Is anyone else at home sick with COVID -19 symptoms?

Call your doctor.

I keep waking up with headaches.

I've had something for the last week. I don't know what it is. No fever but a persistent cough and stuffy nose.

Take Tylenol/acetaminophen for the fever, not ibuprofen Call doctor or hotline. Stay home unless they tell you to see a doctor or go to ER. Make arrangements now if you have pets.

I have had a recurring sinus infection but no fever or symptoms other than headache.

In my area, two-thirds of those considered sick enough to get a test turned out to be negative for covid. I'm sure there are some false negatives, but that's still indicates a pretty large number that are ill with other bugs. One local reporter documented his sickness, which seemed to have all the hallmarks of the virus. It took more than a week for him to get his test results. Negative. His doctor couldn't believe it so he ordered another test. Negative again.

if you feel something freaky in your throat, just drink lotsa water to flush it down to you stomach.

Thanks, all. Naturally all of my painkiller (except NyQuil) is ibuprofen.

There are a lot of people like you OP.

Probably have the virus, but given the limited supply of tests and how overcrowded the healthcare system already is they are just managing at home.

Some tests have instituted testing centers to help more people get tested, I don't know if yours is one.

Some states*

[quote] Take Tylenol/acetaminophen for the fever, not ibuprofen

Ibuprofen is fine.

Drs always prefer Tylenol for fever because it has fewer side effects on the stomach than ibuprofen. Some French health minister claimed ibuprofen could make resp problems worse but Fauci said there’s no evidence to back that up.

OP - be sure you're drinking plenty of fluids. A former co-worker of mine has been sick for a couple of weeks - headache, cough, fever, nausea, exhaustion - and her fever finally went down to normal yesterday. Just be sure to drink plenty of fluids, stay very warm and get plenty of rest.

A family member has only the chest pain and difficulty breathing, and he's slowly improving. I've recently heard that lying on your stomach is helpful with the breathing issue, so if it comes to that with you, try that as an option when you're lying down.

Re ibuprofen, some medical doctors have been saying that taking that exacerbates the illness with some people, and are consequently advising people not to take it and to stick with the tylenol to be on the safe side.

OP definitely call a doctor if you have any underlying conditions, especially if you are on an ACE inhibitor.

I’ve had a horrible cough for a month.. no fever, no chills and am not tired. I called my doc and told him, I was fairly sure that I didn’t have covid, but was afraid I would be more susceptible to it , as I have asthma and also 64....he called in antibiotics. Keeping my fingers crossed.

I think of lot of these are just allergies.

I suffer from allergies, and with the coming spring, I'm sure I will think I'm coming down with THE CORONA on a daily basis. Not that I'm a hypochondriac, but I've worried that I've had it two or three times in the past month. Is my throat scratchy from the virus? No, just sinus drainage from my allergies. Am I feeling overly fatigued? No, it's from having walked three miles in the park the day before. It seems that a high fever is the most reliable symptom you have when you've been infected.

Absence of testing - a critical part of successful response by every country who has managed this well - is such a blatant failure of the US response. What is odd is other parts of the country have plenty of testing - but those who need it in NYC can’t get it. A complete failure as a result of leadership but also our messed up healthcare system.

Two clear signs are high fever and loss of smell/taste.

[quote] some medical doctors have been saying that taking that exacerbates the illness with some people

“Some doctors have been saying“....like “many people have said.”

“ Also on Wednesday, a World Health Organization spokesperson confirmed to USA TODAY that while the organization was aware of concerns about the use of NSAIDs in the treatment of COVID-19, WHO has not yet issued any new guidance.

"WHO is gathering further evidence on this issue before making a formal recommendation, but after a rapid review of the literature, is not aware of published clinical or population-based data on this topic," reads an emailed statement from Christian Lindmeier.

The lack of evidence on this issue was also highlighted in a European Medicines Agency release Wednesday, acknowledging reports claiming ibuprofen can make coronavirus symptoms worse.

"There is currently no scientific evidence establishing a link between ibuprofen and worsening of COVID‑19. EMA is monitoring the situation closely and will review any new information that becomes available on this issue in the context of the pandemic," the statement reads.

if you can - get a pulse ox machine from the drug store they are about 30-50 bucks., It monitors your pulse but also the oxygen in your blood so you can not freak out if you think you are out of breath or know when to go the doctor if your are low in oxygen in your blood.

Can I have your stuff?

How long does covid 19 last, if you come down with it?

OP if your symptoms have been going on for 11 (now 12) days it's doubtful you're going to get much worse, even if it is Covid19. So, if you think you can bear it just stay home and wait it out. If you're feeling better, with no fever, by the end of this week you're in the clear.

Last night and the night before, my upper chest felt congested and I had a ‘tickle’ in my throat that made me feel like I had to cough but I only coughed lightly a few times. I’ve had a steady bad headache, but that is normal for me.

Not normal at all for me: three days ago, I had digestive problems—rumbling, gurgling stomach, defecated three times in one day with loose stools. The next day my left eye was “juicy” and weeping all day, nonstop.

However, I have taken my temp regularly and it has been nowhere near fever territory. I just took it and it’s 96.1...my normal is 96.8, and it’s always lowest early in the morning.

I’m taking vitamins C and D and keeping my fingers crossed.

This is R23. Just a note: I always get severe spring allergies, always in March/April, and sometimes to the point of feeling like a bad cold or even fluish with a mild fever. So I am doing my best not to jump to conclusions.

r23 is correct. Most of the country has entered an early Spring with the accompanying probability of hay fever. I've had a mild runny nose for maybe three weeks now. Not bad enough to medicate of mistake for something more serious, just annoying.

I've had asthma and a mild cough for about 10 days. No fever, sore throat, headache or anosmia, but I'm still very anxious. Rationally I know that this is something I get quite frequently, but still, it's hard not to panic when you can't take a clean deep breath.

[quote]WHO is gathering further evidence on this issue before making a formal recommendation,

WHO also has refused to accept any data or information from Taiwan due to China's pressure. WHO also diagnoses AIDS in Africa based on symptoms alone in 99% of cases (sub-Sahara).

They are far to politicized to be of much help.

The WHO also removed "transgender" from its list of mental illnesses, a blatant political move pandering to cultural sensibilities.

The pollen count in Dallas has been in red every since this virus showed its ass in the US. I was practically bedridden for a day--achy, little cough, slight fever BUT no tightness in the chest, breathing issues or itchy throat. Took Allegra and Tylenol and felt better after two days

Back in November, there was a thread about some of us struggling with a persistent, dry cough for weeks. No fever.

Besides the cough, I had lost my sense of taste, but I had no runny nose, no nasal drip, but just a horrible cough. It started to go away mid-January, but there's still a persistent something left over. Only recently I got my sense of taste back, but every time I step outside (which is not often, obviously), I come home with a sore throat that last 24 hours.

I don't know if this is some wired version of the COVID19 because surely it's not seasonal allergies since November...

Sometimes I think maybe I've had this cvd since then...but who knows.

[quote]“Some doctors have been saying“....like “many people have said.”

R18 - Medical doctors are medical doctors, not just regular people. So they're not alike.

Also, what R27 said.

I have hay fever and currently I'm not sure if I should get a new inhaler because I would have to go to my doctor to get the prescription and to a pharmacy to buy the inhaler . Or if I should stay at home to see if I even need it .

R32, see if your doc will phone in the prescription and see if the pharmacy will deliver. My local CVS is offering free delivery and doctors are treating as many patients as possible virtually.

[quote]I've had something for the last week. I don't know what it is. No fever but a persistent cough and stuffy nose.

I have the same symptoms but this started back in November. It has made me paranoid and wondering if I am coming down with 19. It usually goes away when the weather warms up as it does around this time of the year.

Google how to make your phone into an oximeter. There should be an app. It will show you that despite discomfort your lungs are working. I know it's scary. Feel better soon

[quote]I had lost my sense of taste

Loss of taste and smell is a symptom of many respiratory illnesses.

What about just taking Aspirin?

If you're prone to anxiety attacks, get an oximeter NOW, costs be damned. In 10 seconds, it can unambiguously reassure you that your inability to breathe is just due to overbreathing, because your SpO2 will be 97-99%.

Otherwise, without reassuring objective measurements, your anxiety attacks will just reinforce themselves and get worse.

Had it, symptoms appeared March 5, first three days were awful, like a bad flu, then it just felt like a cold for another 5-6 days, it's been gone since. Never had breathing problems. I've had wicked insomnia since, though, but that's probably in part because I can't get my regular workout, so anxiety is increasing and insomnia with it.

