[thedrewski86]

Just curious as it's "all the rage" now. I tested positive mid-November, felt like crap but bounced back a week later. I even got a negative test result by the end of November. I thought that was the end of the story.
My wife (36yo, super healthy, no asthma or any other issues) gets it about 4 days after I came down with it. Same thing at first, started coming up after about 7-10 days then she's hit with the infamous inflammation in the chest. She has barely been able to get around, talk much, drive, work or do much of anything all month. I just got back from taking her to another doctor's appt where they continued trying to figure out what to give her for the symptoms. She just came off prednisone (which is a terrible medication) and she's on a new cocktail that will hopefully not be as destructive as what she was on.
I will try to keep this light and to form for a motorcycle forum but this has had quite a profound effect on the two of us. We're both spiritual people (once again, not trying to open a can of worms here... please) and we certainly don't view suffering as some sort of way karma has of getting us back for past wrongs. I can say that neither of us are feeling slighted or "let down" by any higher power but this has given us time to reflect and contemplate on life and meaning. Death is something we all deal with in our lives, and it's something we will all deal with on a personal level. As 2020 comes to a close I have been finding solace in DT Suzuki's teachings on the "nothing-ness" and falling away of false selves that leaves us with our true selves.
I can only imagine that after this year there are a lot of people who have experienced a falling away of false selves and many of us have lost individuals we didn't think we could lose. I can speak for myself that this has been a year of shaking. I was not alive in 1968 but many of the people I know who were have said 2020 was worse. Now, that depends on who you are/were in '68 or '20, but I think the two are valid comparisons. Whether we are talking about the state of race relations, the changing of political power, unheard voices, freedom of the press, biased media, oh and the PANDEMIC... there are plenty of opportunities to take something useful into 2021.
Maybe a little peace, love and understanding? Or are we beyond that now? Some are, perhaps. Some have gotten too fearful for these ideas to be lived out. But what exactly are we afraid of? Losing our true selves or holding onto the false ones?

 

[RichDesmond]

I had it early November, kicked my ass for 10 days. But nowhere near as bad as it sounds like your wife has it. Hopefully the new medicine will be the ticket for her.

 

[eddiemon]

When the Theme Parks closed due to Covid-19 in March, that ended my job with Anaheim Tour Co.

My boss and his son got it.

So far none of my family or close friends have gotten it.

Living close to 2 major theme parks, its like a ghost town when you drive by them now and Hollywood Bivd. is empty as well.

Been busy doing stuff and a little riding in the meantime and staying safe at home.

When I get the opportunity to get the shots, I will get it.

 

[sv650bklyn]

As 2020 comes to a close I have been finding solace in DT Suzuki's teachings on the "nothing-ness" and falling away of false selves that leaves us with our true selves.
... there are plenty of opportunities to take something useful into 2021.

I commend you for reflecting so eloquently on dealing with Covid-19 and placing it in a bigger context.

I've had time since mid-March to increasingly realize how bad my case could have been but also how much it sucks to even have had only a comparatively light case of it. I caught it right in the beginning of the outbreak in NYC (March 15th), had no fever, but felt a loss of balance, sore throat, dry cough that day, then had a light pneumonia for a few days that healed up within a month by itself. No fever at all.
But then I dealt with recurring chest and kidney pain every two months over the next six months and persistent extreme fatigue coupled with sporadic muscle pain, weird eye pain, and blurry vision. Nine months later most symptoms are gone but for the fatigue.
No test was available for light cases like mine in March so I had to wait until May and tested for anti-bodies. Result: negative. I'm one of those millions of cases that are under the radar I guess.

I am absolutely sure I belong to the 50-80% long-haulers considering all my weird symptoms this year. Maybe science will come up with a test for this group that can verify the presence of the virus months ago (testing for other anti-body and memory cells of the immune system) but I assume I'll just wait for a chance to get vaccinated and that'll be it.
Unfortunately right now it seems the effects of this virus will stay with us in the form of millions of so-called "long-haulers" with fatigue and pain symptoms, often barely above the level of justifying a doctor's visit but debilitating in a "slow but constant" burn kind of way.
Beyond the immediate emergencies of deaths and economic and social disruption, my guess is once we're over this pandemic we'll have to deal with tens, possibly hundreds of millions of people who can't take part in life as they were used to before the virus hit. It's a big topic among public health professionals already.

