WS Members/loved ones who have Coronavirus or testing for Coronavirus (Group Hug)

[Bailey38]

Hi everyone,
I’m SO sorry for the long silence. I lost track of time. I ended up in ER on Thursday after sleeping all the time on Wed and wanting to on Thursday and my O2 dipping just below 90%. My dear husband said it was time to go as I was too exhausted to make a decision, even though I knew it was time. I was diagnosed with Covid pneumonia (as opposed to Covid without respiratory symptoms) and that bought me my “golden ticket” to a bed in the Covid wing at our small local hospital. They are handling the less serious cases and the ICU cases go to the main hospital 12 miles away.

I had already done the monoclonal antibody infusion the previous week, and they added the antiviral Remdesevir and steroid dexamethasone plus an albuterol inhaled infusion. So pretty much the Trump regimine. I felt better the next morning (Friday) thanks I’m sure to the steroid. But I’m making steady progress and have dropped down from 3L to 1L of O2, which is keeping me in the low 90%. Without it I drop to 86-89% after a trip to the restroom.

The care here is first class. I have a PT, a respiratory therapist, a doctor and an array of wonderful traveling nurses...so far from Chicago, Utah, Louisiana and Michigan. Our area is rural with only 220,000 in our county, which is in the “extreme risk” category, so we need help. I’m so grateful!

I will be here until I finish the remdesevir on Monday and get evaluated to see if I can go home. I get to have one visitor a day, so my husband is coming soon! He’s doing OK...low fever, stuffy nose and exhaustion, but no chest issues, thankfully.

I think I’m on the mend. The doctor said the pneumonia can take several weeks until I feel “normal.” I wasn’t going to do anything anyway, so I’ll just wait it out. Please stay vigilant. We think it arrived on something my husband brought home from the drugstore/general store that didn’t get wiped. I got it before he did, so it seems I gave it to him. We have been so obsessive, so it’s a good lesson to keep up precautions and even tighten them up. Our turn for the vaccine would have started Feb 16. Now we have to wait 90 days because we had the monoclonal antibody infusion. That will be about when we originally expected it to be available, so it’s OK.

Thank you all for your concern and well wishes!

Lilibet

Praying for you and your husband. *hug*

 

[Lilibet]

Hi dear ones,
Thank you all for the well wishes from all over the world! It warms my heart.

Mr L visited this afternoon for about an hour, but I could see him fading about the time he said he needed to go. He told me later he was a little wobbly walking to the car and fell asleep in his chair at home right away. He has a slight cough and is exhausted. He won’t come again until Monday, hopefully to take me home. I hope he can stay out of the hospital, but it’s such a sneaky bug.

We just got the bad news tonight that his baby sister (60) in San Diego tested positive. She doesn’t know where she got it except perhaps the grocery store. She has a ton on her plate coordinating care for her 90 year old Dad with Parkinson’s, running her CPA business and now this! Their brother (63) had Covid about a month ago, so that’s all three sibs plus me and probably his sister’s boyfriend. The only San Diego family still standing are 90 year old Dad who just got his first shot and our daughter and her husband (50). We went from knowing one person who had it to this in a few weeks. Unbelievable!

My respiratory therapist said that 95% of her patients say they don’t know where they got it! If only half are being truthful, that’s still scary.

Ending on a more positive note, I’m enjoying food again...so much for the 9 lbs I lost! And I’m walking with the walker and a nurse to the end of the hall and back 4 times a day. Progress!

Love and hugs!
Lilibet

 

[ilovewings]

Hi dear ones,
Thank you all for the well wishes from all over the world! It warms my heart.

Mr L visited this afternoon for about an hour, but I could see him fading about the time he said he needed to go. He told me later he was a little wobbly walking to the car and fell asleep in his chair at home right away. He has a slight cough and is exhausted. He won’t come again until Monday, hopefully to take me home. I hope he can stay out of the hospital, but it’s such a sneaky bug.

We just got the bad news tonight that his baby sister (60) in San Diego tested positive. She doesn’t know where she got it except perhaps the grocery store. She has a ton on her plate coordinating care for her 90 year old Dad with Parkinson’s, running her CPA business and now this! Their brother (63) had Covid about a month ago, so that’s all three sibs plus me and probably his sister’s boyfriend. The only San Diego family still standing are 90 year old Dad who just got his first shot and our daughter and her husband (50). We went from knowing one person who had it to this in a few weeks. Unbelievable!

