Experience of Covid and Obesity

[RachyRoo1]

Im 36 and have a BMI of 40

I have reduced this from 46 I am working hard to reduce further.

I am fully vaccinated and have so far avoided Covid.

We’ve booked a holiday for 3 weeks time (in the UK) and I’m now starting to regret my decision.

We will be going with 2 of our friends, we will be eating / drinking out and I suspect places will be busy.

I’ve considered cancelling but my husband keeps telling me I’m being ridiculous and I need to “get on with life”

Can anyone offer some advice? Should I consider cancelling the holiday for now?

I have a similar BMI and had Covid right back in April 2020 I was 65 - pre vaccines of course. I also have asthma. I was pretty poorly and it took a good few weeks to get over the cough, breathlessness etc.

However I didn't have to go into hospital, so I think as you are less than half my age, unless you have health conditions you haven't mentioned, and have been vaccinated, you should be OK if you are unfortunate enough to catch it.

Sorry - meant to say that I don't think you should cancel.

My BMI was over 40 when I had covid last December before vaccines. It was quite mild fortunately. I have a bad cold at the moment and that is worse. 7 stone lighter DH was worse than me. I take a high dose vitamin D. I wouldn't cancel.

Don’t cancel just because you think things will be too busy. We’ve been out to pubs and restaurants and the ones we have been in are still being very careful, with spaced out tables and your contact with staff is minimal. Lots of pubs have outside pods to eat, some are heated. We have felt very safe where we have been. Also a lot of places are short of staff, so they are limiting the amount of people they are serving.

No don't cancel, being overweight does not make you more likely to contract Covid.
I am 56 with similar BMI.
I never stopped going to shops, I don't drive so couldn't avoid public transport. I am back in the office ,including a trip to the London office. I went away three times summer 2020, three times this summer, plus visits home to the north west. All involved trains, one involved the tube and a ferry.
I have been to the cinema, theatre and three big events, though two were outdoors.
I haven't had Covid.

Firstly, congratulations on the weight loss.

Age is the biggest risk for Covid isn't it, and at 36, you are younger than many others (including my mother, 75) who still go about their business as usual, albeit with some cautions.

I have Covid. I'm 48 and a BMI of 30, double jabbed. It has knocked me about, I'm not going to lie, but my friend, 38, BMI of around 40, was absolutely fine - much better than me. Truth is, we dont know how Covid will impact us.

You could catch it at the supermarket or anywhere. Both times it came into our house from school.

Whatever you decide to do, remember that you must feel comfortable and that it's your choice.

I'm sure there is a less twat-ish way of saying this?

Quite

BTW OP, congratulations on your weight loss.

SweetBabyCheeses nice bit of compassion for another human being there.

OP, I had a BMI of 38 when I went down with covid last year, well before vaccines. No health conditions, just obesity, and I was 48. I was very unwell, I can't lie, DH did call an ambulance when he got frightened for me and they could have taken me in as I had some reduced breath sounds in one lung, BUT - as my oxygen levels were okay I declined. I was up and about after 10 days and suffered no long term effects.

You're vaccinated so even if you catch it now, it's likely to be a bit less severe and statistically, you're likely to recover well. I hope you can relax and enjoy your holiday.

I had covid back in Jan when my BMI was 53.9. I hadn’t been vaccinated and it was two weeks after major abdominal surgery and four hours under general anaesthetic.

I thank my lucky stars that I was only mildly unwell (and very miserable and anxious) and didn’t really have many respiratory symptoms at all. I had tummy pains, diarrhoea, felt tired, achey and had a headache (not severe) and then eventually lost my sense of taste and smell, but I returned to work at the stroke of midnight on the 11th day, and felt absolutely fine to do so. My oxygen saturation never dropped and I didn’t have a cough at all so my lungs seem to have got away with it.

However, since then I’ve developed Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia syndrome triggered by eating, which my cardiologist thinks is post viral related to covid, so although covid itself wasn’t too bad, I do have long term complications.

I’ve reduced my BMI to 36 so far and intend to keep going.

I feel quite comfortable out in the world now, and don’t always wear a mask, I go to gigs and pubs and the supermarket and don’t feel overly concerned. But it’s easy for me to take that position knowing that I’ve got antibodies, have had two vaccines and am due to have a third imminently.

@CopperCloud absolutely.
I bet pp is a joy to know

Anyway OP. I wouldn't cancel.

I am similar BMI and have asthma and have worked on Covid wards. Just go and enjoy yourself. The last 18 months have been so miserable.

@SweetBabyCheeses99

First off, a BMI of 40+ is not overweight; it’s morbidly obese. And no of course it doesn’t make a person more likely to contract covid, but it does have a huge bearing on how likely you are to survive IF you are unlucky enough to get a bad case of covid.

That’s not unique to one particular respiratory virus though. OP must already know that it puts her at a higher risk of a myriad of health concerns and leads to a lower life expectancy. Our entire lives are a balance of risk vs. reward. Everyone has a different idea of “living” though. I’d rather go out and see my friends but some may prefer to hide at home and eat their feelings.

Oh here we go, it's one of those posters again. Get some perspective, it doesn't make a "huge" difference or anything like it.

OP, if you want to know the REAL difference in risk between a normal BMI and an obese one then go to qcovid.org/ and enter your personal stats for different weights. You'll find for your age it really doesn't make a lot of difference and you take bigger risks on a daily basis by driving, crossing the road etc.

Chill out, enjoy your holiday, and ignore miserable people who want you to stay in your box because they don't like people being fat.

I'm obese, diabetic and a front line carer, despite full ppe I caught covid but had basically no symptoms (mildest of cold type) and was only picked up via weekly testing.

There doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to who catches it and how badly they get it. Take all the precautions you need to feel comfortable but don't let it stop life carrying on.

Please go and enjoy!

My good friend is very overweight and caught covid after only one vaccination and was fine,,v mild symptoms.

Congrats on the weightloss @RachyRoo1

You're in your 30s and double vaccinated, go and enjoy your holiday :)

Also - worth saying that obesity is indexing a whole host of other risk factors for COVID like hypertension, CHD, T2 diabetes, atherosclerosis.

As you're young I'm guessing you haven't developed these yet or been living with them for decades like some patients.

@SweetBabyCheeses99

You sound delightful…. 🙄

@ZealAndArdour

You have reduced your BMI from 53 to 36…?! That is incredible!!!! Well done.

BMI 40, I work in intensive care looking after covid patients and travel on the tube every day.

I don't think you should cancel your holiday, you're fully vaccinated and that massively reduces the risk of severe disease.

Firstly, well done on your weight loss so far. You have used Covid as a catalyst for change and that’s to be commended.

I wouldn’t cancel your holiday. Just take reasonable precautions and enjoy yourself. You are still fairly low risk. Weight wise you are on a downwards trajectory to keep going!