Has anyone here been tested positive for covid?

JustGrateful

I have been extra careful to stay home, stay away, limited visitors, wear a mask when a select few have stopped by, and one slip!! My sister stopped by, without a mask, grabs me and hugs me. And she's the type that will run rampant through the fire thinking she won't get burned. Now I'm paranoid.

LiveWithCancer

No, I haven't tested positive for COVID-19. I haven't been tested, but I feel nearly certain that I would not test positive as I have also been very careful ... I have visited with several friends who have also been careful, but I haven't invited my daughter-in-law over since this all started because (1) she works in the restaurant industry and was around a ton of different people who were coming after take-out meals, (2) the virus is more severe in her zip code than in most in our area, and (3) she hasn't curtailed her life nearly as much as my husband and I have.

I'm not a fearful person in general, nor am I much of a worrier, but I have tried to use good sense because I feel certain that I would not fare well with this virus, nor would my husband if I brought it home to him.

I suspect your sister runs rampant through the fire thinking she won't be burned because she hasn't been burned. I hope and pray that's the case and that it will continue to be the case. At least around here, you would really have to draw the unlucky lotto number to meet someone with the virus - it is very uncommon (63 cases ... 33 recovered ... out of 60,000 people) ... but I don't feel all that lucky...

I hope you'll be okay. I think it is a crying shame that we have come to the place where we can't hug ... but I totally understand why it is a bad idea, at least for now.

po18guy

Keep masks by your front door. Can't find them in stores or the usual online sources? They are easily sewn, or bought on etsy.

GregP_WN

We have stayed at home 99% of the time. I have been to the doctor and out in the country to look at a job or two where there wasn't anyone around except for a few horses and cows, so I'm good. I did get tested this week and was negative. I had to be tested before I could have surgery this week. They are serious about this stuff around the hospital. Only one person can enter the hospital with the patient, only until they get you ready for surgery. Then, that person has to go to a designated waiting room and stay there, sitting every other chair apart from others. After surgery, if you stay all night, nobody can stay with you.

MarcieB

I think you are doing everything you can to stay safe, I am sorry your sister scared you. A doctor friend, whom I very much respect, told me the one main thing to do is make sure you DO NOT touch your face. That's a tough one for me! I guess I didn't really realize how often I touched my face? It makes sense. The virus doesn't penetrate through your skin, it has to have entrance via your nose or mouth. So keeping your face and hands clean sounds like the best defense. I am playing by the rules too, but lately I have been hearing a lot of things that make me more fearful of the loss of freedoms than the darn virus. I'm hoping it all passes quickly.

gpgirl70

In the first year after diagnosis, I was a mess of emotions. I was paranoid, scared, angry, envious... I was struggling. I can’t imagine how that would have been amplified if Covid-19 was around. I talked to my oncologist and she suggested that I go to a support group or see a counselor. I tried a support group but it wasn’t for me. I found a counselor that I really clicked with and that really helped me move beyond negative thoughts. Now four years later, I see my counselor every three weeks. I think support groups are also great for the right person. I wish I had mentioned my mental struggles with my oncologist earlier. I have thought many times that I feel extra sorry for those dealing with a cancer diagnosis amidst this pandemic. Sending hugs.

ChicagoSandy

Don’t touch your face with unwashed hands—and try not to touch your nose, mouth or eyes, period. The virus DOES find a gateway through the eyes: renowned epidemiology expert & NBC contributor Dr. Joseph Fair, despite taking (seemingly) all precautions, did not wear eye protection (not even plain glasses) on a crowded flight, and now he is hospitalized with COVID-19.

My housekeeper’s husband tested positive and then after two asymptomatic weeks, tested negative. Waiting for the second negative test to confirm. (She hasn’t been here since March). And sadly, my primary care doc is in the ICU “gravely ill” (his staff’s words) with COVID, and his PA is sick and awaiting test results. (This despite their doing only phone and e-visits—likely caught it from the parking valet at their office bldg.).

My husband visits a COVID hot-spot hospital every other weekend, and I make him stay in a hotel on Saturday night, then strip, shower, change, and put his hospital clothes & shoes in a trash bag before coming home Sunday night.

Our county (Cook) now has more COVID+ results, eclipsing even Queens. This is real.

Carool

I haven’t been tested. I know no one who has, either here in NYC and its suburbs or in other parts of the country. My partner and I have been staying home, except when we go food shopping (separately and very occasionally). We always wear masks and scrub our hands and face thoroughly as soon as we come home.

