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COVID-19 III: No Politics For Thee


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Since Sunday, my 95-year old father has been getting very confused about things, having trouble coming up with some words, sometimes only answering questions with short 5-6 word sentences, and (twice now) not knowing if it was day or night (extreme confusion about time of day, and passage of time). I normally talk to him every day for usually ~20 minutes, and when I talked to him on Friday it was for over 45 minutes (and he seemed completely normal). But since Sunday, he hasn’t been able to sustain a conversation for more than 4-5 minutes (and I called him 5 times yesterday, and 4-5 times Monday).

So I got word first thing this morning that he’s Covid-positive — which is sort of a relief, because at least there’s an explanation for what’s been going on.

An ongoing story, obviously, more to come.

My cousin’s husband’s father (also in his 90’s) got Covid about 2 months ago, and had major ‘brain-fog’ for about a week, but then seemed to be 100% back to normal a couple weeks later.

My dad’s double-vaxed, and double-boosted (all Pfizer) — and I’m hoping for the best.

I’ve been on a rollercoaster the last few days, to say the least, from 1,000 miles away (he’s back in St. Louis, in what I feel is a very capable and good assisted living center — though so far, knock on wood, he hasn’t even had to take advantage of any of their ‘assisted living’ services — and he still lives ‘independently’ (other than getting his meals in a common dining room). For the moment, I do still have a high confidence level in the quality of the place he lives, and the care he’s getting — and I’ve never had any reason to doubt the quality of the people who run the place and work their (who all have mostly seemed nothing short of fantastic, since we moved him in there last September, and during my 5-6 visits since then).

Finger’s crossed he comes thru all this just fine. He sounds pretty good on the phone — pretty darn good, actually (no breathing problems, just a slight nasally sound to his voice), and it’s really just been his mental acuity that seems to be the biggest symptom, from what I can tell.

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I'm hoping for the best for you and your Dad! I lost mine nearly two months ago and I've gone from talking to him every day on the phone and visiting him twice a week to . . . talking to him as I walk around my neighborhood and when no one is looking so that I don't seem nuts talking to someone who isn't there. 

Keep talking to your Dad as that helps. Best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery.

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  • 5 months later...
  • 3 months later...

Just tested positive myself this morning, symptoms started Monday night (sore throat, chills, body-aches — all moderate).

First time either me or my wife have ever gotten Covid — she hasn’t had any symptoms yet, and she was already gone for work when I took my test this morning (the test I took Monday was negative).

We live in a 630 sq-ft 1BR shoebox, so the real trick will be keeping her from getting it.

It’s crunch time for her at work for the next month, so I said I’d take the couch the next 4-5 nights (a 2-seat loveseat, so maybe I’ll take the floor). And we’ll both mask up 100% at home, stay away from each other, and hope for the best.

I’ve had plenty of head-colds worse than this, and the chills I got from both my Shingrix shingles vaccine shots a year ago were a lot worse than the chills I had last night.

Just gotta wait it out.

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30 minutes ago, sonnymax said:

Please consider getting and taking Paxlovid ASAP. Everyone I know who has done so is glad they did.

It seems to be picking up steam, albeit with a small sample size of folks I know.  Yes to Paxlovid, first-hand experience.  Hard to say whether it slowed anything, but I lived to tell about it.

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Nobody wants to wear masks anymore. At the rehearsal last night, where I conducted one of my pandemic arrangements, I was the only one with a mask. I've got thirteen horns spewing out covid germs in my face and I'm not gonna wear a mask?

The saxes payed it perfectly-a transcription and harmonization of a 60 bar gato solo. I was dancing around happy as a lark, and I woke up with no COVID-19- same as the last three years.

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22 minutes ago, Teasing the Korean said:

Just curious, were you vaccinated?  I'm wonder how long the vaxes are going to last, considering mutations.

