Thread 25 - Covid Cohort - Christmas Trees, No Omicron Please!

Thanks @icanbewhatiwant

@Monkey2001 I ordered LFT's Christmas Eve. I didn't expect them to come in today's post as it's the first post since then. They did come today.

common cold

@mummyinbeds Aaaarrgh! sorry to hear about DS and possibly you too.

@Decorhate if your income has changed you can fill out an estimated current year income form. Then you have to send the proof in later in the year. When ds1 applied dh had retired and sold the farm in the tax year student finance asked for. A lot of the money had gone into various other projects, investments etc. our actual income was a lot less. So we used the current tax year form. Then in the June of the following year we sent our proof in. Though it took them until October to actually process the proof. So Ds didn't get his 2nd year loan until late in the year. The long wait was due to lockdown. They didn't ask us for proof again, but I think if income changes significantly we have to tell them.

@Monkey2001 I ordered LFT's online. I had an email saying they will arrive within 3 days. I'll let you know if they do. We have a box each for Ds2 and ds3 from school. So they can still test a few times before returning to school. They are having a LFT in school on return too. It would be a good idea to get all school children to pcr before returning. But I know that won't happen.

I hope those feeling poorly get better soon. I daren't say it...I haven't had a cold for a few years. I've probably done it now by posting that...bound to get one now. I moved out the bedroom when dh had his cold a few weeks ago.

@EwwSprouts Yes, I work in a related field amd thought it was excellent. It was on bbc4, should be on iplayer.

The back-to-back foods sound rough, Exquisitely. On the bright side, I've just read an article that says the common good boots out Covid, so that's something, at least.

@EwwSprouts interesting about Canada. They were super strict, a friend's cousin's children seemed to have school on line for most of a year! But I thought the point of the LFTs was to help you manage risk particularly around more vulnerable people, rather than to count cases.

Did anyone else watch the Christmas lecture by JVT last night? Good biology revision!

Sorry to learn so many are unwell or testing positive. Hopefully Omicron and colds will burn themselves out and we are heading for a much healthier spring. Interestingly my Canadian cousin says the message there now is don't bother with rapid tests as we're no longer counting them. She says they have no idea of the true number of cases.

Thanks, cariad, your description of 2 steps back is spot on. I've taken an LFT this morning, just in case, but it's negative. No new symptoms, just a resurgence of the original ones, plus crashing fatigue.

DD is having the same wobble about mocks. Hard to keep them going while the news is so gloomy and uncertain.

I've had a non-Covid cold since 13th Dec, I think I went a whole day without coughing yesterday for the first time. But I haven't actually felt ill at any point. I think it might have been two separate infections as I regressed a bit towards the end of last week. Before that I had another non-covid cold from 3rd Nov for about three weeks (I know the dates from my pcr results). So probably three colds more or less back to back.

So sorry to hear of positive tests and disrupted plans, it’s all feeling a bit tough at the moment isn’t it.
@Alsoplayspiccolo sorry you are still poorly, I can’t shake my cold off either, like you, one step forward two steps back. All LFTs and PCR are negative, but I still feel pretty rough.
Dd is back on the revision, mocks as soon as she goes back but she’s getting a bit low I feel, says she can’t remember anything this morning that she did yesterday and is already dreading going back in January. I think it’s all feeling very real and close now. It’s tough for them all isn’t it.

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a lovely Christmas or at least limited exposure to the more toxic elements of your families! I’m sure we all have some stories to tell, but that doesn’t make dealing with it any easier. Sympathies to all dealing with that.
So we had a really nice time with all of us, my sister and family and aged, rather confused mum over - plus an American early 20s who has got stuck in the UK. 13 for lunch, 12 staying. But I came down with the streaming cold so many have on Christmas Day night, which felled me on Boxing Day and 27th. So much snot. Feeling better now but coughing away. Have done 2x daily clear lateral flows and am sure it isn’t covid - feels just like a cold. I also had a bad cold 2 weeks ago so am sure that I have had my quota! Make it stop!
Really sorry to hear about those with lockdown birthdays. That’s tough.

Those that have had the non-Stop cold thing - how long did it go on for?
It's been 2 weeks since I started feeling unwell. I was getting better until last night, when I started to feel pretty awful again; sinus pain, stuffy nose, fatigue, hot etc. This morning, I feel like I'm at the start of it again.

mummyinbeds, it's my birthday on the 2nd too, and yes, itś the worst day to have a birthday, even without covid!
I'd treat the actual day like a lockdown birthday, so order in a takeaway, glass of something alcoholic etc and then celebrate properly after isolation has finished.
Really hope your DS doesn't feel ropey, and that you don't test positive.

LTF’s a huge nightmare. We managed to order some yesterday by post , hopefully DD’s will arrive soon. I found the local FB group though and she has posted on there and a lovely lady has said she has some. Just need to be able to get hold of the person who can pick them up but if not I’ll see if a taxi will .

I think the ordering online situation is possibly a bit better now. Hopefully a lot of pharmacies will get new supplies in now Bank holiday over. As you say *Monkey’, a family of 4 or 5 get through them in no time. Really hope you all stay negative.

I'm sorry to hear about the birthdays being spoiled too @mummyinbeds. My two have got their 16th and 18th coming up soon just when peak Omicron is predicted, we're not making too many plans ATM.

I hear you on the LFT shortage. I was able to order some, after the chemists had been out for a week, on the Wednesday before Christmas. They haven't arrived yet...

We had a Christmas miracle and discovered a box from school that hadn't been used, so we've been just about OK, but haven't been able to test everybody in the household and only testing when we're meeting up with people.

We have three tests left for 4 people, so hoping the postie will deliver my ordered box before 11, when I have to leave to visit my brother and his family...

Very sorry to hear about your DS mummyinbeds, I would just do a straight postponement and try to have a good day at home in the meantime with presents, cake and whatever indoor entertainment he fancies.

The most common question on our local Fb groups this week is "have any pharmacies got LFTs". We were lucky because DS brought home a box from school with all his boarding stuff at the end of term, but I was also able to order them online yesterday morning and last week. DBIL who is a postman says they are delivering masses of them.

That’s really rubbish @mummyinbeds I would move the birthday celebrations to the following weekend or later in the month. As someone who also has a birthday around then I agree it is not a great time of year at the best of times with so much else going on.

But obviously cake & nice treats on the day itself.

Grrrr, typing, will be GONE in a flash

@Volterra the shortage of LFTs is areal problem isn't it? One family who spent Christmas Day with us had tested positive, so we are testing if we go out, but down to the last box and with 4/5 in the household that will be fine on a flash and we won't be able to test. I haven't seen any in the chemists for over a week now, don't know how to find them! I did discover a couple of weeks ago that if you want to order by post you need to do it shortly after midnight, so will set myself an alarm for that tonight.

Ah I'm so sorry to hear that @mummyinbeds, my DS2 missed his birthday celebrations, it wasn't a big birthday but he was still gutted so I really feel for you both.