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

[HongKongPhooey]

I was talking to a friend last night who was tested at a drive through testing centre this week. Interesting to hear how it was all done with no contact, and encouraging to know she got the result by text message exactly 15 hours & 10 minutes after her appointment.

I do not understand why it’s taking days and days in the US. Surely this can’t be helping contain the spread.

EDIT I meant to put this in the main coronathread but I’ll leave it here anyway

We introduced temperature screening at work. A young lad recorded high so we sent him home. By the next day he had the text saying he was negative and he was scheduled back to work. Excellent service I think

 

[Tbone144]

I was talking to a friend last night who was tested at a drive through testing centre this week. Interesting to hear how it was all done with no contact, and encouraging to know she got the result by text message exactly 15 hours & 10 minutes after her appointment.

I do not understand why it’s taking days and days in the US. Surely this can’t be helping contain the spread.

EDIT I meant to put this in the main coronathread but I’ll leave it here anyway

Three different tests, antibody, antigen and molecular. The molecular one takes the longest but is supposed to be the most accurate diagnostic test. That’s the one I took and I’m still waiting for results. The other tech got tested the same day as me for the molecular test and he was negative. Why he got his results so soon I don’t know. I called and mine isn’t done yet. I’m behaving like I have it in the mean time.

 

[wendybtn]

Right now, here in rural East Tennessee, if you test on a Wednesday, you can have your results by Monday. My first test was negative, as expected. My DH had an exposure at his work place. Our local health department told two dozen non-employees there to go home and stay home for 14 days, no testing required. They told one employee to get tested but keep going to work. Another employee was told to stay home for 14 days, no testing required. My DH and his boss were told they didn't need testing or to stay home. I will never understand how they are making these decisions. Dartboard??

 

[wendybtn]

Right now, here in rural East Tennessee, if you test on a Wednesday, you can have your results by Monday. My first test was negative, as expected. My DH had an exposure at his work place. Our local health department told two dozen non-employees there to go home and stay home for 14 days, no testing required. They told one employee to get tested but keep going to work. Another employee was told to stay home for 14 days, no testing required. My DH and his boss were told they didn't need testing or to stay home. I will never understand how they are making these decisions. Dartboard??
Sorry for the double post.

 

[Tbone144]

Right now, here in rural East Tennessee, if you test on a Wednesday, you can have your results by Monday. My first test was negative, as expected. My DH had an exposure at his work place. Our local health department told two dozen non-employees there to go home and stay home for 14 days, no testing required. They told one employee to get tested but keep going to work. Another employee was told to stay home for 14 days, no testing required. My DH and his boss were told they didn't need testing or to stay home. I will never understand how they are making these decisions. Dartboard??

I’m negative. Back to just watching for symptoms unless I’m around a known positive again.

 

[HongKongPhooey]

I’m negative. Back to just watching for symptoms unless I’m around a known positive again.

V pleased to know this

 

[Kavya01]

I’m negative. Back to just watching for symptoms unless I’m around a known positive again.

Very good news, so far so good, keep it that way we'll hope!

 

[Rose in SC]

I'm glad to have found this thread. Scared here right now in rural South Carolina. Was at work all week, felt fine (I work in a church office). Yesterday, I got home a little before 6pm. By 6:30pm, I felt feverish. My temp is usually low (96.8 or so) but I took my temp and it was 98.4 - high for me. Waited another 15 minutes - 99.2. Yikes. Don't know if it was the right thing to do, but I took some Tylenol.

Today my temps haven't gone above 97.8, but in the last hour my ears have started feeling achy and my throat feels weird. I am so afraid of this virus. I'm 59, overweight, with type A blood. I also have bad veins in my legs (so did my mother, and her mother, etc.). If I get the full-blown virus, I'm really afraid I won't survive. The worry and anxiety is not helping.

I have an appointment to be tested tomorrow morning at 10am and was told to expect results in 6 to 10 days. I may be in the hospital by then! I'm just so scared you guys.

DH and I were supposed to be buying a house this fall near my daughter and her family so we could help care for my special needs grandbaby.

 

[HongKongPhooey]

I'm glad to have found this thread. Scared here right now in rural South Carolina. Was at work all week, felt fine (I work in a church office). Yesterday, I got home a little before 6pm. By 6:30pm, I felt feverish. My temp is usually low (96.8 or so) but I took my temp and it was 98.4 - high for me. Waited another 15 minutes - 99.2. Yikes. Don't know if it was the right thing to do, but I took some Tylenol.