Have had sinusitis for about 3 weeks. Kind of reassuring that it's likely not COVID related since it's been going on so long. Sinusitis is par for course as the seasons change and add in all the irritation from the disinfectant cleaners. I do check my temperature to be sure. Was prescribed antibiotics over the phone but am holding off to see if I can resolve this by more natural means. But another day or two and I'll give in.

I am self-quarantining only because I don't want to be infected by COVID while dealing with an existing illness.

The Samsung Health app measures oxygen levels--select Stress measurement. It also measures heart rate. Not entirely convinced of its accuracy but if you use it over a period of time, perhaps changes from the norm/baseline readings would be useful data.

Not sure if Samsung Health app works on non-Samsung phones? I have a S9 and it came bundled with the phone.

Samsung's app requires that the phone have a SpO2 sensor. Not all do. It's *not* using the camera sensor, though it might be part of the camera *module*.

Ahh, the old juicy eye.

r23- Some people are sensitive to large amounts of Vitamin C- it can give them gastrointestinal distress:

Try finding an oximeter locally.

Thanks for all the info and suggestions.

I am feeling much better. Fever is gone and though I still have a cough, it is less “violent” (can’t think of a better word for it).

I am anxious to have access to antibody test.

Yes, I am.

Don't miss "Cuomo Prime Time" at 9 p.m. on CNN, live from my basement.

I've had chills and a tickle in my throat for over a week now but no headache, cough or loss of taste. I have no idea if I'm still 'incubating' and it's suddenly going to explode and I won't be able to breathe, or if I've got some other infection, or what. I just want a test but here in the UK it's only available if you're on your death bed. It's almost a month since the great toilet roll panic and our government still seems to be surprised by it all. Fuck knows how they plan to implement Brexit when they can't even sort out developing or importing some testing kits.

OP, I’m still reading through this, but pack a “go-bag”. No, not with your Krugerrands. I was in an isolation unit once. Pack a bag now, in case you need to go to the hospital. Here’s what you’ll need:

Under ware. You can’t wash anything while you’re there. At least 5 pairs you’ll wear 10 days. You’ll be in a Hospital Johnny.

Socks. Ditto.

One extra pair of pants and shirt.

Mobile device(s) and charge cords.

Anything else? If you’re Xavier, pack a rosary.

Oh, meds. Surprise! Pack your daily meds, if you take anything.

Chris, I will quarantine with you!!

Thanks, Pierre. I did pack a “just in case” bag. Also added a toothbrush and toothpaste.

Great advice Pierre. I would also add toiletries. The hospital will provide basics but it is much nicer to have your own.

And seriously, if anyone has pets this is a good time to come up with a plan for their care.

Oh, I forgot about the toilet trees! It was thirteen years ago. That sounds like a good idea. I was in a room with an airlock, and so forth, and felt pampered. I think most hospitals don’t have those luxurious rooms available anymore due to overcrowding.

My sister on Long Island just had the flu, about a month ago, but the test showed it was only the A strain 🤒, despite having the vaccine. She said it was the worst flu of her life, 🤧 so I wonder, 🤔. I am proud to say that DataLounge taught me, and I taught her, to stock-up early! You guys may have saved my life and their lives, too! 😷

Toilet trees, lol

YES! Please make a plan for your pets. That has been my primary concern throughout my ordeal. I am lucky I have two friends on standby for this.

Do you have porn mags? Mom won’t like them; trash them!

OK, I am legit worried now. I don’t have a fever—my temp has been around 97 all week—but I had a scare today. I went for a walk in my neighborhood, which is hilly. Going uphill, I noticed my breathing was a little labored. I kept going and my chest felt tight, my heart was pounding and I felt like I was going to have an asthma attack. I had to “pull over” and rest to catch my breath before I could go on, slowly. That’s not normal for me. I have a slight ‘tickle’ in my throat and have been coughing just a little, shallowly.

I got home and took my temp and it was very low (95.5!) but came up to 97.5 after about 10 minutes. (I changed the battery in this thermometer two days ago.) That was a few hours ago. Now my throat feels a little dry/irritated and it hurts a tiny bit when I swallow. Basically, it feels like I am getting a cold. Still no fever. My chest feels congested.

I’ve had panic attacks before and it is possible I had one while walking. I’ll be 42 in May and I have an allergic autoimmune disorder and I have very bad spring allergies, always worst in April and May. So I am praying it’s that.

Three days ago, my left eye wept all day, and then it didn’t the next day. But the next day, I had loose stools (unusual for me) and I had three movements, which is also very unusual for me.

I am legit worried. I’m not sure what to do. I told several friends and they all said it’s anxiety. My sister told me to monitor my temperature.

My mother died two years ago, at 66, after being absolutely tortured with a breathing tube and forced air mask for almost two weeks. I’m having PTSD about it. I’m really scared I am going to end up in that situation.

R56 Yep, sounds like an anxiety attack. Don’t feel bad about it - this things is messing with all of us.

[quote] [R18] - Medical doctors are medical doctors, not just regular people. So they're not alike.

Asshole.

“Many people have said” is what Trump says when he’s making shit up.

“Sone doctors have said” is also made up shit,

There.....is....no....evidence...ANYWHERE....from ANYONE.....that ibuprofen makes symptoms worse.

If there are ........name them.

As in......NAMES of doctors who have said this, where they work & what research they are referring to. I gave you the names of the medical organizations that have said there is no evidence to show a negative relationship between NSAIDs & coronavirus.

Now you tell me who “some doctors” are.

you didnt mention fever, which I think is one of the real red flags so my guess its sinus related and not covid 19.

R58, I think it’s the same people as “they”, as in “they say”.

I’ve had a sore throat for a few weeks, but I’m positive it’s allergies now...I was nervous the first few days, but I didn’t have a fever or cough, or difficulty breathing. Going on the third week, I guess I’m ok?

R61 in the northeast, it’s definitely going to be a terrible allergy season.

Hugs to all, especially R56. A few nights ago, when I was at the worst, with a heating pad practically shoved up my ass and my teeth chattering, I was scared. My heart was beating so fast. I am so afraid of the ARDS possibility. I didn’t want to sleep because I was afraid I’d wake up not being able to breath. Not that I was going to fall asleep anyway with the chills, cough and headache. Finally took an Ativan and eventually fell asleep.

I’m still fearful. You’d be crazy not to be.

^ *breathe not breath

Is a literal runny nose a definitive NON-symptom of C19? I might be wrong, but I've gotten the impression so far that a runny nose (especially in the absence of a significant fever) is actually weak evidence that it's NOT C19, and is in fact something else.

R12 - the ACE inhibitor thing has been debunked. It doesn't make you more susceptible to severe symptoms. People need to stop getting their information off Facebook.

R65, I didn't get it off of Facebook myself, so can you link to the debunking? It's something I've been concerned about.

Yes, link please r65 to debunk it. I got the info from an EMT friend last week, Googled it and saw plenty of credible information linking it to severity of symptoms but no recommendations to stop taking it.

There are apparently a hundred different virus strains going around at this moment, which I assume is quite normal. If you're sick it's not necessarily COVID-19.

The hospital/medical group where I regularly see specialists and have had surgeries before sent out an email today with a questionnaire to help salve people's panic over this. It basically asked you to tick boxes of symptoms you've had, and there were only four from what I recall: Cough, high fever, runny nose, and shortness of breath. I have had post-nasal drip for a week now that has resulted in a slight sore throat that comes and goes, and occasionally triggers a slight cough to clear my throat of mucus. I checked the box for cough as it was the only symptom on their list that I had, and the result was unsurprisingly "it is unlikely you have COVID-19" and proceeded to list a number of other things it could be. The overall/end message was that, unless you have a high fever and shortness of breath, it's not likely you have it.

(R69) I have the same symptoms as you, but I think it might be allergies resulting in post-nasal drip and coughing.

I had some serious symptoms in December, I still wonder about that.

My suggestion R56 would be for you to unplug from ANYTHING having to do with the virus UNTIL there's some good news. I have anxiety and am taking my meds like a good boy, but every time I cough or even have the slightest bit of heartburn, an eyebrow goes up. However, I maintain BECAUSE I've unplugged--for the most part. I'll scan some headlines online, but will ONLY read articles if there's something new and hopeful about the virus. Unfortunately, your daily news consumption will be GREATLY reduced but AT LEAST you'll have some peace.

You can get pulse oximeters for way cheaper online.

You can still find pulse oximeters online at medical supply companies.

[quote]OP if your symptoms have been going on for 11 (now 12) days it's doubtful you're going to get much worse

No, NOT TRUE! Many have reported getting worse symptoms around days 10 through 12.

COVID-19 gets bad in phases, the first phase around days 5 through 8, the second around days 10 or 11 when viral shedding is at its peak.

