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Omicron and Me
Well, it finally happened. Two years on, inexorably and inevitably, I caught the ‘rona. It’s hardly surprising, really, since I have been going about my business, carefully, but pretty much normally from the start, as have most of my family, my friends, my neighbors, and my own little corner of the world. I had both the original Pfizer shots, late last Spring. I’m not “boosted,” as I don’t subscribe to the idea that showing up every few months for another shot will do anything other than–over the course of time–make me even more susceptible to new variants increasingly clever enough to evade them.
And anyway, I heard Dr. Fauci say that–sooner or later–everyone would get Omicron. So there.
I’m 67 years old. I’m in pretty good health, although I could stand to lose just a few pounds. I don’t have any of the commonly cited co-morbidities, and other than a diagnosis of early sarcoid in my lungs and lymph nodes over 30 years ago (which is monitored and buys me an annual chest CT scan to look at problem areas), I’m the picture of what the Victorians used to call “rude health.”
So I’ve banked on the fact that if Coronavirus ever caught up with me, I’d survive it. And, by gum, I think I have! So far, anyway.
I do want to issue a heads-up, though. Even the “mild” Omicron variant is not a day at the park for those of us of a certain age. It’s pretty vicious. And although we can argue about the safety and benefits of the initial rounds of shots (something I’m just not going to do here), I’m glad I had them. If you come down with a case, take it seriously. Follow your doctor’s advice. And take care of yourself.
As I bear down on the end of my second week in purdah, I thought I’d offer an update, so that those of you who care know I’m still alive and kicking, and so that those of you who’ve written me off don’t get too comfortable in your certainty. None of what I write (now that I actually have an interest in writing something again) should be considered definitive medical advice. I’m just telling you what I did to get through it, and what has worked for me.
The Beginning:
I caught it from a guest in my home. No blame attaches to him. He didn’t know, and neither did I, but once two of his sons (one, a PA state cop, the other in nursing school) were tested and found positive, the die was cast. The first sign for me was excruciating joint pain, which–absent any other symptoms–lasted about a day, and was then accompanied by chills, then a fever, for another two days.
(Side note: I’m famous, at my doctor’s office, for being the woman who never spikes a fever. Never. Ever. My temperature is 97.5 at all times, and hasn’t varied for decades, no matter what else is going on. Same with blood pressure, which is about 100/65, no matter what. So one day into this, when my temperature was 101, and my blood pressure was 130/80, I knew something was up. Thankfully, my pulse oximeter showed good oxygenation. TBC, between the veterinary/livestock needs, and Mr. She’s last illness, I’m pretty well-acquainted with how to monitor vital signs, what I should consider a problem, and when I should start to worry.)
I retired to bed, feeling utterly miserable. Thought, for about 36 hours, that I might be destined for the morgue. Notified friends and family. Dismissed pleas that I go and be tested: What the hell for? Sit in a room for hours with dozens of people probably sicker than me, or in a parade of cars at a drive-through testing location breathing in petrol fumes, to find out–what, exactly? That I had what I knew I had? No, thank you.
Slept. Didn’t eat. Remembered to stay well hydrated. Waited it out. Called my doctor’s office at some point just to put them on notice. They said I seemed to be doing the right things, and to keep up the good work.
About 72 hours in, the fever and the aches abated. Still didn’t have much appetite. I’d been taking a Nyquil knock-off with “fever-reducer, cough-suppressant, and antihistamine,” which probably made me feel even more out of it than I would otherwise. Switched to a straight cough-suppressant, since that was now the most annoying symptom, and which had resulted in chest pain from the racking cough. Used copious amounts of saline nasal spray, something I’m prone to do anyway to mitigate a tendency to sinusitis.
At this point, my brain started to reassert itself, and I found myself thinking about comforting unguents and palliative medicines from my childhood. (Tea and coffee were, at this point, sheer anathema.) Onion soup. Ginger and lemon which (fortunately) can usually be found in my refrigerator. Made a syrup from 1 cup of sugar, one cup of water, and one cup of thinly sliced fresh ginger root. Simmer for 20 minutes. Let steep for an hour. Strain. 2 tablespoons accompanied by 1/2 freshly-squeezed lemon, in 8oz of hot water. Did more to clear out my bronchial passages and quiet my cough than just about anything else. Still drinking 3-4 cups of that a day. Listened to friends with (sometimes) helpful advice. (Sometimes) even took it.