Today my temps haven't gone above 97.8, but in the last hour my ears have started feeling achy and my throat feels weird. I am so afraid of this virus. I'm 59, overweight, with type A blood. I also have bad veins in my legs (so did my mother, and her mother, etc.). If I get the full-blown virus, I'm really afraid I won't survive. The worry and anxiety is not helping.

I have an appointment to be tested tomorrow morning at 10am and was told to expect results in 6 to 10 days. I may be in the hospital by then! I'm just so scared you guys.

DH and I were supposed to be buying a house this fall near my daughter and her family so we could help care for my special needs grandbaby.

Ah Rose sorry to hear you're feeling poorly and anxious. If it helps I'm also in my 50s, type A and overweight. I got thro it without needing hospital care. Feel free to PM me but I'm on UK time.

You'll be self isolating now anyway I guess so just be kind to yourself and rest up. Keep us posted wont you?

HKP

 

[Kavya01]

Rose, I hope you got your test done and that you are not feeling too poorly. Just keep taking tylenol and vitamin C if you have it, tons of that, and hydrate hydrate hydrate. Drink as much water and /or juice as you can. Keep flushing your system, if you can stomach drinking a lot and aren't feeling nauseated.
Hoping you will have a negative result, or else, a mild case!

Courage. Drink drink drink!

 

[Kavya01]

Nutrition and hydration are central to COVID-19 recovery

Nutrition and Hydration: Quick Facts for COVID-19 Patients
Source

Background

In the US, only around 12 percent of those infected with COVID-19 will require hospitalization. The remaining 88 percent are people who will manage their illness and recover at home.

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough and shortness of breath; these symptoms are usually accompanied by fatigue and loss of appetite.

Nutrition and hydration are central to recovery

With an infection, the body must work intensely to mount an immune response. High fever is the immune system's way of revving up metabolism to "battle the bug." Fever is also associated with excess loss of fluids and increased metabolism which can lead to dehydration and increased nutritional requirements.

Even though you may not be thirsty or hungry, it is important that you continue to eat and drink fluids to support your body's ability to fight the virus and support your body's immune function.

Protein and calories are important to protect against muscle loss while fighting COVID-19, especially if you are bedridden or inactive.

For more information, visit nutritioncare.org/COVID19.

Meeting the nutritional needs of a person with COVID-19

Nutritional requirements:

• Fluid: about 3 quarts (3 liters) of fluid per day
• Calories: 2000 - 2500 calories per day
• Protein: 75 - 100 grams per day

Drink fluids every hour:

• At a minimum, you should drink 2-4 ounces of fluid every 15 minutes. The optimal fluids to drink are clear liquid beverages with calories and protein, oral rehydration solutions or sports drinks.

Eat a high calorie, high protein diet:

• Try eating 6 times a day, every 2-3 hours. Eat even if you are not hungry.
• Calories are important to protect against breakdown of muscle for energy. Due to the increased stress from COVID-19, you need more calories than your normal diet.
• Try to eat 75-100 grams of protein per day which is 10-14 ounces of a protein source. Good protein sources are: peanut or nut butters, milk, eggs, yogurt, cheese, meat/fish/poultry, protein shakes.
• Due to decreased appetite, now is not the time to restrict calories. Eat nutrient-dense foods. Drink fruit juice, milk or other calorie-containing beverages.
• Double or triple the portion sizes of added fats and oils (butter, margarine, cream cheese, sour cream, and avocado).
• Try using liquid nutritional supplements (available in grocery stores and drug stores) between meals to increase your nutrition intake.
• Eat small amounts frequently.

Food is medicine when you are ill.

 

[Rose in SC]

Kavya - I had a big long post of thanks for you, but then accidentally deleted it. Must be the nerves! I think the anxiety is actually making me feel worse that I really do. The test was easy enough, no contact at all at the CVS drive-through window but they told me again it would be 6 to 10 days, ugh. Thank you so much for the nutritional info. I haven't really eaten much because I'm just so anxious but I have been drinking water all day long. Need to eat!

