Covid again 5 weeks after last time.

[alpenguin]

My family caught covid 5 weeks ago. I was really unwell, ended up in hospital etc. I was given antivirals to try to curb the disease
progression. I have some lasting effects with my lungs and a lot of fatigue. We all tested negative after about a week or so.

My primary aged son has just been sent home from school with Covid. Again. It’s only been 5 weeks ffs. My teenage daughter has been sneezing like she has covid but is insisting it’s hayfever. I’m waiting on more tests as no one has any in stock locally. Used the last on my son

I’m worried as I’m not sure my body can take another dose of covid, especially not so soon after the last. This will be my 5th time. I have permanent lung damage, my heart rate is all over the place and the fatigue has all but rendered me housebound since the last time.

I can’t take this anymore. Wtf am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to earn money to feed my family if I’m off for weeks at a time with an illness noone recognises as dangerous anymore?

Must be the only one

I feel your pain. And this is what no one addresses. Repeated attacks leading to LC.

I had it 5 weeks ago. Still beyond exhausted and brain foggy.

I'm sorry. It is beyond shit how covid is being dealt with. So many lives ruined.

I am soooo sorry you have been so unwell. I can see why you feel at your wits end. I'm day 5 but luckily no worse than flu and I'm wiped out with that (immunity not great; only had throat infection 2 wks ago, rest family fine,) Really hope you stay well and you and family get anti-virals if/when needed. Just seeing the 'leap' in covid threads on this forum is sign we in for another bad phase of covid I feel and that's before schs go back........when will,....will.......the gov pick up on this ? Take care

Ugh that sounds miserable, so sorry for you all. Where are you based?

So sorry to hear this. It’s awful and even more so because it’s completely avoidable.

Unfortunately COVID will continue to disable more people until mitigation is taken seriously.

this is much comfort but can I suggest searching for some of the longCovid support groups on Twitter. They can help advise coping strategies.

Have you contacted your gp? They may be willing to PCR test and put you on paxlovid based on household contact as you are now vulnerable ?
Also see if they are willing to prescribe metformin this has been shown to reduce incidence of long covid in clinical studies. I don’t know if the Uk is prescribing this but other countries are.

Whilst the world does not mitigate you may wish to consider masking FFP2 and having HEPA filtration in your shared living space to remove COVID and of course open windows.

There is some thought that reducing viral load of initial infectious dose reduces severity of initial disease.

hoping you continue to recover.

So I did end up getting ill. I didn’t test positive until day5 and it was very very faint. I only tested on day 5 despite the negatives because I had to take my immunosuppressant medication and needed to know it wasn’t covid before hand and there was the wee line.

Knowing now I can get it every six weeks is a bit scary. I wish people took this seriously.

So sorry you've had a rough time of it. It's crap for some of us. I've had it a few times now and it gets me feeling poorly every time. Others just don't seem to get ill with it. Wish it would bugger off rather than making new variants.

It makes me so angry and despairing that this Government perpetuates the idea that Covid is nothing to worry about now. No mitigations at all. We now have rising cases and a new variant. We don’t know the numbers of course because nothing is being counted and the monitoring of waste water has even been abandoned recently. DH and I have had Covid 3 times. The first triggered Fibromyalgia in my DH (according to his doctor), the third left us both having different neurological episodes. It’s scary as hell!

'It makes me so angry and despairing that this Government perpetuates the idea that Covid is nothing to worry about now. No mitigations at all.'

This resonates hugely. It's an issue affecting people up and down the country, 2m have long covid already. Opposition stays quiet too. Utter bastards.

I'm sorry. The whole "it's a cold/it's mild" nonsense completely ignores that COVID can cause long term problems. The government has completely failed us by basically acting like COVID doesn't exist. I worry most for our children - if they catch COVID twice a year throughout school, what state will they be in by age 18? Our kids are going to hate us for minimizing COVID.

Please do sign this petition for masking in healthcare. The place everyone should feel safe from further harm is in hospitals and yet so many hospitals are cheering the removal of masks. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/636380

I’m so sorry, it’s awful. The worst part is, close family members have swallowed the government line hook line and sinker and are fighting me at every step on mitigations. I’ve been called hysterical, mad, told to see a counsellor, you name it. The argument being - “no one else takes measures, you are literally the only one”; and “that’s not the official advice”. I just want to cry.

So do you all believe there should be another lockdown?

Sorry to hear about yiur illness OP. I feel.tgst we are just been told to 'get on with it. Not good at all. Hope you recover soon.

That's a bit of a leap isn't it ? The MN all or nothing mentality

Perhaps greater testing, information as to when and where cases are rising so people can make choices about how much they risk exposure

Perhaps support so people with covid don't go around spreading it

Perhaps more widespread vaccination ,

perhaps more vaccination research ( so that we can prevent infection not just serious illness

Sure there are many stages between complete lockdown and complete ignorance

No, but we need better public health measures. And proper sick pay for Covid. So people don’t go to work when they’re unwell.

Otherwise there’ll be no workforce left because they’ll have have long Covid. Repeated infections make you more susceptible to it.

The best and easiest thing to do would be to improve ventilation in public places. It really helps to cut down on transmission.

Signed and shared @AussieManque The big problem with that thought is staff would only be required to wear the blue surgical mask, which is not intended to protect against the transmission of virus’. Staff and, well everyone need to wear an N95 or better, mask.

Apply for personal independence payment and possibly employment support allowance. Long covid is recognised and they assess based on how you are affected rather than the diagnosis.

No one is calling for that, but there should be free testing and efficient monitoring, followed by mandatory mask wearing if the N number indicates it!

As the three PPs have said - need some measures to address, rather than a lockdown. It's strange because I haven't heard anyone suggest a lockdown for years, yet some always assume (or pretend to) that if people acknowledge that covid is not a cold, that it means a) they are suggesting a lockdown and/or b) those people didn't suffer or make any sacrifices during lockdown themselves and/or c) fearmongering.

I think current policy is especially cruel to people who have no agency such as patients and children. Supposed advocates for these groups have in the main been appalling.

Sorry, we crossed there.

If I have to go back to wearing an N95/FFP3 or whatever all day again I'll quit my job and change careers. Honestly wearing those in hot conditions was awful. I can still remember the sweat running into my mouth. Surgical masks are just about manageable in the heat but that's as much as I'll do.

@Dwappy I sympathise, but I just mean this type. The surgical masks won’t protect you or the patients.

Unless masks are fully fitted they will not protect 100%. So while they may be better than surgical you still cannot guarantee protection for either patients or yourself. In fact, in 2020 there are certain types of masks we were given that we were told we had to wear surgical masks over the top as they only protected the wearer. And if they are fitted correctly with no air getting in around the edges I can guarantee you it's still horrible to breathe in heat. So either way I'd be looking for a new career.