The Middle:
This started about four days in, by which time my cough had become bearable, my temperature and blood pressure were normal, and other than an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion and strain, I felt pretty OK. (Sheep and chickens don’t care about overwhelming feelings of exhaustion and strain, and still have to be fed and watered. I suspect such factors contribute to overwhelming feelings of exhaustion and strain for me, just as other sorts of unignorable factors do the same for others. Do what you must. And not much else.)
And so, for the last week, I’ve done almost nothing (except what’s absolutely necessary for the aforementioned sheep and chickens). Every day, I’m a little better, I have less of a cough, and I have (very) slightly more energy. Why, yesterday, I even wired two new electrical circuits! (Something which, a week ago, I wouldn’t have had the physical, let alone the mental, capacity to accomplish.) Little by little, I’m coming back. And today, for the first time in almost two weeks, I feel like writing. I’ve read that full recovery can take from three to six weeks, if you’re of a certain age and you get a pretty good dose of this. I believe it.
And I’d like to issue a special shoutout to friends and family who’ve sent me stuff, regularly checked in on me (sometimes, too regularly), and who’ve dropped off meals and supplies on the other side of my driveway gates (which function like the medieval plague crosses of old). Thank you, all! You’ve kept me going when I wasn’t sure I could. And so here I still am.
The End:
No, it hasn’t come yet. And I’m not expecting it to. Sorry.
To close, I look again to my childhood, and to one of my mother’s favorite songs from hers (also, apparently, beloved of George Orwell):
Don’t count me out. Just yet, anyway.
To fellow sufferers everywhere: Take care of yourselves. Let others take care of you. And do everything you need to, to get well. Prayers.
Published in General
Everybody gets it.
Some twice.
Mrs Nohaaj also got the OhMyGawdTM variant two weeks ago, I followed about three days later. We are both on the mend, with some lingering fatigue and mild congestion. Thank G-D we never had the poke, our symptoms could have been so much worse…
Glad you are on the mend, and you won’t lie down.
Oh my gosh, She! I’m so sorry to hear that you’ve been so sick. It does sound awful. But I’m also glad you’re on the path of healing. Take good care and sending prayers your way.
Glad to hear you’re doing well, She.
And you are absolutely correct that everyone will get it. The sooner, the better. But once that happens, we have to be willing to let it go. Stop testing, stop obsessing. Plan on getting sick just about as often as we’ve always gotten sick for our entire lives… And deal with it the way we always have!
Now you have natural immunity! Huzzah! My bout last November was a short bout with terrible conjunctivitis drops couldn’t touch. Turns out, I had eye Covid. It came with a persistent headache, a little fever and a general lack of vigor. I was better after about 5 of 6 days, but stayed secluded for the required 10 days. Boring! The albino eyes took a good month to completely clear back to blue. Passed the ‘Rona to my wife and youngest daughter. My wife, who has issues, was able to get monoclonal antibody treatment early on and skated through with little more than a dry cough. The daughter (26) barely had symptoms.
So, it’s not the flu. It’s not a cold. It’s its own thing and not pleasant, but tolerable and not much of a threat to those not already sick, and even then, with care, not fatal.
Glad you’re back.
I had it the first week of this month. Noticed a sore throat and some mucus-y stuff on Monday, my throat felt worse on Tuesday, and Tuesday night I could barely sleep. On Wednesday morning I called our medical practice, which has switched its “open door” public walk-in clinic to a “clients-only” upper respiratory clinic.
I got a mid-afternoon appointment, and was tested for Covid, flu and strep throat. Got a positive Covid test, and the doc told me I’d have a cough the next two days, but just rest, get plenty of fluids, and take Tylenol or Ibuprofen for the sore throat. I was in and out in 45 minutes. The next day I had a headache and stuffy sinuses, but never got a cough. I was fine by Saturday, so basically a 5-day cold with the first and last days being very mild symptoms. She also said if my wife gets sick, just assume it’s Covid and don’t bother to get tested (she didn’t get sick).
I had the Pfizer vaccines and one booster, but I’m not getting any more.
Thanks. I can’t be sure I didn’t have at least a glancing acquaintance with it last winter (2020-2021) when I got something that the childhood UK me would have described as “chilblains,” and which I saw described in some forums as “Covid Toes.” OMG. Shades of British boarding schools where all the children had them, year in and year out. In all my years in the United States (over half a century’s worth), I’ve never had them here. And yet, then, I did.
Excellent job of taking care of yourself.
Both my wife and I have been in contact with Wuhan Virus patients every week since this started without catching it (as far as we know). My wife credits swimming every with keeping her upper respiratory system clean. I have no idea why I’ve been so lucky.
