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If/when you get Coronavirus, do you think you'll survive it?

262 replies

Balmytissues · 11/04/2020 09:29

Probably an odd question to ask, but I think my odds are slightly in my favour to survive it.
Just wondering whether a lot of you actually fear death from it or not?
I'm aware obviously that it seems somewhat indiscriminate in who it takes out in some exceptional cases.
I've survived something similar, but I hope I'm healthy enough to beat it. If it's my time to go, then so be, we choose not the day nor the hour...
What do you think your odds are?
For reference I'm 39 and a smoker Blush

OP posts:
Ritascornershop · 12/04/2020 00:50

I’m over 50 and tend to get flu pretty badly. On the other hand I’m slim, eat lots of fruit and veg, don’t have pre-existing conditions, don’t smoke, walk a lot. If I die, I die, it sounds a grim way to go, but so does cancer.

CollaborativeBee · 12/04/2020 00:53

I think with cancer, there's more time to prepare. NOT THAT I WANT THAT EITHER! But the thoughts of realising maybe day 2 that you really have got this thing (hoping on day 1 that you were imagining it) and then being dead by day 17, who could accept that?

Pieceofpurplesky · 12/04/2020 01:00

No

ChippityDoDa · 12/04/2020 01:07

Wow, people are dramatic! A 99 year old male just survived it! Most people will be fine. My friend, who is an intensive care doctor, told me that as a slim, non smoking, relatively fit (I’m not talking Jess Ennis fitness here by any stretch!) woman aged under 40 I’ve more chance of being in a car accident on a daily basis than ending up on a ventilator in ITU with this. I do hope when we cone out of this though that people will make healthier choices - most of the young people who have sadly died do seem to be very overweight.

Holdingmybreath · 12/04/2020 01:09

I'm 60,a nurse in ITU.I shop weekly ,takes 15 mins.My to not other contact s are my DD who hasn't been out since schools closed and work.
If I get it it will be from work so a nice high viral load.
I hope I survive but 2 colleges have already died and a few more very unwell.There are no guarantees.

Dickorydockwhatthe · 12/04/2020 01:10

I'm nearly 40, slightly over weight and used to smoke however I've never even had flu and tend to have a good IMMUNE.
However I am worried I'd be the unlucky one or that one of my children will get it. The anxiety of us getting it will probably make me ill!!

wheresmymojo · 12/04/2020 01:11

I'm generally an optimist so yes, I believe I would survive even though my BMI is 40 which is obviously not ideal and I'm unfit with shit lung capacity.

That being said I'm in my 30's, good blood pressure, no diabetes, no other health conditions, never smoked and take vitamins every day.

Overall I reckon I'd be in with a pretty reasonable chance of getting pneumonia but don't think it would finish me off. I'd really rather not have pneumonia though!

wheresmymojo · 12/04/2020 01:12

Oh and being female obviously puts things in my favour.

DangerCat01 · 12/04/2020 01:15

I’ve had it and so has my adult DD. It was 10-12 days of heavy cold symptoms, exhaustion and mild cough, complete loss of smell and taste. We’re fine now.

I haven’t Ben tested but my boss (nhs) has the same symptoms and tested positive.

Madein1995 · 12/04/2020 01:18

Hope so. Age 24 and reasonably healthy. I am very overweight (and have started pushing myself on longer walks every day in an effort to get a bit fitter as that will help if I do get it. Ankled ache as do legs and feet but is worth it). I don't smoke, I rarely drink, no underlying health conditions. Am pale skinned which is relevant due to the latest reasrch into vitamin d and bame backgrounds. My job is a relatively risk free one, at least health wise. Work with offenders but in largely office based role so not as though I'm working beneath ground with a lung full of coal.

Tbh I'm glad I've stopped using drugs, well particularly opiate painkillers. They really affect your breathing, and while in on a subutex script it doesn't affect my breathing. Before I would really struggle to do a deep breath,because opiates depress your respiratory system.

I'm taking precautions though not overly so. I anti bac my hands regular and stick to the guidelines for the most part (technically breaking them by sitting down on a bench during my walk.) I don't dettol my shopping or wear a mask to the supermarket. I ensure. I keep the 2m distance.
I rarely get ill so really hoping that if I get it ill be OK.

