Covid Getting Closer to Home

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Aerides said:
Harllee, know we're all thinking of you and your DM and sending positive vibes.

As far as the pulse ox rate, generally, it's below 95 that should start one wondering. Presumably this is also impacted by age and health - and your for your DM at 90yo that might be quite good even in normal times!

For someone otherwise much younger and healthier, they may typically run a bit higher. It's when scores are lower than 95 that you might want to start paying attention.

Good reminder for everyone to have one on hand, and, to establish your healthy/normal baseline. Most OTC units have a bit of a range too, so they might not be perfect.

I'm reminded that I'm always on the very low end of body temp. If I'm ever as high as the "standard" 98.4, I know it means I'm getting sick. I am always in the 96's otherwise. Bodies are all a bit different!
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I am confused about the oximeter readings. Mother's doctor says her normal reading is 95 and she should probably be hospitalized it it drops below 90. The doctor also said for her to drink plenty of fluids and move about during the day as much as possible. If mother's oxygen level starts dropping is there anything else we can do other than having her admitted to a hospital? (doctor said that hospital should be last resort since the local hospital is overflowing and she will probably just be stuck in a bed in the hall). By the way, I am a very healthy 70 year old and my normal oximeter reading is 95 although I can get it higher if I do a bunch of deep breathing.
 
harllee said:
I am confused about the oximeter readings. Mother's doctor says her normal reading is 95 and she should probably be hospitalized it it drops below 90. The doctor also said for her to drink plenty of fluids and move about during the day as much as possible. If mother's oxygen level starts dropping is there anything else we can do other than having her admitted to a hospital? (doctor said that hospital should be last resort since the local hospital is overflowing and she will probably just be stuck in a bed in the hall). By the way, I am a very healthy 70 year old and my normal oximeter reading is 95 although I can get it higher if I do a bunch of deep breathing.
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Talk to her doctor or physician assistant or the CCRC nurse about getting your mother supplemental oxygen if it starts to drop closer to 90? Surely the CCRC can facilitate that? Usually that’s the first step as far as I understand it, but I’m not a doctor.

Omicron appears not to move down into the lungs much, but stays more in the upper respiratory system, so pneumonia and lung damage is not nearly as common.

In general sounds like you are getting good advice for your mother’s care - stay hydrated and keep moving.
 
One more question for you knowledgeable people. If mother has to go to a hospital due to Covid can she chose the hospital to go to? She lives in a small town with a lousy hospital. There is a much better hospital about 45 minutes away. I understand that Medicare would only pay to take her to the nearest hospital but she has the money to pay out of pocket. Would she get faster care if she arrives in an ambulance rather than being driven to the hospital?
 
DW, DS and I have been hunkered down for the past 20 months. We got vaccinated, eased up a bit, then back to the cave when the next wave hit. Boosted (and flu shot) and again eased up a bit until the next wave. Always good about masks. Then last weekend, DS went to visit friends in the mountains and when he returns, several friends mention that they aren't feeling well. He tests (at home) and BAM, we are all in a lockdown as he gets a positive. DW and I test a day later (and 24 hours after that) and sofar, we are showing negative. I was feeling awful for a day but am doing better. It is a b*tch wearing a mask in the house around my son (not sure of the benefit, but it makes him feel better). I'm ready for this s**t to be gone!
 
If you had symptoms like feeling awful for a day, you probably do have Covid but just haven’t developed a large enough viral load yet to detect on the rapid test. Try again in 3 days? One double vaxxed DB didn’t test positive until a week after his initial symptoms.
 
harllee best wishes for your mother's care.

My sister is a nurse and just recovered from her second infection which was semi severe for a few days. Many hospitals now want/allow their nurses to work while having covid which is disturbing on a few levels.

