Either everyone thinks the pandemic is over, or they just don't care anymore. I believe it's the latter.

I still have this nagging feeling that everything is going to explode again this winter. This is the cusp of fall and winter, and once everyone heads indoors I think all hell is going to break loose again.

I guess we'll have to wait and see.

This is great! When we didn’t hear anything from England during the queens funerals., We knew things are getting better. Everyone was saying oh that’s a covid spreader. But nothing happened. Now China will be the next test as thousands if not more are going to Tiananmen Square for some rallies, if nothing comes of Covid in China, then it might be over finally.

Got mine two weeks ago.

Got the new booster 9/12/2022.

I've never seen anything like it. I don't think people are dying from it as much, which is why it's not in the news so much. But some folks are having a really hard time of it while sick.

the potential long-term consequences thereof.

Long covid is really a problem for so many. Especially older folks!

And hospitalizations are trending way down too.

But it does seem like it still goes through groups of people. Knew a bunch of people who got it a couple months ago.

1. How many people is that?
2. Are they vaccinated?
3. How sick are they?

an office with 6 sick. So...no, not everybody I know...but a bunch!

Some of the sequelae are deadly, in and of themselves - and my guess is that people who die from post-COVID pancreatitis (for example) aren't counted as COVID deaths.

I've been cleared for my booster (COVID caused immune deficiencies for me - which have now been resolved) , so I'm going to make an appointment within the next week or so.

sequelae

Plural form of sequela
sĭ-kwĕl?ə
noun

1. A pathological condition resulting from a disease.
2. A secondary consequence or result.
3. That which follows; a following.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

Long COVID doesn't really describe everything COVID causes. For example, I had pancreatitis, some gall bladder crud, and immune deficiencies - none of which typically come to mind when you think of longCOVID - and they pretty much seem to be self-limiting (unlike my former employee - who is still suffering from brain fog from her bout with COVID nearly a year ago). So COVID sequelae pretty much covers any disease/condition COVID causes, whether temporary or permanent - or part of the standard stuff or not.

I've been fortunate to (so far) not get COVID. I appreciate you taking time to post what you've experienced and what you've learned. My wife and I found a local drugstore that has the latest booster, so we'll finally get that. (Even hermits need vaccination).

(Immune markers are back to normal).

I think, though, that COVID is not done with me yet. I'm noticing joint pain and a trigger finger in my right hand. I've had trigger finger before, caused by diabetes. But only when I'm not behaving and my A1C goes above 7.0. It's in the low 6.something at the moment, and it's a different finger (the diabetes-induced trigger finger has always been in my thumb - this is in my middle finger). There are some reports of reactive arthritis being caused by COVID - and it's a known complication of some GI issues. We'll see.

I'm hoping it's just pain from using a sander to refinish the floors in my daughter's house (it started after I spent a weekend pushing a sander around) - but the pain hasn't gone away even when I've gone a couple of weeks without sanding.

There is this study that links Covid infection with diabetes induced acute pancreatitis. It's more complicated than what I can understand, but I've had some family members with Diabetes have some long covid related issues, and I think that the connection is worth a lot more studying.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8089494/

Intro to article: Introduction: Respiratory, kidney and gastrointestinal are some of the systems affected by COVID-19. Although COVID-19 has been studied as a lung pathogen, endocrine system involvement has rarely been studied. In this case report, we present a case of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and acute pancreatitis in the setting of COVID-19.

and I believe the initial presentation of COVID was acute pancreatitis and DKA. My pancreatic specialist is seeing acute pancreatitis 2-3 weeks after the COVID infection resolves (not as the presenting symptom).

The only connection my pancreatic specialist thought might be relevant between diabetes and pancreatitis is that metforminm (the initial medication for most T2 diabetics) can cause pancreatitis - but not likely at the dose I'm on. Also not likely with diabetes as controlled as mine is. In the hospital they won't allow metformin, since it interferes with quite a few tests - instead they put you on insulin, based on how high your blood glucose is. I only hit the threshhold once, and then only because the meal schedule was so messed up that they checked at what was likely the peak level, rather than the trough (which they were supposed to check). (The threshold was 150 - I was at 151.)

how many various systems Covid seems to attack, and it sounds like you have wonderful doctors who are investigating everything for you.

I'm sorry you experienced these long term effects.

My SIL suffered chronic pancreatitis. (Alcoholism was the cause for her.) It can be an extremely painful condition, and it was for her. I hope that the acute flareup was over quickly and doesn't come back.

Glad you'll be able to get the updated booster. Best of luck staying healthy moving forward.