My respiratory therapist said that 95% of her patients say they don’t know where they got it! If only half are being truthful, that’s still scary.

Ending on a more positive note, I’m enjoying food again...so much for the 9 lbs I lost! And I’m walking with the walker and a nurse to the end of the hall and back 4 times a day. Progress!

Love and hugs!
Lilibet

Lillibet, you are a wonder: you remain with such a positive attitude--- Glad to hear you are on the upswing and that your appetite has returned--- What I find scary is that so many people have no idea how they got the virus----it is so sneaky---- I think many of the people that say they don't know how they got it, did things they are not admitting to or didn't actually realize such behavior was risky. Others, like yourself, did everything right and still got it- and therein lies the mystery. The important thing now is to take care of yourself and get well.

 

[realanastasia]

What I find scary is that so many people have no idea how they got the virus----it is so sneaky---- I think many of the people that say they don't know how they got it, did things they are not admitting to or didn't actually realize such behavior was risky.

Saturday Night Live had a very funny sketch about this exact phenomenon last night--I'm linking it here because (unless Readers' Digest has been lying to me all my life), laughter is the best medicine (plus, it's timely and therefore [I hope mods will agree] relevant to this thread)!

Hope Lillibet and Mr. Lillibet are on the road to recovery!

 

[ilovewings]

Saturday Night Live had a very funny sketch about this exact phenomenon last night--I'm linking it here because (unless Readers' Digest has been lying to me all my life), laughter is the best medicine (plus, it's timely and therefore [I hope mods will agree] relevant to this thread)!

Hope Lillibet and Mr. Lillibet are on the road to recovery!

Saturday Night Live had a very funny sketch about this exact phenomenon last night--I'm linking it here because (unless Readers' Digest has been lying to me all my life), laughter is the best medicine (plus, it's timely and therefore [I hope mods will agree] relevant to this thread)!

Hope Lillibet and Mr. Lillibet are on the road to recovery!

That is hilarious and so true-----absolutely perfect!!!!!!

 

[Lilibet]

Saturday Night Live had a very funny sketch about this exact phenomenon last night--I'm linking it here because (unless Readers' Digest has been lying to me all my life), laughter is the best medicine (plus, it's timely and therefore [I hope mods will agree] relevant to this thread)!

Hope Lillibet and Mr. Lillibet are on the road to recovery!

Oh that was perfect...and so true! Yes laughter is the best medicine!

I’m doing OK today. Tomorrow I’ll be evaluated for staying or going home. I sensed a little caution from the doctor today, seeming to prepare me to stay, which is fine. My O2 drops a bit on my walks down the hall and I’m still coughing a lot. I don’t want to go home and struggle. Mr L doesn’t need the stress. He’s very tired and has a slight cough but O2 is good. His sister’s was at 98% today which is great.

Take care everyone!

 

[Auntie Cipation]

Oh @Lilibet I'm so sorry to read you and your DH are dealing with this.

I haven't been on the covid threads for a few months now so I lost track of you.

I will be thinking of you and your family!

Down here just south of you, Modoc County has now recorded 430 cases and we've lost 4 people so far, all from among the residents of our hospital-attached long-term care facilities. Anyone who needs ICU care for covid gets transported out of the area since our little hospitals have no ICU beds.

Hope to read tomorrow that you have been able to return home and that you and hubby recover quickly and fully.

 

[Lilibet]

Oh @Lilibet I'm so sorry to read you and your DH are dealing with this.

I haven't been on the covid threads for a few months now so I lost track of you.

I will be thinking of you and your family!

Down here just south of you, Modoc County has now recorded 430 cases and we've lost 4 people so far, all from among the residents of our hospital-attached long-term care facilities. Anyone who needs ICU care for covid gets transported out of the area since our little hospitals have no ICU beds.

Hope to read tomorrow that you have been able to return home and that you and hubby recover quickly and fully.

Thanks so much for your well wishes, @Auntie Cipation. It’s been a shock to have this happen after being so careful. But I’m very fortunate to be receiving such good care here in Ashland. I’m glad your numbers are fairly low. Jackson county is in the extreme risk category and I heard today of one apartment complex filled with Super Bowl parties! Ugh.

