COVID-19 Thread

[Jim Allen]

New Mexico man returns home after more than 500 days in hospital with Covid

Must be one hell of a fighter !

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/new-mexico-man-returns-home-500-days-hospital-due-covid-rcna18898

A New Mexico man has returned home after he spent more than 500 days in the hospital battling Covid-19.

Donnell Hunter finally left Kindred Hospital Albuquerque last week, NBC affiliate KOB reported.

500 days ... Glad he survived, hope he has good insurance to cover the costs.

[leatherman]

hope he has good insurance to cover the costs.

unfortunately, here in America, he's probably passed the limit of his insurance (if he had it at all); his family has gone broke from medical bills; they're in debt; and if his family wasn't already "forced" by the hospital 400 days ago to apply for Social Security Disability, federal Medicare, and their state's Medicaid, then he's applying now for those benefits which won't be determined for three more years while he incurs even more unpaid medical debt sinking his family further into debt.


sadly I speak from my own experience and those of many living with HIV/AIDS (I made sure to add the "AIDS" part there because being that sick, along with hospitalization, is usually what not only starts this downward spiral into poverty through our health care system but is also the very reason that we're eventually eligible for federal benefits and help from the Ryan White safety net.

Covid may have the same moral as cancer or AIDS - don't get a possible terminal disease; it can really f-up all levels of your life.

[CalvinC]

Hey all

Sure enough, I got covid, likely via my hockey team, where a good half of the league has it now.

I'm triple vaxxed so I'm not worried. But man o man I want chop my head off this morning.

Others out there living with this?

Cal

[Jim Allen]

Sorry to hear about the COVID.

How are you feeling now its been a few days? Better I hope.

[CalvinC]

Much better now, Jim, thanks. Not nice to have, but mild.

Covid isn't going away, so at least now I know what to expect!

[Jim Allen]

  Glad to hear you are feeling better.

[Jim Allen]

https://www.poz.com/article/majority-people-hiv-asymptomatic-covid

More than half of people living with HIV who acquire SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, have asymptomatic illness, according to study results presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2022). This suggests that people with well-controlled HIV have COVID-19 outcomes similar to those of HIV-negative people.

[pozzitive]

Last Monday I got tested positive for Covid, it is Thursday and I am still not feeling the best so my doctor prescribed me Paxlovid the anti-viral.

I am usually a bit scared of new meds and I want to know if any of you has tried it?

[Jim Allen]

Last Monday I got tested positive for Covid, it is Thursday and I am still not feeling the best so my doctor prescribed me Paxlovid the anti-viral.

I am usually a bit scared of new meds and I want to know if any of you has tried it?

Hope you feel better soon.

Paxlovid is just nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, what are you scared about?  BTW what HIV meds are you currently taking?Still Truvada & Viramune?

[pozzitive]

Genvoya. It says there is a small interaction but nothing serious.

[Jim Allen]

Genvoya. It says there is a small interaction but nothing serious.

Okay cool. Yeah, that's why I was asking.

So what is scaring you about taking Paxlovid?

[pozzitive]

Jim,

 First of all, I want to say that you ALWAYS calm down my main stupid worries. I am scared of medication, always have been. Scared of having allergic reactions. I am not sure. Instead, I should be blessed I have access to this...

[Jim Allen]

 

My two cents, I have allergies to things, and some are serious, so I think I can appreciate the concern. Allergic reactions can happen to just about anything, so the concern is not stupid but prehaps in your mind blown somewhat out of proportion.

See the meds have benefits vs a small risk of this issue even occurring, even if it does odds are it's just a mild reaction that's just a short term inconvenience usually dealt with by simply discontinuing the exposure and sometimes an antihistamine.

I hope this helps but also talk to your healthcare provider about these concerns. I know the study data on this drug combo were good, example https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2118542

[harleymc]

I'm up to day 10 testing reactive on Rat.

Local health regulations only require a 7 day isolation but my workplace requires a negative test before I can return.

No offer of remote work, I'm just burning through leave.
I think it's time I talk to my union.

[leatherman]

ugh! The plague has come to chez Leatherman

because Lowes allows ignorant redneck republikkans without vaccines living in backwoods South Carolina to go without masks while hacking all over the place spreading germs, Larry got sick last weekend with covid and stayed sick all week. A week later, I finally got sick....thankfully for only about 24 hrs. although, I've been left with intermittent extreme fatigue and a little bit of brain fog. UGH!