I have my annual mammogram and breast ultrasound scheduled in late June. MSKCC has resumed treatments and tests. They test every patient’s temperature before the patient can enter any of their buildings. Having normal temperature does not, of course, rule out asymptomatic patients, so there’s still reason to be concerned. I’m planning to have my tests. I’m more afraid of catching something on the subway than I am of catching it in the hospital. I’ll see if I go or reschedule for a later month. However, the virus may be in full force later in the year....

meyati

My doctor wanted me to get tested, and then the doctor assigned to her for phone and video visits wanted me to go get tested. I didn't have chest pains or breathing problems, and my cough wasn't dry. . Part of this is that I told them that that I wasn't going into over an hour line of cars to get a test as long as I could breathe and my chest didn't hurt. That was the only thing that didn't hurt.

I live in a state that has long testing lines. The ERs and Urgent Cares are closed, and they have police, national guard, and security keeping you off hospital-clinic property if you don't have COVID 19. The state has one phone number and a web site for COVID 19 screening- several hours wait, the-some over 3 hours and your call is dropped -and the web site keeps crashing. 2 weeks ago, the state announced to just go in for a broken leg or something- then they announced that medical care was only for COVID 19 patients. Or call your doctor-well that hasn't been working too well either for established patients. My son's VA social workers kept calling him and he said that he was fine. He brought it home from VA appointments. I finally go the phone and told them he wasn't eating, so weak he fell out of bed-non-stop cough-headache- so they had an honest talk with him- they called back and said the VA wouldn't care for him unless he had COVID. My doctor said he'd talk to the VA, as other VA family members weren't getting care. 2 days after he said that- The VA delivered about a quart of opioids for his pain. I got enough meds from my 2 doctors that I could share with him.

They know know that many people's temperature doesn't go up, some even have low temps with the chills then the fever suddenly spikes to 102. That was me and my son. The fever did something and I felt like I got punched hard in one ear-and I lost my hearing on that side. It hurt like the dickens for about 3 weeks.

Anyway, my doctor kept calling me---I had the red eyes for over 2 weeks, , coughed blood for one day, headache for several weeks. The only thing I could swallow was buttered noodles.. It left me so incredibly weak. I'm out pulling weeds and doing my spring cleaning-eating well- no coughing. This is one reason I was so enraged that the woman walked up to me and coughed all over me.

Detective MaryLou Armer was the first California police officer to die from COVID 19. She was taken to Kaiser Permanente Vallejo 2 times. The doctors refused to care for her at all because she was not elderly and was physically fit- she was around 40. They did not even prescribe anything to help her. She died the day after her third visit to Kaiser. They did admit her at that time, as she only had a few hours to live. And these jerks say it is the patient's fault for not going in for a stroke symptom. .or whatever. I knew that I did not have the strength to sit in a line-and what about the exposure to whomever drove me?

My doctor and her colleague prescribed me lots of cough syrup-immediately lots of strong eye meds, then the Z-pack-just like a hospitalized patient that wasn't on a ventilator. I think the secret of my recovery was immediate medication. They either called or read my message through the EMR. I wonder how many people besides Detective Armer would have lived if the Kaiser doctors had a lick of sense.. ,

MarcieB

meyati, I am confused - it sounds like you are saying both you and your son have the virus? But, neither one of you has been tested? And your doctors just keep sending you drugs? I did read your previous post where you described a woman coughing all over you, so I am wondering how log a time it is between that experience and what you are describing now? It all sounds pretty bad, I hope you are feeling better?

ChicagoSandy

Everyone, buy a fingertip pulse-oximeter. Your pharmacy may be out of them, but Amazon still has them. Silent hypoxia is a major complication--you can be dangerously low on oxygen even if you don't have chest pain or shortness of breath. Take your pulse-ox every day (maybe twice) no matter how you feel. Ideally, it should be 95 or higher. If it goes down to 91 or so (per my husband, a cardiologist), call 911 or have someone drive you to an ER. By that point, you probably have COVID, so the risk of contracting it at the ER is moot.

Meyati, I hate to get political, but this sounds like a result of inadequate testing materials in your state. And we all know where the ultimate blame for that lies.

meyati

CVID 19 has an incubation period of 2 to 14 days, as of now. My son seemed to be infected in mid or late February, and he came down with symptoms in early March. --hurting, having bad chills, super headache, sleep problems, weakness, non-stop coughing , not wanting to eat, Then a 102 fever for several days. That is when my doctors spoke to the VA, my son is a 150% disabled vet. The VA refused to help my son when his counselors talked to the VA doctors. After Dr. Kwan talked to the VA, the VA sent my son a big package of opioids. I was hoping that they would send him cough syrup-he coughed for about 6 weeks. I quit coughing 2 weeks before he did.

