General Chat

did anyone miss me?!

I don't know whether I've had a mild bout of covid-19 or not ............ symptoms I had are on the list, but equally are also linked to my own health problems.

I did not have a fever, nor did I lose my sense of taste or of smell.

Nonetheless, I spent 8 days almost entirely in bed, lost my appetite for a couple of days, and have lost 5-6 lbs in weight.

I started feeling better last Thursday afternoon, and can now manage to stay up for several hours a day, even getting dressed. But I feel I am in a state of convalescence such as I've never had before.

Some time late morning or early afternoon and again about 8 pm, I seem to hit a wall, feel all the energy drain away and have to get to the bed and lie down before I collapse.

It's all very weird!

The last time I had been out was about 10 days before it all began when I had physio one day and then the next day had to go to the store to pick up a new prescription from the pharmacy ............ OH usually does it, but I needed to talk to the pharmacist. I wore a mask at all times, and kept social distancing. So if I caught covid then, it was from a casual passer-by.

I never felt in enough danger that I needed to talk to anyone or call for emergency, but boy, was it very strange!

Sorry to hear you have been so poorly Sylvia.

I do hope you feel much better soon. <3

I guess that the only way to know if you have really been infected is to be tested. Presumably it would need to be an anti-body test.

Well whatever it was Sylvia, I'm glad that you are somewhat better now and I wish you a full recovery.

There are certainly some strange symptoms there, but I'm glad that they were never so bad that you felt in danger.

Sylvia, you still sound ill!
Better than you were - but still ill.

Take things easy <3

Get well soon Sylvia, sounds as though it’s taken
a lot out of you <3

Yes, you were missed. I got hit around the same way back in April. No tests avail, the hotline said it was not covid. It took me well into June before I was free of the lethargy and loss of appetite. Quite a lot of people have reported the same thing. I eventually got a test which was - ve.
Make sure you keep well hydrated.

The Oxford vaccine trials report some success.

Oh Sylvia so sorry to hear you have been unwell.
Yes you have been missed, I read your posts with interests as they are always full of interesting facts etc

I do hope you recover very soon.All you can do is rest, drink plenty but if it doesnt pass...whatever it is then you may need the doctor to examine you and maybe test you for Covid.

Sending you get well wishes and hope you feel better soon
Florence in the hebrides <3

I am sorry that you have been ill Sylvia. There are lots of nasty viruses lurking out there, which can really floor you
I have a headache and a sore throat. I always wear a mask in shops, but not in the street, so I suppose we pick things up as we pass people. We did go out for a meal last Saturday as it was our golden wedding anniversary, so that could have been it. I am not I’ll as you have been. I hope you will soon be fit as a fiddle

We isolated a week before Boris introduced the lockdown, Sylvia, but on the Thursday morning while out for coffee with friends, something sharp hit the back of my throat and I had a coughing fit. I had not taken a sip of coffee at that moment.

I thought no more about it but started to feel not quite right on Monday which was a few days later. By Tuesday I felt decidedly ropey, had a runny nose, cough and a bit of a sore throat, followed by a loss of taste and smell - not unusual for me when I get a bad cold. In the next couple of days, I developed a rash which made me think I had hay fever, not cold.

The only thing I did not have was a headache but that is normal for me because I've only ever had one in my life, when I was about 18 and staying at a friend's.. I took one of her grandfather's headache tablets, went to bed and was fine the next morning. I know I shouldn't have done so but I felt desperate so didn't care.

A few days later I got taste and smell back but the rash and bit of a cough persisted for a while longer so I thought I may have had a bad cold and hay fever at the same time. I never gave it another thought until I read about the symptoms a short while later so when the Doc rang to speak with my OH about a rescue pack. I thought I'd ask her.

She asked how I felt now, told me that under no circumstances was I to go to the surgery (i hadn't even thought about doing so) and to stay in. She asked whether we could isolate from each other - which we could and had been doing since I felt unwell and told me to do so for two weeks. Just as a precaution, she said.

I'd like a test to see whether what I had was anything other than a bad cold or even hay fever but can't see me nipping along for one any time soon.

Thank you all.

Yes, I am taking care, resting, and drinking clear liquids.

It's a very weird virus, and of course, we're all a little bit scared about it.

JoyL ............... I didn't phone the doctor, but we're under the same restrictions, under no circumstances go into the surgery!

I did check online, and it's as iffy as I posted above ............... could be or not.


Rollo ............. I've read the same about the Oxford tests. Let's keep our fingers crossed! It's still going to take months and months.


Linda ...... Happy Anniversary!!! Hope you didn't pick up something while celebrating.

Sorry to hear you have been poorly Sylvia, but hopefully you are on the way to a good recovery now. It sounds as if your body is guiding you as to how to treat it by indicating when you need to rest etc. Good to see you back though. <3 <3

Sylvia, it was only by chance that I spoke with the doctor. If she had not rung about a rescue pack for my OH, I would never have contacted her. I rarely have to visit and steer clear unless it's absolutely necessary but I realise I am fortunate to be able to do that.

You sound as though you were much worse than I was as I felt thoroughly ropey for a week then a little ropey for another week, although the cough persisted for much longer - and I rarely have a cough.
.
Still, it was not enough to worry me, just enough to make me wonder, as I had every symptom of Covid bar the headache....

I hope your recovery goes apace now and you feel better soon. I hope you are being pampered too.