[quote]the ACE inhibitor thing has been debunked

It has not. The connection, if any, remains unclear, but it has not been debunked.

These medical threads on Datalounge scare me. The people who are the angriest about "lack of knowledge" are invariably the ones posting falsehoods.

I hope everyone here knows better than to take DL advice and at least goes to search for verified information.

R66 - it was based on a hypothesis - a letter that it is something that should be monitored. Watch this - it's a bit complicated, but demonstrates that it is inconclusive. I shouldn't have said "debunked", but the bottom line appears to be that you shouldn't be fearful of taking your BP meds. I have seen other sources say the same thing.

A video from a place called "MedCram"?

I've been watching him since the start of the pandemic. He gives out good, science-based information.

R78 - as opposed to the millions of other things that people are reading or watching online? The caution is this - it's a theory based on a letter and not a study, and it's not something that's been tested. Don't stop taking your drugs, and don't stress about it. Many have said the exact same thing. Take the necessary precautions such as isolation or social distancing and you should be safe from Covid.

It's about drug interaction as I understand it. If you are taking some kind of steroid (sometimes prescribed for bronchitis or pneumonia or flu-ish stuff ) then also taking ibuprophen is not helpful and could cause harm. But if you're just taking the anti inflammatory ibuprophen you ought to OK. Nota problem. Just try to take as little as possible. Back when I had flu, I took it, but only one every 6 hours and if I could skip a does early in the day I did. Also took it with food. YOu don't take two every four hours, because if you already have problems with you stomach, or ulcers in the past, it could do some damage. But assuming you have no digestive tract issues, and you're not on steroids, you ought to be OK.

As for COVID-19, I've read (reliably) that you get the first stage, which generally includes aches, chills, fever and headache with dry cough within 14 days of exposure. This usually goes on for about 5-8 days before things get much worse. So if they're going to get bad that's when it'll happen. 5-8 days.

Now if you have gone for 10 days just feeling miserable, but no worse than you were, then the possibility of it getting much worse has passed. It seems that the people who are hospitalized usually (not always) happens within that 5-8 timeline.

Now it could definitely happen sooner, but usually if you pass 10 days feeling sick and miserable but you're breathing, you' won't need hospitalization. And be grateful. Because hospital situation is so fucked up, you really do not want to be in the hospital.

More on ACE inhibitors.

[quote]“Sone doctors have said” is also made up shit

Actually R58, at R11 I said "some medical doctors," referencing what I heard medical doctors state on the evening news the previous week - specifically the NBC Evening News and News12-NJ. (My post at R11 was written on the 16th.)

WHO originally recommended people avoid taking ibuprofen after French officials warned that anti-inflammatory drugs could worsen effects of the virus.

The rationale was that previous studies have shown people with other serious chest infections (such as pneumonia) experienced worse symptoms and prolonged illness after taking an NSAID, including ibuprofen.

[quote]Now you tell me who “some doctors” are.

I hope that answers your question.

For those of you talking about Tylenol and Advil, just remember that you should not take Tylenol more than the recommended dosage times. You can severely compromise your internal organs. Advil you can take a little more often than what they say because the prescription dose is much higher then the over-the-counter dose.

R83, Perhaps the Circumstances are different with Covid-19, but I've had a very bad case of Pneumonia before and taken Ibuprofen with no problem. In addition, I wad taking Fish oil at the time ( something that I've done for the last 10 yrs) and other than some light bruising experienced no other complications. But perhaps you/ the experts are referring to other forms of anti- inflammatories all- together.

[quote][R78] - as opposed to the millions of other things that people are reading or watching online?

"Others are watching utter lies and pure shit, so I don't need to post anything from a valid source" is not a real argument. Just FYI.

That said, if you'd just explained MedCram was meant for medical students who are "cramming" for tests, that would have explained the rather odd name. I believe in vetting sources but it would also be nice if sometimes people could briefly list who they're linking to and why, or even instead of saying "that guy" say it's Dr. Roger Seheult.

[quote] Advil you can take a little more often than what they say because the prescription dose is much higher then the over-the-counter dose.

The prescription dose for Advil (ibuprofen) is 800mg, which is four pills (each pill is 200mg, check bottle to make sure).

Continuing from R49, also in the “go-bag”, you might want to include a copy of your insurance card and your Long Term (Hospice) Care Insurance. I assume your medical proxy person probably does not know you have LTC insurance, if you do. After two decades of paying premiums, I don’t want to wind up in a crappy hospice facility, if I’m not able to communicate. .

I had it a month ago and I still get phantom symptoms like a light headache for a day (which I never get), stuffy symptoms (but they go away). I'm fine but a couple times I've woke-up with a sweaty shirt. Sometimes I get a sour stomach, or feel real tired and have to take a nap. Again, these are things I don't get normally.

I kicked It out, but It keeps rattling the door handle.

Do these "rattles" follow re-exposure do you think, R89, say after a trip to the supermarket?

Add ear plugs or some other noise-cancelling device to your hospital bag!

I have a burning in my chest but I think it’s GERD. I ran out of Omeprazole & when I tried to order it from Costco it was sold out. I ordered Nexxium today from Costco, which I hated doing because it’s 2x the price as omeprazole for the same medication. Even that is back ordered. Still, at least they seem like they know they will be getting it back in while they don’t say anything about getting more omeprazole.

My mouth & lips taste like metal.

Are you taking too many magnesium and zinc supplements, R92? Too much metal can cause ringing in the ears and other symptoms.

People stop!!! We're all fine. I'm 62 and I got yelled at by my younger sister today because I mentioned I'dgone to target last thursday. Sheeesh. I wore mask, gloves and stayed away from the three people in the store. I was there all of 15 minutes to pick up furnace filters. "Ohh nooo! You should stay inside and DO NOT go to any stores. If you need something your nephew will pick it up for you and drop it off at your door." My nephew is a pig. I'd have to spray him with Clorox if he came near my door.

I know two people whose father in law (in both cases) has it. Or had it. One died last night. The other has been in the ICU for 10 days and he has cardiac failure that has stabilized and pneumonia. He’s intubated.

Thanks for all your replies, guys. Just found out today, my boss who is on the same floor and sits near me had it (he was tested), so I guess I did have. Yes, I work in NYC.

But I am feeling almost completely better; the only thing is I still cough so violently my asshole hurts.

Best wishes for your recovery, OP. Hang tight.

friend's father was just admitted to a hospital in Michigan. Pneumonia. It's pretty sure it's corona.

R92 try drinking ginger tea or apple cider vinegar. If you go the ginger route, I would advise getting it in powder form from one of those hippie places. Both are potent--IMO--so watch your dosage but they'll work you over good.

R92 I just read that the FDA recalled all those meds. There is an ingredient they believe is a carcinogen and it accumulates over time. I while ago they left them on the market saying it was not a problem, but have now reversed that andare pulling them, that's why you can't find it.

I was sickish back at the end of February, first week in March and I had pressure in my head, and a ticklish throat, but no dry cough or fever. I did have a stiff neck ear pain, and seemed like swollen glands. Very tired, lept a lot for a few days, but it was gone by day 11. So was it just a sinus infection as I believed, or aversion of COVID-19. I say sinuses. But I pray that maybe it was a mild version. They say if you had it you're immune from getting it again.

I’ve had a low grade fever for the past two weeks with periods of breathing difficulty. Tested for COVID on Monday and got positive result finding yesterday morning. Am taking Tylenol to combat spikes in fever, drinking a lot of fluids, taking decongestant cough syrup, using albuterol inhaler when gasping for air, and taking clonozepam to deal with the anxiety and fear. Overwhelming!

[R102] Keep checking in. I hope you recover soon.

Interesting piece about how the weird anti-ibuprofen campaign started.

R102 please keep us posted. Sending you lots of positive Karma! One thing I've read, or at least the general consensus seems to be that the worst of it should be over very soon if you have had symptoms for two weeks. From what I read the cycle works like for the first 5-8 days you feel feverish and sick ish, then if you're going to get worse it happens by the 8th day. If you can get through the first 10-12 days without a crisis, like not being able to breathe you will get through it without hospitalization. I'm praying you don't need to be hospitalized. I think even tho you feel terrible, the crisis phase is passing. Keep doing what you're doing. Tylenol for fever, hydrate, hydrate,hydrate, and rest. Try not to lay down flat. Prop yourself up wit a pillow or two.

[quote] [R92] I just read that the FDA recalled all those meds

No you didn't, cunt. Stop spreading lies.

Zantac (ranitidine) is the medication the FDA is concerned with. Omeprazole is a proton pump inhibitor, ranitidine is an H2 antagonist.

Datalounge is filled with such nasty cunts spreading lies about medicine & health care.

