A personal Covid Experience

[Ronstar]

Great news Alan!

I'm certainly no medical expert, but your son's liver enzyme issues could be a result of medicines.

Last spring/ summer, I was taking medicine to combat a toenail fungus. I eventually got sick and had extremely high liver enzymes. Although some of my symptoms were Covid like, my doc didn't have me tested. I quit taking the medicine and my liver enzymes returned to normal.

Best wishes to your son for continued recovery!

 

[5j404]

Alan, we are so happy for your family. The joy of having him wake up at your house today must rival any xmas morning.

 

[sengsational]

In addition to Dexamethasone he was also given tocilizumab, a monoclonal antibody.

That stuff works ok if used with steroids, and especially if given in the early pulmonary phase (as soon as SPO2 starts dropping). It's an interleukin 6 antagonist which reduces inflammation. Based on what I've read, I'm sure it got lots of people off the respirator. There are a few trials (Covacta, Corimuno-Toci-1, Empacta, Remap-Cap) that show it's certainly safe, and sometimes effective. The studies for tocilizumab are not as strong as they are for ivermectin, but they show solid directionality in efficacy. I'm glad your son had access to a good medical system.

 

[sirion]

So pleased to hear he is home and recovering. What a happy ending.

 

[Alan]

I have no idea whether his unexpectedly short time on the ventilator (3 nights) was due to the drugs or the daily prayers from you wonderful people.

When the doctor who intubated him called us he said that they were going to turn him onto his front ("proning") and keep him proned for about 16 hours a day and that we should expect him to be on the ventilator for 7 to 14 days or longer. Next morning when we called the nurse said that his stats had improved so they decided to leave him on his back. Next morning we called she said that his stats had improved a lot and they had eased off on the anesthesia so that he was not in a deep coma, and next morning when we called she said that they planned to try bringing him off the ventilator. She was a bit surprised when we both burst into tears. A few hours later I nearly fell off my chair when Darth Vader heavy breathing from my phone alerted me to a text message from him.

His digestion is improving very nicely now, he is eating quite well and he had a great night's sleep in our spare bedroom. It could easily be the "domestos antibiotics" that were used to cure his pneumonia that caused his digestive issues, I don't suppose .

He tires very easily at present but he has a series of exercises to do, and a diary to record the results. He has also to record his blood oxygen and heart rate 3 times a day and record the results. A nurse called him today and will call every day for at least a week to check on his progress.

 

[dirtbiker]

Great to hear he's back home! Very happy for you.

 

[audreyh1]

I thought that when this started his first COVID symptoms were nausea and not able to keep anything down, and that’s why he made a first visit to the ER to help manage dehydration.

 

[ivinsfan]

I thought that when this started his first COVID symptoms were nausea and not able to keep anything down, and that’s why he made a first visit to the ER to help manage dehydration.

Both things can be true. Covid can wreck your digestion and gut health and the medication to cure Covid can cause more gut health issues. Can be a vicious circle.

 

[audreyh1]

I was just pointing it out because he wasn’t taking meds at the initial time, I assume, yet he never seemed to get past the extreme nausea. Although what ultimately landed him in the hospital was pneumonia.

 

[ivinsfan]

I was just pointing it out because he wasn’t taking meds at the initial time, I assume, yet he never seemed to get past the extreme nausea. Although what ultimately landed him in the hospital was pneumonia.

your gut is a funny thing...once it gets off kilter life is miserable.

 

[Alan]

I thought that when this started his first COVID symptoms were nausea and not able to keep anything down, and that’s why he made a first visit to the ER to help manage dehydration.

It was a fever and feeling rotten that prompted him to get a test, plus the fact he knew that he had been exposed at work. The fact that nausea and vomiting started he called the Covid hotline and was visited by an ambulance crew 3 days after symptoms started and he was told to call 999 (911) if the symptoms did not ease off or he had chest pains. On day 4 he got chest pains, called 999 and was blue-lighted to hospital.

He has been chatting with his workmates on whatsapp and none of them (10 folks) were infected. The infected person was a manager from a different department who had conducted 2 days of meetings with them.

If the app had not alerted him and other teammates then he would have continued as normal, masked and socially distancing but going into work as an asymptomatic spreader.

 

[audreyh1]

So none of his teammates got infected from this visiting manager?

 

[Alan]

So none of his teammates got infected from this visiting manager?

Amazing eh?

When the same thing happened with my sister just before Christmas, a guy from the warehouse came into their office even though he had taken a PCR symptoms and was waiting the result (it takes up to 24 hrs). All 6 folks in her office caught it.

 

[Calico]

I'm glad Jeffrey had such a good night and is doing so much better.

I'm curious: did the hospital ever test him to see if he had one of the more contagious variants?

 

[Jerry1]

Amazing eh?

When the same thing happened with my sister just before Christmas, a guy from the warehouse came into their office even though he had taken a PCR symptoms and was waiting the result (it takes up to 24 hrs). All 6 folks in her office caught it.