Very concerned for my dad. He's 67 and type 3 diabetes, he's also overweight and very unfit as he only ever takes exercise to walk to the pharmacy or the shop up to twice a week, distance less than a mile. He doesn't smoke and is a moderste drinker but he does have a 'winter chedt' each year where he struggles to breathe. Again he doesn't get ill often although he is on loads of tablets for blood pressure etc. If he got it I. Don't know if he'd make it. And he's at increased risk as mam (who is 62 so hardly young herself) works in a care home. I've advised re sensible advice like wearing gloves, not touching mams work clothes or bag, not making mams bed or really going in her room, her showering after shift etc. I really can't see them listening. When mam gets home after a 12hr shift she's in the 'I need to rest' mindset which I do understand xbut lives are a risk. No way she's putting her own clothes in the washer or showering before going into bed. No way dad isn't waking her with tea and toast before shift and making her lunch for her and putting it in his bag. It's nice of him I know but I'm seriously worried for him. He doesn't. Seem to accept his limitations or that he could die - and mam I'd just the same, claiming were all healthy and will be fine.

I don't trust so much. I hope that we'll be fine and statistics tell me that if / when I get it I'm seriously unlikely to die. Buy you never know.

Unsure if I've had it though I doubt it, as from what I've heard if you have it you know about it. 2wks before lockdown I had a labrynthiris flare up which is usually caused by a cold or viral infection. Vomiting, dizzy etc. Usually it only lasts 2days with medication but it lasted a week and I was still being sick after that. The week after, I was so breathless all the time. Simply walking up some stairs led me to feel unable to breathe and really weak, which again is very unsisjal. Felt like there was something on. My chest was absolutely horrid. But no coughing or fever which is why I assumed I didn't have it

pollyglot · 12/04/2020 08:19

Don't know, but reduced chances for both me and the Old Guy. Both 70, I have heart issues, asthmatic tendencies, a bit overweight, Type A+, but pretty fit, eat well, do lots of exercise in the fresh air. He's got COPD, high BP, mild obesity, asthma ,very unfit. We live remotely, almost never go to town, have a simple, idyllic lifestyle. Not thinking too deeply about it, not worrying...just got our affairs in order, in case.

chuffoff · 12/04/2020 08:35

The virus is spreading through our offices like wildfire. We're NHS so remote working and social distancing in the office are nigh on impossible. I know of 8 colleagues personally, who are off with it at the moment, all been tested and confirmed positive. These are the confirmed mild cases you don't really get to hear about as testing isn't available for everyone yet. In most cases they're saying it's a grim illness but the expectation is that they'll get over it rather than it develop into something more serious. I feel much less worried about getting it the more people I see returning to work after the 7 days are up who have completely recovered. As expected, a huge amount of our workforce elsewhere in the hospital are off with it, my friends job is to call them while they are self isolating with their test results. The responses she gets vary from people sobbing at her because they feel so unwell to others who are in complete disbelief it's positive as their symptoms have been so mild. I only know of two colleagues who have been admitted for a bit of oxygen but sent home same day.

BrutusMcDogface · 12/04/2020 08:45

I need to stop reading, as I’ve just learned that as I’m blood type a, and low in vitamin d, I’m less likely to survive it! I hadn’t even considered that I might not survive it- I think that’s called positive mental attitude, and while I’m actually shitting myself that someone I love might get it and not survive, I have to believe that I’ll be ok!

cinammonbuns · 12/04/2020 08:49

I do wonder how many times it will be said that blood type is irrelevant to chances of survival before people stop mentioning it. The blood type thing was a tiny study of about 2,000 people in China and it was just related to how people with blood type A caught it slightly more, absolutely no correlation with death rate. People on MN just take things and run with it.

LandOfAThousandJumpers · 12/04/2020 09:01

@cinammonbuns

Yes, just been reading about this and the tendency was only slightly higher in the small study they did, and it was just people who had tested positive with it rather than deaths.

I wouldn’t panic about having type A blood - just take the usual precautions.

JudyGemstone · 12/04/2020 09:34

I know about 15 people who have had it, including 77 year old exMiL and my best friend who has asthma. None have required any treatment and several have kept working throughout (from home obviously). I'm not worried personally no.

istheresomethingwrongwithme · 12/04/2020 10:21

@Typhoonmarie and others who've mentioned it, is hayfever thought to result in worse effects of you catch CV? Sorry if it's discussed later on, haven't read the first thread.

TotorosFurryBehind · 12/04/2020 11:54

Not worried, mildy concerned at how we will care for baby if we both get I'll together.