My classic hot toddy is to mix equal parts rum/whiskey, honey and lemon juice in a cup or mug. Add a dash of red pepper flakes and pour boiling water over the mixture. Drink it down as fast as you can. That’ll help your cough, at least.
This also sounds good.
Well even the big O sounds dreadful – exactly what my brother described over a year ago even before D. Really glad you’re getting over it now. I do appreciate all the descriptions we’re getting from those who have succumbed (to the virus!) so that I will know when I eventually get it. I do believe that we all will get it eventually – even those who are double masked, vaxed, etc. However….I haven’t even had the flu in over 20 years and I don’t get a flu shot either. Maybe it’s the hydroxychloroquine I’ve been taking for years.
Glad that you are recovering she. I noticed the lack of posts, but hoped that happier life circumstances were the reason. I had a bad cold over Christmas and New Year, which might have been COVID. I had a cough that made my ribs ache after a couple of days. I kept monitoring my O2 levels with a pulse-ox. One evening when I was feeling particularly wheezy and awful the pulse-ox reading dropped to 87%. At that point I asked Mrs. B to break out her supply of Ivermectin. I also took a couple puffs of albuterol. I went to bed and woke up in the middle of the night soaked in perspiration and feeling much better. I was not totally over it after that, but was definitely on the mend.
I told my doctor today about the bad cold I had at Christmas. (Not the Ivermectin part.) He asked if it was COVID and I told him I never got tested. He said that he had 2 shots and got COVID anyway. He caught another cold later, but did not get tested. What would be the point?
If only. But thanks.
I’ve always felt that my own exposure to ivermectin (four times a year whilst worming the sheep and goats) ought to insulate me (I’ve been drenched with it, I’ve swallowed it, I’ve rubbed it all over myself, I’ve absorbed it–not always deliberately–while attempting to thrust it down the gullets of creatures equal to or above my own weight. And I have the scars to show for it.)
I buy the stuff by the quart. And yet, here I am.
WRT:
Linen sheets. They’re miraculous.
Just sayin.
Not now. Not ever.
I was wondering whether you had the sheep or horse remedy that Biden restricted, on hand. Your symptoms mimicked my sister in law’s exactly, except no cough and she had a massive headache. It seems to run its course in a week. She was not vaxxed. It’s weird that this strain goes around the shots so easily. You are a very healthy woman because of your outdoor life and strenuous workouts keeping up the farm. You have that on your side. Very glad to hear you are on the mend!
She, thank you for sharing. Your vaxxed omicron case reads a lot like my unvaxxed alpha: https://ricochet.com/845187/we-got-covid/
Yeah, I think they’re useless too.
I just popped positive today. Just mild coughing so far.
I wanted to like the video, but I couldn’t understand a word of it beyond the refrain.
Get well soon, She.
I read this thread with great interest because my kids (grown kids who live with me) were exposed last Friday. Their tests just came back negative but they have to test again on Thursday. I still expect to get Bat Flu at some point, but maybe not this week.
Honey . . . so glad you’re recovering. My old hubby and I are hanging onto Ivermectin in case we come down with Omicron. Did you take it while you were sick?
Oh…this sounds exactly what happened to me about three weeks ago. I’m pretty sure it was the ‘rona Omni, too. And I am feeling much much better now. I did get the shots a year ago– one in January and one in March. I’m glad that you are back on track and didn’t have any dreadful side problems.
Also, I agree with your choice to not go for a test: What is the point, exactly? You’re sick. Yup. If you test positive or not, so what? You’re still sick! I did not get any tests done, and I do not understand the hordes of people who wait in long lines to get a test. Just. Don’t. Get. It.
In November of 2019, our family came down with something that had been going around the whole school. For some reason, we decided to take our 5 year old to the pediatrician’s office just to make sure there wasn’t anything else we needed to do. I have a vivid memory of this. I asked his doctor if he wanted to test for the flu. He said: “why?” And I said, “I honestly don’t know.” He said there is no point in testing for the flu – the tests really don’t tell you anything, and what difference would it make even if they did? If the test is positive and you have no symptoms, he wouldn’t do anything. If the test is negative and you do have symptoms, he would treat the symptoms. So why test? He added that the only legitimate reason for testing is because we already know that when “something is going around,” it is usually the same thing for virtually everyone (the idea of dominant strains). It’s good to test early in the season just so they know what’s going on, but beyond that, it’s pointless.