This is sad news. I thought (hoped) that one good thing to come from this pandemic would that people would be more conscientious about being around others when they know, or even think, that they’re sick. That doesn’t seem to have happened.

 

[audreyh1]

Amazing eh?

When the same thing happened with my sister just before Christmas, a guy from the warehouse came into their office even though he had taken a PCR symptoms and was waiting the result (it takes up to 24 hrs). All 6 folks in her office caught it.

Yes - just amazing. Somehow Jeffery got a large dose and the others got nothing?

I’ve wondered what his teammates have thought of Jeffrey’s ordeal - and close call!

 

[audreyh1]

I'm glad Jeffrey had such a good night and is doing so much better.

I'm curious: did the hospital ever test him to see if he had one of the more contagious variants?

I’m pretty sure B117 is by far the dominant variant in the UK now.

 

[audreyh1]

This is sad news. I thought (hoped) that one good thing to come from this pandemic would that people would be more conscientious about being around others when they know, or even think, that they’re sick. That doesn’t seem to have happened.

It’s just unconscionable.

 

[Golden sunsets]

Just checking this thread again after 3 days away and elated that Jeffrey defied even his doctor's predictions.

So great that he is home in the womb of his loving parents.

It may have been noted at the beginning of this thread, but might I ask, how old is Jeffrey?

 

[audreyh1]

Just checking this thread again after 3 days away and elated that Jeffrey defied even his doctor's predictions.

So great that he is home in the womb of his loving parents.

It may have been noted at the beginning of this thread, but might I ask, how old is Jeffrey?

30s.

 

[Alan]

I don't know that he was tested for the type of virus, but probably 50/50 that he was as that is proportion of infections that are genome sequenced, with the infection rate being as low as it currently is here. It was almost certainly B1117 as that is the dominant strain here.

My sister told me a few weeks ago that another person at her work took a phone call from his wife who told him that her test had come back positive. He was indignant when he was lambasted by his colleagues and ordered to go home immediately, he should not have even been in work. And this is after the company had had the outbreak before Christmas,

 

[dirtbiker]

I don't know that he was tested for the type of virus, but probably 50/50 that he was as that is proportion of infections that are genome sequenced, with the infection rate being as low as it currently is here. It was almost certainly B1117 as that is the dominant strain here.

My sister told me a few weeks ago that another person at her work took a phone call from his wife who told him that her test had come back positive. He was indignant when he was lambasted by his colleagues and ordered to go home immediately, he should not have even been in work. And this is after the company had had the outbreak before Christmas,

It's amazing how some people act when challenged over this deadly virus. I'm a primary care physician, and very routinely order testing. Any sick visits with Covid-type symptoms are put on as telemedicine, but occasionally a few slip by screening. Last week I had a guy come in with back pain (muscle aches). He wanted Xrays and testing for rheumatoid arthritis. After going through his symptoms, I wasn't convinced, and told him I wanted to send him for Covid testing. He argued up and down, and left pissed off because now he would have to wait to get Xrays done until after his test came back negative. Low and behold, it came back positive. He was at least apologetic when I called and gave him the results...

Yesterday I had a patient come in telling me she had allergies. No fever, and it is allergy time. However, after going through her symptoms more, I also felt she needed to be tested. She also got pissed off and told me there's no way that she could have Covid because she's not around anyone. She then told me it feels just like a common cold. I explained to her that colds, just like Covid, are a viral disease spread from person to person. It went completely over her head, and she left absolutely refusing testing.

This pandemic has left me absolutely despising a lot of people unfortunately...

 

[whatnot]

Alan, very happy to hear your son is home and recovering!

 

[harllee]

It's amazing how some people act when challenged over this deadly virus. I'm a primary care physician, and very routinely order testing. Any sick visits with Covid-type symptoms are put on as telemedicine, but occasionally a few slip by screening. Last week I had a guy come in with back pain (muscle aches). He wanted Xrays and testing for rheumatoid arthritis. After going through his symptoms, I wasn't convinced, and told him I wanted to send him for Covid testing. He argued up and down, and left pissed off because now he would have to wait to get Xrays done until after his test came back negative. Low and behold, it came back positive. He was at least apologetic when I called and gave him the results...

Yesterday I had a patient come in telling me she had allergies. No fever, and it is allergy time. However, after going through her symptoms more, I also felt she needed to be tested. She also got pissed off and told me there's no way that she could have Covid because she's not around anyone. She then told me it feels just like a common cold. I explained to her that colds, just like Covid, are a viral disease spread from person to person. It went completely over her head, and she left absolutely refusing testing.

This pandemic has left me absolutely despising a lot of people unfortunately...

dirtbiker, thank you for woking as a PCP during these challenging times. I am also amazed at how some people have acted during this pandemic. Some people I thought were my "friends" are no longer my friends due to the actions they took during the pandemic.

 

[ivinsfan]

dirtbiker, thank you for woking as a PCP during these challenging times. I am also amazed at how some people have acted during this pandemic. Some people I thought were my "friends" are no longer my friends due to the actions they took during the pandemic.

What if you are related to one of them? Then what do you do?