AIBU to wonder why the hell some people think “no one with their own business has long covid”

[Stillabout]

Who are these people obsessed with ridiculing people who are trying to manage living with the really shitty aftermath of covid infections?

Also do they seriously think that people with no sick pay or who run their own businesses don’t get long covid? I had my own business and have ended up with it.

Do they think those of us without sick pay or our own businesses live in a magic bubble where lifechanging illnesses don’t happen?

I can’t tell if they’re just trolling ill people (it really is an actual hobby for some) or are genuinely that ignorant.

I saw an article recently that said they'd found some kind of protein markers, I think it was, in cells of people with long COVID?

In answer to your OP, I'd say sceptical first, ignorant second.

In the school I was working in at the time, it did seem that people who often took sick days before the pandemic were also those who got COVID really badly. It may have been their constitution or their mindset. Although not scientific, the placebo effect (essentially, mindset) does exist and can be powerful. Not saying they also developed long COVID, but they don't help persuade the general population that 'less visible' conditions like long COVID are genuine.

Don’t you know, the only people who are medically fragile are ridiculously old and disabled and never need to leave their homes or work. They don’t even need to go to the doctor. They don’t have children or any other responsibilities. They aren’t trying to live normal lives despite medical conditions. There is no need for society to be considerate of them in any way because they can just stay home in bed.

^ giant flashing sarcasm sign ^

My nephew's wife has long covid and runs her own business.

Won’t certain data on sick days be skewed? How would small business owners report sickness? Bigger companies will have systems in place. My clients don’t know I’m sick, they just think I’m booked up. In hospitality, wouldn’t some sick days just be covered by shift changes? A builder might take on less/no work, but what official data would number of sick days show up in etc?

we do collect some data in our long Covid clinic about employment but I’ll be honest and say most people I see are employed. They need reasonable adjustments at work, maybe phased return after absence.

I have seen self employed people though - they are definitely there.

Close friend of mine has post viral chronic fatigue syndrome. It has ruined her life.

Happened years before the pandemic. Post viral syndrome has always been a thing.

No one is interested as it isnt trendy like long covid.

Im not sure what you want ?

I know the thread and the comment you’re referring to. It was really unbelievable.

I feel like for some people on here, mocking things like long covid and denying they exist is maybe a coping mechanism? Like the thought of it scares them so much that they just have to deal with it by shutting out in their mind that it could be a possibility. Would help to explain why they get so strident and aggressive on threads.

I didn't see that thread.However, how do you explain my friend getting post viral fatigue syndrome before the pandemic?

It can still happen now. You can get flu or any other kind of viral iillness that isnt covid and have lifelong symptoms following that.

It's just now that everybody's all over covid, that nothing else seems to get a look in. I don't think it's as deep as you think it is, people aren't shutting their minds down scared of getting it.

Other viruses and other viral syndromes exist. That's just life.

It isn't that people think it doesn't exist, or that a certain demographic don't get it. More that some will be more motivated to push on through.

I was referring to comments online generally. I’ve seen parents desperate for help as they see their children become more and more ill be told it’s in their child’s head, or was brought on by the parent, or some parents need to work and don’t have time to pander to nonsense - it is both cruel and strange.

I think maybe some people lose a sense of perspective and think there will be another lockdown if any negative effects of a covid infection are acknowledged, and some get really antsy if covid is even mentioned as a current virus (why did you test / it’s not 2020 / it’s just a cold now), but seem to seek out covid threads at the same time. Maybe it extends to other areas - there’s probably people on a cancer thread or with a broken leg or depression being told that they couldn’t possibly have it as it only happens to people with decent sick pay.

@ILoveWhalesI’m sorry to hear about your friend. I’m not sure if you’ve misunderstood any of my posts or I’m misinterpreting your tone. For clarity, of course I don’t think covid is the only virus which can leave a long term/permanent trail - it would be a bit of a stupid AIBU if I did!

The pandemic in 2020 was awesome for me, I got to sleep more and no one stopped me from living how i wanted to live. I wasnt doing anything questionable by any means though. I had the virus twice. I almost died the first time, i felt weaker and weaker until i became bed ridden for hours. Then i recovered. I received another chance from above. The second time wasnt so bad, it was after i got the double vaccine.

Er, yeah, I wasn’t trying to claim long covid is the only form of post viral fatigue. Hence why I said ‘things like long covid’. As others have pointed out, there’s also a long dishonourable tradition of people dismissing and mocking sufferers of ME.

I know it’s life, I’ve seen it up close with people close to me. That’s why I take it seriously. I’m sorry about your friend.

As far as I’m aware, the reason there’s more attention on long covid versus post viral fatigue after something like flu is that the numbers are higher. I think when a lot of posters on here seem so aggressively keen to completely dismiss something that’s been documented by a fairly wide range of sources at this point, it does raise the question of what’s going on with those posters psychologically, and why it’s so important to them to deny that something well documented exists. Maybe it’s not fear, that’s speculation on my part. But it does start to come across that way. And fair enough to an extent: illness is scary. What’s not fair enough is to bully and dismiss people who are ill because they’re saying something you don’t want to hear.

This is a really really interesting post. It hadn’t occurred to me to think people might be subconsciously worried that acknowledging negative effects of Covid could mean another lockdown, but I wonder if you’re onto something there. Like you I’m always struck by how many posters come onto any covid thread saying covid is over and we shouldn’t even be talking about it - but they seemingly can’t stop themselves from coming onto the thread. We’ve all got different coping mechanisms I guess.

There are lots of people who don’t have the capacity to understand that things can be real if they don’t personally experience them. So: “car sickness, pah, I've never had that, made up nonsense for attention. Colic no I never had that I was a perfect baby my mother said so. People dying of influenza in the 1960s nonsense, theyd be right as rain with some broth” type fuckwits. It’s not real if Ive not had it.

It’s those arses that spread misinformation. They should just keep their mouths shut.

With regard to lockdown, there’s no money left to pay for it so that'll not happen. Maybe it therefore suits the agenda to have the People powering on through…

Have you got long Covid? Is someone doubting that you're ill?

except there wouldn’t be another lockdown just by not dismissing what covid is capable of.

Yes, I agree. I don’t think people would keep to one now anyway. Not after learning that the people who ordered it didn’t.

And not now that people realise the unimaginable financial consequences of paying people to sit on their bums all day doing nothing. I.e. massive increase in the deficit, national debt, job losses, business closures, higher interest rates, inflation, now spending more on interest than education, etc. And we've not even seen the worst of it as the politicians are just kicking the can down the road, continuing to borrow massive amounts, etc. When we see the inevitable tax rises and benefit cuts, more people will realise the stupidity of shutting down the economy!