After almost 3 years I finally got covid

[Tree Lady]

Flew to Texas for daughter's CPA ceremony, wore my mask everywhere but I shared a hotel room with my daughters and caught from them. Never again share!

My doc wants to know if I want paxlovid and I can't decide. Right now I have cough, fever around 100.4 runny nose and feel yucky. After Tylenol feel not so bad. My husband had to stop paxlovid because it made him violently sick to stomach and I read all the side effects and rebound. Can't make up my mind, thinking of waiting to see how I feel tomorrow morning. Today is day 2. Just got pcr test confirming tonight.

My dr says up to me. I have had all my vaccines and the bivalent one mid October. The home test was just a faint line. Does that mean anything?

Sorry, I deal with anxiety and this isn't helping.

[Ferryboat]

1. Same here, after 3 years as a "essential worker" it came for both my wife &I

Never been so sick in my life. After 7 days it eased off.

[louis-t]

2. Faint line can mean you have mild infection

Directions say the test card is sensitive to amount of virus. My 90 year old mother just got over it. She had all of her shots and symptoms were mild. She got it at her last remaining sister's funeral. I just think it's only a matter of time for me. Avoided it almost 3 years.

[KentuckyWoman]

3. Hope yours is the quick version.

No advice just hugs.

Be well.

[skylucy]

4. I know a couple of people who took paxlovid after the doctor offered it to them.

They both got really sick to the stomach and one opted to stop taking it because of that side effect. When my husband got covid and asked the doctor about paxlovid, the doctor said if he wanted to take it, he would rx it for him...but then also said there were side effects that can be pretty severe. My husband decided not to take paxlovid. He was miserable for a couple of weeks (fever and felt rotten) but never got short of breath or anything like that. Vaxxed and boosted, you probably will be fine without the paxlovid.

[pnwmom]

14. And I know three who have taken it without a problem, other than, for one of them,

an unpleasant taste in the mouth.

[CottonBear]

5. A faint line is COVID positive. There's rarely ever a false positive on home tests.

According to my physician brother-in-law, the home test is rarely ever a false positive, but you can get a false negative.

I got Covid recently after going the entire pandemic without catching it. I’ve been double vaccinated and I have had three boosters including the bivalent booster. I just had a runny nose and my doctor said I didn’t need to take the antiviral treatment. Also, I had gone beyond the time period that you could take it. In any case, my doctor said the side effects are pretty severe and they usually only prescribe it for people who’ve just found out they’re positive and who have severe symptoms and who are in a higher risk group.

They told me to take ibuprofen alternating with Tylenol and drink lots of water and to drink an electrolyte solution for adults. However, I didn’t need to do those things because I never had a fever.

Good luck. I hope you feel better soon.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

28. So weird on side effects of paxlovid! Doctor must

have seen that and assumed true? Had none except bitter taste from one ingredient.

On edit : Sorry, reread - see your husband couldn't take paxlovid.

[IA8IT]

6. Positive in Sept. fever and funky two days then mostly better.

Tylenol on the two fever days. Turned 70 in Aug.

Good Luck

[Tree Lady]

7. Thanks for the good thoughts

I am learning towards not taking the drug since it made my husband so sick. Right now I feel like I have flu or bad cold. Hoping my vaccines keep it that way.

[skylucy]

8. Also Tree Lady....

If your covid test is showing a faint line, that is a good sign. You don't have a big viral load. My husbands first home test showed a big, dark line that lit up like a Christmas Tree as soon as I put the drops on it! It didn't take 15 or 20 minutes. The line got fainter and took longer to appear after several days and finally was negative.

[Tree Lady]

11. Thats how my daughters was who gave it

To all of us dark thick line right away. She said no way and took a second test, same thing then pcr test same. She is one of those people who thinks you can positive think your way out of anything.

[Bluethroughu]

9. We all just got it in my house finally after 3 years of strict cautious measures.

We went through the anxiety, and every symtom this week, but after reading Tylenol for headache and mucinex for phelmy cough and Nyquil for dry cough...we are all good after 6 days. We even lost taste and smell for two days, but it's back and good, no issues yet.

We were all vaccinated twice and boosted, but we didn't get the current boost with the new strains. We are all Asthma compromised, but we made through ok.

I hope it goes as well for you, but if you have some trouble starting to settle in, think about taking the serious meds. Give yourself a few days maybe, but it's personal so do what you feel is right.

I hope you get through quickly without any long covid.