Listen you sick fuck, R106, I'm not a nasty cunt spreading lies. A lie is a deliberate untruth. I read an article about it this morning. I thought it explained why it was hard to find. I may have been mistaken about it, but I never deliberately set out to spread something untrue.

I am very glad you have better, more accurate information so you can correct it. My intent was never to mislead. Your tone indicates to me you need to be on some kind of medication, bcz your too damned hostile to people who genuinely mean no harm. There are all kinds of ways to correct something without being an asshole. But you may not be teachable.

You don't have to have every single known symptom to have Covid-19. Everyone's body is different.

Someday we'll all be tested and be surprised who has the antibodies to indicate they are a survivor.

R108 I am very anxious to have the antibody test.

Even after my illness, I still don’t know for sure if I’m “in the clear.”

Man, I am so glad I bought UVC sterilization cabinets (it was for work) before the shit hit the fan- I love putting in my phone, keys, cards, scissors, box opener and small items that were sent to me and zapping the crap out of them.

I'm worried that all of us will have to be infected at some point, because it's not going to go away. We can't even cure the common cold.

And Karlie Kushner Kloss can go fuck herself, too. I am legit done with Project Runway and Bravo for giving more money to this monstrous family.

The only place this person makes sense is as an undertaker in a movie who turns out to be a doll brought to life to commit unthinkable acts as an avatar for Satan himself.

Jared is Dorian Gray.

You'll be disappointed to learn that you didn't make me cry, mean jerkface at R112.

It's just pollen, that's all.

[quote] Jared is Dorian Gray.

Wasn't Dorian Gray handsome and charming?

I have been taking my temperature obsessively. Always 98.1-98.6. Had a bowl of hot tomato soup. My temp went up to 100 plus. Panic ensued. Waited a while, back to normal. I also suffer from allergies to tree pollen, for which I take 1 zyrtec each evening. Last night I started to sneeze, cough and had to blow my nose and put pillows behind my head. All is well, but I had trouble sleeping due to worrying. I resumed reading "Being Mortal" and convinced myself that I was not dying. So far so good. Those with allergies can exhibit symptoms similar to Covid19, which is disconcerting at best. I am driving myself crazy with worry. Went to the drugstore wearing a mask (yes I have some) and my glasses fogged up and I felt hot, hated the mask. Had to move it down. Also wore leather gloves. Went to the car, spritzed the steering wheel and everything visible, including the gloves) with pure rubbing alchohol (cheap and effective). I now have supplies for a week or so. I am sharing this to point out how one can become WAY too obsessive. Putting it into words has allowed me to realize that I am about to go round the bend!

R116. The pollen is BRUTAL this season. I've checked it every day and it's been off the charts and that routine has calmed me down. I don't check my fever--not that I'm opposed to it--but if I don't feel like I have a reason to do it, I won't. MOST importantly, I've unplugged from the news. I keep my morning Internet routine but I avoid the news. I'll only read threads with first-person experience. I think it's because I'm fascinated by HOW people think they got it as much as the effects.

Also, Jared Kushner is a humanoid.

In January I had what I thought was a terrible sinus infection and I was coughing constantly. In addition, my sense of taste was way off. Things tasted funny, way off or just bitter. My doctor said that certain antibody proteins can change your taste when fighting infection, but I was never tested for Corona. I took a good 6 weeks to finally feel better.

I should mention I flew to San Diego in January and got sick when I came home. Could I have had Corona?

r119

There was already a bad strain of the common cold going around since December. Taste is a key symptom in the common cold. It's far more likely you had that.

[quote]I'm worried that all of us will have to be infected at some point, because it's not going to go away. We can't even cure the common cold.

You're not wrong but there will be a tipping point where herd immunity takes over. Even with the Spanish Flu that spread as rapid, you didn't get near universal infection.

Viruses cannot survive by killing their hosts. That's a stupid evolutionary end. Yes, there are viruses that do this, they wipe out a population then go away.

What usually happens is the viruses mutate to a less variant form. This allows the host to live and keep spreading it.

Let's take a look at the Princess cruise ship. Twenty percent of people on it, tested positive for coronavirus and had NO symptoms. Another 20 had very mild symptoms they would've likely dismissed had it not been for the emergency..

This means that there is likely a very high level of people who have it and don't know. One of the reasons this type of coronavirus is spreading while SARS and MERS did not, was the latter two you had to be symptomatic to spread it.

The fact that Covid19 is "suddenly" appearing out of nowhere in nursing homes and jails is strong evidence (but not conclusive) of asymptomatic spreading.

The high death rate is doctors are NOT treating symptoms. If you have a little trouble breathing, that NEEDS TO BE TREATED. But doctors are telling people to go home. Well that is just stupid. All it means is people get worse and wind up on a ventilator. No, there are a lot of treatments for minor breathing trouble from steroids to asthma inhalers and so on..

Reading a few posters citing sinus infection and pressure. I have been dealing with sinus headaches since early March. No other symptoms though so I dismissed any odds of it being Covid. Hmmm.

Had a teladoc visit and was prescribed antibiotics. I have held off on them as I'm trying to resolve the pressure naturally (steam, hot tea, nasal washing). Also used Sudafed for a 3-4 days to relieve the pressure. It's definitely improved over the last week but still hanging around.

I almost think I might have caught it in Miami a few days before Christmas. For ~8 weeks every year (mid-November to January), I take Tamiflu & Ribavirin for prophylaxis, with Azithromycin to add if I get something that doesn't respond. Normally, it works brilliantly.

THIS past Christmas, it didn't. I developed a fever & cough on Christmas Eve, and started taking various combinations of ibuprofen, tylenol, and Aleve/naproxsyn with minimal success. Major fatigue, but no significant runny nose. Scratchy throat, but no sign of postnasal drip. Added azithromycin and prednisolone (the packs where you start with a high dose & quickly taper down over ~5 days), which if anything, made the coughing MORE frequent. It felt like pointless "dry" coughing that just erupted in fits out of the blue for no obvious reason. I added benzonatate for the cough, which (unsurprisingly) didn't seem do much (if anything).

It lasted about a week. The runny nose & post-nasal drip I expected never arrived... just constant fever that went between ~99F and 101F (I didn't lay off the tylenol/ibuprofen/Aleve until it finally went & stayed away for ~2 days). Mostly just tiredness, night sweats, and lots of pointless coughing.

Did anything I took make a difference? I have no idea. Tamiflu + Ribavirin obviously didn't prevent infection... but if what I had WAS C19, I honestly don't know whether I just had a mild case that was unaffected by all those meds, or whether whatever I had STAYED relatively mild just BECAUSE of them.

At the time, C19 didn't even have a proper name, and I was inclined to write it off as a weird cold (the one common respiratory infection Tamiflu + Ribavirin isn't known to do much for, though Ribavirin is still thought to weakly help with some colds).

I know Ribavirin was one of the originally-studied meds for C19 outside the US, but AFAIK it was never seriously studied IN the US (quite possibly because it's generally regarded as unsafe for pregnant women). My guess is that it didn't hurt, but if it did ANYTHING to help, it was only because I was taking it to begin with (200mg/day, increased to 2x/day on Christmas). Maybe it impaired the C19 enough to "flatten my own curve" so it was a steady annoyance rather than an explosive infection triggering a big cytokine backlash. Or maybe that would have happened regardless.

This is why I'm a big fan of open-label drug trials where you let millions of participants take as many or few meds as they like (no forced placebos), and just collect & log the relevant data (what & how much of any meds they took, daily PCR analysis, temperature readings, etc) then throw those millions of data points at a deep-learning algorithm to see whether it can discern a pattern. If you throw enough samples at it, you don't NEED to intentionally leave some participants blindly untreated, because they'll do it on their own (forgetting doses, stopping or never starting meds, etc). You just need a reliable way to monitor drug intake after the fact (like timestamped dried blood spots), because otherwise people will pretend to have been more compliant than they really were.

I'm sorry, OP.

Drink plenty of fluids and get tested as soon as you can.

If you call a doctor or health department, they will probably advise you to stay at home and maybe give you some treatment tips.

Again, there are a whole lot of bugs out there other than Covid. A significant majority of people who have been sick enough to be tested have tested negative.

A WSJ story yesterday suggested that 1 out of 3 negatives could be false, which could shift that narrative.

But the important point is to not think you are immune just because you were sick earlier this year. Follow all precautions.

This is R56. It’s been a couple of days since that post. I’ve had a consistent bad headache (not unusual for me) and a feeling of mild chest congestion and a mild cough for the past two days. I have not left my apartment since that scary walk.

