Breakthrough club

[harllee]

DH lost his taste and smell after a bad case of flu a few years ago. His doctor had him do a series of therapy for this (like eating lemons and other sharp tasting foods and smelling certain smells) over a couple of months and finally his smell/taste came back. There is therapy available.

[INTJ10]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gumby Look on the bright side. This could be your prime opportunity to eat a Ghost Reaper chili pepper. You'll accrue great bragging rights down the line. No need to mention that you couldn't taste it when you ate it.

I like this plan! The only potential issue is that if it causes my body to stink I won't know it.

For all of you sense of smell enabled people out there. Please enjoy the smell of you morning coffee! That is what I miss the most.

[Another Reader]

Quote:

Originally Posted by INTJ10 I like this plan! The only potential issue is that if it causes my body to stink I won't know it. For all of you sense of smell enabled people out there. Please enjoy the smell of you morning coffee! That is what I miss the most.

Some patients report getting up one morning and realizing they smell the coffee. Hope that happens for you!

[yakers]

Five years ago, I was being treated for throat cancer, serious surgery, chemo & radiation, lost ALL taste; meat, veggies, milk, water-anything- tasted like bilge water, could not even tell textures much, mostly 'ate' protien drinks. Then some time after treatment one day a light went off and I tasted something! Very hard for vegeterian DW as the first thing I tasted was bacon. Very slowly over 4 years most tastes have returned, but I still remember my 'first' taste of bread and coffee and various things. Don't know about COVID but tastes do have a way of returning.

[tmm99]

My former co-worker lost her sense of taste when she fell off a golf cart and hit her head. I don't think her sense of taste will ever come back.

[Ronstar]

SIL luckily missed joining the breakthrough club. She caught covid earlier this year. Then recovered. Then 2 Moderna shots. A few months later, she was diagnosed with an early stage of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Dr advised and she got the Moderna booster.

Last week she went on a 2 hour road trip with a friend who unknowingly had Covid. She got a Covid test and tested negative.

[gattara]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronstar Last week she went on a 2 hour road trip with a friend who unknowingly had Covid. She got a Covid test and tested negative.

Whew!!

[JDARNELL]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Another Reader The virus attacks the cells supporting the olfactory neurons. This article gives a good summary. The good news is most people recover their ability to smell. https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.o...of-smell-taste

We ordered a 6 set of essential oils off amazon and smelled them twice a day for about 30 seconds each. Seemed to help our taste and smell recover.

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronstar SIL luckily missed joining the breakthrough club. She caught covid earlier this year. Then recovered. Then 2 Moderna shots. A few months later, she was diagnosed with an early stage of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Dr advised and she got the Moderna booster. Last week she went on a 2 hour road trip with a friend who unknowingly had Covid. She got a Covid test and tested negative.

Wow, that was a really close call! So glad she got the booster.

[Alan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 Wow, that was a really close call! So glad she got the booster.

+1

People tend to forget how well the vaccines work. We spend a few hours with our son including 30 minutes in the same car not knowing that he had Covid. A week later he was fighting for his life in hospital and we were self isolating because we had been in such close contact. We never tested positive and at that point we had only had a single dose of AZ 5 weeks earlier.

We got our 2nd dose of a vaccine (don’t know which one) April 20 and in line with UK guidelines will be looking to get a booster shortly after October 20.

[Koolau]

Here in the heartland, I'm seeing a whole new level of paranoia among the vaxed. When we arrived, folks had mostly dispensed with their masks - now masks have made a strong come-back. Church was almost "normal" in late June. Now it's maybe half full. Friends prefer to do at-home-carry-in for foursome gatherings rather than going to a restaurant.

I was just beginning to feel normal again after leaving Paradise for the frozen tundra of the midwest. Now, as I face going home to 50% occupancy mandates (and worse - hope no more cops in the mangroves) I'M beginning to feel paranoid. Now, where's my mask?

[audreyh1]

I think it’s simply local prevalence. In June prevalence was very low, and so of course people felt more comfortable. US had gotten down to around 11,000 cases a day. Then Delta swooped in and rapidly took over. Cases spiked up over 10x with hospitals filling and some forced to use crisis standards of care and breakthrough infections no longer rare.

Why call it paranoia rather than prudence? Many people aren’t willing to take extra risks in the current environment.

When local covid prevalence drops to a low level people start acting more normal again. That makes sense to me.

[Sunset]

Even though we have the Vaccine, and next month will get the booster, I still am concerned about catching Covid.

I know it's unlikely I'd die, or even end up in hospital, but now the concern is what about lingering effects (long haul) if I catch it ?

At least I can enjoy going into the bank wearing my mask, sunglasses and baseball cap without everyone panicking

[MichaelB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 Why call it paranoia rather than prudence? Many people aren’t willing to take extra risks in the current environment. When local covid prevalence drops to a low level people start acting more normal again. That makes sense to me.

I had the same thought.

[Chuckanut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan People tend to forget how well the vaccines work.

+1

While not perfect they have allowed most of us to go back to a relatively normal life. Knowing the odds of ending up in hospital are small is a liberating experience after 2020.

[travelover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut +1 While not perfect they have allowed most of us to go back to a relatively normal life. Knowing the odds of ending up in hospital are small is a liberating experience after 2020.

Amen. Before I got my vaccination, I was terrified I'd end up like some of those people I saw on the nightly news on ventilators or in refrigerator trucks.

[11522914]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunset I know it's unlikely I'd die, or even end up in hospital, but now the concern is what about lingering effects (long haul) if I catch it ?

This is definitely my concern. Plus about 15 years ago I had a bad case of pneumonia, which I believe caused a 60% reduction in my sense of smell and taste. I don't want covid to make that 100%.

[INTJ10]

FYI, although I did lose my sense of smell after my infection, I did not lose my sense of taste. My sense of smell did start coming back about 8 days after I tested positive and seems to be getting better. I can enjoy food again.

We haven't been able to find much information regarding the need/benefit of the booster shot after a breakthrough infection. We are going to assume that the infection will help our body figure out how to fight Covid so it is not needed.

[ElizabethT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunset Even though we have the Vaccine, and next month will get the booster, I still am concerned about catching Covid. I know it's unlikely I'd die, or even end up in hospital, but now the concern is what about lingering effects (long haul) if I catch it ? At least I can enjoy going into the bank wearing my mask, sunglasses and baseball cap without everyone panicking

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut +1 While not perfect they have allowed most of us to go back to a relatively normal life. Knowing the odds of ending up in hospital are small is a liberating experience after 2020.

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelover Amen. Before I got my vaccination, I was terrified I'd end up like some of those people I saw on the nightly news on ventilators or in refrigerator trucks.

And yet, frighteningly, we have W2R's unfolding and apparently very serious/scary recent breakthrough situation, as she is sharing in her Autumn 2021 thread here in the COVID containment area, and which hits home for me on the importance of remaining diligent in spite of being vaccinated.

Such good news that she appears to be on the mend, but if I'm understanding her thread shares correctly, she had a severe breakthrough case that resulted in hospitalization.

[harllee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElizabethT And yet, frighteningly, we have W2R's unfolding and apparently very serious/scary recent breakthrough situation, as she is sharing in her Autumn 2021 thread here in the COVID containment area, and which hits home for me on the importance of remaining diligent in spite of being vaccinated. Such good news that she appears to be on the mend, but if I'm understanding her thread shares correctly, she had a severe breakthrough case that resulted in hospitalization.

How do we know that W2R had the vaccine?