I am a infectious disease scientist that's been thrown into this respiratory pandemic full on seeing the effects on many people distant and near. Learned a lot about human behavior and society and how people react to adversity. Fortunately this has been a very mild although quite infectious virus at this time. Something for everyone to take note of and learn from hopefully. Best time to enjoy one's life is now as you never know what's going to happen if you have the privilege to do so. Imagine MERS, a coronavirus, with a ~30% fatality rate having the same infection rate. Something to ponder for people that may have 25-50 years still to live.
 
harllee said:
One more question for you knowledgeable people. If mother has to go to a hospital due to Covid can she chose the hospital to go to? She lives in a small town with a lousy hospital. There is a much better hospital about 45 minutes away. I understand that Medicare would only pay to take her to the nearest hospital but she has the money to pay out of pocket. Would she get faster care if she arrives in an ambulance rather than being driven to the hospital?
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In regards to the ambulance trip, this is going to be VERY DEPENDENT on your location. I have heard reports that ambulances may have to wait several hours in the parking lot before even getting the patients into the hospital. I would also guess this is a VERY fluid situation and it changes by the hour. Think about how in normal times, the ER may have a zero minute wait early in the day and then several hours that evening. So, there is just no real way to answer that.

If her O2 is staying around 95, then that is great news.
 
harllee said:
Help! I am in a panic. 90 year old mother (who is vaxxed and boosted) woke sick yesterday, cough, chills, aches. She had been exposed to covid by someone who eats lunch near her in the dining room at her CCRC who tested positive. ....
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If it were my mom, I'd call a GP and see if I could get fluvoxamine. This is an SSRI Rx that's been around for years and it was effective in the TOGETHER trial in August. It has been submitted, but not approved for an EUA, but that's because there seems to be a problem getting repurposed drugs approved.

Here's the paper to give to the GP: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(21)00448-4/fulltext

I'd also give my mom another repurposed drug that shall not be named. This drug has a long and exquisite safety record, so even if it doesn't work, the risk is very, very low and the reward, if it had any effect, would be high.
 
audreyh1 said:
If you had symptoms like feeling awful for a day, you probably do have Covid but just haven’t developed a large enough viral load yet to detect on the rapid test. Try again in 3 days? One double vaxxed DB didn’t test positive until a week after his initial symptoms.
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My plan is to do a 3rd test tomorrow to confirm negative (or positive). Will also test DW on Sunday if I am negative.
 
audreyh1 said:
If you had symptoms like feeling awful for a day, you probably do have Covid but just haven’t developed a large enough viral load yet to detect on the rapid test. Try again in 3 days? One double vaxxed DB didn’t test positive until a week after his initial symptoms.
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I don’t know if it has already been mentioned here but I read somewhere that with Omicron rapid tests throat swabs sometimes respond when nasal swabs don’t. If I feel Covid symptoms I will try a throat test if the nasal is negative. DC offers free test kits and N95s a couple of blocks from my house. No lines this morning.
 
sengsational said:
I'd also give my mom another repurposed drug that shall not be named. This drug has a long and exquisite safety record, so even if it doesn't work, the risk is very, very low and the reward, if it had any effect, would be high.
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This is seems like borderline dangerous advice for a 90+ year old person who most likely has conditions that you aren't sure of. And a "repurposed drug"? That could be 1000s of medications and I would guess every one of them has some sort of risk.
 
harllee said:
One more question for you knowledgeable people. If mother has to go to a hospital due to Covid can she chose the hospital to go to? She lives in a small town with a lousy hospital. There is a much better hospital about 45 minutes away. I understand that Medicare would only pay to take her to the nearest hospital but she has the money to pay out of pocket. Would she get faster care if she arrives in an ambulance rather than being driven to the hospital?
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I have no idea, but in a case like that I'd go directly to the hospital I wanted (whether by ambulance or personal car), not the lousy hospital. It might cost a few hundred dollars, or maybe not, but at least she'd be getting the care she needs. I was transported by the local police department ambulance so they took me to the ER at a nearby (fairly small) hospital where I got immediate attention.

After maybe three days I was taken from that tiny hospital to a much bigger, fancier one in Jonesboro which was about 50 miles away. I was so "out of it" that I thought they took me by helicopter, but Frank (who was quarantining back in Louisiana by that time) thinks they probably took me by ambulance. The reason given for transferring me was that it was a better hospital and the tiny hospital needed my bed for other patients they might get. Between Medicare and my BCBS, I didn't have to pay a cent for that extra ambulance service or for the initial ambulance ride either.

