50PlusCycling

So, I managed to catch COVID again, and this time my wife and daughter got it too. I had it last July while in Hawaii, and wasn’t surprised to catch it again (lots of cases in Japan). My wife has been in bed a couple days (it’s the first time she’s had it), but is getting better. For myself it feels like a mild cold, and as for my daughter, she was barely affected. So, we are all hanging out at home, eating takeout, and watching tv.

The big news in Japan was the arrival of some Japanese criminals extradited from the Philippines. They were running a scam in which they preyed on the elderly, claiming to be grandchildren in trouble and needing money. The scammers also ran a gang of crooks who broke into the homes of the elderly to steal valuables. An elderly woman died during one of these break-ins (a capital offense), so the government put all its resources to work to catch the crooks. Helicopters followed the van in which they were being transported (it reminded me of when OJ was being chased).

Anyway, a second case of COVID has a lot less kick than the first one.

TiHabanero

Interesting thing with this virus is that it affects people differently and seems to be random selection. Most everyone I know that has caught the virus barely felt the affects, including myself and my children. Then there are two guys at work that had a bad reaction. Only one guy died and he was in his 70's and poor health. Interestingly enough, he talked about wanting to die the summer before he actually did. Guess he got his wish.
Since the first exposure I have contracted it twice more, and like the first time around it weren't nothin'. Keep soldiering on!

GhostRider62

Glad you are not too badly affected.

I have not regained my sense of smell, joints hurt, coughing, and the real problem is a loss of over 60 watts. It is far from nothing although when sick, I did not have a fever and was just tired a bit.

Hermes

Moved to Pills and Ills.

Artmo 

82 yo. Got it 48 hr after arrival in UK last June.. Wife had sore throat for couple days and I had shortness of breath on top of asthma for months after. Both had had booster shots. I also had very painful thighs when getting up from sitting position. Methyl prednisolone fixed that, but my knees are still painful after sitting, but not walking nor biking. Weird!

BlazingPedals

By most reports, the more recent versions don't have the mule kick of the original. When I got it in 2020 I was literally out of work for 2 months, and my endurance still hasn't fully recovered. Luckily for me, my lungs were not noticeably affected; although again per reports, most of the damage heals eventually.

Calsun

I see no upsides to recklessly contracting covid and passing it along to others. There are serious downsides however and life is to short to risk it needlessly.

Lombard

I'm one of the lucky ones who haven't gotten the rona yet.........at least to my knowledge. A few friends have gotten it including two who I would categorize as in good health and in 60's. Two of them got "hammered" for about a month. One other friend had an asymptomatic case the first time, the second time she had severe fatigue and lost her sense of taste and smell for about 10 days. One couple I know - when she got it, he didn't. Then a few months later, he got it, she didn't.

My point. There don't seem to be any hard fast rules. We still know that N95 and KN95 masks work. I see no reason to take unnecessary chances. Weighing my options and assuming a little risk while living somewhat of a life. If I eat in a restaurant, I will go during the week when it isn't crowded. If it's crowded, I will turn around and walk out. When gathering with friends, we take self tests beforehand. My biggest fear is long Covid.

Polaris OBark

After avoiding it for 3 years, it got me. I suspect it was at a restaurant. There was only one other party present, but they seated us next to them. I quickly noticed everyone at the table was coughing a lot. I argued with my wife that we should ask to be moved, but we showed up 5 min before closing time, and she didn't want to make a fuss. She did sit closer to me, but I guess that wasn't enough. We are at the most significant lull phase since March 2020, but it doesn't really mean that you are any less likely to get it if you are exposed. I assume ours is an XBB strain, which is even more contagious than the original omicron. Our symptoms are "mild" but bad enough. I would definitely recommend avoiding this and getting out of any situation where you feel uncomfortable, fast.

It is a weird thing about our society that makes us feel pressured not to embarrass people who are thoughtlessly putting us in harm's way.

If someone is coughing or exhibiting symptoms, run like hell, immediately and without apology.

Long COVID is my biggest concern as well.

Lombard

Yikes! Sorry to hear. I say this is stupidity on the restaurant's part. Why would they seat a table right next to another in an empty restaurant.