I started sneezing -really sneezing, then my eyes watered a lot. Then I quit sneezing and I had bad chills and a low temp. I coughed lightly for a few days. The health departments were saying bad dry cough, high temp, coughing up blood, short of breathe, and chest pains. You can see that my son and I did not meet the COVID symptom standards. Then the 3rd week of March my cough changed-coughed a whole lot-but I coughed up mucous-not a dry cough. My family Dr, called me up and prescribed a big bottle of codeine cough syrup. My throat was absolutely sore and swollen-I let her know that I was gargling salt water, and I was humidifying the house. She called every day-On Monday my eyes were glued together- it was like I had sticky bubblegum. covering my eyes. It really scared her, because she told me they had 2 older women with red eyes and they died. She prescribed an eye med-2x/day for 6 days. Someone spoke to her, and she changed it to 4x/day for 10 days. Then she had Dr. Kwan handle this. My eyes started clearing up, but my temp rose to 102 for 24 hours and I coughed blood one day. I think it was just a small vein.that broke from the coughing. Then something happened to my left ear. I felt as though I got punched hard in the ear. It was about 4 am. I lost my hearing, it hurt so bad for days and days. It sounded like I had a jet engine in my head. I contacted Dr. Kwan through my medical chart message system. I got a phone call to pick up my Z-Pack from the pharmacy.

I was feeling pretty good after I finished the antibiotic. I had quit coughing before my ear. Anyway a little over 2 weeks later I went to ACE. I went to Smith's for bread-some fresh veggies, Lysol and the woman coughed all over me. That was 2 weeks ago. I'm not having any symptoms- I feel good. I've been outside cleaning up after my hounds, pulling weeds, vacuuming, mopping, etc.

I put out fresh, clean tea towels and dish clothes everyday, same with bath and hand towels, and wash clothes. Scrub the kitchen sinks everyday, and bleach them out about every 3 days, keep light switches, door knobs, counter tops sanitized, etc. I even was my hands before I handle my dogs or dog food, so they don't get COVID.

My son and I are well- the incubation time from that woman coughing on me is up. Thank god that we are well, and we are active. I've been making bread by hand-I'm caught up from what I let slide when I was sick and feeble.

I hope this explains the time line to you. I feel that we we didn't get a really bad strain, and that the quick reaction by Drs Hazini and Kwan made the difference in being hospitalized or not. I am a 78 year old cancer survivor.

meyati

My governor used to be a congresswoman that was on Indian affairs, military, and health committees. Before being a congresswoman, she was the head of the NM health department, because she has a medical background..

She knew her way around things like COVID 19. It is as though her life was in preparation for this. In Feb, she had conferences with the BIA, the NM tribes, PHS which is the agency of health- and NM's local health experts and hospitals, besides the VA, state judiciary, National Guard and the military bases.

The Air Force dedicated a military hospital in Gallup, NM. All of the paperwork was filled out, and the AF was collecting the supplies when Trump found out, and not only did he scold the AF, shut that down, Trump and family requisitioned our PPE, thousands of masks, and ICU beds. The AF base commanders closed their bases to everyone to stay out of the fight-mostly to keep the White House out and away.

Here, Oklahoma, Colorado, and NM say--The state finds the supplies, pays for it. Trump requisitions the supplies and resells the supplies back to the states. This region has teamed up with Massachusetts. AZ and CA aren't in this group.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham makes sure that everything she does is very legal, i.g. fined a certain gun shop and pawn $10,000 a day- $60, 000 I last heard. Native Americans were going there to pawn, and took COVID home with them.

The Navajo reservation is larger than many states, actually it is larger than 3 of the smaller states put together for land mass. I think that it is a bit over 30% of all Native American reservations that have COVID are Navajos. Close to 50% of NM COVID cases are on the NM part of the Navajo Reservation. AZ seems to finally started realizing that Navajos have a problem.

NM, cities of Albuquerque and Farmington have sending water tankers to the Navajos-40% of the Navajos do not have running water, and 40% don't have electric. Part of this is the Navajos are still semi-nomadic, and they follow their flocks and herds. I'm sure that you learned how English settlers, then the American army used infected blankets-small pox-chicken pox-measles-mumps to murder the tribes. Traditionally, Native Americans don't have any immunity, and die like flies. That's another reason we needed a large hospital in Gallup, while state run, it is to help our good neighbors..

We have the hospital now-- it is the high school gym, and god bless the California, university system, as it provided the doctors, nurses, lab technicians for the hospital.

NM is a Blue state in a sea of Red.states. NM is a sanctuary state. NM is the brownest state on the continent. Trump promised to destroy NM after he won the the Electoral College.

I hope that this answers some of your questions about what we know about Trump and his criminal family. Any lawsuit or investigation by a state attorney general into Trump and the WH, New Mexico is deep in it. DAGA-- Democrat Attorney Generals Association. -

ChicagoSandy

Meyati, you have a wonderful Gov. And I hope the tide eventually turns (come Jan. 2021?) so that the Feds finally recognize Native American rights and belatedly abide by treaties. It's awful the way those on the reservations are being treated. (Not every indigenous tribe has casinos or oil money--most don't).