I kind of feel like I probably caught it and have very mild symptoms, because something is off and it feels different than my typical seasonal allergies. But I also hope that this is COVID-19 and I lucked out with a very minor case of it. Because if that isn’t this, then I already have chest congestion and that probably would make me even more vulnerable. I’d like to get tested but I can definitely wait. I just want to know at this point if I have antibodies.

I have not had a fever at all. I have been going to the bathroom (“number two”) two to three times a day, which is not normal at all for me.

Yes masks help to some extent, but for someone like the poster whose relative with compromised lungs and still got it regardless of the mask, were they wearing safety glasses too? Because if you have it on your hands and touch your eyes, or there are infected droplets in the air being circulated in close quarters like an elevator and gets in your eyes, you'll still get it. It's how you get colds and other flus.

We're in the springtime allergy season now some of the symptoms of hay fever can be similar to COVID 19 symptoms which is why testing is so important.

If you swear a cotton mask, The Wash Post points out you must wash it every day! Neve ruse it again without washing. Otherwise, you will end up in worse shape than if you had not worn one.

R124, thank you! I feel much better. I just have a lingering cough now.

Anyone else turned insomniac? I’m wide awake, reading news stories with a fascinated dread. I need to get back into my Calm app routine!

I will say this, whether you have symptoms or not, whether you are sick or not. Stop watching the news shows. Seriously. They will drive you nuts. IMO CNN has done a very good job and they have kicked Trump's ass too. But all the desperate nurses and doctors, and the footage of refrigerator trucks, and the state and local officials, nd members of Congress, etc.etc.etc. and thankfully they also cover international news, but it will drive you nuts.

It will ramp up your anxiety levels until you feel like any minute you will DIE! I've started rationing myself. I've seen enough of Andrew Cuomo and Dr. Fauci, and all the rest, and I. Just. Can't. They said stay home. They said wash your hands. They said take aspirin and hydrate. Wear a mask if you go out. Fine. I get it.But I'm watching movies or binging on TV series, or reading a book, exercising, or cleaning out my drawers and other shit after my work day ends.

Has anyone recovered yet? What does that feel like? I’m on Day 11 and I don’t even know what I’m doing. Praying for peace.

Well, R32 tell us your symptoms. I want to know how the virus acts. What are the progressions of symptoms.

I haven’t watched news in weeks. My local Patch updates me a few times a day. I have t watched one press conference, not even Cuomo’s.

R132, You’re so right. I have so many projects around the apartment I want to do, cleaning, and I have a pile of books I’ve been wanting to read. Instead, I’m up at night, wide awake, unable to concentrate on a novel or show.

I live in NY and I guess it’s down to anxiety about the impending “apex.” The unknown.

Oops, I meant R131.

Someone said it really well, Jared looks like an undertaker big time for sure. That dead pan, resting bitch face is definitely it.

R131 has very good advice.

I started being unable to get out of bed in the morning.

Then I limited myself to 30 minutes of news each day, and I feel so much better.

My anxiety level tonight is beyond anything I’ve experienced since this started. Which is odd because I’m a low-key, roll with it kind of person. But I am in this panicked state because of what r131 references — the news.

And add to that, the numerous text exchanges with friends n family freaking out. And then my OCD need to keep watching Worldometer.

I think this week once work is done, I’m going to not text with anyone all weekend, and then at night no news. The only part I can’t quit is Cuomo. But I know I need to give up even Cuomo temporarily. He talked about this very topic today, how draining and depressing this all is, it’s just very difficult to process what’s happening. But he also tried to be hopeful by reminding us that this will end at some point, and that this situation puts into perspective what really matters in life.

I know tl;dr haha.

[quote]all the desperate nurses and doctors

R131, what exactly do you mean by this? Are you talking about desperate for PPE?

R140, They're featuring nurses and doctors who feel overwhelmed and who are telling their own experiences of treating people with corona, like the nurse who helped a dying mother say good bye to her kids on facetime... and the doctors who have no more ventilators, and the fucking healthcare workers who are on their 3rd shift with no relief.

It's just more than I can bear to watch hours of this kind of coverage interspersed with Trump's latest outrage. I have relatives who are keeping the news on 12-16 hours a day..."in case something happens..." Well the only thing happening is politicians talking, and the body count going up and graphics on the curve. I mean, this is not Operation Desert Storm.

If I'm going to get through this locked in my house, then I can't watch 16 hours of daily coverage. I especially cannot watch the politicians. and the people who are directly suffering and affected, make me feel helpless and angry. Chris Cuomo gave us some good advice.Stop looking at the numbers and worrying about the umbers because it is overwhelming. So I'm trying to do other things even learning online Yoga. Anything.

I’ve have a dry cough and some dizziness developing for a while. I’m don’t know what it is. I think it’s either allergies of some kind or something else. I’ve been so careful about coved, so fingers crossed!

I’ve been treated for arthritis in my spine since October (spinal shots) and they’ve not been very aggressive about it. I’ve put off further treatment until June, because of the health emergency taking priority, I think. My problem is that my coughs are extremely painful, in that the jostling aggravates the pain in my spine. I’m going to tough it out until June, and hope the cough goes away or the spinal pain does. I’m a little upset about the slow treatment plan, though.

I had chills, low grade fever and sore throat (comes and goes). Took a ton of emergen c, green tea and tylenol and it went away. Doubt it was Corona, but still scary shit! Stuff I used it ignore, freaks me out now😰

I think protesterone they give people who were intubated may cause more deaths.

progesterone

I'm covered in covid covfefe

If your fever isn't high..under 101, let your body fight off whatever you have...of course if you start to have problems breathing, get to a hospital asap

What does progesterone have to do with intubation?

Went tpbthe supermarket, can't believe how many people are wearing surgical masks. Where the fuck are they getting them? I ordered masks, they said "shipping in June" so I cancelled.

Masks are the new status symbol.

R149 a lot of the local NYC bodegas are selling them. I got a pack of 2 N95’s for $12 — each should last about a month, hopefully.

I have 2 N95 masks I use them when I go to any store I also have blue cloth masks which I wear when I go out for my daily walks.

They can be re-used if you bake them at 170 degrees f for 30 minutes, per the CDC. You can also steam the if you have a clothes steamer.

Three of my relatives tested positive. Two in the hospital on ventilators on Malaria drugs.

Every time I read these threads I start feeling like I'm having breathing problems.

I've been sick for a week, with low-grade fever, cough, pressure in chest, fatigue. My mental clarity is down. But it doesn't meet the "standards" so I haven't bothered to check with my MD, who is useless, or try to schedule a test, which I don't have the energy for. I know most people recover fine, but the lack of consistent norms here make it another case of "do it yourself" medicine.

So I'll let it go away or get bad enough to require an ambulance/ER call.

Thanks, American medical system.

So my husband’s friend who is 50 (works in a hospital) & was hospitalized for C19 is being released today but his 80 year old mother was just admitted.

I had tightness in my chest the other night. Took a few puffs from my kid's backup asthma pump (it is mine now) and it went away... I don't have asthma. I don't know if it was from too much coffee or anxiety or...but it freaked me out!

R158 We're in the height of hay fever season.

I got it at the exact same time as r123. What city are you in r123? I am in los angeles. Mine started with a sore throat and headache on the first day. The next day was fever, chills, body aches and a dry cough, those symptoms were constant for the next 7-10 days. I woke up every morning soaking wet from fever/chills. Coughed up blood a few mornings as well. I couldn't believe how tired I was and how much pain I was in. Every muscle and joint hurt, I was popping Aleve like there was no tomorrow. My headache seemingly never went away no matter how much Aleve I took, I resorted to smoking some weed just to be able to sleep. ( Yes I did realize that smoking weed was a bad idea at the time but I was desperate and unable to sleep.) I took tons of vitamin c , zinc and source naturals wellness formula everyday as well as plenty of fluids. It took two weeks to not feel sick anymore and another week or two to get my strength back. There were a couple days during the second week where I had to walk up stairs and it was the first time I noticed that I had any trouble breathing. I remember thinking how strange that was because I have been a pot smoker for 20 years and never felt like I had any trouble breathing before. I only noticed it if I had to do anything strenuous. At the time I thought I had a horrible case of the flu, so did everyone else I knew who came down with it at that time. In case anyone is wondering I am 39, overweight by about 20lbs and a pot head but no other underlying medical problems.

It freaks me out how sick Chris Cuomo is. Wtf. That guy is fit and healthy!

When will we get the antibody test?!

Cuomo is exaggerating for ratings. If he was that bad, he'd be too sick to broadcast.

Great - I've had a headache and some dizziness for a couple of hours now. This thing is turning me into a hypochondriac.

R162, Good point! Should we believe all the fever and hallucinations?!

R163 Hang in there. I think we’re all insomniac hypochondriacs now.