Then my mom, who is vacationing at myrtle beach, called to tell me that although she didn't get it when her husband did two months ago, she just tested positive and was sick just like me for about 24 hrs.

[Jim Allen]

ugh! The plague has come to chez Leatherman

because Lowes allows ignorant redneck republikkans without vaccines living in backwoods South Carolina to go without masks while hacking all over the place spreading germs, Larry got sick last weekend with covid and stayed sick all week. A week later, I finally got sick....thankfully for only about 24 hrs. although, I've been left with intermittent extreme fatigue and a little bit of brain fog. UGH!

Then my mom, who is vacationing at myrtle beach, called to tell me that although she didn't get it when her husband did two months ago, she just tested positive and was sick just like me for about 24 hrs.

Sorry to hear this, and I hope Larry is feeling better and your fatigue gets better.

[leatherman]

Sorry to hear this, and I hope Larry is feeling better and your fatigue gets better.

thanks!
Larry had 140 sick hours accrued, so took all of last week off - with pay. woohoo. He's back to work this week and doing pretty good with just a little congestion left. I've got a little congestion still and the brain fog isn't much. the fatigue is weird. A couple of times a day, I'll be fine being active like normal and then it'll just hit me, hard enough to make me sit down and barely be able to hold my head up for 15 mins or so.

but it's all cool. It could have been so much worse....and I've been there, done that before and no thanks. I'm just kind of annoyed that after so long and with so many precautions (Larry still wears a mask at work and I do when I go out... well except for planet fitness and out for mexican and margaritas twice a month), that we ended up infected. But looking at the bright side, I'm glad it happened now after a lot of vaccinations and time for the virus strains to weaken.

[Jim Allen]

thanks!
Larry had 140 sick hours accrued, so took all of last week off - with pay. woohoo. He's back to work this week and doing pretty good with just a little congestion left. I've got a little congestion still and the brain fog isn't much. the fatigue is weird. A couple of times a day, I'll be fine being active like normal and then it'll just hit me, hard enough to make me sit down and barely be able to hold my head up for 15 mins or so.

but it's all cool. It could have been so much worse....and I've been there, done that before and no thanks. I'm just kind of annoyed that after so long and with so many precautions (Larry still wears a mask at work and I do when I go out... well except for planet fitness and out for mexican and margaritas twice a month), that we ended up infected. But looking at the bright side, I'm glad it happened now after a lot of vaccinations and time for the virus strains to weaken.

Glad to hear Larry is feeling better and the fatigue sounds odd but hopefully it will pass soon.

[leatherman]

Glad to hear Larry is feeling better

me too.....so he could go back to work. LOL
He was really cramping my style all week at home. His crunching ice was getting on my last nerve (misophonia is real) and he watched so many Hallmark movies. So, so many!  With his love of sappy movies, football, and country music, it's amazing I ever fell in love with him. 

[J.R.E.]

Ed and I both tested positive for Covid on Monday afternoon, with a home test kit.

We both thought we had seasonal allergies going on. The Oak trees are doing their thing right now. We've been sleeping with the windows open and fans on, because the nights have been wonderful. Been going on for at least 5 days, prior to testing.

No problem with loss of taste or smell. our energy levels are still good, Appetites are great. neither of us have shortness of breath. But we both have some head stuffiness, and very minor intermittent coughs, and sneezing.

Anyway I decided to test, and sure enough both of us are positive for covid.

I private messaged my doctor at the VA, on Monday, and they are sending me:

1. ALBUTEROL 90MCG (CFC-F) 200D ORAL INHL

**INHALE 2 PUFFS BY MOUTH FOUR TIMES A DAY AS NEEDED FOR BREATHING - SHAKE WELL

2.BENZONATATE 100MG CAP

**TAKE ONE CAPSULE BY MOUTH THREE TIMES A DAY AS NEEDED FOR COUGH. (SWALLOW CAPSULE WHOLE. DO NOT CRUSH, CHEW OR DISSOLVE IN MOUTH)


3.GUAIFENESIN 400MG TAB

**TAKE ONE TABLET BY MOUTH THREE TIMES A DAY AS NEEDED FOR CONGESTION

4.METHYLPREDNISOLONE 4MG TAB DOSEPAK,21
   ** TAKE TABLET(S) BY MOUTH DAILY WITH FOOD FOLLOWING ENCLOSED PACKAGE INSTRUCTIONS - FOR COVID INFECTION - (DO *NOT* TAKE ON EMPTY STOMACH).


