[cheque]

Hold tight everyone who’s suffering 

My biggest fear was that I’d get it and inadvertently give it to my housebound parents. My Mum is almost completely incapacitated with MND and my Dad has heart failure, has had bad asthma his whole life and his jabs weren’t exactly to the recommended schedule- he had more than 6 months between the first two and while he’s eligible for the fourth he’s only just had his third.

While I was in the States earlier this month my Dad caught it off one of my Mum’s carers… somehow my Mum didn’t get it at all and my Dad only had minor symptoms and tested negative within a week. YYFY!

I on the other hand got infected at some point in the journey home (another YYFY that I didn’t get it on the journey out there I now realise) and have been sick as a dog with, like jwi, a bad fever for the first four days, which coincided with those two mega hot ones    Had serious delirium the first 48 hours- waking up repeatedly on the floor of the spare room having gone almost straight from staying in various places in America to self-isolation was an absolute headfuck! 

On the mend now and tested negative this afternoon so I’ll hopefully start feeling like I’m back in Britain again soon. I did almost nothing but lie down and feel sorry for myself (luckily I can work from bed) since I first got symptoms. Can’t believe people are training and climbing within days of getting it! 

[webbo]

How many jabs have you had Cheque.
I’m triple jabbed and caught it back in mid May. My wife had tested positive on a Sunday however as I had no symptoms I carried on as normal till the Thursday when following a 60+ mile bike ride I started to feel pretty ropey. Test showed positive in about 30 seconds, felt like I’d a very heavy cold Friday and Saturday. By Sunday I was feeling ok so did light session on my home board, felt fine the next day went on the board and weight trained afterwards. Then just did day on day off with a bit of walking in between
I didn’t cycle for 10 days as I’d heard the horror stories of people damaging their lungs  from starting training too early. First ready took it steady and no issues, then carried on as normal.
Given the more jabs you’ve had the less severe it’s supposed to be appears to be case for me and also the missus who was fine after 3 days.

[Paul B]

I was triple jabbed and it knocked the utter crap out of me (I too began feeling ropey mid ride; I had to stop and wipe my face on the grass  ). I've also recently had a bout of Shingles (I believe there's a 15% increase in the 50+ band of this within 6 months of Covid; I'm not 50+). Obviously correlation isn't causation and I'm pretty wound up at work which could also be the cause (or be contributing).

I'm a little baffled by the fact that we're not talking more about mitigation/ventilation with the impact it's having on people's ability to work. The cost/benefit surely skews towards the benefit?

[jwi]

I also been vaccinated three times. Best case scenario vaccination with a mixture of moderna and pfizer as well. I still was pretty ill for two weeks from BA.5.

[petejh]

2 jabs for me, second one 11 months ago. Definitely felt like the 'rona hit me hard.

[Paul B]

Likewise I was Pfizer, Pfizer, Moderna.

2 jabs for me, second one 11 months ago. Definitely felt like the 'rona hit me hard.

Without being judgey, can I ask why you're only at two? Isn't not having a booster limiting for EU travel?

[cheque]

How many jabs have you had Cheque

I had all three as soon as I was eligible  Two AZs & a Moderna. 5th of May, 9th of July & 31st of December last year.

I had aches and a fever for ~24 hours after each one, particularly the last. The reactions of my nearest and dearest to the vaccine have all corresponded to how badly we’ve had it, not sure if that’s a coincidence or not.

[petejh]

Likewise I was Pfizer, Pfizer, Moderna.

2 jabs for me, second one 11 months ago. Definitely felt like the 'rona hit me hard.

Without being judgey, can I ask why you're only at two? Isn't not having a booster limiting for EU travel?

I didn't bother with the third because I didn't feel concerned by the risk to me from getting ill with covid. And the travel restrictions didn't affect my plans - I skied in Spain, climbed in Switzerland, and climbed in Sardinia all earlier this year without being restricted. After having it I still feel the same - it's shit, but not a big deal for me in terms of risk. If travel seems too restricted next time I go away I might get another jab.

[webbo]

If it’s not the 3 jabs it must be the red wine.

[slab_happy]

Hold tight everyone who’s suffering 

My biggest fear was that I’d get it and inadvertently give it to my housebound parents. My Mum is almost completely incapacitated with MND and my Dad has heart failure, has had bad asthma his whole life and his jabs weren’t exactly to the recommended schedule- he had more than 6 months between the first two and while he’s eligible for the fourth he’s only just had his third.

While I was in the States earlier this month my Dad caught it off one of my Mum’s carers… somehow my Mum didn’t get it at all and my Dad only had minor symptoms and tested negative within a week. YYFY!

I on the other hand got infected at some point in the journey home (another YYFY that I didn’t get it on the journey out there I now realise) and have been sick as a dog with, like jwi, a bad fever for the first four days, which coincided with those two mega hot ones    Had serious delirium the first 48 hours- waking up repeatedly on the floor of the spare room having gone almost straight from staying in various places in America to self-isolation was an absolute headfuck! 

On the mend now and tested negative this afternoon so I’ll hopefully start feeling like I’m back in Britain again soon. I did almost nothing but lie down and feel sorry for myself (luckily I can work from bed) since I first got symptoms. Can’t believe people are training and climbing within days of getting it! 

Really glad your folks made it through okay (I had an anxiety meltdown when my parents got it), and I hope you're fully recovered and on for doing some trad with me soon! Fever during the heatwave sounds like hell on earth.

[Paul B]

If travel seems too restricted next time I go away I might get another jab.