I'm sure you realize, but the vaccine doesn't prevent you from getting Covid.  What it does do is help minimize the effects if you do get Covid.  

My wife and I have both had 5 shots (I think 5 anyway), and she still got Covid just before the holidays.  Her symptoms were mild.  I'm pretty sure I had Covid in March 2020 (not provable because there weren't tests immediately available at the time), right when the pandemic started  and before the vaccines were available, and my symptoms then were substantially worse. 

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31 minutes ago, Teasing the Korean said:

Just curious, were you vaccinated?  I'm wonder how long the vaxes are going to last, considering mutations.

Absolutely, I was fully vaccinated and fully boosted. My first vaccine was the “one-and-done” shot J&J (that’s what I could get first, and back then they said get whatever you can get, don’t be choosy.

So I’ve only had 4 shots total (just one initial vaccine, and 3 later boosters) — where most other fully-vaxxed people have had 5 shots.

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2 minutes ago, Rooster_Ties said:

Absolutely, I was fully vaccinated and fully boosted. My first vaccine was the “one-and-done” shot J&J (that’s what I could get first, and back then they said get whatever you can get, don’t be choosy.

So I’ve only had 4 shots total (just one initial vaccine, and 3 later boosters) — where most other fully-vaxxed people have had 5 shots.

Good to know.  Hope you're on the mend soon!

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2 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

Good to know.  Hope you're on the mend soon!

Just took my first dose of Plaxovid.

And knowing that it may f-up my tastebuds for the better part of a week — I quickly had dinner… the last of some homemade chili from a couple days ago, over a BIG piece of cornbread.  AND, when I make chili, half the time (this time) I use Ethiopian Berbere spice (instead of chili powder).

The DC/DMV area is home to a quarter of million(!) Ethiopians — and 40 or maybe even 50(?) different Ethiopian restaurants. And in our neighborhood alone (Columbia Heights), there are 2 or 3 different corner market stores that sell Berbere spice in bulk (an Ethiopian chili spice blend).

Figure it might be my last really good meal until 5-7 days from now! :crazy:

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1 hour ago, Rooster_Ties said:

Man, barely 90 minutes after my first dose of the plaxlovid, and I’m already getting that metallic taste in my mouth. Damn glad I ate when I did!

Just drank some hot chai, and I’m happy to report it actually tasted like chai (and not a mouthful of nickels).

So maybe(?) that plaxlovid-induced metallic taste is just what ‘nothing’ tastes like between meals?

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My wife just tested positive this morning after her first symptoms came on all day yesterday — and she’s already had her first dose of Plaxlovid about an hour ago.

Yeah, this constant taste of nickels is getting really old fast (my last dose will be Monday morning, and my wife’s will be Tuesday night)…

BUT, I’m incredibly thankful there are medicines to treat Covid now — and this awful taste is nothing compared with facing this thing unvaxxed or without any treatment.

The OTC Tylenol Cold & Flu meds seem to be keeping all the other symptoms halfway in check too. So I’d say I keep going back and forth between being “half” or about “one-quarter miserable” at worst — and that’s really not all that bad, all things considered.

Still, interestingly(?), my symptoms have gotten moderately worse every day since I first felt anything on Monday night (3+1/2 days ago).  Which is to say there seems to definitely be an ‘arc’ to how this thing progresses.

Not especially worried about it — just my observations.

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I just hope you come out with your taste buds intact. I say this not at all because of Paxlovid (I have no idea if it makes this better or worse) but because I work with someone who still suffers from a messed up sense of taste. Certain flavors make him want to vomit. I am so glad that my senses came out OK when I got Covid. My wine cellar would be pretty useless if I couldn't taste any of it. :)

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Knock on wood, food still tastes right (and kind of surprising ok, even almost good) to me — my wife too — so far at least.

The metallic taste from the Paxlovid seems to ‘only’ happen all the time — whenever I’m not eating (or drinking) — but thank goodness food actually tastes good.

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