Beside myself with worry

[Collinsro]

I've just tested positive for covid first time.. I've been feeling absolutely dreadful with it. But I am just beside myself with worry, as I've possibly exposed my mum and dad to it as I saw them every day in lead up to testing positive. Mum even drank from my mug by accident the day before! My dad is extremely CV. We always said covid could finish him off. And now I may have given him it. I know nothing is confirmed but already worried sick. How would I even begin to process this, or live with myself. Any advice appreciated.

You need to calm down. With kindness - unless he has been hermetically sealed off from the rest of the world for the last 3 years he could've caught it from anywhere and anyone.

Even if he is CV, he should be fine if he's vaccinated.

OP, I assume they've known you've been feeling under the weather but it was still mutually accepted you all carry on seeing eachother - they know the risks, so do not knock yourself.

It's a virus and not predictable - we were trying to be careful as had a weekend coming up I'd wanted to do for years but DH still caught it, and I followed on very closely as he'd obviously been infectious for a couple of days.

You're really not at fault. Try and put your energy into getting better rather than worrying - that way if they really do need help you'll be up to ordering food for them, dealing with anything else they need.

My mum is ECV and didn’t get get off my dad and they live together. She said the day before he tested positive it rained and they played cards for 6 hours right by each other.. so odd!

Forgot to say, just because someone is CV doesn't mean they're going to be really bad - my friend is CV and she was going up the walls as she couldn't go out and felt able.

The thing is OP, trying to stop vulnerable people getting it until they'd been vaccinated was a worthwhile thing to do. But trying to stop them getting it EVER is probably impossible unless they never go anywhere or see anyone ever again. If they hadn't got it from you they'd probably have got it from somewhere else eventually. It may even be better that they get it now, not too long after their 3 vaccines.

The only way you could have completely avoided the risk of giving it to them would have been to never see them indoors ever again. I doubt they would have wanted that!

I hope they are okay. My dad and stepmum (in their 70s) have just had it and they felt a bit rubbish but were not seriously ill.

I did exactly this a month ago. Infected my mum who's 80 and vulnerable.

She caught it 3 days later. She'd had her fourth vaccine and barely had a runny nose.

I was so worried.

Whereas I started off symptom free and in the third day started to get poorly. My symptoms lasted a week not including the part before symptoms where I didn't know I had it.

This covid strain doesn't attack the lungs deeply like the ones before. I'd liken it to a strange cold, it has some similarities with flu but it's not as bad as flu. Very drying, dry cough, dry nose, dry eyes, all the mucus membranes seem to dry up but be irritated.

Your dad is highly likely to be fine, and now he's tested positive too you can be with him if needed. The vaccines are holding strong.

My clinically vulnerable neighbours (cancer treatment and heart disease) have just had it for the first time. They caught it from their daughter. They felt quite unwell for a week and tested positive for 11 days but are both out and about again. Hopefully your dad will be fine.

Oh OP, I can hear how worried you are

Any of us could catch Covid from anyone at any time. No one can live in a bubble for ever. Your dad should inform his GP, who might consider anti-viral medication. The basic rules of viral infection apply— treat the symptoms, I.e. reduce fever, reduce any pain, drink plenty of fluids ( and then some more) Keep rooms warm but well ventilated. Rest. Phone GP, 111 or 999 as appropriate if breathing is compromised. Triple vaccination gives good cover, hopefully you’ll all get this mildly and apparently you’re then invincible.
Don’t beat yourself up. An elderly friend of mine has virtually been abandoned by her family, visited by one only once a week, no contact at all with ggc, told not to go out. It’s had an awful effect on her physical and mental health. Isolation isn’t great for people.

OP my aunt is sadly on end of life care and has been for quite a while. She is triple vaccinated but caught Covid a couple of months ago - she is still with us

Why would you visit them every day then with your dadscondition? And share a mug with your mum?? :( hoping he'll pull through. Nothing more you can do op.

Gosh @Marvellousmadness that’s such a sensitive post 🤔

@Marvellousmadness Are you a sadist??

Oh op I know this is what you were worried about. Deep breath!!
He's vaccinated and there are treatments available now.
Has he contacted 111 or Gp surgery? He needs to do so to start treatment as soon as possible.
There's still a good chance that he'll be absolutely fine so try not to let anxiety overwhelm you.
This is absolutely not your fault though. The virus is everywhere, we're not even particularly trying to stop it now so if it hadn't come from you it probably would have come from somewhere else at some point!

We're all getting it now, even us lucky enough to avoid it for 2 years. He would have got it from somewhere eventually.