we persevere.

 

[Bodes]

One year clot-free!

Still nowhere near where I was, but I think I'm improving slowly. One thing is for certain, it's made my migraines both much worse and much scarier (which makes them worse too). And given me more triggers. Like for example last night I went to see Sungazer in London, and man, the lights were just too much. It was incredible but I was not fit for it in that small of a room, compared to Meshuggah the week before, equally intense but in the Royal Albert Hall.

But we persevere.

Wow, a year already! Great news!

Sucks to hear you are still experiencing bad headaches. Hope you keep improving and those pesky ongoing headaches F right off soon.

Have the Drs said anything about ways to reduce the severity?

 

[StevenC]

Wow, a year already! Great news!

Sucks to hear you are still experiencing bad headaches. Hope you keep improving and those pesky ongoing headaches F right off soon.

Have the Drs said anything about ways to reduce the severity?

The neurologists have started me on beta-blockers for the migraines. The headaches got a bit lighter when I got off the anticonvulsants in February, but not much. Working with a psychologist to deal with other things that can be causing headaches, and get a bit of my mental plate. And I'm getting started with a neuropsychologist soon to bring it all together.

Also been referred to physiotherapy to get my spine recovery back on track (I had a very thorough spinal fusion in 2019 and I spending a few weeks in bed and without the awareness to work on posture screwed that a lot). And referred to neuro specific physiotherapy specifically for the headaches. Though I haven't started either of those yet.

They (for the most part) are taking very good care of me. It's been a struggle getting dealing with neurology be it appointments or treatment, that whole part of the service here seems to be poorly run for some reason regardless of trust. But the last (2nd appointment in a year, 5th (!!!!!!) consultant that treated me) appointment actually made some progress on the treatment front even if it was 8 months late, with a different doctor, in a different hospital, and I had to book it because they didn't know what medication I was on/had finished.

I really appreciate the support!