Gutted and scared!

[elephantmarchingin]

Woke up last night with a bit of a sore throat. Went back to sleep and woke up with it again this morning. Thought I'd test just in case and it's positive! DH is also positive but no symptoms, DS is negative for now but we are unable to stay away from him.

I'm terrified, I'm obese so likely to end up in ICU and then to top it off we were supposed to be going on holiday tomorrow which we obviously now cannot go on. We are so so upset and I need a bit of a handhold, especially since we get no money back!

OK, so can I ask when, in your mind, will you accept that we just have to live with covid, along with all the other infections that no-one cares about or tests constantly for? Or are you staying in this doomloop forever?

This planet is teeming with trillions upon trillions of microbial lifeforms. There already IS an endless cycle of infection and re-infection of stuff like colds and flu and the world never lost its marbles over that.

Not saying we don't have to live with covid. We do. But for me that means acting responsibly if you know or suspect you have it. It's not that hard. If we do those things, and if people are more considerate, it'll be easier to live with it.

I've had covid...I'm overweight. You will not end up in the icu I promise x

I agree with this:
I'm seriously baffled that people are suggesting the OP should go on holiday, surely if you have tested and are knowingly positive the decent thing to do would be to stay at home and not put others at risk.

I am obese and felt ill for about three days when I got covid - why do you think you'll end up in ICU if you''re not clinically vulnerable?

@IanOsenfrote 's point is that if you isolate/avoid people for all other infectious diseases, including colds etc, then fair enough. But if you're only taking these measures if you test positive for covid, then that makes no sense.

I had covid while obese and undergoing chemotherapy, I was fine and had it very mild!

I have to say, currently on day 4 of covid, day 3 since positive test, and I would not want to be on holiday feeling like this. I'm guessing I would be considered a mild case, but the thought of being on holiday looking and feeling like this is awful! You are wise not to risk it, even aside from the moral issues of doing so.

Covid is a new virus though and we don’t know the long term effects yet. Some studies have shown long term organ damage, things like that. It’s not that different to what we already do: you’d isolate for 48 hours for a tummy bug for instance (well, I always have done). Chickenpox - until the spots have scabbed over. Not for colds, I do appreciate that, but I think the mistake here is in comparing covid to a cold or flu because increasingly the science is showing that it affects the vascular system, which means it is not just a respiratory virus. So caution, I think, is sensible. It can affect your brain or your heart, for example.

We should assume there'll be people on any plane to or from the UK with covid, coughing or otherwise. It is something we are choosing to encounter if we make the decision to fly when we do otherwise.

Personally I wouldn't have gone, not least because my travel insurance does cover cancellation due to a positive test and I wouldn't have wanted to risk spoiling my holiday, but nobody is done any favours by pretending that optional travel doesn't equal acceptance of being in the vicinity of covid.

I think you did the right thing wearing a high quality N95 mask and so should everyone who wishes to travel and is concerned about the virus. Because it's going to be there.

The utter selfishness of some on this thread is disgusting. People are still dying, numbers are going up.

Don't be so cuntish. The world does not revolve around you.

@ApplesandBunions are n95 masks much better then
Im really really hoping I don't get covid but as a colleague tested positive and i worked nearish all day with them I am concerned. I fly on sat , colleague worked on mon so 5 full days after and will test but of negative have to go as no insurance pays out just because you have been near someone
So was planning to wear a mask just incase i end up positive after and to try and be sensible and protect those around me but wasn't sure best thing to protect others

Yeah they're the most effective ones. If I were in your position I would wear one.

@worriedatthistime sounds sensible. I think if you can’t get N95 then FFP2 or FFP3 are the same sort of thing. Thank you (and the OP) for thinking of others! Seems many folk don’t bother.

Yeah sorry I should've said, N95 is the American name. I don't think N95s in the UK are regulated in the same way as FFP2 or 3 which are our best ones though.

I really think people who are concerned should be advised to use these, because there is no hope of avoiding coming into contact with covid when in public spaces now and that would be the case even if people who knew they were positive stayed in.

Very rare to need ICU if vaccinated. I am immunosuppressed and was very ill and hospitalised with covid but not ICU.
However aside from the moral question of travelling with a disease that could endanger others, ( I remember cancelling a holiday when DS had chicken pox because it is dangerous to a small minority of adults) you may feel much worse before you get better. I would wait a few days to see if you feel worse and if not then go.
From my observation covid is bizarre in the way some people hardly notice they have it and others, young, fit and healthy are knocked sidewards.
DS24 got it in April, he was fine in a week but another lad the same age who got it the same time is still suffering dreadful fatigue.

are n95 masks much better then

In the UK they are called FFP2 or 3. I bought some German made ones from Amazon.
I flew recently and my view was that there would likely be people on the flight with covid. I wore an FFP3 mask as did DH and we didn't catch anything, not even a cold, there were lots of coughers. To be honest I always seem to pick up a bug on a flight and I will never fly without a mask again.

I flew recently and my view was that there would likely be people on the flight with covid. I wore an FFP3 mask as did DH and we didn't catch anything, not even a cold, there were lots of coughers.

I think that was sensible, on both counts. You understand that by going on a plane you were choosing to encounter people with covid and you got the best protection for yourself that you could.

Coronavirus was renamed covid. Never vascular. Perhaps something else is causing vascular issues.

I won’t test again. Firstly, I don’t have any left. Secondly, I will not pay for them. Thirdly, I don’t have to.

If I’m ill I’ll just do what I always did, which is lay low anyway until I feel better.

Pretty sure that's not correct.
www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2021/may/researchers-conclude-covid-19-is-a-vascular-disease-not-respiratory.html
There is loads on the internet about this.

Another one - but you will find many more scientific papers if you are interested: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7556303/

That is why we should not treat it like a cold/flu even if it is like that for some (most?) people.

Friend currently has covid. She is obese but it is no more than a sniffle. Obviously everyone is different but odds are now stacked in your favour.

I don't think you should be worrying about ICU OP! Keep an eye on your sats with a pulse oximeter but you're triple vaccinated and very very likely to be fine.

You will definitely be doing the right thing if you avoid spreading covid any further though.

www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/news/coronavirus-and-your-health/is-coronavirus-a-disease-of-the-blood-vessels

Massive study shows a long-term, substantial rise in risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke, after a SARS-CoV-2 infection

^ this, absolutely

@Meowser72 prior to 2020 people were actively encouraged to go into work if they had a 'sniffle' or mild flu. Adverts for things like Lemsip sent the message that you can take a pill and get on with your day, flu or not. I'm willing to bet the house that you yourself went to work/got on public transport/went on a trip with a cold, cough or worse at some point.

The fact is that all these things always had the potential to make immunosuppressed people (like me) extremely ill. DH's colleague who he sat next to in January 2019 had a nasty dose of flu, which he brought home, gave to me, and I was very ill indeed.

You say the world has changed - maybe for you. For those of us who are immunosuppressed, it's business as usual but with one other thing to watch out for.

Thing is, I would never have called anyone selfish prior to 2020 for simply going about their lives, and neither would I now. Earning a living, going shopping, socialising - none of that is selfishness. It's just normal, human activity. And if everyone was happy to do it prior to covid, why shouldn't they be now?

I've had covid five times (and I'm a size 18 with high BP, so you'll be fine OP). I'm also quadruple vaxxed, so I've never been particularly ill, never needed medical intervention. I was a lot worse with flu.

It's time to quit it with all this 'selfish' crap. Seriously.