Thanks, @compmom. At one point my PCP prescribed it but pulmonologist prefers me to use the Symbicort inhaler (with budesonide) and oral Prednisone.
The first time I had pneumonia, I was given budesonide in the nebulizer while I was in the ER for what seemed like hours, and then went home the second day. But not since then.
I am not sure why so few doctors prescribe nebulized budesonide. I had to request it. My youngest had bad asthma when a toddler and her asthma doc made his own nebulized steroids! I cannot tolerate oral steroids. I know they are tough on everyone. Sympathies!
Fortunately I tolerate oral steroids well. But for sure they are not for the long term.
@compmom I messaged my pulmonologist and she prescribed budesonide for the nebulizer 2x/day to help with the Prednisone taper. Thanks!
I am beginning to think my 91 year old mother might have long Covid; only time will tell. It has only been 4 weeks since she tested positive and she was never really sick. She had a bit of a cough for about a week, but as an asthmatic, she never had to use her rescue inhaler more than normal. The problem she has been having for a few week is extreme fatigue. She says it comes and goes; one day she is able to shower, do her hair and go out for a bit, whereas another day she has to take break when preparing dinner. I knew it was serious when she cancelled her hair appointment yesterday as she didnāt have the strength to leave the house!
Not sure we can blame it on Covid or being 91 yet. I was concerned it could be her heart or anemia, so thought a quick visit to the PCP might rule something out. She refused to go to the PCP she use to see when dad was alive as she didnāt like that physician. She has an appointment with a female in the practice in April, so plans to wait until then! 
She was just at the cardiologist 2 weeks before testing positive, and had labs a few days after that visit; that is as good as we are going to get unless things get worst, or she get tired of feeling like poo.
@snowball, can she go to urgent care?
@oldmom4896 She could, but she wonāt! She has never been a fan of doctors (other than my husband and son 
) since her old PCP from early adulthood retired 20 years ago or so. She will go to the cardiologist and the nephrologist, so when I said she might need some labs drawn, she said she will have the nephrologist order them if needed. Can you say stubborn old woman?
My aunt and I tried all day yesterday to talk her into going to the PCP today; the appointment I had made for this afternoon. She refused and then cancelled the appointment this morning when they called to confirm. I didnāt cancel the appointment in the hopes I could convince her.
Younger men concerned about myocarditis may want to choose a non-Moderna vaccine. Risk of myocarditis in men under 40 was higher after the second primary dose of Moderna vaccine than after infection. Risk of myocarditis in this population was similar or lower after AstraZeneca* and Pfizer vaccines than after infection. Obviously, infection brings additional risks besides myocarditis. All other age/gender groups had risk of myocarditis after vaccination that were no higher than after infection (substantially lower after vaccination than after infection for all 40 and over).
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.122.059970
*A viral vector vaccine, conceptually similar to the J&J vaccine but it uses a different vector virus, and it is specified for two doses rather than one.
Now lets examine what happens after the boosters that the CDC is recommending for young men. Is there a cumulative risk?
When my 86 year old mil had covid, the fatigue lasted a long time. Weeks and weeks. She was wiped out.
But she finally snapped out of the extreme fatigue and seems back to normal
The same study did not find any association between booster doses and myocarditis risk in men under 40. One can speculate that those who were prone to myocarditis encountered it with previous doses and were unlikely to get boosters afterward.
@deb922 That is wonderful to hear; lets hope my mom is as lucky.
Are there any screenings a young person can do to determine if any heart issues? Either congenital or due to covid? Would those Life Line screenings do anything? Or what would they need? I hate hearing young people suffering heart attacks or dying and then they find out it was an issue with the heart or something.
There has been some research on the matter of potential post-COVID-19 heart issues in athletes:
In the realm of non-COVID-19-related heart issues, there are other rare things like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy that can be screened for, but are not normally screened for due to their rarity. They may be screened for among relatives of those who have it, those who had events that could be due to the condition and not explained otherwise, or those whose activities may be more likely to trigger an adverse event if they do have it (athletes).
Paper with meta-analysis of other studies comparing hybrid immunity, vaccine immunity, and infection immunity.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(22)00801-5/fulltext
| A | B | A vs. B severe disease | A vs. B any infection |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | none | -83.2% | -69.5% |
| I+V | none | -95.9% | -71.6% |
| I+V+B | none | -97.6% | -74.8% |
| I+V | I | -57.7% | -46.1% |
| I+V+B | I | -80.1% | -46.5% |
| I+V+B | V+B | not listed | -88.9% |
| I+V+B | I+V | -37.0% | -40.8% |
I = previous infection
V = vaccination with primary series
B = vaccination first booster
This Lancet paper raises some interesting questions about many public health policies. As does the Cochrane (sp?) review on community masking. I recently discussed a review paper on mRNA vaccination from Italy with a colleague, that focuses not so much on the efficacy but the potential side-effects of these vaccinations. I donāt have the reference but will ask him for it if anyone is interested. They recommended a recalculation of risk-benefit analysis of vaccination for different populations and a continuation of their study.
There are lots of articles (see below) on the flaws of the Cochrane study and its interpretation, and the headlines are oversimplified and misleading. I wear a Kn95 mask and have not gotten COVID. My kid wears an Kn95 on a crowded subway and hasnāt gotten it either. Anecdotal evidence of two people but we continue due to vulnerabilities. Of course, many wear surgical masks under their nose or with large gaps on the side so type of mask and fit are crucial. At this point this debate belongs in the politics forum, in my view!
Somehow, the science on masks still isnāt settled - The Atlantic
Good masks (N95 or similar), properly worn, are protective (and helpful against other things besides COVID-19).
However, typical masks (cloth or surgical-like), worn typically (i.e. with gaps), are probably of little effect for self protection and minor effect for protecting others.
So it can be the case that you can protect yourself and others with masks, but the general public may not be helping much when they wear typical masks in typical fashion.
H, D, S, and I properly wear KF94 or similar masks and thus far have remained healthy.
YLE writes about āDo masks work? It depends.ā: