I have covid, just keep crying

[Zenab12]

Hi so this week I tested positive for covid. It came from my lovely sister in law who didn't tell us she had covid before coming to our house. First my son had a cough and he tested positive, he is 4 and only had a cough. Then my daughter got ill (5&half) she was quite bad, high temp, dizzy. My husband is completely fine.

I'm only 23, had my first jab of Pfizer last month ( 2nd one due 30th August) and I just feel so so bad, I started with a fever and just general feeling of being unwell for the first 3 days, I'm on day 5 now, yesterday the fever subsided but I feel so sick and dizzy every time I stand up, I've completely lost my taste and smell and its actually pretty scary to me whenever I try and smell something or eat something and I can't even taste it. I feel hungry but I can't eat. I keep calling my mum and crying down the phone bevause I'm usually a very active person and every time I feel the slightest bit better and I get up and try and clean etc I end up not being able to stand up bevause I feel so ill and weak. I'm taking paracetomal every 4hrs. My head really hurts and my ears really hurt. I just never imagined it would hit me this bad and thank god I had the first vaccine when I did otherwise I don't know how bad I would have been.

Does anyone have any advice on absolutely anything I can do to make myself feel better 😒 I know the only option really is to just ride it out but I just keep feeling so bad, upset and scared. My kids are both better now and it's just so so hard feeling this bad when I need to run around after them, I haven't got dressed in 5 days and I'm practically bed bound and the mum guilt is killing me bevause they are just sat at home watching me in bed all day.

I've had flu twice in my life and the first time it took 6 weeks to recover fully and second time 3. Now I get the flu jab! It worries me when people say covid is 'only like flu,' I can only think they've never had it then as they wouldn't minimise it as it floored me. You must rest.

Please try to relax, leave the cleaning and everything else. I had covid couple of months ago, im a couple of years older than you, but like you I tried to carry on doing things when I shouldn't have, I ended up with myocarditis as a result and cardiologist thinks it's because I pushed myself when I had covid. Please take it easy

It’s always a shock when your properly ill for the first time.

You can buy fortisip or ensure milkshakes as meal replacements. Boots sell ensure. They give them to patients who aren’t eating a lot.

Do not under any circumstances be doing bloody housework! Honestly you need to rest as much as possible and I know that is hard with children but you really risk setting yourself back a long way for a long time if you do not rest.

If your husband is fine get him to look after the kids as much as possible and spend as much time in bed as possible.
Alternate Ibruprofen with paracetamol to Try and keep ontop of the symptoms.

I'm 4 months into long covid and it's pretty shite, I'm up to 2 hours a day with my toddler. The more you can rest now the more you can try to protect your body.

Keep eating and drink plenty of water if you can manage veg/soup high vitamin stuff then do so.

I suspect that most people who say they have flu, especially those who struggled in to work with it, didn't have flu at all, but a bad cold.

Bed rest. Do nothing in the house, your perfectly healthy husband can do the lot while you recover.

If you don't rest fully, it will take you longer to recover so he will have to do the house stuff for longer anyway.

And if he grumbles, it's his sister who brought it into your home so he can go grumble to her. Not you.

You are sick and everyone can fuck off and leave you alone.

Dont push yourself. I had proper flu in 1990 when I was your age. I literally wanted to die and I can remember it vividly. Stupidly pushed myself back to work and felt terrible for months. Re advice upthread. I'd be wary of ibuprofen. I seem to remember that was not ok with covid but advice might change. Also bear in mind that you might get secondary infections, ears. chest that could benefit from anti biotic.

Did you post about this last week op?

Your sil had symptoms but didn't want to ruin her son's bday party and Eid so came over with symptoms anyway and then your son caught it ruining his own bday?

Definitely not lovely if this is the same!

I suggest what others have said and get your sil over to look after your kids while you recover. She needs to make this up to you if she ever wants you to forgive her.

And yes, I always think people who refuse the flu jab have never had proper flu.

You can alternate the paracetamol with ibuprofen. It allows you to not have paracetamol more than is recommended.. The way you are kept comfortable and can still keep within safe limits. Always did this for children as well.

You need to rest and recuperate. You will be in a better state to look after everything else when you are fully back on your feet.

So, your SIL knew she had Covid and still came into a house with children, and adults who are not fully vaccinated. And didn't alert you to this.

@RampantIvy

I suspect that most people who say they have flu, especially those who struggled in to work with it, didn't have flu at all, but a bad cold.

Absolutely! The fattiest spouting “COVID is just a bad flu” have obviously never HAD real flu or they wouldn’t be minimising it.

For me, flu was bad, swine flu was worse but COVID was a whole other ball game. The night I got taken into hospital I honestly thought I was going to die.

@SpiderinaWingMirror

And yes, I always think people who refuse the flu jab have never had proper flu.

Yep

As someone who had post-viral fatigue many years ago, I urge you not to push yourself and just REST. Get your husband to make you nutritious food (lots of salad / fruit / steamed or stir fry veg with lean protein), take a good vitamin, drink water and just take it very easy.

Women seem to be more prone to long covid than men and in a lot of cases I suspect it is just trying to push through illness instead of resting. Future you will thank you for resting now. REST!

you have to rest. It's the best medicine there is for your immune system. Your discomfort at being inactive feels bad but it is much better for your future self than not giving your body the chance to clear this. Not resting has been shown to be a possible contributor to Long Covid. Nothing bad will happen if things are messy and disorganised at home for a week. It's even harder to rest when you are full of fear, hope this thread is helping you feel less scared of the symptoms and more justified to rest.