I pointed to the signs that were placed all around the room – talking about how dangerous the flu is (how many people die of the flu each year, etc…), telling people to get vaccinated, etc… etc… I said “so what’s this all about? Looks like a whole lot of propaganda designed to make people unnecessarily afraid of something. If all we do is treat symptoms, if “the flu” isn’t some bogeyman to be afraid of, if tests are pointless and vaccines are largely ineffective… what’s the point of all this?”
He grinned at me and shrugged. Good point.
This hysteria is nothing new. The “public health establishment” has been trying to stir it up pretty much always… but as people get used to something, they start to consider relative risk and they just get less and less fearful.
Covid is odd… went through my house last week (and the school). Very low fever, pretty severe aches for a few days (was also sore from the gym, and displaced a rib… hard to say what was from what), some congestion. Lasted about 5 days and, minus the fever, was as mild as any cold I’ve ever had. Kids had fevers for maybe 2 days, felt tired and crappy, and that was it. I have friends who got much sicker, but I think it’s a variance much like the flu.
Mrs. She, I’ve been worried about you. I’m happy to hear you’re on the mend.
I may be coming down with a coronavirus of some kind myself. Scratchy throat, achy joints, etc. I’ll see what I’m feeling tomorrow.
(continued from comment #20) I’ve remembered that conversation so clearly because it was amazing how relevant it was to everything we’ve experienced over the past few years. I have really wanted to go back and visit with that doctor, and our now-7-year old had a checkup the other day, but I didn’t get to go.
One interesting thing about that, though. I asked my wife how the pediatrician’s office was about masks. She said that our 7 year old didn’t put one on at all. My wife wore one in the lobby but took it off in the exam room. Nobody said anything.
I’m seeing this a lot of places. We just went out to eat last night – no masks, anywhere. Staff not wearing them, cooks not wearing them, customers not wearing them. It’s about 50/50 in most stores around town. The kids play basketball, which happens indoors – an email went out saying that everyone needs masks. Kids must wear masks while playing! We went to the first game and didn’t even bother pretending to have them. Walked right in and the first thing we noticed were the refs. No masks. Not a single kid wore one. Almost none of the parents wore them. Nobody said a word teh whole time.
Meanwhile – I am currently in a “zoom” call with the department (DSHS). One of the ladies is wearing a mask on zoom. Our state still has a mask mandate, but there is this extremely weird disconnect. Half the population has simply decided that the whole thing is over (which it is). The other half is still living in hysteria. Omicron is on the rise, and it has really swept through the town… public schools moved to 10 days of remote learning … but guess what? Everyone is fine. People are still out and about living their lives like normal.
I have a feeling that the whole thing is falling apart. It is really difficult to maintain hysteria when half the population goes about their lives just fine, in plain sight… Even with the ongoing fear mongering and a good chunk of the population playing along, I still have this feeling that it is disintegrating.
I have a prescription for fluvoxamine because I have OCD. However, my OCD compels me not to take it. A friend just got the virus, and I picked up a new batch at the pharmacy (because I had finally resolved to start taking it again) and took it to her and she started taking it for treatment of the virus. She also took ivermectin prescribed by her doctor. She’s in her 50s, overweight and not boosted, so I was worried but she’s more or less over it after a week.
The quandary now is: it’s my OCD which has protected me from the virus so far. The fluvoxamine almost certainly protects against the virus, but it will also eliminate my OCD, making it more likely that I will be exposed. Maybe the best path is to get exposed now to get immunity for later, while protected from complications by fluvoxamine.
By the way She, my friend had that bad joint pain too.
My employer requires a test if you get any symptoms. Any at all. Very strict place. But the pay is good.
My friend’s daughter has OCD, real diagnosed OCD. It’s pretty debilitating at times. My best wishes to you.
She, did you have loss of taste or smell?
Could you let Bob have your Ricochet password so he can keep us updated if you don’t feel well? Take care. I hope it’s all good. Mrs R has had several sessions of not feeling well this winter. Home antigen tests have always come up negative.
I knew there was something going on to keep you from writing. Glad you’re feeling better!
I have to admit that I have been similarly pre-occupied with one kid’s illness. Since the school has repeatedly notified us that she was exposed to the ‘rona in class, she probably had it. But there didn’t seem a real pressing need to test because she could just stay home. I can’t imagine masking or quarantining within our home, especially since she’s my biggest hugger. Isolation would be way worse than Covid.
Wow, I’m glad you’re overcoming it. Keep on the mend. Don’t rush back into full bore work. Perhaps someone can handle the sheep and chickens for a few days. It is a good thing you were vaccinated. Saying a prayer for you.
I’m so sorry to bug you Honey . . . . Did you take Ivermectin while you were sick? Keep getting better. {{Hugs}}