Coronavirus and ok

[Margerita]

Has anyone here with asthma had coronavirus and been ok. someone came and picked up a parcel out of my porch on Saturday we had a brief distanced chat but she has since tested positive. Now I’m really worried that I and my husband will get it 😕

[twinkly29]

Research has found that most asthmatics haven't been any more affected than non asthmatics and a senior respiratory nurse told me a couple of weeks ago that none of the patients they currently had needing higher level care with covid were patients with respiratory conditions. Ok not a personal experience, although I know of people on here who have had it and not been particularly unwell, but hopefully reassuring.

Also they say it would have to be at least 15 mins within 2m or something to be at risk.

[Margerita in reply to twinkly29]

Thank you very much for your reassurance. As an asthmatic I’m well controlled on mepo injections and several other meds and not had to have steroids for Almost two years so fingers crossed 🤞 thank you x

[twinkly29 in reply to Margerita]

You should be ok then, from a controlled asthma point of view and an "ages since steroids" point of view (although short courses don't really cause issues with immunity anyway). So fingers crossed all good with exposure and being controlled!

[Kekememe1 in reply to Margerita]

Hi. What are mepo injections. I'm looking for anything to stabilize my allergic asthma and right now, only prednisone seems to help. I'm in the States and I'm wondering if we have that here.

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador in reply to Kekememe1]

Mepo is mepolizumab with is a monthly injection. More about mabs; healthunlocked.com/asthmauk...

But there are a lot of meds around to try before you get there (in the UK anyway 😅)

[Kekememe1 in reply to EmmaF91]

Ah ok. Thanks Emma. Yes we do have those here in the USA as well. I'm currently looking into Dupixent for my allergic asthma with nasal polyps. I've found that the allergies and polyps are triggering my frequent asthma attacks and feeling of throat tightness. Thanks again.

[Carriejen]

Worrying will only make you feel worse about everything. Unless you feel symptoms or unwell i wouldn't stress about it too much. Hope it all turns out well

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador]

The point is that you have asthma and are still alive (as morbid as that sounds) and not in itu (or even needed hospital). The worry at the start of COVID was that people with asthma were more likely to end up in itu/dead. It was never really about us being more prone to catching it unless you have another comorbidity like low IgG levels making you immunosuppressed. Current research suggests that controlled asthmatics are at no more risk from COVID then gen pop with the worse extreme side effects like itu, although they still aren’t sure they affect on uncontrolled asthmatics.

However they did find having asthma PLUS another risk characteristic (like obesity) may make you worse off that someone with the same characteristics minus the asthma.

If twinklys nurse says they currently don’t have any resp patients in itu/intubated then that does suggest that the current research is true. However I’m not sure if any research has been done on asthma and long covid yet.

I’m sorry you’ve caught covid but hopefully you’ll manage to get through without needing hospital. There have been many on here (of varying levels of asthma/control) who have had it and managed to stay home with it.

For a lot of the asthma community viruses are a trigger but the fact you’ve managed to stay out of hospital is a good sign, esp as it sounds like you’ve managed to stay about 75% your PF.

That being said everyone is an individual, and you’re experiencing what you are and that is feeling rotten like a lot of COVID sufferers 😞

I hope you feel better soon and are able to keep safely managing it at home!

[twinkly29 in reply to EmmaF91]

Completely agree Emma. No having Covid and feeling awful etc after 12 days isn't a walk or in the park, but it's not dissimilar to many nasty viruses that people get. Even more weeks to fully recover wouldn't be unrealistic.

As you said, there's a big difference between that and people suffering from severe complications needing hospital treatment and high level intensive care (which as you also mentioned was the fear initially with many who were originally thought to be vulnerable).

In the case of my hospital, at that point it wasn't just ITU/intubated patients but CPAP/NIV too (as in none of these patients had underlying respiratory conditions). In any case the nurse did not say respiratory patients were not at risk just that no patients currently needing high level care had respiratory conditions.

Of course the virus is incredibly random and anyone (super for or with multiple conditions) can suffer mildly, horrifically or anywhere in-between - so one person's experience doesn't mean that's how it is for everyone.