R164 - Personally, I WANT to see Chris Cuomo hallucinate live on TV. I want him to see snakes and elephants and rum cakes flying upside down and the raisins turning into demons.

THAT's must-see TV.

This is hideous. (Consider the source, but still...)

"Should we believe all the fever and hallucinations?!"

I had fever hallucinations with mine. It was a non-stop dialogue of highly technical, political and legal jargon there is no way I could have understood. But it seemed totally coherent. Every time I started to fall asleep it would start again as those pop-up dialogue bubbles you see in cartoon strips. I started to dread falling asleep because it was so boring and I hated it.

I refuse to read anything on Breitbart.

[quote]When will we get the antibody test?!

We did ~3,200 across three drive-through locations in Santa Clara County on Friday and Saturday — all volunteer donors who responded to an online survey. The test used was by United Biomedical, but Stanford has developed two of its own tests; one of which will be ready to go within the next week. I don't want to jinx things by saying the results of the weekend's tests will be released very, very soon, so I'll just say that they [italic]should[/italic] be released very, very soon.

In less positive news, San Miguel County in Colorado did one round of testing but then ran into major problems and yesterday put the second round on hold. They may not go forward with it at all. It was the same test as Stanford, but they used United Biomedical's lab whereas Stanford put its own med and grad students to work running the samples. Their lab is in NY and they're severely understaffed as well as dealing with PPE and other supply shortages. Of San Miguel's ~6,000 samples just over a quarter have been run. Last I heard, they're up to 10 positives and 26 indeterminates, which can be the result of more recent exposure as it takes several days to develop a detectable level of antibodies.

My brain is fried. Stanford used Premier Biotech's test, not United Biomedical.

Everything else stands.

R166 Breitbart is a right wing propaganda machine no better than Fox. Articles like this is to get your onto their site.

R171 oh, I know about breitbart. But it’s still so horrific. Really shook me.

OK, last night I had a terrifying experience. I’ve been feeling fine, except for a lingering dry cough. My boss keeps telling me to take easy but I haven’t been listening. Not that I’ve been doing anything good strenuous, but last night I did a couple of loads of laundry. Maybe it was watching Chris Cuomo Talking about being sick but I suddenly felt breathless and fatigued and lightheaded. I kept breathing but with each breath worried than I wouldn’t be able to take it fully. I took a shaky shower and got into bed and sat there, terrified, afraid to go to sleep. I put on a Bob Ross video and eventually fell asleep and woke up feeling OK. This situation is so fucked up.

R173: Been there! Same exact feeling.

R173 I’ve had similar. It may have been a panic attack. Take a break from the news and take it easy if you can.

Thanks, guys. I think you may be right - panic. It came back again today in the early afternoon.

I am gonna stop nonstop news absorption and stick with Bob Ross and Ting Ting ASMR videos.

OP, I went through the same pangs of anxiety. When this happens again, ask yourself (out loud) „What it my breathing is fine, and I‘m just feeling anxious?“

Sounds silly, but this little reaffirmation provides you a way out of the panic attack.

R159 this is the WORST hay fever season that I can remember. Every other day, I get jacked up and have to take an Allegra. GOD forbid, I walk out to get the fucking newspaper.

I'm so thankful I bought a $16 pulse oximeter from Amazon last month. Every time I feel like it's hard to breathe, I whip it out, confirm ~30 seconds later that I'm at 98-99%, and the chest tightness just magically goes away.

Tip: oximeters are hard to buy now, but lots of 4-5 year old Samsung Android phones have them, from the Galaxy Note 4 onwards. Check eBay, you might be able to find a cheap one going for $25-50. You also might know somebody with an old one in a drawer. No phone service necessary to use it, and you can still use it tethered to USB power if its battery is fucked.

R179 I bought one online on the advice of another poster, and never received it. I have to cancel the order and get a refund.

R166 -- if you post from Breitbart, you are giving Breitbart support, which means you're an asshole. Don't do it again. Or go to some freeper site and post there.

Someone upthread mentioned an iPhone app that is a pulse oximeter. Does anyone know what the specific app is?

What's on your IPOD, OP? We're asking you now so we don't have to make it up later.

(feel better)

My way of "avoiding" Covid19 is to to take my temp continuously and obsessively all day. Once it was high - oops - from hot tea! Another person mentioned the allergies being bad this year. They are indeed horrible here in the PNW. It has been like this for most of the time the coronavirus has been active. I am surviving this by taking Zyrtec laced with Benedryl as needed. My sleep pattern is bizarre and is now 3 or 4 am until 1 pm. I don't schedule anything for mornings. I would take a walk but the pollen is unbearable. I hate to seem whiny, but I am pleased for the health I do have.

Thanks R183. Kate Bush is on my iPod. She and Bob Ross are getting me thru this.

An update you didn’t ask for!

I feel completely better but have a nasty cough I didn’t get rid of. I had a “virtual” appt with my doctor and she suspected a secondary infection and prescribed Azithrimyacin (I’m sure I spelled that wrong). She didn’t have any COVID 19 tests, though.

So, I still don’t know what I have/had.

Glad to see, OP.

I am a little worried. I developed a dry cough sometime at the end of March. It’s completely dry and is slowly getting worse. I have no other symptoms for Covid-19. I can’t find anything about how long the Corona-cough is supposed to last. I’m hoping it’s less than 17 days, so that I can stop worrying about it and can just assume my cough is due to allergies, asthma, or maybe the common cold. Or Cancer, whatever.

I started coughing for the first time yesterday. It was a ticklish throat. Lots of sinus(hopefully) pressure. Felt light headed and dizzy-ish had a very restless night, took sudafed. Less pressure today, no cough, but sneezing. Now I do have some pressure today, and I blew my nose "productively." this morning, no stuffy nose, now. I think it's sinus and allergies. I'm hoping. I went grocery shopping with mask and gloves on Weds.

One thing. No matter how your feeling. Exercise. Seriously. Aerobic exercise. Walking running in place waving your arms kicking your legs. And then do push ups. Use the kitchen counter or a desk or WTF ever and do push ups. The second thing is drink fluids. Lots of fluids. Hot water with Lemon, Ginger tea, green tea, all kinds of clear broth. Avoid dairy and anything mucus producing.Red meat and white Rice, white flour, milk, ice cream, cheeses. Did you know you can make sprouts out of dried beans? Just put some in a jar, cover loosely with some kind of thin loosely woven cloth, and sit them in sunlight. !/4 cup with a little water. Easy.

[quote] if you feel something freaky in your throat, just drink lotsa water to flush it down to you stomach.

I can tell you with honesty this work! And will not make you pregnant.

Pierre / R187, if what the physicians on TV are saying is true, then some symptoms have proved to be and to progress differently than those that have been widely reported.

But consistently, I've heard physicians say, symptoms usually develop within 10 days of (suspected) time of contracting the infection. In many and probably most cases of symptomatic patients, the symptoms are relatively mild within the first seven to 10 days. Around the seven to 10-day mark, that's when the illness either tends to settle or else become very dangerous. And the danger seems to be related to individual immune system response. Based on this, a doctor I saw on TV recently suggested, it *may* be best (but more research is needed) to treat the actual viral infection within the first week, and then if the symptoms become severe during the 7-10 day range, to treat the patient with an immunosuppressant. This is because in some patients, the immune system creates a "cytokine storm," causing a cascade reaction of cytokine release that causes severe inflammation of the respiratory tract that interferes with the ability to breathe.

This is all based on an average of reports from treating physicians, and it's not settled yet.

If it is close to reality for most cases, then the progress of the disease would be:

Best outcome for infected person: Contracts disease on day 1, never experiences symptoms.

Good outcome for infected person: Contracts disease on day 1, experiences mild symptoms by day 10, experiences improved to no symptoms during days 11-30.

Worst-case scenario for infected person: Contracts disease on day 2, experiences mild to serious symptoms by day 10, and then between days 7 and 10 of symptom presentation, has great difficulty breathing and is intubated. Total time from infection to severe symptoms could be anywhere from a week to two and a half weeks.

Thanks, R190. This cough of mine has lasted more than 17 days, so, that makes it sound like I’m within a day of the longest period before the possible onset of severe symptoms.

I live alone so I packed a “go-bag” in case I get really sick, really quickly, and am too fatigued to pack a bag for the hospital then. I’ve always been very independent and never worried about being to sick to take care of myself. This virus, and the toll of many accumulated years makes me realize I might have to change my thinking in the future.

Yes, dear. But a diet Cranberry Canada Dry, a big bowl of Viet pho and some hot herbal tea set me straight.

Having a sore throat and some body pains. I just made some soup with tumeric, thyme and onion which eliminated all pains in my body last week.