Your symptoms are exactly what my sister had, Sylvia. And JoyLouise, I've been coughing for weeks too, but I kind of put it down to my various respiratory problems, although it does seem coincidental...

In very early March, before any lockdown or even real guidance, sister attended a non-profit AGM in Toronto followed by a big dinner (since the non-profit, where she had been treasurer for 20 years, is being disbanded).

She had a very sore throat and bad cough, headache, and utter exhaustion. But because she did not have a fever (she also did not lose her sense of taste), she could not get testing in Ontario. She was really sick for quite some time. She has also re-experienced symptoms recently. She has two immune-compromised young adult kids living at home, and of course our mum in cancer treatment for whom she is the main and now only family caregiver since I and the tall dude are at very high risk if we contract it so we have been locked down since Feb 28, the last day I left home to pick up groceries. And I and my brother have had no way of travelling anyway, given that neither of us drives, even. The situation has been pretty dreadful there; my mum has been quite reasonably fearful and depressed. She had her 90th birthday under lockdown!

Here, we have just stayed at home as we always do, with the exception of having online grocery orders delivered rather than taxi-ing to pick them up. (I started ordering online two years ago when we were both felled in the space of two days, me by a post-op haemorrhage after more eye surgery, him next day by DKA again and another stroke that no one will acknowledge but was obviously the cause of the DKA when I didn't find him until he was comatose, with continuing deterioration since.)

But the feeling of isolation still sets in. And with the hellishly hot and humid weather we have been having for quite some time, we are feeling pretty shut in!

Now if anyone has heard of diarrhea being associated with COVID, I'd love to hear. The tall dude is suffering, and I, the consequences...

I hope you both/all feel better and continue to do so!

hanks Ann .... I am taking care.

JoyL ....... I do have to see the doctor regularly, and have spoken with him/them by phone 2 or 3 times since lock down began. I'm supposed to make and appointment to go in for a physical check before the end of August, which they are considering the end of the "safe" period. Although we currently have an uptick in cases due to young people congregating over the July 1st holiday weekend.


Joonie ............. sorry to hear about your sister, and the family problems. It must be horrible for you and everyone.

I hate to tell you but "intestinal upset" can be associated with covid-19. You might want to check with your doctor, if you can.

I guess I will! The endocrinologist who did a phone appointment two weeks ago took him off Crestor just in case of side effects, but no help. He said he'd refer to a gastroenterologist if needed. I suppose a COVID test would be the first thing to do. I'd tried to find whether this was a symptom, to no avail. ... Of course. One of those "it's not a symptom" earlier, now "it's a symptom". Gotta keep looking for new info.

One thing this whole thing has made clear to me: what little concern there is for people with disabilities at the best of times, let alone the worst.

How do two people who can't drive go to a drive-through testing site? Or get to any other testing site without exposing themselves to risk?

It turns out our paratranspo is still operating at reduced levels; we took that to the lab for tall dude's pre-appointment blood tests. One driver was wearing a mask, one wasn't (we were; bought some handcrafted ones on Kijiji). And on the return ride, we shared the bus with another passenger, wearing a mask, but too close.

Guess I'll check with the hospital ... although where and how he might have got COVID I just have no clue.

Joonie, you are going through the mill. It must be such a worrying time. I hope things pick up for you soon.

I had never heard about anything associated with the bowels being a symptom. It does not surprise me though because it seems this has the power to affect people in a variety of ways - some with all the symptoms, some with a few.

Sylvia, OH will have to get checked again in August so I hope the docs will have the same system operating that they did when he went in May (reluctantly, I might add, because he wanted to skip it and he was not allowed to).

My coffee pals and I keep in touch weekly and not one of us think we'll get together this side of Christmas. At our age - between 75 and almost 84 and not all in good health - we all believe that we can't be too careful.

Watch for symptoms

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

Fever or chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Headache
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea
Then it says these may not be all the symptoms.

My husband had bad diarrhoea with COVID. We both had the virus but had different symptoms. I lost my sense of taste, he didn't, we both had a fever but mine was not as high as his, he had a headache, I didn't - but I never get headaches, the last one I had was fourteen years ago with a cold. I had the exhaustion which was so bad it worried me but his wasn't as bad. We had NHS antibody tests which came back with a positive result so we know it was COVID. I'm seventy and my husband seventy-one so we consider ourselves very lucky to have got away so lightly. We're hoping for some immunity now but are not complacent because they still don't know everything about it. We certainly wouldn't want it again!

Annie

Annie ...............

It does seem that covid can affect every part of the body, with differing symptoms in different people.

I remember reading way back in March that "intestinal upset" or "diarrhoea" could be one, and since then have read that covid can attack cells in the gastrointestinal system ............ hence probably the symptoms.

I have not knowingly been in contact with anyone else who has or had covid .............. as I said in my OP, it had to be a casual passerby either on the street near my physio or in the store going to and from the pharmacy.

Of course, it might not even have been covid, just an occurrence of "regular" upsets all happening together!

I also didn't have a headache, even though I often get them.

We're keeping safe!!

We had a visit from a neighbour who was working on the COVID ward in the hospital. She tested positive when she was poorly a few days later and I was ill two days after that so we're fairly certain where ours came from. She felt so bad about it we felt more sorry for her than we did for ourselves. She thanked us for not dying or she'd have felt even worse!

Annie