In my case I was too sick to go anywhere by personal car - - couldn't sit or stand. I had to be loaded onto a gurney by the ambulance drivers, and that was loaded into the ambulance.

I do think the ambulance drivers had some real in depth knowledge about the whole process that helped to expedite things once they got me to the hospital. They knew the ER staff well, and they have a lot of expertise beyond knowing how to drive. For example I tried to persuade them that I wasn't that sick and didn't need to go anywhere. I did that because I didn't want to be hospitalized (and my mind was pretty scrambled!). They told me I most definitely was sick enough to go to the ER. :LOL: They then told me that either way, it would be a comfort to Frank if I would just let the ER examine me so he wouldn't worry. Good psychology! I wouldn't go just for myself, but I went for Frank.
 
W2R said:
I have no idea, but in a case like that I'd go directly to the hospital I wanted (whether by ambulance or personal car), not the lousy hospital. It might cost a few hundred dollars, or maybe not, but at least she'd be getting the care she needs. I was transported by the local police department ambulance so they took me to a nearby (fairly small) hospital.

After maybe three days I was taken from that tiny hospital to a much bigger, fancier one in Jonesboro which was about 50 miles away. I was so "out of it" that I thought they took me by helicopter, but Frank (who was quarantining back in Louisiana by that time) thinks they probably took me by ambulance. The reason given for transferring me was that it was a better hospital and the tiny hospital needed my bed for other patients they might get. Between Medicare and my BCBS, I didn't have to pay a cent for that extra ambulance service.

In my case I was too sick to go anywhere by personal car - - couldn't sit or stand. I had to be loaded onto a gurney by the ambulance drivers, and that was loaded into the ambulance.

I do think the ambulance drivers had some real in depth knowledge about the whole process that helped to expedite things once they got me to the hospital. They have a lot of expertise beyond knowing how to drive. For example I tried to persuade them that I wasn't that sick and didn't need to go anywhere. I did that because I didn't want to be hospitalized (and my mind was pretty scrambled!). They told me I most definitely was sick enough to go to the ER. :LOL: They they told me that either way, it would be a comfort to Frank if I would just let the ER examine me so he wouldn't worry. Good psychology! I wouldn't go just for myself, but I went for Frank.
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I know this is a bit off topic, but I wanted to reiterate that I am SOOOO happy you got over this and are back to living a happy life. It sure sounds like it could have gone the other way so I am very happy that you were able to fight through it!!!

Funny how much our significant others play into those decisions. I know my DW is VERY hard headed and won't seek medical attention unless I push her VERY hard or it gets so bad that she gets chewed out by the medical staff when she FINALLY asks for help.
 
donheff said:
I don’t know if it has already been mentioned here but I read somewhere that with Omicron rapid tests throat swabs sometimes respond when nasal swabs don’t. If I feel Covid symptoms I will try a throat test if the nasal is negative. DC offers free test kits and N95s a couple of blocks from my house. No lines this morning.
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braumeister said:
There was a piece the other day that said Nova Scotia has that opinion.

Nova Scotia health officials recommend throat swab as part of rapid COVID-19 testing
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I’ve seen examples where the throat swab came up negative while the nose swab was positive. You just never know!

But I think it’s not unusual for the viral load to build enough to test positive in someone who has been fully vaxxed, so you definitely still want to test many days after initial symptoms if your initial tests showed negative.

Another DB, fully vaxxed plus boosted tested strongly positive 6 days after 1 bad day of feeling pretty sick, but felt pretty much recovered by 2 days after. He didn’t have access to any test until late that 6th day, and bingo - strongly positive. He really didn’t think he had Covid, especially since his DW had no symptoms. She tested negative, and never did test positive on subsequent tests.
 
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ExFlyBoy5 said:
I know this is a bit off topic, but I wanted to reiterate that I am SOOOO happy you got over this and are back to living a happy life. It sure sounds like it could have gone the other way so I am very happy that you were able to fight through it!!!