🤣 fattiest = dafties 🤣

Take the paracetamol AS PRESCRIBED.. no more..no less.. it is there for a reason..
Listen to your body.. you need to rest as much as possible.. if your husband is not ill he can cover everything that needs to be done..
Everybody has clothes, food and a bed.. everything else can wait.

You feel bad because your whole system is being pushed and stressed... you need time to recover from a serious viral infection... take that time... for everyones sake!!!

@SpiderinaWingMirror

Dont push yourself. I had proper flu in 1990 when I was your age. I literally wanted to die and I can remember it vividly. Stupidly pushed myself back to work and felt terrible for months. Re advice upthread. I'd be wary of ibuprofen. I seem to remember that was not ok with covid but advice might change. Also bear in mind that you might get secondary infections, ears. chest that could benefit from anti biotic.

Advice regarding Ibruprofen has changed as its anti inflammatory it can help.

I've learned over the years to say to myself and others I'm having a duvet day whenever I am ill. You do recover faster. Painkillers, fluids and rest.

Covid is a funny business. I had it over xmas and all I had was a sore throat and mega tired (slept like 14 hours a night). I still was able to do my job, wfh obviously, and do Christmassy things.

I'm a fat, 40yo asthmatic as well! I had a cold a few years prior which absolutely floored me. DH had to help me to the bathroom as I couldn't have moved, even if I wanted to.

I do think sometimes it's a mind over matter thing, but also I'm a believer that if your body is telling you to rest then that's what you need to do. The world wont stop turning and your kids will survive on cereal if needs be.

I hear you! I am on day 8, I still have a high temperature, little or no appetite, sore throat, congestion, cough, my skin hurts, I feel so weak, nauseous, shaky, upset stomach, no sense of smell or taste... I just can’t function, but am normally very fit and active and was marathon training. I am tearful, scared and wishing it would go away. I have had both jabs and never want to leave my front door again! I have had flu twice in my life, a couple of chest infections, a pulmonary embolism and became critically ill when pregnant... I can hand on heart say that this is by far the worst! It’s so unpredictable and utterly relentless I wish you a speedy recovery, tea, cold relief tablets, olbas oil, ice lollies, lemonade and This Is Us on Prime are keeping me going!!

You're feeling tired because your body needs energy to fight the virus. If you're ill, listen to your body. It knows what it needs. Right now it needs rest and energy. So, as others have said, try to eat, keep the fluids up. Ease off on the paracetamol to stay within the guidelines. Too much paracetamol is very dangerous.

Housework, taking the kids out and all the other stuff will still be there when you're better. If you don't get the rest your body needs it will take longer to get better so it's a vicious cycle. Your job, your one and only job, is to get yourself better by doing what you need to do - rest, drink, eat. Everything else can wait or someone else can do it.

As for your SIL...words fail me (thankfully as I can think of a few choice ones).

I always think people who refuse the flu jab have never had proper flu

I had proper flu once years ago. I remember so unwell and in pain as I felt it take hold that I actually cried. Then I was scared I was dying. Then I didn't care if I did. Sky high fever.

Never had a flu jab after that because for years I didn't know they existed. I know that sounds daft but I didn't grow up here.

By the time I knew they were a thing I'd never had bad flu again and I'd read that a bad bout can prime you immune system against further bad strains so I never bothered.

By the time I knew they were a thing I'd never had bad flu again and I'd read that a bad bout can prime you immune system against further bad strains so I never bothered

Not sure that's true as there's a different flu jab each year depending on the variant, stand to be corrected though.

So far I've managed to avoid covid but everything I've read, especially threads here, says don't push yourself. It sets back your recovery significantly. Often as well, people think they've turned a corner and start to feel better so start doing simple stuff around the house, and it sets them back to feeling even worse.

Honestly the best thing you can do is settle in bed with Netflix, plenty of fluids and just ride it out. If you overdo anything its just going to take longer for you to recover.

I'm so sorry you're feeling awful. If the mum guilt takes over give yourself a set time, say three days, where you decide to do absolutely nothing. That concentrated rest will do you the world of good. Then reassess after the three days and maybe play quiet game/draw/read stories with the kids while still getting rest but alleviating the guilt.

Feel better soon!

Passthecontrol

Why are you pushing yourself to do chores/entertain the kids when you have a healthy husband at home?

Zenab12
I have no idea really, it's just the way I am and usually if I get a cold or anything like that I still have to get on with things and I'm finding it hard to just rest. It sounds mad but I do know that I need to give in, it's just getting used to not doing things and accepting help.

I get this @Zenab12. Lying down you think, OK, feeling a tad better and x y z needs doing. You go to do it and are hit with the ill-stick again.

I remember once DH took the DC off camping for the weekend when I was ill - because he said it was the ONLY way to make me actually rest - if there was no-one else here to look after. It sounds cold and callous - but it really wasn't. He got food in for me, was in regular contact. but did just leave me alone in the house. And he was right. As soon as no-one else there to tidy up after think about caring for I did just stay in bed. Got up for the loo and to eat toast. Ignored the other food (didn't fancy it). Took myself back to bed. We now agree that, as long I do not actually need or want caring for - it is probably the best strategy for me to recover.

Try, try, try to just rest.