Vulnerable parents in their 80s just been diagnosed with Covid and and im in the other end of the country 😞

[Veryworried12]

Mum has diabetes, and heart disease and dad has IPF. Mum may have caught it during her quick weekly supermarket trip. Im in a T4 area in the other end of the country however my brother is with them.
Beside myself 😟 does anyone have any words of wisdom?

Are they ok? I don't want to sound flippant but you hadn't said if they are fine and at home or seriously unwell in hospital.

I hope they are ok. How many days ago do you think they might have caught it. Some elderly people do fine with COVID. Not sure why but I have heard of several elderly people who have caught it and been fine. Fingers crossed for them and if course a hug for your worries.

Im so sorry - they are at home, my dad has a bad headache and has gone to bed and my mum is feeling weak/tired. They have prexisting conditions so its very much a worry

My grandma in her 80's and great aunt in her 90's have both had it with underlying health conditions and were absolutely fine. I know it's frightening, especially being so far away.

Thank you so much lunar - thats lovely to hear 💓

My Nan (mid 80s) is in a care home and they have had 3 rounds of covid in there at various points of the year and we haven’t been told of a single person dying or becoming really unwell by either her (who knows everything about everyone in there) or the home itself x

Wishing your parents a mild illness and speedy recovery

Ah, that must be so worrying for you but remember that for many/ most it is a mild illness. Lots of positive examples of older people having it and being fine - I remember my hero Kenny Dalgleish only found out he had it cos he got tested going into hospital for a completely unrelated operation, he had no symptoms at all!

Wishing them well OP. Hope they will be ok.

Wishing them (and you) well. Although I know it will hurt not to be able to go there it is enormously positive that your brother is nearby and can look after them.

Wishing them a quick recovery. One of our near neighbours, in his early 80's with underlying health issues (including throat cancer 2 years ago) caught it last month. He was ill for a couple of days at home but made a full recovery.

Thank you everyone - this is so lovely to hear . Love the power of mumsnet at times like this

I know it's scary when you're constantly hearing about the risks for the elderly, but remember the majority of older people who get covid come through it ok. So try not to panic. It's great that your brother is there to keep an eye on them too.

My parents (80s) both had it in November and it took me going 250 miles to them to get to understand how serious it was. Both were briefly hospitalised. Buy an oximeter off Amazon and get your brother to measure their blood oxygen levels - this is a really good indicator of how they are doing. Their GP can give advice on what to do if levels drop. But D and C in high doses were also recommended to my parents. Best advice I can give is don’t panic but definitely call GP (ours did home visit). Hope they get better soon.

There is a train of thought that the lower the viral load a person picks up (so in simple terms, how much virus), the milder the illness. So fingers crossed, a short trip to the supermarket, picked up from perhaps touching a contaminated surface or breathing in a few droplets, will result in a milder form than being enclosed in the same space for hours.

I think the oximeter is essential. Ask your brother to monitor them few times a day and seek advice via GP or 111 immediately if any concerns. It ripped through everyone in my mum's care home, but the vast majority recovered well. It's important to keep an eye on oxygen levels though as I think more prompt treatment with oxygen etc has better outcomes and people can deteriorate quickly.

I hope they make a speedy recovery. My parents are similar age, both with underlying health conditions and it worries me massively if they get covid. I also live a long way from them and couldn't get to them easily.

Friend's (Asian) elderly parents came thru ok after having covid in whole household. X fingers for your folks, OP.

Sending you a big hug.
Both my parents had Covid in November and they live on the other side of the world, so I know how you feel.
My dad has got a stage 4 cancer, diabetes and heart problems and my mum has got a severe asthma and had a very bad pneumonia a few years ago that left lots of scars on her lungs. They had all the symptoms, but to be honest it wasn’t so bad. The whole illness lasted maybe a week!
Stay positive 🌸🌸🌸

My best friend is a care home manager and they have had quite a few bouts in there so far, nobody has thankfully died or been really poorly.

One of her ladies she said you would never of known as she was her usual happy self it just came back positive.

I hope your parents are ok x

Thank you everyone! This is such a lovely supportive thread. Im sorry to hear that you know of so many covid cases in older people but im so pleased to hear that so many have made a good recovery

@Veryworried12 my mum and dad both in their 70a had it, only picked up as mum going in for a routine diabetes screen at the hospital. Both completely asymptomatic and my dad has bad asthma. Such a strange virus but don’t lose hope, sending you love x

If they dont have an oximeter order one for them or ask your brother if there is an ap on his phone that can do it, some apparently have one, maybe this? play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dungelin.pulseoximeter&hl=en&gl=US

If they havent been taking vitamin D it is not too late to start and they could take 50 micrograms or 2000 IU.

Most people of any age who get this will survive.

@Veryworried12 - how are your parents doing? Hope they are ok xx

I'm in a similar position and also worrying. How are your folks?