Covid Bowie*

[Lordofthefiles]

*Had it, lost it, got it back ...died



Has anyone got any advice/knowledge on this subject, I'm shiteing me pants!

I had the virus severely all through April.
I'm left with buggered lungs and a host of other issues.
Been pretty much locked down since, except for a couple of trips to the hospital for tests.


Last week I must've gotten too close to my little niece and picked up a "cold" she had from her return to school.
Thing is, whatever I picked up has either given me the exact symptoms of Covid-19 or has triggered my immune system to react as if it's got it again.

I'm pretty sure she can't have had the actual virus as 4 other "vulnerable" family members were equally close to her but haven't had any symptoms at all, and the school hasn't reported any cases (as far as I know).



As I say, the symptoms are exactly what I had when I had the virus, just slightly weaker.

I can't find any reliable info online regarding people being reinfected or how immune systems react in those that have been infected.


Can't speak to a GP for the foreseeable.
Can't get a Covid-19 test even though I live in a "hotspot" because the government is pap.
NHS101 is a waste of everyone involved's time.


I'm into my 8th day of pissing sweat, rotting toes and breathing like I've got a ball of socks in my mouth.

Is this what to expect every time I get the sniffles?

...am I heading back the dark place to stare into the void?!!

Is There Life on Sars-CoV-2?

[Zetetic]

Pretty much any respiratory virus might give you similar symptoms, of course.

(As I have vaguely gestured at here we do seem to have a lot of rhinovirus circulation right now. These are, if I understand correctly, much harder to contain than coronaviruses or influenza viruses, so perhaps not as worrying as this might seem.)

[steveh]

The view seems to be that reinfections are rare within roughly a year, especially if you are older and it wasn't an asymptomatic or mild case. However, there's always a range of immune system responses so in some people it will happen. The research I looked at on it reported the reinfection much milder than the original for all except one of the cases studied and the immune system behaving as expected with other viruses. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02506-y is a good summary.

I've not seen anything on people who've had Covid getting other viruses and the similarity of symptoms, but there undoubtedly will be soon. This covers long-haul Covid and some of the thinking behind the after-effects persisting: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/08/long-haulers-covid-19-recognition-support-groups-symptoms/615382/. Having had it six months ago and with lungs still not what they were before I'm dreading cold and flu season.

Think you really should push to see a GP.

[Lordofthefiles]

Pretty much any respiratory virus might give you similar symptoms, of course.

(As I have vaguely gestured at here we do seem to have a lot of rhinovirus circulation right now. These are, if I understand correctly, much harder to contain than coronaviruses or influenza viruses, so perhaps not as worrying as this might seem.)

Cheers.

Yeah, as I say, I'm pretty sure it's not the big one again.
It's a bit worrying that it's messing me up so badly if it's just a cold though.

As I've been isolated, it's the first time my immune system has had to do anything and it seems to have pulled out all the stops. Bit of an overreaction on it's behalf.


The greatest challenge is keeping my head together at the minute.
When my temperature and blood pressure starts rising and the sweat trickles, I'm transported back to those heady days of April, writing my will and heaving for breath.

[Lordofthefiles]

The view seems to be that reinfections are rare within roughly a year, especially if you are older and it wasn't an asymptomatic or mild case. However, there's always a range of immune system responses so in some people it will happen. The research I looked at on it reported the reinfection much milder than the original for all except one of the cases studied and the immune system behaving as expected with other viruses. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02506-y is a good summary.

I've not seen anything on people who've had Covid getting other viruses and the similarity of symptoms, but there undoubtedly will be soon. This covers long-haul Covid and some of the thinking behind the after-effects persisting: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/08/long-haulers-covid-19-recognition-support-groups-symptoms/615382/. Having had it six months ago and with lungs still not what they were before I'm dreading cold and flu season.

Think you really should push to see a GP.

Yeah, I'll be getting back to the GP tomorrow and will be a bit more forceful with the telephone gatekeeper.


Those articles are really helpful, thanks.
The Atlantic one in particular has rang a few bells.

I'm definitely a "long hauler", I've not been right since I've had it.
Antihistamines and aspirin have been the best defence I've found against the breathlessness as I've gone through summer.
I'm not looking forward to the cold and flu season if this is what I've got to cope with though.

I might ask if I'm eligible for a flu jab when I do get to speak to the doc.


Thanks again.

[bgmnts]

Get well soon whatever it is.

[Glebe]

Hope you get that sorted pronto Lotf, be well.

[steveh]

I might ask if I'm eligible for a flu jab when I do get to speak to the doc.

They announced a while back that there would likely be wider eligibility this year but not seen anything more on that. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/flu-influenza-vaccine/ says maybe all 50+.

Hope you're feeling better soon.

[Zetetic]

Wales has also announced the lowering of eligibility to 50 "who will be vaccinated in a phased approach".

(There's also been some work on other vulnerable populations, beyond the shielded, but I don't know how public that is.)

[Blinder Data]

Lordoftheflies, you have my sympathies and encouragement. Are you a member of any online forums for Long COVID people? Hopefully they can give you tips and you can share stories.

I was considering looking some groups up for myself though it's more out of curiosity as I was v lucky to only get symptoms of red warts/blisters on toes and fingers in May. The GP said it was almost certainly due to COVID but I never got tested.

They seem to have reappeared twice on my hands and I don't really know what it means. I'm not worried but it's not the sort of thing to ask the GP about or call the helpline as 9/10 they recommend you go to a&e just to be on the safe side