The doctor in the hospital was a jerk, who couldn't be bothered to do more than babysit. They ruled out all of the objective causes for pancreatitis (gall stones, family history, prior incidents), so the floor doctor decided that I must an alcoholic who is lying about how much I drink - since how that is not something he could verify. His plan was to keep me on IV fluids until he could justify sending me home, with no further exploration of causes.

I asked for a GI consult, which he initially denied. Little to say, that didn't go over well with me. He then, finally, did a simple manipulation to see if my gall bladder was involved (it was) and reluctantly agreed. Still - he was sure I was just lying about alcohol use. That attitude was so obvious that even my spouse (who does not do subtle) thought it was inappropriate and odd. At least twice, in her presence, he told me to just stop drinking and I'd be fine. (Since alcohol consumption that is sufficient to cause pancreatitis requires about 6-8 drinks a day for a half-dozen years, the fact that I had been in the hospital for 3 days with no withdrawal symptoms should have bought him a clue.)

The GI consult was the oddest interaction I've ever had with a doctor - but she ordered a slew of tests which gave the wonderful pancreatic/gall bladder specialist (after I was discharged) all that was needed to figure things out.

But, yes pancreatitis can be extremely painful. Mine wasn't very painful - so it took me a long time to get myself to the ER. And it's also life-threatening (it likes to shut down other organs). Our expectation is that it was a single incident and won't return. But time will tell.

I'm sorry about your sister. Battling addiction - even with a debilitiating condition that ought to discourage drinking - is tough.

she passed away a number of years ago, so she's no longer suffering her demons or physical pain.

I'm glad you advocated strongly for yourself. Doctors should know better than to presume; that's extremely maddening. Glad you got the tests you needed.

To Good Health.

We both had our bivalent booster but only 6 days from his exposure (and thus mine.matter he came home from out of town where he got it. He tested positive 4 days after that.

I have stayed negative this whole time. We both wear N95 masks in common areas of the house and are not in them together or for long periods of time. Basically to make something to eat, which i take into the bedroom and he to the basement - where he has been spending his day and nights.

He had hardly any symptoms and none for over a week now. I’m sure the booster has helped some and I firmly believe wearing N95 practically 24/7 has prevented me from contracting CV.

Today the line was much fainter than it has been so figures crossed he will test negative in a day or two.

He has felt so good he started running again yesterday but is ramping up his miles slowly.

My arm was really sore from the flu shot.
The booster arm was fine.

Covid cases are rising in my county, we still wear our masks in stores.

Flu vaccine in the other arm. I still wear a mask when I go out. Covid is a miserable thing to have and the last thing I want to do is visit a hospital.

Probably my immune systems overreaction. My wife and I caught Covid about as early as you could catch it in the USA. It was a rough ride and we had a mild case.

This is a great resource at Mayo Clinic. You can zoom down into state and county levels, too. Overall, I think we're looking pretty good.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/coronavirus-covid-19/map

Oh, and hubby and I both got the latest booster,the Omicron one, 3 weeks ago. Neither of us had any reaction other than a mildly sore shoulder for a day.

Lowest since March 24th of 2020.

Cases now the lowest since June of 2021.

I got my Omicron booster Monday, no side effects outside of a slightly sore arm.

Flu shot next week.

I’ll stay up to date on my vaccines as long as it takes. MRNA vaccines are a game changer for humanity. So glad they are here.

Did you get them in different arms?


I almost got a flu shot last year, but then they'd run out by the time I went .

I've never had one. The last time I had the flu I was
16 in HS. I'm 69 now. So I'm concerned on having a reaction w flu shot while getting the booster #3

With covid I only had a light sore arm for vax #1, and a 2 1/2 day sore upper arm for vax #2, or ?booster #1 or #2.

ventilator in the ICU with severe Covid right now. His kidneys have failed from the Covid medication, Remdesivir, and he is now on dialysis. His heart stopped yesterday, but thankfully they were able to get it started again because a nurse noticed immediately when he coded. No one should have to go through the hell my family is going through right now because they think wearing a mask is inconvenient. We are devastated and heartbroken. The vaccine is not enough to protect you! Don't give in to peer pressure. Wearing a mask is not a big deal.

Covid is tough on the elderly - they make up the majority of the hospitalized. I was lucky that my 86 year old dad recovered quickly, but he's in relatively good health otherwise.

No side effects except the flu shot site is sorer than the covid. One in each arm.

I got both those shots last week, and same. Luckily no ill effects. (Now the shingles vaccine was a WALLOP!)