Post Covid Advice

[cabinfever]

In a nutshell - I had covid - was hospitalized - my symptoms were a stroke and blood clot that I still have as well as no appetite and loss of taste. I am OK now except for the blood clot but the coagulation clinic is taking are of me. I have been covid negative for awhile now but now they know you can get it again - and I DO NOT Want that to happen-

SOOOO - i have developed a PTSD type of reaction to being around more than one person at any given time. I excuse myself with some quick lie so I don't have to explain I am scared to be around more than one person at any given time.

- and I need opinions or advice as I am supposed to go to a funeral of a good friend in a room at the cemetery that has limited seating and I am extremely afraid of going but I don't want to say anything and make it about me because it is not about me and this guy was well respected and loved by everyone- including me - and I really want to be there BUT I am starting to have panic attacks - I associate a room full of people with death now.

My question - do I just come clean? It is my first choice but I don't want people coming up to tell me about the minimal risks - everyone wearing a mask - because I don't care. My fear is based on my experience and I don't really want to explain anymore. I feel like I should make an excuse (lie) but I also feel like that is disrespectful and I will probably tell on myself anyway if I do that.

I guess my question - is it a legitimate concern or should I try to get past it? I don't have long to decide. I want them to try to fill my seat as they are limited.

If I had my way - I would like to avoid crowds of people until there is a vaccine. What would you do? I want to take care of it by the end of the day onee way or the other.

 

[KaraBulut]

Simple: don't go. Be honest about why. You're going to find that there's quite a few people are having social anxiety, even those who haven't been through the COVID-19 experience. You don't have to get into more detail than you are comfortable with but just explain that you've been ill and are still recovering.

In lieu of attending in person, send a personal note of condolence. If the deceased had a charity they supported, make a donation in their honor.

 

[cabinfever]

Simple: don't go. Be honest about why. You're going to find that there's quite a few people are having social anxiety, even those who haven't been through the COVID-19 experience. You don't have to get into more detail than you are comfortable with but just explain that you've been ill and are still recovering.

In lieu of attending in person, send a personal note of condolence. If the deceased had a charity they supported, make a donation in their honor.

Thank You! - and done. I made the call I was dreading to cancel my seats so someone else could have them and I told the truth - his wife already knows what happened and where I was and why so I didn't really have to explain alot. I will also go to the cemetery when he is buried on my own or with my husband and say good-bye in private and leave flowers then.

In the future I decided I also am not going to hesitate telling anyone "no" if they want to gather for any reason - at least until there is an actual vaccine (not a trump disaster - an actual vaccine that doesn't involve drinking clorox)

I know the charity he supported too.

 

[Rickrock]

It sounds like KaraBulut gave you good advice and I am glad that it seems to be working out. I agree.

 

[cabinfever]

It sounds like KaraBulut gave you good advice and I am glad that it seems to be working out. I agree.

It really was the best advice because in just a few days I have changed a really bad lifelong habit of putting other people's feelings before my own.

Once I explained my reason for not wanting to go to the funeral which I thought I couldn't do - it was like a fog lifted off of me and I pretty much changed my lifelong habit of not wanting to hurt anyone else's feelings - and I have no problem all of a sudden putting my own feelings first.

Amazing really - I hope it is permanent - I like it

 

[seven2go]

^ Good for you.
The ONLY way your new outlook will become permanent is if you make it so.......

 

[cabinfever]

^ Good for you.
The ONLY way your new outlook will become permanent is if you make it so.......

True - I did it yesterday with a LOT of effort to this "psychic" lady who comes into work and annoys me for years now - she annoys everyone it seems - and I actually told her she was draining me and needed to leave. It was way easier than I imagined and I wanted to do it for years but I felt sorry for her- it is torture listening to her tell me stuff - very manipulative but I figured she has a mental illness and she tells me how this or that person yelled at her or told her to leave at another place so I usually politely listen but inside I am screaming GTFO - at least I said it nicely and she knew I meant it.

 

[MARMITE]

If it is true that we can get infected again and again after recovering from covid, then I don't know if a vaccine will really do any good. I hope that the "reinfections" were not because we have no lasting immunity from covid. If that is the case, then the future looks rather bleak.

 

[KaraBulut]

If it is true that we can get infected again and again after recovering from covid, then I don't know if a vaccine will really do any good. I hope that the "reinfections" were not because we have no lasting immunity from covid. If that is the case, then the future looks rather bleak.

The term "immunity" requires a bit more explanation.

The immune system has different mechanisms to fight viral infections: immediate and future.

The immediate immune response depends upon using antibodies and other substances to stop the virus before it can infect cells and to alert white blood cells that there's an intruder in the body. The white blood cells then identify the intruder and develop an immune response that involves multiple mechanisms, including the production of more antibodies.

What the studies have observed in people who have been infected with the three problematic coronaviruses that cause SARS, MERS and now COVID-19 is that antibody levels rise quickly and then seem to drop off. In some people, that drop off in antibody levels occurs quickly- within weeks. In other people, antibodies persist months and in some cases, years.

What the vaccine studies are doing is trying to determine whether a person who has been immunized with proteins from the COVID-19 virus will retain the ability to quickly ramp up antibody levels again.

Which bring us to the "future" (cell-mediated) response. There are cells in the immune system that function as "memory cells". These cells store snippets of proteins from foreign invaders that it has encountered in the past (and in some cases, proteins that may have been passed down genetically from parents). These protein snippets function like "wanted posters" that allow the immune system to quickly recognize the foreign proteins again and quickly instruct other cells to ramp up antibody levels to attack that protein.

The unknown at the moment is how effective that "memory" for the COVID-19 virus will be coming out of the vaccine testing. The studies done with the SARS vaccines tests over a decade indicated that the SARS coronavirus vaccine triggered an immune response and also triggered memory of the SARS proteins. The hope is that the COVID-19 vaccine will do the same thing- it will trigger antibody production and also create "memory" so that antibodies can be produced quickly in future exposures to the virus.

 

[PrinceCory]

The term "immunity" requires a bit more explanation.

Thank you!