Covid - remind me again...

Unless you are wearing a topgrade hospital level mask, a mask is useless, as are gloves.

For those that think there is a stigma attached to wearing a mask; let's work on making in a normal personal choice.

I had just posted another thread regarding a virus that I caught last week and am now recovering. I did indeed wear a mask out to protect others, since I'm not sure how long I was contagious.
No funny looks around here. It is considered a personal choice, and I have noticed since the beginning of school that there are more people out wearing masks.

I really do think it is the best way of protection.

I just tested positive to-day, probably caught it from my little grandson who was coughing a lot on the weekend. Symptoms are the usual sore throat and headache but one thing different from the last bout of covid is that I am freezing cold, im wearing two of everything and am under a big fleecy blanket but I cant get warm. Anyone else felt like this?

I think that I was lucky today to see a young GP who is taking Covid seriously and still wearing a mask to protect his baby. After my experience this month I'm going to wear a mask on public transport from now on.

Heartfelt sympathies Nitpick, Coronation and Nannee. I sincerely hope you all improve.

It is not getting the attention it needs considering so many people of all ages including children are affected. And most GPs do not have sufficient knowledge to offer the help required.

Another long covid sufferer here - 3 endless, frustrating, sometimes devastating years in.

Like Coronation and other posters up thread, I was an extremely fit and active 70 year old when it first hit. Now I have very bad days when I'm literally dragging myself round, too exhausted to even stand to prepare a simple meal. The neurological impact has been profound with the very worse aspect being the development of severe periodontal disease and totally unexplained loss of ten natural teeth.

The asinine GP with whom I dared to share my symptoms actually told me, fabulously clueless and insulting, it was probably all in my head.

The truth is they have no idea how to tackle long covid. It's too big and diverse a problem to even begin to be properly acknowledged by the so called professionals let alone be given any kind of medical status & recognition.

Far easier to ignore it and let people desperately struggle on alone than open the floodgates.

@nitpick48 and @helterskelter1

I have long covid. I was superfit and now 9 months later I can barely walk .
There are an estimated 2 million people with this debilitating condition.

I'm surprised there isn't more research and support as how many people are unable to work?

Yes the one step forward and 2 back I relate to.

But people are fed up with hearinf about covid. for me it's been life changing and feel forgotten about by society.

My daughter is suffering from Long Covid and has been off work as a university lecturer for almost 12 months. She is trying desperately to do all the right things to get better, but often takes one step forward and 2 back. She was very run down having had a nasty viral throat infection before catching covid.

I have been asked quite seriously by one friend "Long covid what's that?"

There is currently not enough research being carried out considering so many have been affected and will continue to be. For some people it is definitely not "just a cold". Take care it can happen to anyone and doesn't depend on how serious your covid sympton were. And of course some people starting eith Johnson think it is "bollocks.

I posted at the beginning of the month when I'd started to feel better after Covid, but low and behold I went downhill again with a raw, sore throat and very swollen glands in my neck. I ended up going to see my GP as I got very nervous when I couldn't move my head without pain and was worried it might be something else. Apparently is is "Post-Covid inflammation" which I have never heard of but is not unusual.
This disease has so many forms and symptoms, it's quite scary what it can do to you. I'm only in my early 70's but feel much older over the past month!
Hope all previous posters are feeling better now?

And what is more, having had COVID last Autumn and developing other medical issues in the ensuing months, which mean that I have been back and forth to visit and be assessed by hospital specialists and signed up on research programmes, no one has ever asked me whether I have had COVID, when I had it or how serious it was.

Having had friends with ME I really thought that long covid would be taken more serious and people would be given help and that ME sufferers would then begin to be taken more seriously, too. But it hasn’t happened, has it

I just realised I posted a couple of days ago about vaccines. I should point out that the the way Covid has affected me is that I’m not thinking straight and forgot I’d made the first post. Doh!

I possibly have Long Covid after catching it just days before I was due my autumn vaccination for the new variant. I didn’t realise it was possible to feel so ill for such a long time. I joined a Facebook group for Long Covid sufferers - it has 62,000 members! Some of the posts are from young, previously fit people (when I say young I mean over 20 but under 50) who are still suffering after 1/2/3 years) who are quite incapacitated, can barely get out of bed, can’t do what they did before, some have lost their jobs, some can’t look after their children properly. This follows on from relatively moderate symptoms of fever, fatigue, headaches, dizziness, nausea, insomnia etc which you can put up with for a week or two but 3 years? I didn’t realise it was such a huge thing! I do now. We are told we have to just live with the virus and not to bother with masks etc but what is Long Covid doing to us? I’m not making any point here, I’m just astonished at what I’m finding out.

OP here. I tested yesterday before my exercise class and was negative so I went along. That was only 4 days after contact, though. It took our son 6 days before symptoms showed.