So if anyone who reads this is still of the mindset that the virus is not to fear so flaunting public health guidelines is an act to stand-up for your "freedom", trust me if I say this virus is very sneaky, tries to stay undetected by your immune system, but once you have caught it, it will stick around for quite a while and may cause all kinds of weird symptoms for months to come. Most of which may not even get taken seriously enough by your doctor and there is no real treatment for them as of now.

Well, that turned out a bit darker than originally intended. But my first advice for 2021 is, try your best not to catch the virus until the pandemic is over. Even with a vaccination there's still a chance you can contract Covid, so staying safe until the outbreak is under control is the better strategy.
Once we're coming out of this, social interaction will be on top of my list and I hope we'll all have found new appreciation for personal human contact outside of electronic devices and value the simpler things in life more. Sell your shares in Zoom before then. ;-)

 

[mad8vskillz]

a couple friends got it. one ended up in the icu for 2 weeks and is still walking around with an oxygen tank like a month later. he was also the loudest anti-masker and "i'm still going to the bar" kinda guy i knew. suddenly got real quiet about it...
another just got his ass beat up and down by it for a week but didnt need a hospital or anything
3rd didnt really have anything bad just no sense of taste for a month

hits everyone different but one thing i know is that i want none of that shit...
so yeah i'll be getting stabbed as soon as they allow me to (after doctors, senior citizens, etc)

 

[MOHillbilly]

I had it back in the end of February, before it became a media thing. Thought it was just a really weird flu, until the news dropped the impeachment farce and started listing symptoms. It was like a check off list, Fever for 2-3 days, fatigue, no real sense of taste or smell, cough, diarrhea, felt generally rough for 4-5 days, then over it. Had a nagging cough for another 1.5-2 weeks and that was it. Several of us at work had it around the same time, all with varying amounts of the same symptoms, all recovered with no issues. A month or so ago it came through the shop again, getting a lot of the people who didn't get it the first time. 14 out of the 40 of us working there were out, but didn't infect any of us that had the first go round. Once again, all recovered with no real after effects.
I'm still up in the air about the vaccine. Watching and waiting to see how it affects the people who are getting it now. Be a while before it becomes available to the peasantry, so we'll see then.

 

[thedrewski86]

I'm glad to hear that most of us have experienced the more bearable symptoms (svbklyn aside).
MOHillbilly your description is mine to a t, I couldn't have said it better myself. I will take the vaccine but I understand the skepticism. I don't think I've ever even taken the regular flu vaccine although that was more of a convenience thing than anything else. My Dad spent some time working in public health (not in the US) and he has been pretty enlightening on this regarding vaccines, the purpose of masks, distancing etc. and what slowing a curve actually means. It's something to realize how a county the size of China (1+B people) handles these things compared to a relative small country like the US. You're dead on when it becomes available to the "peasantry", how right you are!
Eddie, I can only imagine what LA is like now. I'm over in the Inland Empire which feels like Arizona compared to where you are. There are so many people groups handling this thing the best way they can where they are and it's all different.
SVB, I think "debilitating in a 'slow but constant' burn kind of way" is spot on. This is my wife's life right now and it's really grim at times. Then she has improvements. One thing that she has heard throughout 2020 is that a human being's soul can only grow and mature through suffering: our muscles do this when we work out. Our brains do this when we do math by hand, or read music. Our spirit grows richer when we give to others. "Emptying" of one's being is in itself a sustaining action. Our old flesh falls away leaving what the vultures will not eat.

 

[OfirMX]

Alright, for those of you who consider yourselves "healthy" and think it would be a good idea to get infected and just "get over this", please think twice. I was one of the lucky ones who didn't require a visit to the hospital and yet this has been a nightmare with no end in sight. Here's is a quick day-to-day list of the symptoms that I have experienced so far, to the best of my memory (please pay special attention to day 11):

1 - Sore throat, Mild nasal congestion
2 - Chills, Tired, Headaches, Sore throat, Mild nasal congestion
3 - Chills, Full exhaustion, Strong headaches
4 - No sense of smell, Chills, Full exhaustion, Strong headaches
5 - No sense of smell, Chills, Full exhaustion, Strong headaches
6 - No sense of smell, Exhaustion, Headaches
7 - No sense of smell, Tired, Mild headaches
8 - Foggy brain, No sense of smell, Tired, Mild headaches
9 - Insomnia, Foggy brain, No sense of smell, Tired, Mild headaches
10 - Insomnia, Foggy brain, No sense of smell, Tired, Mild headaches
11 through today - Insomnia, Foggy brain, Always tired, Constant headaches --- I really hope this goes away soon!


