**Last Update** Covid - Help!

[NorasMom]

For those who've had Covid at some point, when did your symptoms go away and did you need professional medical treatment for that to happen?

My son was formally diagnosed on 9/18, and I developed symptoms the following day. I didn't bother getting tested. He was barely sick for about 3 days, but I've been struggling ever since. I'd made a lot of progress until today when I wound up in bed, sick to my stomach and with legs that aren't working very well. I've been taking OTC meds as needed, and I'm really not too bad tonight. Which is now tomorrow, because I forgot to go to bed. 🤪

Tonight, my son is suddenly very sick with vomiting, extreme back pain, and a dry cough. Should we call our GP (who is an hour away in another county), go to the ER (half an hour away, with me driving for the first time in a year), or just keep treating everything with OTC meds? I've known other people who had Covid of varying intensities, but I don't remember any of them saying they've been sick for this long or had recurring issues. I don't know whether to be mad or scared.

Update 10/15 3:30 am -- Well, I'm doing fine. Good thing, because I took my son to the ER at 10:30, and it wasn't until an hour ago that they decided to keep him. Meanwhile, I was napping in the parking lot. Anyway, he doesn't have Covid anymore or the flu. He apparently had an unknown infection that's turned septic, so they're going to keep him for a while on IV antibiotics. I think I'd rather he had Covid....Thank you to everyone who responded, and please keep him in your prayers.

Update 10/22: I wasn't going to post, because it's time to put this to rest, but I did want to thank everyone for the responses and prayers. I started the ball rolling by cornering a Greek Orthodox priest on the street (we're a combination of Mennonite & Baptist!). My son wound up spending 7 days in the hospital, in 5 different rooms because they were so full and kept having to move him.

Other than "it's an infection", they had no clue what was wrong with him for the first 6 days. We were getting reports of a kidney abscess, possible surgery and dialysis, spots on his lungs, cloudiness around his bladder....I haven't driven in more than a year, but I made the 34-mile round trip every day, just to see my son in so much pain that morphine wasn't helping.

They finally just decided that he's really weird. 😁 Seriously. It was a UTI without normal symptoms. His urine tests were clear, while the bloodwork was all over the place. His internal organs aren't precisely where they should be, so they were seeing shadows on his scans that didn't actually exist. I brought him home on Friday, and he'll be taking a variety of drugs for the next few weeks in the hope that this finally goes away.

[Frances_B]

I'm posting this reply ten hours after you posted your questions (no-one else has responded), and I sure hope that by now you have at least phoned your GP and/or the ER for some advice on what to do. When you have questions about potentially serious medical problems they should be your first call, not this forum. I hope you both manage/d to get appropriate treatment or advice before thing got/get worse.

[NorasMom in reply to Frances_B]

Aaaah, Frances. I do appreciate the response, but life in rural US isn't quite the same as countries with socialized medicine. Obviously, if either of us show serious symptoms we'll go to the hospital, but at midnight on Friday there aren't a lot of options. Our GP is only open Mon-Thurs from 9 am to 4 pm, and the only clinic has bankers' hours and can't prescribe drugs.

We've been monitoring our oxygen levels all along, using pulse oximeters, and have been fine in that area. At no point have either of us reached the point where we felt we needed emergency assistance. My concern is that this whole thing is dragging out so long. The symptoms for Covid and "long Covid" are as vague as those for MS, so I was just hoping to hear from people who had been through it.

[PWilli in reply to NorasMom]

I was diagnosed with Covid the day after we returned from Germany (a trip of a lifetime to see the Passion Play.) I didn’t feel too bad during it but have had long Covid with respiratory symptoms since June, 2022. I saw my pulmonologist and chest X-ray showed some cloudiness in my lungs.

In July this year I ended up with coughing/shortness of breath that wouldn’t stop with OTC and rx cough syrup. Ended up in ER and was given an albuterol treatment which worked until 4 hrs later I ended up coughing again and couldn’t stop. Back to ER. I got some IV Valium to calm me and and another nebulizer treatment. It’s very frustrating and exercise has been limited.

Sorry this is so long and I didn’t have any answers for you. I pray you recover quickly with no lasting effects. Pam

[MyMilo in reply to NorasMom]

Prayers for you

[kdali]

Stomach viruses tend to be over in 24hrs, and those are also going around.

When we had covid, it was nothing. The next thing going around was a stomach virus and it was horrendous for the adults for about 6hrs. I hope you both are feeling better soon!

[Fancy59 CommunityAmbassador]

Please don't mess with covid. It can turn into a life threatening situation very quickly. With our MS compromised immune system, Covid can hit the lungs very quickly. Get in front of the new Beast don't try to play catch up after severe sickness sets in. That's without even considering long term Covid. Get to the doctor immediately and take your son with you. Mask up and head to the ER immediately. Fancy59.

[kycmary]

I just saw this NoraMom, please call your GP or ER & get some advice. I know that you don't mess with Covid! Too many people have died because of Covid

[anaishunter]

My neuro always told me to call him right away if I get COVID. They have access to special treatment more easily for people with ms who are immunocompromised (I take Ocrevus).

But I mentioned above, get to a doctor quickly. Medicine can to a lot better if treating patients early on. Don't delay.

[Sleepy01]

Go get paxlovid to try and shorten the course! I was so sick last year w Covid and ended up in the hospital even w the paxlovid intervention! Our drugs are so detrimental to our immune systems!

[ahrogers]

The first time I had Covid I got the IV monoclonal antibodies on day 3 (tested positive on a Friday and got treatment on Monday). Second time I got Paxlovid that I started the day after testing positive. Third time I didn't take anything, I was on vacation in another state. First time I was the sickest, real bad for 2 weeks then moderately bad another week or so. Then was slow to recover fully. 2nd and 3rd time took about the same to recover. Real sick for about 10 days then fatigue for about 4 more weeks. That was in mid July. I am back to my baseline fatigue level now.

I don't think I would consider what I had being long Covid, just longer to improve due to immunocompromised from Ocrevus.

Praying your son gets better quickly. Glad you took him to the ER so he was able to get started on treatment for sepsis! Also Praying you get back to baseline soon.

[hairbrain4]

When I had Covid a couple of years ago, my Dr told me it only lasts about 7-10 days. After that its something else due to immune system being compromised from Covid. I had bronchitis afterward, which was not unusual for me cuz if I get a cold I get bronchitis. I was taking Zink, Vitamin C & B Complex to fight Covid. It helped. My Dr told me that it kept me from getting really sick. Hope you & your son are feeling better soon.

[Cwright170994]

That's scary that he had a hidden infection! And did you get yourself checked? I know there's the long covid that's been reported in the UK, where I live, but I managed to get a short version at the beginning where I just needed more sleep. I've had all the booster vax's for it, apart from one where I was in hospital (unrelated to covid, I had the 1st lot of my tonic-clonic seizures 🙃). I think that's just because the NHS and my MS nurse wants me to be vax'd against EVERYTHING, and my husband can get all his boosters and stuff because he's "technically" my carer 😅

[sashaming1]

Three weeks with flu-like symptoms.

[Neworleanslady]

Prayers for your son