[spooky3]

10. I had no side effects with Paxlovid; started taking it 2 days after symptoms

Started. Why not try the Paxlovid and stop if you feel worse?

[Tetrachloride]

12. get 10 minutes of sunshine on face every day for vitamin D-3

[maxsolomon]

31. Easier said than done

in the PNW

[Tree Lady]

37. Lol totally overcast and cold here in Oregon nt

[pnwmom]

13. YES YES YES, if your doctor is asking you, I would say YES. Yes, please.

I know your husband had a bad reaction, but you aren't genetically related to your husband, so you are unlikely to respond the same way. And if you wait to see if you get very sick, you might be too far along to qualify.

The people I know who have taken it experienced nothing worse than a bad taste in the mouth (for one of them) while taking it.

And that rebound effect? It also happens in people who have NOT taken Pavlovid.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/13/well/live/paxlovid-rebound.html

Reports of “Paxlovid rebound” popped up in the spring of 2022, as some people who had taken the antiviral medication experienced a recurrence of Covid symptoms, days after their infection appeared to have cleared up. But that rebound effect isn’t limited to people who have taken Paxlovid: a study this past fall found that symptoms can flare up again even in people who did not take the antiviral medication.

Those who have taken Paxlovid and are concerned about a potential rebound should watch out for returning symptoms in the week or so after they test negative. But “people should not be swabbing themselves like there’s no tomorrow if they’re feeling better,” said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco.

Only a small fraction of people who take Paxlovid report a rebound, said Dr. Steven Gordon, an infectious disease specialist at the Cleveland Clinic; a study published in June found that of 13,644 adult coronavirus patients who took Paxlovid or another treatment, Molnupiravir, about 5 percent tested positive again within 30 days and 6 percent experienced symptoms again. And Paxlovid rebound is more likely in people who are older or have compromised immune systems, said Dr. Kelly Gebo, an infectious disease specialist at Northwestern Medicine.

Those who do experience a recurrence of symptoms typically do so within a few days or a week, said Dr. Gebo. If you feel a sore throat or runny nose coming back, you may want to take a rapid antigen test, she advised.

[haele]

15. My doctor gave it to me four days after symptoms to reduce chance of rebound.

She had read that paxlovid early (~2 days of symptoms) or as a prophylactic didn't work as well and rebounds had a higher chance of occuring, so she gave it to me as late as she felt it would be effective and not otherwise affect my health (as in, before damage might start occuring if I was to develop Long COVID from my illness).
It seemed to have worked fine, except I went a day and a half before being able to pick up my prescription.

Don't know if she was right to do so or not, but Paxlovid is supposed to be taken within the first five days of positive test or symptoms, so she was still within the range.

Haele

[Laura PourMeADrink]

27. That's very interesting! It's supposed to stop the

Virus replication. But you haven't had rebound right? Sounds like a plan! I am in day 2 of rebound. Wish I had more paxlovid!!!

[doc03]

16. I got it Saturday 1st time. I did the home test Sunday AM, and it was positive. I tested again

at Med-Express Monday AM and it was positive also. I had mild cold symptoms Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
I took NyQuil once at night and Dayquil once in the afternoon. Today I feel fine and haven't taken anything. They
said I could take the Paxlovid but said it had some bad side effects, so I didn't figure I needed that. I am supposed to
isolate until Friday.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

17. Two of my law partners have used paxlovid

This drug worked well for them. If you have any risk factors, get the drug as soon as possible. My pulmonary and other doctors have told me to not to chance it if I test positive and start paxlovid as soon as possible.

[MLAA]

18. Sending you hugs!

[Cracklin Charlie]

19. It's in my house too.

Both hubs and I have very mild symptoms. We got boosted in early November, and caught it somewhere last week.
Spending a cold, rainy week indoors.

[liberal_mama]

20. It makes me wonder why they are always telling people who are vaccinated/boosted to take

Paxlovid. Today, a local politician who is young and healthy, vaxxed/boosted, stated his symptoms were very mild (thanks to the vaccine, he says), but yet his doctor still prescribed Paxlovid? It seems odd to me as Paxlovid is an expensive medication and can have unpleasant side effects.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

26. To me it is a miracle drug. Have never felt so sad when

Last pill taken. It almost immediately takes away symptoms.

[bif]

21. Same here. Got it over Thanksgiving.

It was like a bad cold. I'm still coughing three weeks later.

[LisaL]

22. My friend took Paxlovid.

He felt pretty miserable before taking it. It worked fast for him.