This thing is no joke. Even if you survive, these "long haul" conditions are like carrying a completely unnecessary 50lbs burden on your shoulders all day and night. Please, take it seriously. Protect yourselves, your families, and don't be the means by which others can become sick. We are all in this together.

 

[Jay V]

Sorry to hear what some of you, and your spouses, have had to deal with.

There was a big surge in this area about a month ago, but seems to be leveling off somewhat now. My daughter works in the Covid ICU and has been working additional shifts. Wife and daughter are both RNs, and have gotten the first round of vaccine shots.

I've told them they better not bring work home with them! I'm Male, over 50 (57), and blood type A+, so that's 3-strikes!

Hang in there everyone!

 

[MOHillbilly]

Sorry to hear what some of you, and your spouses, have had to deal with.

There was a big surge in this area about a month ago, but seems to be leveling off somewhat now. My daughter works in the Covid ICU and has been working additional shifts. Wife and daughter are both RNs, and have gotten the first round of vaccine shots.

I've told them they better not bring work home with them! I'm Male, over 50 (57), and blood type A+, so that's 3-strikes!

Hang in there everyone!

I'm male, 63, no idea what blood type I am. As I stated up above, I've know probably 25 people (including myself) who have had it, nothing serious. Looks like an opposite dice roll where far more people win than loose. I have a particularly belligerent immune system (may get a mild 3 day cold once every 4-5 years), but there have been guys at the shop who are in not so good health (smokers, one who is easily 150lbs overweight and has had a stroke) who have had it, got over it, and went on. Dice roll with 99.7% chance of winning. Eat right, stay mobile and in shape, take your vitamins, don't worry..

 

[Jay V]

I'm male, 63, no idea what blood type I am. As I stated up above, I've know probably 25 people (including myself) who have had it, nothing serious. Looks like an opposite dice roll where far more people win than loose. I have a particularly belligerent immune system (may get a mild 3 day cold once every 4-5 years), but there have been guys at the shop who are in not so good health (smokers, one who is easily 150lbs overweight and has had a stroke) who have had it, got over it, and went on. Dice roll with 99.7% chance of winning. Eat right, stay mobile and in shape, take your vitamins, don't worry..

My daughter sees the other side of it. Young people in good physical condition that die from it. Doesn't always make sense. Many of the people that have severe symptoms are overweight.

I still don't understand why so many people died from it initially. Seems like the rate of infection is up but the death rate is down. I didn't think there was any wonder drug or treatment that changed the outcome.

 

[OfirMX]

My daughter sees the other side of it. Young people in good physical condition that die from it. Doesn't always make sense. Many of the people that have severe symptoms are overweight.

I still don't understand why so many people died from it initially. Seems like the rate of infection is up but the death rate is down. I didn't think there was any wonder drug or treatment that changed the outcome.

Not a wonder drug but, as physicians gained a better understanding of how the virus attacks the body, they have become better at dealing with it when someone becomes sick, thus increasing the chances of saving lives.

 

[sv650bklyn]

Dice roll with 99.7% chance of winning. Eat right, stay mobile and in shape, take your vitamins, don't worry..

I don't want this thread to devolve into a debate, but also don't want misinformation to be spread here.
The actual case fatality rate in the US is about 1.7%, so 98.3% survival rate.
That's relatively low by international comparison (mostly fluctuating around 1.5-3%). However, the number of excess deaths (total no. of deaths above previous years) is at around 410,000 since the pandemic began. Deaths nationwide are 19% higher than normal.
Don't even get me started what I've witnessed with my own eyes back in March riding through Manhattan and Brooklyn every day, when NYC deaths were shortly 650% above normal. All I say is "refrigerated trailers". To say "don't worry" in light of the number of deaths and your personal small sample of cases (how many of your co-workers actually tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 so you know it was not the flu?) is a bit callous.
Vitamin supplements have been shown to not have any health benefit beyond a placebo effect. Spend your money on healthy and fresh food instead.

I really urge you to read the links I posted above regarding the problem of long-haulers with persistent symptoms. At least 50% of cases may have symptoms that last longer than 3 months. That's nothing like a standard flu that you have out of your system in a week or two.
Please follow the public health guidelines until the pandemic is under control, even if you think you're immune now. It's not about you right now, but modeling behavior to ensure as few people as possible are spreading the virus.