I have a feeling these medications might be protocol for the VA, to send their patients, if they tested positive. Also, they may have noticed that I had pneumonia May 26th, and are sending some of these as a precautionary measure.

Otherwise,.... We are both doing pretty good.  The medications from the VA, have not arrived yet, possibly tomorrow or Friday.

I just had my flu shot and another Covid shot on the October 6th. I may have already been infected when I received these vaccines. 



Ray and ED  ( Hanging in there)

[J.R.E.]

Forgot to mention , we are both isolating for 5 days, but I did get out today and bought 2 more test kits of 2 tests each.

Ray

[J.R.E.]

 

It's been 7 days since we both tested positive for COVID.  We just retested, with our home kit,... and we both tested negative ! We both had a pretty good go of this, mostly sinuses than anything. Never any fevers.

But we are both doing great !

Ray 

[Jim Allen]

Changing this thread from a "sticky" topic to a regular thread at this stage.

Also, I will not be updating or merging topics here about COVID anymore. COVID will be with us for a while, years and years, I think, but it's not a panic topic anymore. 

[Shazam9cd4]

Ray et others -  thanks for your replies on the other thread.  Replying back via the correct thread now. 

Well - i am now well enough to write a follow-up post although cant say ill be coherent!

Despite what my doc said and others here,  i always feared dealing with covid before my immunity improved.  Last CD4was 120 in September (up from May nadir of 9)  and although i had 4 pfizer shots - the last was in June.  Id previously tested for antibody levels after one shot and before the next to learn they drop to below thresholds (in me) after only 4 months.   

I knew it was just a matter of time no matter how cautious i could be (and we are always masking).  Entire household got it.  But non worse than I.  What started as a scratchy throat and stayed that way for half the first day (was hopeful i would be a lucky mostly asymptomatic person)  rapidly declined over an hour or two into muscle aches,  pains, uncontrolled shivers them, fever for 3 days (topping at 39.5) and culminating in a throat so soar it was a painful effort to swallow my own saliva.

Fortunately i rat tested my throat at first symptom emergence   for a positive coiv result (nasal was negative) and called my doc.  He quickly packaged up a box of paxlovid,  cough syrups,  and Magisec which is a combined panodal ibuprofin pill that worked great.  They say 1+1=3 on magisec.  I had my own mix if things to ensure i could get a full nights sleep and pretty much stayed in bed for 3 days. And didnt stop hydrating!  Water,  water,  water. Sometimes hot. sometimes cold sometimes fizzy,  sometime not. 

How do I  know if the paxlovid worked?  I really dont know.  What i do know is i woudlnt have wanted to experience without it.  Although everyone else in the household had a milder course  i cleared it faster (negative on 4th day after first symptoms).  I must admit i was indeed scared and being so is really is not helpful. Not at all.  but what can i do?    Coming to terms with an HIv diagnosis at 60 and having covid a few months later -  i was just worried the soar throat was going to go septic, or something else was going to knock me down again.  The Xray of My lungs in may looked exactly like a patient with covid induced pneumonia with that “broken glass” appearance.  Could i keep this out of my lungs?  Went through all the mental challenges i went through in may.  What have i done to myself,  what have i done to my family.  Blah blah blah torturing myself.  And yes i can recognize when im getting depressed and i was.    I allow a certain time for it, wollowing in my own self pity i guess, but usually  at some point of diminishing returns on those thought patterns i stop looking inward and go outward.     

Throughout  i Kept monitoring blood pressure,  HR and and in particular O2  Although O2 did drop to the lowest ive seen it (92%) it would go back above 96 after a few minutes of walking around and i was never short of breath or coughing so wasnt too concerned about lungs .   The particular point of attack on me was my throat - with terrible pain and yellow gobby phlegm. 

Well -  retired very early last night.  after a slow consumption of warm broth, was lethargically  limp, muscly soar and with a clammy sweat - even though it was my first negative rat test day i was thinking perhaps ive got a secondary infection now.   Knocked myself out for the night.   overnight  someone must have waived a magic wand over me because in the morning i was fine.   No soar throat (how did that dissapear?)  no more fever,   no need for fever meds,  and a good strong negative nasal and throat RAT.

Knock on wood but i seem to have survived Covid with HIV.      Im sooo happy! And stepping  forward into the future with more confident steps!