I have heard that vitamin D, Vitamin C, B Complex and a multiple taken at least four times a week, help build immunity. Hot water with lemon juice flushes out toxins, green tea and fresh ginger tea also help with all that. Chicken broth, and no red meat or dairy. No white flour or white rice. Eat lightly. Vegetables, salads beans and chicken or fish. You need to exercise every day. YOu'll be fine.

R192, Dopefly, are you reading my mind? Except I have I blackberry ginger ale in front of me.

All 88 counties in Ohio now have reported Covid-19 cases. If the virus can get into some of those backwoods, rural, Podunk places- do you think you're going to escape it where you are?

R195, how does the blackberry Canada Dry version rate, up against Cranberry and the original? I like blackberry but I've never encountered it in a soft drink before.

The cranberry Ginger ale is incredibly tart and it bites back, but it does the job.

R197, I can just say that I like it. I switch it up with other colas, but I’ve been drinking if for a few years now.

I’m in Massachusetts, the other cranberry state. I understand that Wisconsin is another. But despite cranberries being native here, I haven’t seen the cranberry ginger ale.

Nobody knew there were so many Ohio counties, R196!

Crazy complications! Be safe out there, kids.

Holy shit, that is awful r200. Poor guy. There goes his career.

I think he has a bit more to worry about at the moment.

I had a terrible eczema outbreak on my chest last week and after a few days I wondered if it might be caused by some of the supplements I was taking. I was taking 3,000mg of vitamin C a day, a dose a doctor put me on for a while years ago while treating an illness and so I figured it would be OK. Anyway, I cut out the vitamin C and two days later the rash is almost gone.

I have an autoimmune disorder that makes my immune system overactive, occasionally flooding my body with histamine and cytokines, and so this may be particular to my body. But do be careful with supplements, even some vitamins.

[quote] I have an autoimmune disorder that makes my immune system overactive, occasionally flooding my body with histamine and cytokines, and so this may be particular to my body. But do be careful with supplements, even some vitamins.

I'm worried I have this lurking within me. I get bad patches of itchy bumps on my fingers from time to time, and after I finished chemo a few years back, my immune system came roaring back and caused my body to become allergic to itself. I developed all sorts of issues with swollen lips and tongue and hives everywhere. I had to go on a year of monthly injections of something called xolair to calm my immune system down. And a decade or so before that, I had a period where I was suddenly allergic to all sorts of things and it caused my respiratory system to go into shock. It went on for a year before it was properly diagnosed, and I had to do a year of allergy shots. So I am terrified of catching this because I have a feeling I won't be one of the asymptomatic ones.

R204 I developed mast cell activation disorder, also called mast cell activation syndrome—MCAS or MCAD—while I had undiagnosed Lyme disease for years. The Lyme got really bad but it responded to extended antibiotic treatment. The mast cell disorder seems to be permanent, although it responds fairly well to high doses of over the counter antihistamines.

Research about this sort of autoimmune disease process is still pretty scant, but it is looking like they can be catalyzed by illnesses that traumatize and confuse the immune system. The treatment I had for Lyme is referred to in some medical literature as “antimicrobial chemotherapy.” I would bet chemo can catalyze similar problems.

You might consider reading up on mast cell disorders. And you could ask your doctor to test your tryptase level as well as your c4a and c3a immune system complements. All are straightforward, uncomplicated blood tests but they are rarely ordered and usually not considered by general practitioners. If the blood complements are off, then that indicates a problem with your immune system. If your tryptase level is high and within a particular range, then that is a strong indicator that you have a mast cell activation disorder. If you do, not a whole lot can be done about it at this time other than taking antihistamines to control inflammation and to prevent anaphylaxis. But you would also know to carry an epi pen. If your tongue or lips are really swelling up, then you could be at risk of suffocation should the swelling carry to your throat. You don’t want to risk that. My left arm swelled up to twice its size when I tried to work out and ignored the hives and coughing and runny nose that began. It was terrifying.

Thank you, R205. When I was taking the xolair (or actually before it, when they were trying other things to reduce the hives and reactions) they gave me a prescription for an epi pen and I carried it everywhere. Never needed it and eventually it expired and I never got another one. The next time I visit my oncologist, I will ask for those tests. I'm doing thrice yearly blood tests for the first five years after cancer. Jotting them down now.

R206 No problem. I think COVID-19 has made people a little bit more aware that physicians often don’t really understand things and just do their best to figure them out, and they fail patients pretty often, but not because they want to. They just don’t know everything and are busy or don’t want to admit it.

My mother died in the most devastating way at age 66. She basically died from malnourishment that led to opportunistic infections and internal bleeding and then organ failure. It was an unbelievable nightmare. She had diarrhea literally for years and doctors just totally failed her. First it was IBS—take immodium. Every time my dad took her to the ER, they sent her home and told her to take immodium. Even at 95 pounds. And then at 86 pounds. And then it was C. Diff. superbug—antibiotics and a fecal microbiota transplant. And then they said no, that was a false positive. Then they yelled at my dad for allowing her to become malnourished (!!!!) the last time she was admitted and in the ICU they diagnosed her with an exotic parasite and put her in isolation and then after two days said no, false positive. It was insane. First doctors failed her because they did not take her seriously and didn’t try. And then they failed her by trying everything and never figuring anything out.

I went through years of torture before I was diagnosed with Lyme disease and that was confusing and disturbing because there’s this weird popular bias against it that makes people, including some doctors, believe it’s not real. It’s an infectious disease! Anyway, I recovered from it but it took many years and a lot of money and I had to get over feeling like people thought I might be crazy and take my fate into my own hands. It paid off. This mast cell thing is a major nuisance but I don’t have electrical shock nerve pains or nails-in-joints pains and I’m not partially paralyzed as I was for a short time in my 30s—so it’s a success in the end.

Doctors are overwhelmed, they don’t know everything, they have big egos and don’t like to admit they can be wrong, and they are very busy and overcommitted and don’t like complicated diagnostic cases because they are time consuming and sometimes never reconciled. If you have a health mystery of any kind, you do need to be persistent and advocate on your own behalf.

I've had a fever and have been violently coughing for more than a week. But at least I got to go to the beach today.

R208 If you sneeze into the water, it makes everyone immune.

Completely agree R207. Happened to me twice, in both the situations I mentioned above. First with the allergies, the doctors couldn't diagnose it so they told me it was all in my head. I was suddenly allergic to things like wood and scents and other things that never bothered me. it took me 15 months and more than half a dozen doctors until i coincidentally was referred to the doctor who was able to diagnose and treat me.

And then with the cancer, I was misdiagnosed three times, told it was definitely NOT cancer and was finally told- we don't know what it is, but there's nothing else we can do. I decided, even though I was too young, to get a colonoscopy, which was never suggested to me. I wasn't suspecting cancer, just trying to get rid of the pain which had then shifted to constipation, which I took to be a blockage of some type. It was colon cancer, and by that time Stage 3B. If I would have listened to the doctors, I'd probably be dead by now. Which is not to say I know more than a doctor about the human body, but I do know more about my body and how it acts and reacts than a doctor who spends 10 minutes with me.

R210 That’s what my mom always told me: you know your body better than any doctor. Just keep going to doctors until you find one who will listen.

She didn’t get regular gynecological exams when she was a young mother and then when I was 18 she told my dad that something was wrong and she needed to find a gynecologist. He asked what symptoms she was having and she said none, except that her body isn’t right and she needs to get an exam. She had cervical cancer, at a very early stage, and ended up having a full radical hysterectomy. So she got lectures from all of us and from doctors about getting needed exams and she was always confident that she knows her body and knows when it needs medical attention.

My sister in law in Connecticut had it, as did my cousin in law in Philadelphia. Both seem fine, now. I’ve had a dry Coronacough for about 21+ days. I have no idea what that is, if it really is a Coronacough or not.

I have had a very mild sore throat for the last 4 days. Today it started going away.

I believe it's COVID-19 because my roommate works with 2 people who tested positive and 25 people in his building who tested positive.

I believe we are mild and asymptomatic carriers. I will not get tested until the sore throat goes completely away.

I've been sneezing a lot today, have had sinus pressure off and on for the past three or four days, and now tonight I'm feeling the sunis pressure again, and the tickle in my throat the usually precedes a soar throat. A bit of mucus drainage, etc. But no fever, or constant dry cough.

I had a weird sore throat in January. No other symptoms. I take OTC allergy medicine daily but it had no effect on the sore throat. I've been wondering if I was exposed.

R214 here. If I take Sudafed I feel better and my sinus pressure gets better. A friend told me if it was COVID19 the Sudafed wouldn't work. I mean I can go for several days feeling just fine, but then the allergies and sinuses kick in. It's the season for it.

