I’m great. Had just about 3 hours of low grade fever about 15 hours after which kept me awake in the middle of the night but was fine when I woke in the morning. Note: I could have taken some Tylenol and probably would have gone right back to sleep but I was conducting an experiment to see how high my fever would go and if I would develop any other symptoms. It’s a good sign that my first shot worked well and made lots of antibodies!
i truly love you - conducting an experiment xoxo
M 20+ T25+ S ~15.5 (BD) BD 4/6/15 D 12/23/16
"Someone I loved once gave me A box full of darkness. It took me years to understand, That this too, was a gift." ~ Mary Oliver
My observations: fever peaked at 100.9, mostly 100.3. Some very mild chills before bed - actually just felt like it was a little cold in our bedroom, but I knew it was me because CMM is always colder than me, and he was comfortable.
I didn’t have muscle aches or headache . No GI symptoms. No fatigue beyond what was expected from being awake in the middle of the night, and a nap fixed that.
My pulse was a little fast because of the fever, and I was a little thirsty because of it.
Overall, it was a slightly peculiar experience. While it happens because your immune system is mounting the response it normally would if you were coming down with something - it lacks the underlying effects of an actual infection. So you get the inflammatory response but without the underlying sensation of being ill.
If you have a viral illness right now, unless it is easily identifiable as say, chicken pox or somesuch, you NEED to get tested for Covid. The presentations are SO variable, it can present as just a headache, or just GI symptoms, or a cold, or just a brief fever. Of course one hopes it’s just a cold or whatever, but without a Covid test you cannot know, and you may be recklessly exposing others to a potentially deadly disease. The last patient I had who was in denial about his illness being Covid missed the opportunity window for simple preventive measures that might have reduced the severity of his illness early on and ended up in the hospital for several days.
The CDC guidelines for returning to work (which frankly are a little too short but designed to get people back to work) are ten days after onset of symptoms and no fever for 24 hours without fever medications and symptoms are improving. (Some people can still shed live virus for up to twenty days though; ten days only covers maybe 90%). A negative test is not required for returning to work because some people can shed dead virus for weeks or months that will show up on the test.
Right now colds, influenza and other viral illnesses are really down because of masking and social distancing, so even if it feels like a cold, please get tested. You don’t want to be responsible for the death of a coworker, or a coworker’s grandma. If you don’t or can’t get tested, assume it was Covid and wait ten days. Also, if you caught a cold or other viral illness that means your current protection against Covid is inadequate and you need to figure out how to improve it. If you can catch a cold you can definitely catch Covid.
Sorry if I sound like a broken record but my niece is working herself to the bone as an ECMO nurse treating ventilator Covid patients. If you could see and hear what she does you would treat this virus with the respect it deserves, and behave responsibly for the sake of our hardworking healthcare workers and your fellow man.
My sister lives in Portland Oregon. I know it’s business as usually for the Canadians on here, but unusual for Portland - they’ve had an ice storm and a power outage. My niece drove to her work at the hospital yesterday in very dangerous icy conditions. My sister has been told they won’t get power until late tomorrow.
All things I’ve never had to deal with. When we had a widespread power outage here once, we just drove home (in terrible traffic) and barbecued in the back yard.
Good news - my sister has power again this morning!
On this Valentine’s Day, I am reminded of my ex’s lack of enthusiasm for the day. That was a huge red flag right there that I should have noticed. But I made all kinds of excuses for him.
Wearing my special Valentine’s Socks from CMM (he collects unique socks, it’s his “thing”) and looking forward to the steak dinner he’s cooking for me tonight.
(Oh, and I got CMM Bernie Mitten Meme socks and a book called All Blood Runs Red. A fascinating story of a black man who led a fascinating life - became a boxer, moved to Paris, served in the French military during WW1, became a pilot, owned a nightclub with Bricktop..... looks to be a great read. I’ll be heading out to See’s later to pivk up my candy order. )
Well, my sister’s power went back out yesterday afternoon. They cooked dinner over her daughter’s backpacking stove. She says tree branches are breaking everywhere around them.
Meanwhile it’s another sunny day in paradise here. I feel guilty!
Special socks and a steak dinner! Someone's treating you right. I'm happy for you! Who's the good man? I do plan to catch up on your sitch soon, having read only bits and pieces over time.
CMM is a guy I started dating 2 1/2 years ago. 3 months in he was laid off (due to the tariffs) and simultaneously diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. I took him in (as I knew he didn’t have income to pay rent AND his bills - without rent he can pay his bills ) expecting he’d be dead within 6 months (median survival for his type and stage). But he’s still with us after 2 1/2 years (not cured by any means, back on chemo, but relatively stable ) . He still cooks dinner for me every day (and he’s a good cook).
Well! I think I posted before about a patient I had, whose rare (but definitely taught in medical school!) neurological condition had been missed by three neurologists at his HMO even though I was telling them what his diagnosis was and the diagnostic bedside test I had done which was positive for this condition. So I've been treating him (cautiously as the medication used for this isn't used for anything else and I had no real experience with it) and referred him to an outside neurologist recommended by the organization for people with this disorder (this neurologist agreed with my suspicions and my treatment plan when we discussed the patient initially).
He saw her, and she recommended a repetitive nerve stimulation test to try to clinch the diagnosis (since his antibody tests were negative, as they can be in 10% of cases). Well he FINALLY had the test today and it definitely confirms the diagnosis!!!! He and I are thrilled! I mean, it's not great to have this disease, but to finally be vindicated with a diagnostic test that confirms the diagnosis! This means he can go back to his HMO and they will have to treat him for what he actually has, instead of telling him it's psychosomatic and sending him back to his psychiatrist!!!
This has been the single most frustrating experience of my entire medical career, being blown off by those a$$hats at his HMO when the diagnosis was textbook! I'm so thankful that the patient happened to know my son and my son asked me to help him. And he's elated, after so much medical gaslighting, to have his diagnosis confirmed with a test they can't argue with. I'm smiling pretty wide right now.