 

[thedrewski86]

I don't want this to devolve into numbers either. I have spent time in LA and NYC (had a room in Flatbush for a couple months one summer) and living our lives WITH people carries with it some stark realities. None of us get out of this place alive. That's a 100% infection rate.
I believe "don't worry" is good advise. Sometimes the best way we can help our fellow humanity is to admit we don't know the best way to go about it. Personally, I'm open to suggestion.

 

[RichDesmond]

I'm male, 63, no idea what blood type I am. As I stated up above, I've know probably 25 people (including myself) who have had it, nothing serious. Looks like an opposite dice roll where far more people win than loose. I have a particularly belligerent immune system (may get a mild 3 day cold once every 4-5 years), but there have been guys at the shop who are in not so good health (smokers, one who is easily 150lbs overweight and has had a stroke) who have had it, got over it, and went on. Dice roll with 99.7% chance of winning. Eat right, stay mobile and in shape, take your vitamins, don't worry..

If the aviation industry set risk thresholds like that there would be over 50 commercial airline crashes in the USA every day. If that was the case, would you fly?

 

[MOHillbilly]

Then I look down through the "recommended reading" at the H1N1, Ebola, Marburg (variant of Ebola), and all the past "end of us" things and wonder. In 4-6 years, what will be the "end of us" disease of the day then.. This has worked so well to screw this election, 4 years should bring another "pandemic" to help the Dems

Not a wonder drug but, as physicians gained a better understanding of how the virus attacks the body, they have become better at dealing with it when someone becomes sick, thus increasing the chances of saving lives.

If the aviation industry set risk thresholds like that there would be over 50 commercial airline crashes in the USA every day. If that was the case, would you fly?

Probably. Still safer than driving the same distance. Plus.. What does airline crash statistics have to do with Covid? 😄
My point, stay healthy, enjoy life, don't worry. As another said, we're all going to die eventually. Going around in fear of what "might" happen saps your happiness and renders you pretty much already dead.

 

[Jay V]

All I can say is the medical professionals in my family, that deal with it daily, take it pretty seriously.

 

[RichDesmond]

Then I look down through the "recommended reading" at the H1N1, Ebola, Marburg (variant of Ebola), and all the past "end of us" things and wonder. In 4-6 years, what will be the "end of us" disease of the day then.. This has worked so well to screw this election, 4 years should bring another "pandemic" to help the Dems


Probably. Still safer than driving the same distance.

Um, no. Not even close. If we had 50 planes a day crashing that would be a far higher risk than driving. Right now the COVID risk is much much higher than virtually anything else you can think of.

Plus.. What does airline crash statistics have to do with Covid? 😄

It's illustrating comparable risk in a way that people can relate to. Well, some people.

My point, stay healthy, enjoy life, don't worry. As another said, we're all going to die eventually. Going around in fear of what "might" happen saps your happiness and renders you pretty much already dead.

By that argument, any risk mitigation action is dumb and pointless. Do you wear a helmet when riding?

With COVID, you may be willing to accept that risk for yourself, but if you do you are also imposing it on others, often without their knowledge or consent. How is that ok?

 

[MOHillbilly]

Um, no. Not even close. If we had 50 planes a day crashing that would be a far higher risk than driving. Right now the COVID risk is much much higher than virtually anything else you can think of. It's illustrating comparable risk in a way that people can relate to. Well, some people.
By that argument, any risk mitigation action is dumb and pointless. Do you wear a helmet when riding?

With COVID, you may be willing to accept that risk for yourself, but if you do you are also imposing it on others, often without their knowledge or consent. How is that ok?

Lol, ok. All this can go to from here is a useless pissing match.
If you want to live in fear, do so, and enjoy. I choose not to. I'll stay healthy, take basic precautions, and go on with my life.

 

[redskunk]

Haven't seen any pissing or suggestions of "living in fear." However, we're talking about a collective action problem here and shirkers are contributing to infection rates.

Edit: To the original query, I can count a friend's spouse as a casualty, my 90-year-old aunt contracted COVID but recovered(!) (but later died), and a day ago a cousin-in-law who believed in staying healthy and going on with her life tested positive, after a christmas eve party. Her father recently had open heart surgery, so we'll see how that all develops.