HKP - a positive story! That's what I need to hear. I've been googling, looking for positive recovery stories but it's almost all doom and gloom which is feeding my anxiety so bad. If it weren't for the poor veins in my leg stuff, I think I'd be a lot more optimistic. I figure if my veins are bad there they're probably bad everywhere. Ah, there I go again, feeding the anxiety! My daughter told me to take something to calm me down but I don't know what that would be. I do have a sample of CBD gummies for stress and I've taken two of those - might need the whole tub, lol.

But let me ask you both this - both of you mentioned taking Tylenol. DH tells me no, no, no that it will only mask the symptoms and I need to let the fever run its course. Having said that, I have taken Tylenol and will probably continue to do so (sorry DH, lol). As far as Vitamin C goes, I drink lemon water every night along with collagen and liquid magnesium and I've been drinking Emergen-C but I don't know how potent either of those are. Been taking my Vitamin D-3 and B-12 plus supplementing with oregano oil and coconut oil, both supposedly antiviral oils but of course not proven to help with anything on the magnitude of Covid-19, but I figured why not?

My biggest fear (other than dying of course) is my husband coming down with it at the same time. He's already 67 but it pretty good shape I guess. Not overweight at least although he does have moderate high blood pressure.

Oh my - sorry to be so long-winded! It's the anxiety - it just won't shut up!

 

[Kavya01]

In my opinion, if more than a low grade fever, take the acetaminophen. If you indeed have the virus, you might feel so horrible in many ways, that adding spiking fevers to all the other complaints ( the low saturation, shortness of breath, aches and pains, gastrointestinal, chills and fatigue that get reported) will make coping very much harder I would think.
Letting a fever just "run" may shorten your total illness duration a small amount but then the time that you are ill, you will feel so, so much worse. I don't believe there are definitive studies showing empirically that one option is more beneficial than the other, so my personal choice is to take the fever reducer, always. Your body might be under plenty enough stress.

I am impressed, reading all you are drinking ! And have to think it must help in shoring up your immune system!

Anytime I've ever had surgery or any big treatment for anything, or have been very, very ill ( like with severe sepsis from a bladder infection), my different physicians all have always told me to keep eat lean protein as often and as much as possible during the sickness and the recovery, as well as supplementing a multivitamin and extra- plenty vitamin C, for faster healing and recovering. Even if not feeling up to it, get it in you anyway, because nothing helps a body fight and heal like good nutrition does, they'd preach to me. So I always try and follow that rule now.

Anyway. Just that. I am keeping you in my thoughts, as I do all the dear people here. Do you have a Pulse Oxi meter at home?
For if you do start experiencing shortness of breath , so you can keep a close eye on your saturation?
I've been made to understand that once the oxygen level in your blood starts dropping it is truly time to get yourself to the hospital.
And yes, some people do die from this virus. But most, really, many many many more most, do not.
I know it's so rediculously long, the test results.
I'd invest in a pulseoximeter, and otherwise try to stay as calm as possible and save all energy for helping my body fight, in case it needs to. Try relaxation techniques maybe, and rest, and eat good things. Read some good books and look at some nature from your window or porch and listen to some sweet music.
Let us know how you are doing, when you are able!

Many good thoughts to you and your DH both.

Edited to add thoughts about your leg veins, are they spidery, or varicose?
Don't know if you'd really be more at risk for clots that would be life threatening, rather than clots just painful and tiny because they are in tiny veins and not in big arteries. Can you call your physician first thing Monday or maybe your Health Insurance's Nurses Line even tomorrow, to share your worry and ask if maybe taking a 81 mg aspirin dose daily would be smart, just for this time? Just thinking as it seems to be the big worry. Maybe there's something you can do or they can tell you to alleviate it and then your anxiety would way drop. I so hope!

Also was trying to find info, and it seems many people have lapsing valves in the tiny leg arteries but never found a correlation in what I read or could find, with lapsing valves and clotting risks elsewhere in the body.
But I would certainly ask the Nurses Line or my PC Physician that on the phone!
Virtual hug,
Kav

 

[Rose in SC]

Kav - I had fallen asleep and woke up to realize I had left my computer running on WS, so just a quick thank you for another wonderful, informative post! Just to reply quickly, I will have a pulse oximeter come Monday. Ordered one from Amazon Friday after the fever and aches started. It's supposedly a good one if Amazon reviews mean anything, lol.

