I finally know someone that is/was a COVIDtim

[BarkingGhostar]

One of my coworkers got hit three weeks ago. Like me, he usually gets spring/summer allergies and over a weekend he also got cold chills and body aches. But then on a Monday morning chest pain. Got tested positive but by then his family (wife and three children) were all on the path to positives. Two nights ago was the first I had heard from him. We've not been in the office officially since early March, and not seen each other since late December. He said it was like dominoes. He daughter got it next, his sons and finally his wife. Now my friend/coworker is very healthy. He competes in those redneck physical challenge events. He said while none of them needed to be hospitalized, he did admit that at the worse point he felt like he needed to be admitted and maybe put on an ventilator.

And here I sit ... fat, lazy and about as obesely lethargic as can be and waiting for the end to come.

 

[Spacehead]

He said while none of them needed to be hospitalized...

Well, that's good news!

I'm not exactly "waiting for the end to come" but i do need to get more things done around the house. We've been working all along & recently went back down to 40hrs so hopefully i can get my mojo going for things i need to get done. That will help with my fat & laziness.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

I know 3 people who've had it. 2 got pretty bad flus but were able to get by without being admitted. 1 was in really bad shape and had to be admitted, though no ventilator. I know even though you've gotten it once, there's still a chance you can get it again, but I feel like the people I know who got it had the right timing where the hospitals weren't as impacted. Pretty soon, these hospitals will have to play triage and pick and choose who they're going to treat and who they're going to be sending home to either die or make it on their own. I feel like I'll most likely fall within this scenario.

The wife was just sent home yesterday because a coworker she's been working with was exposed by someone who tested positive in a meeting last week. This same person came into my wife's classroom the day before the meeting when the wife and I were setting up her chairs and stuff. My wife said this person only stood in the doorway, while we were in the middle of the classroom talking to her. No signs or symptoms in us as of yet, it's been over a week and half at this point.

 

[Midwayman]

My best man's mom got it. She was on a ventilator for a couple weeks, but recovered.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

I always thought ventilator==death because of what was the high percentage of those going on it wound up dying.

 

[Charmonium]

I was virtually certain that I had it back in March, but I got an antibody test that claims otherwise. I'm not sure how much faith I should put in that though. Whatever I had was DEFINITELY NOT the flu or a cold. And I've heard that some of the early tests weren't reliable giving both false positives and negatives.

I'm not terribly worried though. I tick off a couple of risk group options such as age and type II diabetes. The diabetes is very well controlled though. My A1C is consistently below 6. For perspective, over 5.7 is just considered prediabetes. As for my age, I had my telomeres analyzed maybe a year or two ago and their length indicated someone 31 years old. There are a lot of problems with telomere tests though, so the champagne is still on ice.

My ex however got it and got it bad. She's in her mid-late 40's and she was in the ICU for a while and rehab after that.

I think the worst thing about the disease is that most hospitals seem to prohibit any visitors. So you could be dying and the only hand you can hold is maybe of a stuffed animal. The hospitals around here in central Jersey seem to be an exception though. They weren't at the time but shortly after that they announced that visitors would not be rejected out of hand.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

My brother claims he hasn't been ill since December, but tested positive for antibodies, so he must have had a super-mild case.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

My A1C was 10 about a month ago, 7 prior to that. I fell off the wagon hard when I started working from home. I need to get back on it.

 

[Charmonium]

My A1C was 10 about a month ago, 7 prior to that. I fell off the wagon hard when I started working from home. I need to get back on it.

Everybody's unique but I've had really good results with Victoza (injectable GLP1 agonist or something). Since I've been taking that, I almost never check my glucose levels. If I've been pigging out continuously though (i.e., I'm stoned) then I do check and a pop a 0.50mg repaglinide pill - but only if the level is well above 150.

 

[Spacehead]

I always thought ventilator==death because of what was the high percentage of those going on it wound up dying.

I think doctors have gotten better with various techniques & maybe some drugs to help once someone goes on a ventilator. When NYC was getting hit hard a lot of people that went on a vent were not expected to live. That's changed a bit now.

 

[Scarpozzi]

My brother claims he hasn't been ill since December, but tested positive for antibodies, so he must have had a super-mild case.

I don't doubt he could have had it, but be aware that the antibodies tests have a super-high likelihood for false positives. Very little is known about how long the antibodies stay around (still) and they have to look for minute levels of antibodies, so the test sensitivity is kind of whack. My wife's office has had quite a few tests come back with antibodies testing positive, and she said when the results came in, some of the physicians in her group were quick to review the tests and it was only one marker that showed a positive. I don't recall what they're called, but her aunt actually tested positive and hasn't been bad sick since December...my wife was told not to inform her of the results by the team because it was likely false positive.

The state of New York actually banned the use of many of those tests because they were so ineffective. Furthermore, many doctors offices across the country bought the tests and want to recover the costs (unethically), by passing the cost onto patients.

 

[JM Aggie08]

BIL had it. Cold-like symptoms for a couple of weeks. Thankfully did not pass it onto my 6mo pregnant sister and 2yo niece.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

Found out another acquaintance got it yesterday. I guess she's in the hospital.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I don't doubt he could have had it, but be aware that the antibodies tests have a super-high likelihood for false positives. Very little is known about how long the antibodies stay around (still) and they have to look for minute levels of antibodies, so the test sensitivity is kind of whack. My wife's office has had quite a few tests come back with antibodies testing positive, and she said when the results came in, some of the physicians in her group were quick to review the tests and it was only one marker that showed a positive. I don't recall what they're called, but her aunt actually tested positive and hasn't been bad sick since December...my wife was told not to inform her of the results by the team because it was likely false positive.

The state of New York actually banned the use of many of those tests because they were so ineffective. Furthermore, many doctors offices across the country bought the tests and want to recover the costs (unethically), by passing the cost onto patients.

Yeah, a false positive wouldn't surprise me. My brother's not a completely healthy man (although he finally quit smoking a couple years ago, which was pretty badass of him), so the idea he was asymptomatic while so many people are getting fucked so hard by this virus kinda beggars belief.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Yeah, a false positive wouldn't surprise me. My brother's not a completely healthy man (although he finally quit smoking a couple years ago, which was pretty badass of him), so the idea he was asymptomatic while so many people are getting fucked so hard by this virus kinda beggars belief.

Yeah. We influenza rapid tests have the same problem with false positives...

Unfortunately, when you keep hearing about people being asymptomatic, we all hope we already got it and recovered. It's best though to hunker down and wait it out. I'm not a Republican, but I believe Trump is right that it will disappear eventually...but mainly because enough people are getting it and spreading it. The vaccine may help speed up herd immunity, but it may be no more effective than irresponsible young adults and school kids bringing it home to their parents this Fall.