Funny how much our significant others play into those decisions. I know my DW is VERY hard headed and won't seek medical attention unless I push her VERY hard or it gets so bad that she gets chewed out by the medical staff when she FINALLY asks for help.
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Aw, thanks! :) I do think it could have gone either way and I am SO happy to be home in my Dream House once again, feeling back to normal and enjoying each day.

Apparently the ambulance drivers had seen plenty of women like your DW and me who are difficult to persuade, and they know exactly what buttons to push to get patients to give up and go to the ER to get checked out. It never occurred to me before that ambulance drivers needed to know anything but how to drive. Also they are very strong and muscular which is helpful for moving half conscious, heavy people into and out of ambulances.

Anyway, now the forum knows why I wasn't posting for a while back in September! It's not like me, but I was really "out of it".
 
Two or 3 weeks ago my brother in Australia was convinced he had Covid and lived alone for over a week, testing every day and feeling thoroughly miserable. 77 folks at the place he works had tested positive including some he worked closely with. He felt better after a week having never tested positive and went back to work. A week later he had his booster jab. He sent me a message today to say that he is sick again and this time has tested positive. I asked if his wife was living with him and he replied, “Nope, Home Alone 2”.

Hopefully he will not fare badly even though it has been less than 10 days since his booster.
 
Dang!

10 days since booster jab - yes, that’s long enough to provide considerable protection.
 
ExFlyBoy5 said:
This is seems like borderline dangerous advice for a 90+ year old person who most likely has conditions that you aren't sure of. And a "repurposed drug"? That could be 1000s of medications and I would guess every one of them has some sort of risk.
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Obviously done through a physician. True, no intervention has zero risk. Given similar efficacy, I'd rather have a drug that has been observed for decades with billions of doses and has shown no adverse events over a new drug that had some number of thousands of doses in a clinical trial that showed no adverse events. There's no way the rare risks of an intervention can be as completely assessed in a trial as they can with continued observation over a long period of use. But nobody champions fluvoxamine or any other repurposed drug because there's no incentive (no money to be made). If you find a doctor who isn't neutered by the medical industrial complex (i.e. thinks for themselves) I think it's likely to help in the early stages of Covid-19. After all, it's probably possible to do other, very low risk things that are helpful beyond "drink fluids and wait for the pulse ox value to drop".
 
Alan said:
I’m hoping so. Plenty of co-morbidities to worry about.
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This is pre-Omicron, but included delta. Study in Israel:
The results show that, compared with individuals who received only two doses five months prior, individuals who received three doses of the vaccine (7 days or more after the third dose) had 93% lower risk of COVID-19-related hospitalization, 92% lower risk of severe COVID-19 disease, and 81% lower risk of COVID-19-related death. Vaccine effectiveness was found to be similar for different sexes, age groups (ages 40-69 and 70+) and number of comorbidities.
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https://www.news-medical.net/news/2...f-third-booster-dose-of-COVID-19-vaccine.aspx

Unfortunately as we all know now boosters don’t protect nearly as much against infection from Omicron, but protection against any resulting severe disease and hospitalization is still very good.
 
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ExFlyBoy5 said:
This is seems like borderline dangerous advice for a 90+ year old person who most likely has conditions that you aren't sure of. And a "repurposed drug"? That could be 1000s of medications and I would guess every one of them has some sort of risk.
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For sure I would not be giving my 90 year old mother anything her doctor has not approved.
 
harllee said:
One more question for you knowledgeable people. If mother has to go to a hospital due to Covid can she chose the hospital to go to? She lives in a small town with a lousy hospital. There is a much better hospital about 45 minutes away. I understand that Medicare would only pay to take her to the nearest hospital but she has the money to pay out of pocket. Would she get faster care if she arrives in an ambulance rather than being driven to the hospital?
Click to expand...

I have posted about this before. I was very sick in early March of 2020; and after an initial visit to the doctor, who diagnosed Pneumonia and an unspecified virus; had ongoing problems and could not get an in person appointment. The best I could get remotely was a stronger antibiotic. Against health department and the "party line" medical advise, I did not wait at home until I couldn't breath, but picked the best hospital in the County (not a local one) and had DH drive me there. I don't know that an ambulance would have given me an option. I believe that decision saved my life. YMMV
 
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