As far as the veins go, I've got spider and varicose veins which definitely seems to be a hereditary thing but carrying all this extra weight sure doesn't help. My legs don't hurt really, but they feel heavy at times and are prone to swell at the end of a long day. I've never been diagnosed with venous insufficiency, but I wouldn't be surprised if I have it. I wear compression socks several days a week and that seems to help. A very low carb diet helps a great deal too.

 

[Kavya01]

Ooh good to hear, good to hear! The meter, and the socks, and maybe still call about your venous insufficiency risk? And sleep's good too. Also found this for you if I can post it here, let's see:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1284586906014097410
may have to click on it to see the gif, it's a lovely deep breathing gif, try it perhaps when anxiety tries to run away with you

 

[HongKongPhooey]

Kav - I had fallen asleep and woke up to realize I had left my computer running on WS, so just a quick thank you for another wonderful, informative post! Just to reply quickly, I will have a pulse oximeter come Monday. Ordered one from Amazon Friday after the fever and aches started. It's supposedly a good one if Amazon reviews mean anything, lol.

As far as the veins go, I've got spider and varicose veins which definitely seems to be a hereditary thing but carrying all this extra weight sure doesn't help. My legs don't hurt really, but they feel heavy at times and are prone to swell at the end of a long day. I've never been diagnosed with venous insufficiency, but I wouldn't be surprised if I have it. I wear compression socks several days a week and that seems to help. A very low carb diet helps a great deal too.

Rose, re the Paracetamol/Tylenol - I didnt take them for the fever as such. In the first two days I had such a bad headache I would have taken anything to make it stop! At that time, Ibuprofen was still getting bad press re the virus tho so I stuck to Paracetamol. After that, my legs and back ached and I needed pain relief in some form for those to be able to rest and sleep. Feel better soon xX

 

[Rose in SC]

Kav - thanks for the relaxation gif! I've used it several times since last night. Also found a youtube version of it that I sent to my daughter. She and her husband have a 15 month old special needs son with a rare genetic disorder and their life can get pretty stressful at times.

HKP - I haven't had a headache at all but that low grade fever is a persistent little devil. I still have some ear achiness and slight upper back pain but nothing major. I held out taking Tylenol since yesterday afternoon but today about 5pm I gave in and took a couple. How long did your case of Covid last? How bad did it get? Did you have a fever at all? I'm sure you've recounted your whole story elsewhere onsite so I may go searching for the details. Need some good news right now!

Oh and speaking of good news, I do have an update to report . . . as I've mentioned before I work in a large church office. One of our members is a doctor with a busy GP practice. He spoke with our pastor today and said that the entire staff could meet in his parking lot tomorrow morning at 8am to be tested AND we would have results in 15 minutes!

Now I may still test positive and I will still be anxious (probably even more so) but at least I'll have something definite to be anxious about, lol.

 

[Kavya01]

Rose! Wow, awesome news on that parking lot test tomorrow morning! I will keep everything crossed that it is negative, but if positive, ask him recommendations -- what you should do and what to expect. Maybe also mention your veins to him real quick, in that case. Nice that you found the youtube version of it, good thought to share it with your daughter and son in law. I am full of admiration for parents with special needs little ones, and send regards. Keep us posted!!

 

[Rose in SC]

The doctor's office was super crowded (well, the parking lot was, lol). Results took longer than 15 minutes, more like an hour. They told us to go home and wait for a call. We both tested NEGATIVE!

All of my co-workers tested negative as well. I'll continue to work from home until I get the CVS test results, hopefully by Thursday. The other secretary in the office is okay with that. This Covid scare may be the kick in the pants I need to start eating better consistently and to finally give up some bad habits.

THANK YOU to everyone who cheered me on and offered me hope and good advice over the last few days. I appreciate it all so much!

 

[CSIDreamer]

The doctor's office was super crowded (well, the parking lot was, lol). Results took longer than 15 minutes, more like an hour. They told us to go home and wait for a call. We both tested NEGATIVE!

All of my co-workers tested negative as well. I'll continue to work from home until I get the CVS test results, hopefully by Thursday. The other secretary in the office is okay with that. This Covid scare may be the kick in the pants I need to start eating better consistently and to finally give up some bad habits.

THANK YOU to everyone who cheered me on and offered me hope and good advice over the last few days. I appreciate it all so much!

Excellent news!