I don't think we're in an actual lull phase, but rather that the media isn't reporting on Covid much anymore now that it's pretty much the new normal. After all, between 200 and 400 people a day are still dying of this disease, way more than the worst flu years.

Polaris OBark

People also aren't reporting when they test positive with a lateral flow kit. (BTW, the ones I got free via the post office said we were negative.)

Lombard

Then how do you know you have Covid instead of flu or something else? Did you go for a PCR test?

I used up the rapid tests I got from the govt long time ago. I use the Abbott Binax tests now.

Polaris OBark

We both came up positive using the Abbott BinaxNOW lateral flow test.

​​​​​​​Abbott's the gold standard.

MoAlpha

Sorry to hear.

If it's any reassurance, you likely lack many of the risk factors for long covid. This is not settled science by any means, but severe COVID illness, prior morbidities (e.g., T2DM), and female sex are often proposed.

Polaris OBark

Well, I did have sex with a female shortly before .... sorry, never mind.

Polaris OBark

I do have a friend who has had Long COVID since March 2020, zero risk factors that either of us are aware of, and comparatively mild case when he got it. He was the head of a research institute. It destroyed his career and he is housebound. So it scare me. I think my chances of croaking from this, by comparison, are quite low.

Lombard

Hmmm. Good to know I got the better rapid tests. Though I thought PCR tests were the gold standard.

MoAlpha

That’ll teach you!

MoAlpha

Former postdoc of mine finally got his crippling anxiety and depression diagnosed and treated when he presented with what he thought was long COVID.

Polaris OBark

Yeah, a PCR test is better.

My Virologist/Immunologist wife tells me Abbott ELISA tests are usually regarded as the best of that type of test. They have good quality control.

I think we had them because they were the only ones that were allowed for travel into the UK during the height of the pandemic.

MoAlpha

We have two brands in the house, one from the county and Medicare and the other from my employer. When Long-suffering spouse got a mild case this Fall, she tested repeatable positive on the first kind and negation the second. I assume her viral load was very low, but still!

Polaris OBark

That's interesting. I have wondered if it could be something else, or maybe it somehow gets unmasked with a new trauma. (He's a cognitive scientist btw.)

Having said that, I think they found lung damage.

GhostRider62

Interesting.

I contracted Covid late in November with symptoms early December. Four months out, I still have some symptoms (anosmia, inflammation/soreness, poor recovery and much lower power levels). My Pulmonologist says I have long covid going by symptoms and her experience with her other older athletes. Reading your post makes me wonder if my recovery has been slow due to my recent reliving of some horrific trauma from many years ago. On a simple level, impaired sleep can't help. I was positive on PCR and the home immunoassay for about 3 weeks before it went negative. My wife informed me that she has never seen me sick in over 30 years. I did read a blogpost from an endurance coach who required 12 months to recover. My Pulmonologist said she is used go seeing older athletes needing 6-9 months to recover back to about their former levels although some do not get there. Maybe it is all in my head why I am so slow and my power is so low. On a positive note my resting HR is back down to the 50's from 90's when sick, it slowly came down week by week. (Echo indicated no damage per Cardiology). I suppose it is better than dying.

MoAlpha

Oh, man. So sorry to hear about ALL of that.

My young man had long standing issues with anxiety and was seeing a string of providers for psychosomatic-sounding issues while he was working with me. Then he moved across the country and started life as an assistant prof, getting his grant applications shot down, etc. Then he gets a medium-awful case of COVID, can’t get off the couch a month later and experiences shortness of breath and tachycardia. He gets worked up for pulmonary, cardiovascular, and autonomic problems and nothing is found. His symptoms are recognized as depression and panic attacks, he goes on meds, gets therapy, and gets much better.

Your story sounds more complex and yeah, trauma is a big deal and does very adverse things to the immune system, and sleep knitteth up the ravel’d sleeve of care. I don’t believe in “all in your head,” since there’s no real distinction between the head and the rest of the person. I like the bio-psycho-social model both for training and the response to illness.

Anyway, I hope it all gets a lot better soon and be kind and patient with yourself in the meantime.

rsbob 

Heard that researchers stated that if you take Paxlovid within 3-4 days of the onset of symptoms, your chance of developing long COVID is dramatically reduced.