[jcgoldie]

23. I'm just recovering from it for the 3rd time

Had it in June of this year, then September, now December. This time lasted the longest about 8 days, came on slow but a bad cough on the backend.

[Ms. Toad]

24. Sorry! I got it the same way - but I can't avoid the room sharing.

It's my spouse who gave it to me - and while I can protect myself at home by sleeping in a recliner in another room, I can't when we travel.

It's too early to have solid data - but there is some indication that Paxlovid will decrease the risk of long COVID. Given that I got pancreatitis from my July bout with COVID (without Paxlovid), I would definitely consider it if I contract COVID a second time - purely from the perspective of trying to minimize the risk of long COVID. (COVID, itself, was pretty mild for me - no fever, no real sore throat, very little congestion/runny nose, and I coughed for about 2 days)

The line will probably get darker over the next couple of days (if you test again).

Do keep an eye out for symptoms of pancreatitis - my GI doc says he's seeing a fair number of cases of pancreatitis. (Pancreatitis can be life-threatening, although mine was pretty mild.)

[Laura PourMeADrink]

25. Me too. Almost three years! On a plane CT to Dallas

Only masked person to boot!

Definitely get Paxlovid!!! It took away all symptoms. Surprise doctor isn't pushing it since it's more effective the sooner you take it. Plus they think it helps protect against long covid!

Unfortunately in covid rebound which heard everyone is getting with newer strains.

[Johnny2X2X]

29. Listen to your doctor

If they prescribe Paxlovid, there's a reason for it, so take it.

Deaths remain quite low in the US for Covid, kind of been stuck at between 200-400 a day for several months now. No real spike since very early this year. Hopefully this holds over the Holidays, but I suspect we'll see a small spike in January.

[Tree Lady]

30. I decided to take it

Have zoom apt with doc in a hour then he will prescribe. It was the nurse who told me to make apt for it.

[maxsolomon]

32. It got me yesterday.

My 1st test was a VERY faint positive line, but my wife had a bold line and she got sick 1st.

This morning, tested positive where there's no doubt I've got it.

32 months in; I was starting to think I was invincible.

[Tree Lady]

38. Me too especially since I didn't get it

When hubby had it bad for 3 weeks in August. I thought maybe I was one of the lucky ones. But I separated from him in house immediately and was crazy about sterilizing everything. We also sleep in separate rooms because of sleep issues and i think that is what did it. I caught covid sharing room with daughter who had it and didn't know.

[arthritisR_US]

33. I got it a month ago and 2 days later my daughter

got it. We both had been fully vaccinated and all boosters. Our home tests were without a doubt positive. I have had open heart surgery and as well a former cancer (x 4) survivor. The congested chest and head cold symptoms and fatigue were the worst but they abated within a week to a week and a half. We got a portable humidifier to help the chest breathing at night and it was a tremendous help. We increased our vitamin C and added zinc to our regime. We were so floored by having avoided it for 3 years and then to succumb to it now. We figure I caught it from a medical emergency I had and unfortunately I probably picked it up from the hospital.
Sur hope you two are ok and that like us your worst symptoms are no more than a few days💝

[Tree Lady]

39. Happy you did ok especially with your medical

Background. I am lucky have other symptoms but not the bad fatigue most get. The cough is my worst.

[arthritisR_US]

42. The cough I found the most enduring but after that

week and some I haven’t had it since. Haven’t had the reoccurring of any symptoms. Our fear always was me getting it but the universe was with us.
We still mask up when we have to go out, 3 years and counting lol 👍🏼

[XanaDUer2]

34. I deal with anxiety too

Catching COVID in Aug almost sent me over the edge. Doctor didn't offer me paxlovid. Mr X is 70 and got it. He said it made him feel bad, but do what your doctor recommends.

I'm so sorry. We went yrs wo catching it.

[0rganism]

35. just got it myself a few days ago

Truly awful stuff. Calling it a "bad cold" would be like calling a Ringling Bros 3-ring circus a "big mime show". Fortunately, I do seem to be getting better. Slowly.

[Prairie_Seagull]

36. I havn't had it (sprinting to knock on wood).

Let us know how it works for you. Please.

[Mysterian]

40. I don't want a doctor to ask me if I want some drug

I want a doctor to tell me what drug I need and give it to me.

[Tree Lady]

41. I know it's like they are so afraid

Of being sued or? He just said it's up to me I don't have to take it. So I asked about other patients and he said about half his patients took it. I think because it's an emergency drug not done by FDA yet why he is so careful.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

43. Paxlovid

Miracle drug