I will let you all now what happens tomorrow. I’ve had such wonderful support here and it’s meant so much.

 

[Orgona]

@Lilibet I’m sorry to hear you ended up in the hospital, but it sounds like now you are progressing really well. Indeed it would be better for Mr LB if you stay in the hospital until they are sure you are OK to be home, that he can slowly heal himself too. In the end, all will be fine, you ‘ve got the presidential treatment after all.
Just take one step at a time. Best wishes to both of you.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Thanks so much for your well wishes, @Auntie Cipation. It’s been a shock to have this happen after being so careful. But I’m very fortunate to be receiving such good care here in Ashland. I’m glad your numbers are fairly low. Jackson county is in the extreme risk category and I heard today of one apartment complex filled with Super Bowl parties! Ugh.

I will let you all now what happens tomorrow. I’ve had such wonderful support here and it’s meant so much.

Continuing to send healing thoughts for you and your hub!

 

[Lilibet]

@Lilibet I’m sorry to hear you ended up in the hospital, but it sounds like now you are progressing really well. Indeed it would be better for Mr LB if you stay in the hospital until they are sure you are OK to be home, that he can slowly heal himself too. In the end, all will be fine, you ‘ve got the presidential treatment after all.
Just take one step at a time. Best wishes to both of you.

Thanks @Orgona. The doctor would have sent me home today, but I managed to snag another day, so it will be tomorrow. I’m doing well. O2 is stable, lungs clear. But I told him I’m really stressed about going home and struggling again like I did. He said that’s totally normal and was kind enough to extend my stay. I just feel the need for the safety net here for one more day so I can prepare mentally to be home. Mr L needs the rest today. He cookie-binged yesterday and has a “hangover” he needs to recover from!

The doctor put me on a cough suppressant, since I’m not coughing anything up. And he is having me use a device to exercise inhaling that they give you after surgery to prevent pneumonia. I have to use it 6 times an hour!! So I’ll be busy!

We’ll get through this. But please be extra careful, everyone. Thanks for your well wishes!

 

[anneg]

Thanks @Orgona. The doctor would have sent me home today, but I managed to snag another day, so it will be tomorrow. I’m doing well. O2 is stable, lungs clear. But I told him I’m really stressed about going home and struggling again like I did. He said that’s totally normal and was kind enough to extend my stay. I just feel the need for the safety net here for one more day so I can prepare mentally to be home. Mr L needs the rest today. He cookie-binged yesterday and has a “hangover” he needs to recover from!

The doctor put me on a cough suppressant, since I’m not coughing anything up. And he is having me use a device to exercise inhaling that they give you after surgery to prevent pneumonia. I have to use it 6 times an hour!! So I’ll be busy!

We’ll get through this. But please be extra careful, everyone. Thanks for your well wishes!

I particularly like the "O2 is stable, lungs clear" part! I guess you must be using a plastic incentive spirometer. I used one when I had double pneumonia with the flu years ago. Wishing you well as you continue your recovery. And I hope your husband is feeling better too!

 

[Lilibet]

I particularly like the "O2 is stable, lungs clear" part! I guess you must be using a plastic incentive spirometer. I used one when I had double pneumonia with the flu years ago. Wishing you well as you continue your recovery. And I hope your husband is feeling better too!

Yes, that’s what it is. I have one at home from gall bladder surgery. After posting, I realized the doctor said to use it every 6 minutes...which would be 10 times/hour...math genius that I am! I might meet that goal for the first time this hour. But I’m trying! Mr L had a rough day with his cookie hangover, so he was relieved I got another day here. We’ll both be ready tomorrow.

 

[janewall]

Thanks @Orgona. The doctor would have sent me home today, but I managed to snag another day, so it will be tomorrow. I’m doing well. O2 is stable, lungs clear. But I told him I’m really stressed about going home and struggling again like I did. He said that’s totally normal and was kind enough to extend my stay. I just feel the need for the safety net here for one more day so I can prepare mentally to be home. Mr L needs the rest today. He cookie-binged yesterday and has a “hangover” he needs to recover from!

The doctor put me on a cough suppressant, since I’m not coughing anything up. And he is having me use a device to exercise inhaling that they give you after surgery to prevent pneumonia. I have to use it 6 times an hour!! So I’ll be busy!

We’ll get through this. But please be extra careful, everyone. Thanks for your well wishes!