This covid outbreak during Spring allergy season is making many of us crazy. My allergy symptoms are on overdrive lately. I'm 99% convinced I had a mild case of covid in February. This has been nuts mentally.

Stay healthy, everyone

I’m in the second to last day of my antibiotic and my cough is finally going. I think.

Thanks, all, for listening.

R213. Good luck getting approved to be tested. You don't get to waste a test because you have/had a sore throat. It's spring. Everyone has a sore throat, runny nose, etc.

[quote] A friend told me if it was COVID19 the Sudafed wouldn't work.

Well if a friend of an anonymous forum poster said it was true, it must be true.

I wonder if anyone in Amish Country has come down with COVID-19. I understand there are more Amish in OH than PA. Anyone know?

My sinuses are inflamed, and I have a scratchy tickle. I felt bad last night, but much better this morning. Sudafed helped, but I have to do something because this is pissing me off and making me anxious.

A friend of mine's had it for going on two weeks. Fatigue, joint aches, low grade fever. If more people knew what a "mild case" feels like they'd probably be more careful. Oh, and add to that the possibility that you could at any time develop blood clots or acute respiratory distress syndrome and either not make it to the hospital in time or be told by some overworked triage manager "I don't think you're that bad, go home."

I've been waking up every morning for weeks feeling "unwell", with lightly runny nose & occasional hint of a scratchy throat. It usually goes away by mid-day, but comes back every evening.

I know it's probably an allergy, but I wish I could get fucking tested to either confirm or eliminate c19 as a possibility. As far as I can tell locally (S. Florida), the authorities are still picky about whom they'll allow to be tested. Some random individuals have now been screened, but deliberately getting tested appears to still be hard.

I wish the fucking FDA would approve an at-home test already (god knows, there are plenty already available in other countries) so Amazon could sell them to anyone with a credit card & free us from the tyranny of official scarcity imposed by making testing available only from "the local authorities".

I went to the office on Wednesday and went grocery shopping afterwards. I had a sore throat all day yesterday, but today it feels better after taking supplements drinking tea and sleeping well last night. Does your immune system weaken after you've been isolated from other people for long periods?

R225, I'm not sure, but it's my unscientific theory that if you've been in a closed environment consistently for days and days or weeks, and then you go outside in prime allergy season, I would think the change in environment and air quality, etc would cause you to react. I've3 decided to sit in the sun in the window in the morning and start taking my vitamins more often. Also switched from my daily green tea, to black tea because someone said it boosts the immune system. I also have fresh ginger so I'm going to be making Ginger Tea. So easy. You pee ginger. You put it in a pan of water. YOu do a slow boil/simmer and about ten minutes and you have ginger tea.

Well one thing is true. Look to see which foods are inflammatory. Yes. Because Tumeric can help and changing your diet helps. Im talking about sore joints, etc. Whether you have the flu or not, make sure you are taking something natural that has anti inflammatory properties, and watch your diet. Seriously. Also eat lots of green leafy vegetables & salads. Helps with blood clots.

[quote] I'm going to be making Ginger Tea. So easy. You pee ginger. You put it in a pan of water. YOu do a slow boil/simmer and about ten minutes and you have ginger tea.

So you have to pee ginger to make ginger tea?

R228 Yes, and once you pee the ginger, boil it and drink it, you’re able to pee it and start all over again. The ultimate sustainable diet.

Does anyone want to pee ON a ginger?

OK, smart asses. Before you do anything to the ginger...PEEL it.

Well this is terrifying! Doctors are warning that they are encountering a growing number of people in their 30s and 40s who test positive for covid-19 (usually with mild symptoms only) who seemingly recover with no complications, only to drop dead of a LVO stroke a short time later. LVO strokes are rarely observed in this age group. Many researchers suspect strokes in novel coronavirus patients may be a direct consequence of blood problems that are producing clots all over some people’s bodies.

Did you just wake up from hibernation, R232? We've been talking about this all week.

R233 I think R232's post beared repeating anyway. I for one didn't seem to get that point yet either.

If I find out that I was already infected and have been immune for some time, I'm going to be pissed.

If you're so concerned r232, eat lots of almonds, cherries, salmon or take EFA supplements to thin out your blood if you get sick and recover. They all thin out your blood. I learned by mistake- got an injection and wouldn't stop bleeding.

OP, just checking in - is your cough finally all better?

I've posted before about having a"sinus head ache," ear ache pressure in my head sometimes even a stiff neck, mostly on one side, but the headache sometimes goes across the bridge of my nose, and below my eyes. When I massage I can feel the soreness. It's even bothering my teeth. I'm also having some drainage in my throat and now my slight cough, which doesn't happen except during the night and maybe once a day, has change to a deeper dry cough. No fever, no constant hacking cough, just my head. And not really a head ache so much as feeling stuffed and the pressure. I think it's an infection but I couldn't get an appointment at my doctor until May 5th. Meanwhile I take the Sudafed at night and it helps but not as much as I wish it did.

R224

If anything, this virus has exposed incompetence at every level of government bureaucracy.

The FDA needs to be abolished.

R239 Have you noticed that CNN, NYT, Washington Post and other media outlets are citing epidemiological data from Johns Hopkins? Where the hell is the CDC? Today I got an announcement that the National Governors Association and state officials developed a COVID-19 “roadmap” using data and guidance from Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland. No mention of CDC—responsible for epidemiology, disease control and prevention. It’s like the agency just—POOF!—disappeared like a mirage. The director has spoken a couple of times for a couple of minutes during White House briefings. Otherwise, nothing. NIH (Fauci) is *not* supposed to be tasked with on the ground disease control. It’s a research organization.

The CDC fucked up bad. That's hard to forget so soon.

The head CDC guy broke with Trump a couple of times recently. And Trump has decimated the staffing there, cut funding, e tc. It's really tragic and despicable what he has done to it. Of course there's an article about the erasure of the CDC as part of the Koch brothers' plan going back decades. They're the ones who wanted to eliminate the post office too. Will someone please tell Trump all those checks with his name on them that weren't direct deposit, were mailed through the USPS?

I have a cough, so I guess this is it. The only two symptoms the CDC now lists are a dry cough and tiredness.

Fever has been moved a rung lower, to most people but not all people will have, along with aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose., sore throat.

some good news

r244

Everyone knows about those macaques and they have HIV...

I'm going to bump this thread because some people in the freakout threads have posted some bad post effects after recovering from contracting this virus.

[Quote] Apologies if there is a thread - I did search.

No need to apologize. Should you do a search? Sure. Don't empower these hall monitor trolls though by apologizing.

Covid is that thing still around?

I have a friend whose sister had it, and that was in early April. She caught in Vegas. She is still not back to normal. She never was in the hospital, but her symptoms never fully went away. Fever comes and goes, headaches come and go, shortness of breath, and sleeps a lot more. severe joint pain. She's in her 30's.

So yesterday I had to get a follow up CT of the chest. Back in May my hematologist ordered a CT because I’ve been diagnosed with emphysema (the pulmonologist didn’t bother to order a chest CT. He just said “You have emphysema based on pulmonary function tests. The only treatment is this inhalant. See you in 3 months.”)

The CT in May showed inflammation & consolidation (which usually means pneumonia). My GP gave me antibiotics. I called my hematologist & told them the CT report said i should have a follow up CT 8 weeks after treatment. He said ok & ordered the CT.

So yesterday I had the flow up CT & asked for a CD of the CT. As I was waiting for the CD, someone in waiting area said “Come here you guys” and they all went to a phone and there was a guy on speaker telling them one of their coworkers has Covid. They all flipped out. One said “My daughter is getting married in less that 21 days!” The guy said he was calling testing sites to see if they could take all of the workers later that day and test them. Even then, they’ll have to wait for results. “Are we supposed to quarantine? Are we not allowed to come to work? What about our families?”

The tech came out & gave me the CD and I had to leave. I don’t know whatever happened next, but I do know I took a pen from one of them to fill out a form & then touched my phone to read the news. I didn’t disinfect after using the pen because there was no sanitizer in the area where I had to sit & wait to be called. I sanitized my hands when I went inside to get the CT. I also sanitized my hands in my car. But it wasn’t until last night that I realized I hadn’t sanitized my phone. So I’ve been exposed to people who were exposed. My husband told me it’s the same chain of cancer & radiology clinic where his mother swears his brother caught Covid. He died of it.

I had it - medium case. Scary symptoms lasted 2 weeks, sporadic symptoms for a week and pretty much back to normal after 4 weeks. 55, moderate health, not a gym goer but not a smoker or obese. Yet I know 3 people who have died of it under 55 - scarily unpredictable.

What was the point of this?

Describe your symptoms from start to finish, please. Those that tested positive.