Reading the current rules for entry into Spain I think you're probably in a better position than I am currently. If you get your booster you'll be covered for 270 days after that (and I think 14 days have to elapsed) whereas I'm now just about out of that so I'll need a pre-departure PCR (<72H) or LFT (<24H). That's if I'm reading it correctly.

[Fiend]

Good luck recovering and take it steady Cheque (and others too!)

[Duma]

Anyone had it twice? (Apologies if it's already been discussed)

Interested in how hard it's hit folk the second time. Had it in January, just tested positive again. Triple jabbed (booster in December), mid forties, no underlying conditions.

First time round was about 18 hrs of increasing symptoms, leading up to 24 hrs of "worse than flu", but never worried, then improving over the next 72 hrs. Took  another four days to test negative though (was back in the days of isolation).
Early days, but this time I'm 18 hrs from onset of symptoms and would still describe it as a sore throat and runny nose, though I was pretty exhausted yesterday eve.

Any others got experience?

[Duma]

Just seen you post Webbo, how did it compare to when you first caught it in May?

[abarro81]

Me and my wife both found round 2 a bit less aggressive than round one, but still pretty wiped out for a few days. Took ~3 weeks to get back to full training/climbing vs ~4 weeks for the first round, but that may partly be having managed it better the second time (i.e. not trying to go back to endurance training so fast)

[webbo]

Just seen you post Webbo, how did it compare to when you first caught it in May?

I have only had it once. My post was just recounting my experience.

[Duma]

So now I'm done with round 2. Probably caught it Thursday, tested positive sat eve, tested negative Thursday morning.

As Barrows said, def milder this time, for me about a week start to finish compared to about 2 first time, and much milder symptoms - worst day was like a bad cold, last time was worse than any flu I've had.

[Falling Down]

I had it twice pre-vaccine.  The second time was worse symptom wise.

[mrjonathanr]

Well now, this is interesting. A long overdue cultural shift away from blaming illnesses with difficult to identify illnesses causes on ‘hysteria’ and other cod psychosomatic illnesses?

Monbiot’s writing about Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (clue is in the name), but the issue applies to long Covid too.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/12/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-me-treatments-social-services

[stone]

In that Monbiot article, he cites a ME deep phenotyping study where they say that Long Covid may also be ME https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45107-3

I was a bit uncomfortable with how Monbiot almost seems to be implying that doctors should never implicate psychosomatic mechanisms to illness. Monbiot doesn't actually say that as such, he just says that it is bad when doctors persist with debunked models of a disease. However the whole tone of his piece came across to me as implying that it is worse for doctors to make an error when the error is in that direction.

It seems to me that the duty of doctors is to just try and do what is best for patients by endeavouring to comprehend and treat disease as it is -however that may be.

[mrjonathanr]

It seems to me that the duty of doctors is to just try and do what is best for patients by endeavouring to comprehend and treat disease as it is -however that may be.

Absolutely. It's a broadside from the writer, for sure. It is based on years of some practitioners doing the very opposite of what you suggest. Many physicians are outstanding and the actions of minority are just that. However, the minority view has had major consequences and that is tragedy for people caught up in it. Psychologising physical ailments without sound evidence should not happen.

I do agree Stone, that medics need the freedom to diagnose pyschosomatic illness where it is supported by strong evidence. Unfortunately, I suspect there is a far greater tendency to ascribe psychological explanations to physical illness than to diagnose physical causes to psychological conditions.

[seankenny]

There’s tons of evidence for long covid being a physical nor psychosomatic illness, and equally a very large number of long covid patients who find their healthcare providers ignore that evidence in favour of a psychological explanation. Unfortunately I’m extremely sceptical of the idea that this sort of behaviour is confined to a minority of physicians.

There’s a history of medics preferring a psychosomatic explanation over a physical one, only to be disproved when better technology comes along. One problem with psychologising disease is that it has led (in the case of ME) to “treatments” that have actively harmed patients. This kind of outdated and harmful treatment is still sometimes offered to long covid patients… bad ideas are hard to shift.

[mrjonathanr]

Quite. If the message has come to NICE, maybe there is evidence of a shifting outlook Sean?

I was a bit uncomfortable with how Monbiot almost seems to be implying that doctors should never implicate psychosomatic mechanisms to illness.

I didn’t get that from reading his article Stone.

[seankenny]

It’s a very mixed bag. Certainly the physios I’ve seen were very into pacing and warned about the risks of the graded exercise approach, so the message has got through there. Similar with the NHS psychologist.

Doctors? Well the Royal College of Physicians did not accept the new NICE guidelines when they came out but I’m not sure where they stand now. It’s not encouraging that the evidence gets labelled “poor or very poor” quality and… they still want to use those treatments. I’m at a loss to understand those attitudes. I’ve experienced a bit of reluctance from doctors to see it as a physical disease and, after hearing from hundreds of other patients including some who were previously doctors, I consider myself fortunate in that respect. Still, even with a fair wind the treatments available are risible and extremely patchily applied, at the very least there’s been a huge failure of knowledge sharing. I’ve found dealing with doctors has mostly veered between frustrating and traumatic - my GP shouted at me for politely suggesting that attending the long covid clinic might be a good idea. Can’t imagine cancer patients get shouted at much.

[shurt]

My experience with Doctors when diagnosed with CFS was shit. Had multiple blood tests, all negative over long period. Diagnosis and then a shrug and goodbye. There is little support or any idea of a plan for recovery via doctors on the NHS. Not sure if the same for long covid but I suspect as much.