Of course, it had to happen when his little boy was on half term and he had taken a week off work. They had to cancel all their plans which included very elaborate Hallowe'en decorations and a trip to an amusement park.

jocork

The test kits we bought were nose swab type but we always swabbed throat too. I had covid three times in the early part of this year. The first 2 times I caught it in Yorkshire while visiting my DS and his family, though they didn't get it. On both occasions my DD was with me and the first time she had all the same symptoms but didn't test positive. Second time she didn't have symptoms but isolated anyway. The 3rd time I was home alone when tested with very faint positive. I had to miss a big family occasion and DD had to go there direct without coming home to avoid contact. I'm currently unwell having had what seems like a bad sore throat and cold but I haven't tested yet. I've only a couple of tests left so I'm waiting 'til I really want to go out. Unfortunately they are probably not 100% reliable but we can only do our best!

Succumbed to a test tonight as I was supposed to do deliveries tomorrow for the foodbank. Sadly the test was positive! Very faint line but I'm not shaking this 'cold' off so it is the dreaded Covid. That's 4 times now this year despite being fully vaccinated! Managed to avoid it all previous years! Just hoping I didn't pass it on before I felt ill.

Thank you NitPick, I couldn’t agree more with your analysis.

The Covid vaccination does not prevent you catching the virus and it has never been said it will prevent you catching it. It will, however, prevent you become seriously ill and possibly dying. The vaccine allows your body to recognise the virus and attack it as soon as it is in your body. This is why (in the UK anyway) the over 65s and vulnerable get their flu, shingles, pneumonia and Covid vaccines offered, and babies and children get their childhood vaccines. Smallpox was classed as eradicated worldwide in 1980 (gone forever) and polio has been virtually eliminated along with countless other diseases I’ve never heard of before, but which have killed millions in 3rd world countries. My own thoughts, as a retired trained nurse, are if you’re offered a vaccination of any sort, count yourself extremely lucky and be grateful to science. It’s because of the vaccines already in abundance that the scientists were able to come up with the Covid vaccine so quickly. Nothing sinister or untested, just scientists working literally round the clock to save lives. I’m 75 and lost 4 friends and my beloved step-mother in the first wave, and I’ve now had all my vaccinations and boosters, and will continue to have whatever is on offer. And will encourage my children and grandchildren to do the same, and just trust the science. Because in the end, what is the alternative?

kwest

Just getting over a nasty attack of Covid which lasted for two weeks. I had been to three different events in one week with members of the local Friendship Group where we are aged between 70 and 95. I was due to have members of the group here for a very short slow stroll followed by tea ,coffee, cakes and biscuits on the following Monday so my husband and I delayed our latest covid jab just in case we had any after- effects. The day before they were due to come I woke up with what seemed like very heavy cold symptoms that got much worse as the day went on. We both did covid tests and they were both positive. I cancelled the event on the Monday to avoid infecting anyone else and because I was really ill. It turned out that older people in the village were dropping like flies. At least 12 people from the group had covid. What I don't know now is how long do we wait to have the latest jab as we have just had covid?

I think it’s two weeks but check on the nhs website .

We were on the O N S covid testing scheme for about 2 years, including blood test for the last year. We have now received test kits for the winter round of covid but have had our booster jabs. It should be interesting.

Just getting over a nasty attack of Covid which lasted for two weeks. I had been to three different events in one week with members of the local Friendship Group where we are aged between 70 and 95. I was due to have members of the group here for a very short slow stroll followed by tea ,coffee, cakes and biscuits on the following Monday so my husband and I delayed our latest covid jab just in case we had any after- effects. The day before they were due to come I woke up with what seemed like very heavy cold symptoms that got much worse as the day went on. We both did covid tests and they were both positive. I cancelled the event on the Monday to avoid infecting anyone else and because I was really ill. It turned out that older people in the village were dropping like flies. At least 12 people from the group had covid. What I don't know now is how long do we wait to have the latest jab as we have just had covid?

Smokers themselves have a heightened chance of serious disease. We all need to avoid second-hand and air pollution. We need to stay up-to-date with our vaccinations. Remember they protect us from the more deadly virus that puts us in hospitals, and many died horrible deaths from COVID-19, which eventually manifests in the lungs. I think many are now calling their flu or a cold COVID. It's good to have a test kit around home. Better safe than sorry! Viruses love smoke btw.

I had Covid before it was known about (anti body test showed clearly). I’ve had most of the jabs and been really unwell for a few days after. I haven’t had Covid since. My sister refuses the latest jabs, caught Covid (badly) and it affected her aortic aneurysm and it ruptured and she died. It’s a known affect of Covid. No one told her about that sadly as it’s only becoming clear the more ruptures are being found (post mortem included this information and references). She knew she had a AAA just by chance as she had an MRI for her back pain. Most women are not aware. I’d have the jab over the illness any day.

I believe it’s 5 days

My Covid jabs are up to date. The first Monday in October I went to Sainsburys, the only place I'd been, and on the Wednesday developed the latest variant. A month later I'm still not right, but boy do you get stared at if you wear a mask now...even to protect others as I was...

Polwal

Taking of COVID (someone mentioned in a post)....I have just had an invite (ages 65). Hub had the had the jab 3 weeks ago and came out in an awful itchy rash which he's still got (albeit a little better). I'm put off having another now, with that and with the thought that surely we are vaccinated enough. Thoughts ?!

Immunity apparently doesn't last that long, whether you get it from having Covid or the jab. I understand that the disease mutates all the time too, so you may catch a different variant.