The death rate among young people is not that high, and death rate and count are what most media attention on the seriousness of COVID-19 focuses on (and the media plays up the vulnerability of older people). Young people who are cavalier about the flu probably think that COVID-19 (with a similar perceived* death rate for them compared to the flu) as a similar lottery that they are willing to play.
Media attention on the after-effects or long-haul frequency seems to be relatively little, even though studies have found substantial percentages (like 25% or more) of young people who get COVID-19 have after-effects. Would young (or any) people be so cavalier about COVID-19 if the substantial risk of after-effects after recovery like being easily fatigued, losing taste or smell, etc. were well publicized?
*Actual death rate for young adults is higher for COVID-19 than the flu, but not as much higher for them as for older people – and that higher death rate for young adults is rarely emphasized in the media.
First or second injection? Four days isn’t enough to inspire that kind of confidence from what I understand. But if she did contract covid, perhaps enough protection to keep her from getting seriously ill (if second dose).
Your Dad probably is not experiencing a second infection-most likely this is a testing issue. Sorry to hear he is dealing with other very serious issues. This is certainly not what he or anyone in your family needs right now.
Crossing fingers for your family that they stay well and that they can keep your Dad comfortable and well taken care of.
So sorry to hear this, I remember your parents journey, your journey, with them, how shocking to hear this is how it ended up,
Condolences for your loss…
Wow, So many sad stories. So very sorry! Who knew, when I started this thread almost a year ago when we lost DH’s cousin to this disease that so many would be sharing such painful and personal experiences. Virtual hugs to all.
My mother survived the COVID diagnosed on 12/31 but isn’t the same person. Her dementia is worse, brain fog, stays in bed a lot of the time, and this morning she is going on anti-anxiety meds for the first time. I believe she is now more out of breath than before but her physical therapist thinks some of her issues are anxiety. When she first gets up, she is out of breath and dizzy and then panics and goes back to bed. I have been coaxing her to get up, by phone and window visit, but since she cannot remember that the previous days she felt better once up, she lacks the motivation to keep going.
I am getting about 15 phone calls a day, each one asking me to take her out of her assisted living to live together. Most of the time she begins with “Have I ever asked you if I could leave and live with you?” (Her language is not this articulate but that is the gist.) Even though she asked me that a few times/hour all day.
I haven’t been posting or lurking much lately because of feeling almost a despair about how many people on CC/country/world have lives that are irrevocably altered.
My daughter got sick last year on March 14 and did not need hospitalization . She is no better now than she was as of late April. She kept hoping there would be incremental improvement.
She finally decided she was ready to find out why her lungs hurt everyday. Her lung function test came back with a result- her lungs are functioning at 40% and there seems to be a result that indicates a pulmonary vascular issue.
@Snowball_City I’m so sorry about your daughter. And I absolutely do understand your reluctance to come here. I think so many of us are hitting this pandemic wall. If not physically then definitely mentally.
Just know that I know that you have more support here than you even know
@Snowball_City sending a ton of hugs. I suspect we’re in a similar boat with my guy, but he hasn’t gone to get evaluated yet. I suspect he doesn’t want to hear the answer. Keep me updated if there are promising hopes for fixing things as that could sway his thoughts.
@Creekland She feels a sense of relief that she has confirmation that her lungs are not what they were. The lung function test was not invasive at all and took at most half an hour. The results are pointing the doctors to a path to investigate. The medical advice given today is for a CT scan with dye to check for clots.
If she didn’t have a physically demanding job it would be easy to just skate along in denial.
She has also been told that she needs to see a pulmonologist. If you remember she lives in a medically underserved area and currently I don’t know how often one comes down. We are encouraging her to send her packet to Mayo. If she can get an appointment there she could come home for a couple of weeks. Mayo can pack a lot of appointments for tests and consultations into a short amount of time.
@Snowball_City I do not know if this will help your daughter, and I bet she is too old, but we have a patient doing televisits with one of the doctors in this article. I bet there are others out there specializing in adult long haul patients, that would see them through televisit. Of course this article is a bit old, so maybe a google search would lead you to something newer and working with adults.
Things are upside down when you are hoping for pulmonary emboli since they are treatable. I hope your daughter gets answers that lead to treatment options.
My brother had COVID last March after he went on a cruise. Since then he has had pains across his chest. He was fully vaccinated few weeks ago and his pain has gone away. His doctor said they are still learning about the virus, but not surprised that the vaccine has had positive impact on his condition.
Mayo