I'm glad your doctor (and the hospital) could accommodate your preference to stay for another day and allow your husband more time to focus on his own recovery. Feeling that you're in a safe place that's well-equipped to help you through the worst of it is important. By the time you get home, hopefully both you and Mr. L. will be able to complement each other's efforts and share tasks so that convalescing is easier for each of you, rather than one or both feeling really sick and having to depend on an also-ill spouse for sustenance. (It's good to hear that he binged on cookies - apparently his tasting ability and appetite have not been impaired by the infection!) Sending good wishes for both of you to feel better each day.

I also want to thank you specifically for your observation that you think you caught Covid from something that was brought into your house without being disinfected. This was a most helpful nudge. Because the experts have been fairly dismissive of such measures all along, I confess that after being diligent for most of 2020, over the past month or two I have gotten pretty casual about spraying down outside objects like mail and groceries, relying instead on the time I let them sit in the mailbox or the car to kill the virus or other infectious agents. But based on your experience, I'm going to return to spritzing down any "invasive objects" with denatured alcohol before they enter the house. My doctor estimates we won't have vaccines available to us until June or July, so now is not the time to let my guard down on preventive attempts that make sense to me even if they've not been conclusively proven effective. The same goes for wearing disposable vinyl gloves when I have to go out and touch foreign objects, whether doorknobs or counters in public buildings, or grocery items and shelves while shopping. I was in the habit of using such gloves for cleaning long before Covid - so why not extend their use to other places where I'm likely to be making contact with a dangerous contaminant?

 

[SA55]

Yes, that’s what it is. I have one at home from gall bladder surgery. After posting, I realized the doctor said to use it every 6 minutes...which would be 10 times/hour...math genius that I am! I might meet that goal for the first time this hour. But I’m trying! Mr L had a rough day with his cookie hangover, so he was relieved I got another day here. We’ll both be ready tomorrow.

So relieved to see you posting again, receiving such good care and hopefully on your way home. Hugs

 

[Coppertop15]

TDoc, I'm just so very sorry. I know it's not enough.

Lilibet, you keep getting better! I'm glad to hear you feel like eating. That seems to be a turning point.

I don't really want to eat, but I got turned down for plasma donation last week, so I'm trying to shove some iron in me.

 

[Lilibet]

We made it home around 2 pm PST and collapsed in our chairs from exhaustion. But it feels really good to be home with my sweetie. I’ll write more tomorrow. Thank you all again for your support and well wishes. It meant so much!

 

[Tadpole12]

❤❤❤
Home Sweet Home.
Speedy recovery! L
❤❤❤

 

[Lilibet]

I had a good sleep and we are just sitting around resting. Nothing else to do!

I was able to come home without having to have O2, thankfully. They gave me an oximeter and thermometer (which of course I already have) so I can take readings and enter them on MyChart for my PCP to keep track of. So I don’t feel like I’ve lost my safety net and I was glad to score another pulse oximeter.

The doctor sent me home with an Rx for a blood thinner (not Coumadin) to take for a week to prevent the small clots that are common with Covid.

So now the healing and recovery begin. I am so grateful for such a good outcome, considering what could have happened at my age (75), with mild asthma, overweight and controlled high blood pressure. My poor husband had to wonder if he’d see me again as he sent me off in the ambulance. He’s my hero for making such a difficult, but necessary, decision!

 

[MrX]

My wife just went to the doctor for an unrelated issue, and was recounting her strange illness from the Summer. Since they were doing other labs, they added a Covid antibody test. Sure enough, it came back positive. Early last Summer she was bed-ridden for two and a half weeks. Headache, backache, nausea, exhaustion, but no respiratory symptoms. Her doctor said that was a very common set of Covid symptoms. She went to one of those emergency aid places and they though it was a UTI and put her on antibiotics, which could have caused some of the symptoms. This was during the Summer surge, so she couldn't get a test, or get in to see her doctor. One day she just got out of bed, took a shower, got dressed and said "I feel better." I started feeling very strange about a week after she fell ill - an indescribable malaise with a dry cough (which I still have). My wife checks every box for high risk, including diabetes and smoking. She has been very diligent with her endocrinologist, so maybe her body was in a better state that most in her demographic. Anyway, we've been living with the assumption that we had it, but it's nice to have it confirmed.