Am under 40 fit and healthy. I don't think I'm invincible, just keeping perspective that the odds are very much in my favour for a full recovery. Yes, there are outliers, but that is the case for many causes of death - fit and healthy people my age also get terminal cancer, have fatal brain haemorrhages or die in road accidents or in violent crime.

viccat · 12/04/2020 13:06

Most likely yes, as I don't (think) I have any of the conditions that put you at greater risk and have age on my side too (late 30s). But, I'm not particularly physically fit - work from home permanently and it's taken its toll, it's really hard to get anywhere near 10k steps a day if you don't need to walk to the station/office/around the office and then back home again...

I also live alone and feel really concerned that if I got very ill, no one would be around to keep an eye on me or help me. So I'm definitely not taking any risks and will try to avoid catching it if possible - technically I could live in self-imposed lock down until I can get vaccinated.

Balmytissues · 13/04/2020 13:06

Very interesting reading your responses. Seems we've equal parts overweight people and slim shady's on here. Great to hear that those of you who are overweight are taking positive steps to bring your weight down. Change isn't easy - so best of luck to all of you.

To the poster who suggested me quitting smoking, it's not on my bucket list. I'm not even in the contemplation phase of the addiction cycle. So, that's one risk factor I'll have to live with. You reap what you sow as they say.

I've just today received my blood results (hypokalaemia) and all good apart from white blood cells slightly elevated but I've felt like I've had a mild chest infection for a couple of weeks, so that's probably why. Doc said nothing to worry about anyway, so I'm presuming they're only slightly high.

On the blood type thing, I was chatting to my friend who is a consultant doctor (quite a specialised field - not terribly related to CV) and he stated that the blood type study was very interesting - he was aware of it. So I wouldn't entirely discount it. They get medical reports from around the world about CV, and he mentioned Guys & St. Thomas' doing research - can't remember what it was that he said. He was also aware of the Oxford vaccinologist who said that she is pretty confident they could have a vaccine by September - problem is, that by the time they prove it can work, the governments will need to put it into manufacturing now, so that it would be ready to go by the time it's proven to work, which I very much doubt any govn is willing to take a gamble on.

www.thejournal.ie/covid-19-vaccination-september-5072514-Apr2020/ There are several UK sources for the same story if you wish to seek a source you're familiar with.

The other thing I'm doing is upping Vit C and Vit D. And trying to get more aerobic exercise. There was some doc or similar on This Morning today saying that the treatment in hospital of Vit C is a huge amount and intravenously, so I'm not sure how well my daily tablet might help, but it can't hurt.

Good to see so much positivity on the thread.

I'm sad to hear of those of you in the shielding category. I hope you can stay safe.

OP posts:
Balmytissues · 13/04/2020 13:54

Just spoken to him again and the info shared came from a London ITU consultant basically detailing how they're finding the ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome) more difficult to treat than usual ARDS as the virus acts differently in the lungs for some reason. All hospitals globally are sharing information, so they're not only treating it, but working hard behind the scenes to better understand it. I thought you might find that reassuring. The longer it goes on, the better they can understand it and the better and more effectively they can treat it - so I guess that's as good a reason as any to try to remain flattening the curve of infection (I was previously on the side of if we're going to die from it we will anyway whether it's now or in 6 months time - but I've changed my mind). I think we do need to buy time.

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Fifthtimelucky · 13/04/2020 17:04

I may be kidding myself but I'm assuming that I will be fine.

On the one hand I am 59 and obese (though now only just obese, having lost quite a bit of weight in the last year).

On the other hand, I am one of the healthiest people I know. I do catch colds but have only had flu once, 45 years ago.

lljkk · 13/04/2020 17:24

I'm in my early 50s & I very rarely get ill. I have no medical history to point at that seems relevant. My best guess for me is

25% very mild, like a slight cold, for 4-10 days
50% like a heavy cold but just for a few days + 7-10 days of still mild symptoms
24.8% annoying, still managed fine at home but wipe me out for > 1 week
0.2% more severe than above

Balmytissues · 13/04/2020 21:34

I'm interested to know what a 'heavy' cold is as I've heard this phrase before.

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lljkk · 13/04/2020 21:40

just my definitions
mild cold = noticeable symptoms but not truly limiting
heavy cold = annoying level of illness, limiting what I feel up for & uncomfortable but not horrendously so

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