No Antibodies

[bluegirl7]

Hi all I had the Quest lab antibody test that looks for the Spike Protein as opposed to the other unreliable ones and I have none after being double vaccinated with Moderna. At first I thought it was the unreliability of the test but recently there was an article in NYT that someone here quoted but anyway this Quest test has been approved by CDC to find the spikes. It is recommended for people who have had COVID and want to check and those with surpassed immunity after vaccines who want to check. At the same time, CDC don't use it for the latter!!

So I found out I have none after 4 weeks after last vac and there have been some seriously disturbing articles out there that we will not have very good immunity both from our illnesses and the meds. My rheumatologist doesn't believe a lot of it and says it shows how the news and the current science are not being careful about what they are saying. I am still wearing a mask and social distancing but growing more wary every day to take "risks" ie eating outside at a restaurant or going into a shop etc. One research study at the Univ of CA at SF actually said Prednisone was the main culprit lowering immunity and had folks taking a range of 1mg - 20n mg in the study and not separating out the hosts of other meds these folks were on! But is scientific journal quoted in mainstream media.

Somewhere in the UK someone is studying severely compromised folks the transplants who are they are considering giving more doses to. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I am glad I am vaccinated but now not sure what that means to me. Was planning to come to the UK this August for a month for a wedding if Boris lets folks from the US in with vacs and no quarantine. But now I am afraid. Afraid of the variants from India that will make their way around etc.

I am sorry if I increase anyone's anxiety but this is a growing concern here.

Thank you!!!

[PMRpro Ambassador]

I have not changed my behaviour at all - it's got me this far, it will carry me through. Nothing would persuade me to get on a plane for an hour flight, never mind transatlantic! I will go for a drink at the village cafe/bar - sitting outside, I did that last year too. But vaccinated or not - not going to sit inside amongst people I don't know until the incidence is so low that I feel safe. That will come - but not yet.

The antibody formation is not the only criterion and even knowing you have antibodies doesn't guarantee immunity. That information is yet to be established, I shall wait until they have crunched the numbers and know what the mutations are doing.

[Hidden in reply to PMRpro]

I'm with you all the way on that philosophy PMRpro

[bluegirl7 in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you. It is so strange how we think of the vaccines because of course we are so eager to have something of our past lives. I do think in the US people are too extreme of course in the re-entry. We were so hopeful about the wedding which was postponed from last August and how we were going to keep it all safe etc but now we are concerned about the airports and yes the mutations. And now with this new "information" I am not sure I want to leave my house. We are usually in France in the summers but there is no way we would venture there or Italy and the UK seemed like it was all going in the right direction but again now it may not be able to keep out the variants. The wedding will happen and it will be sad to miss George's big day but... And we also so want out of the US. There is so much craziness here - guns blazing!!!Wish you well!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to bluegirl7]

I feel safe enough here in my part of Italy at present, it's been worse - but they are opening up and people are being totally stupid I think. We'll see in 4 weeks ...

[Constance13 in reply to PMRpro]

We are hoping they will make a decision as to whether we will be able to move around more when we have had both injections. All 'in the air' at the moment.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Constance13]

We can - but it doesn't mean you are safe, you don't KNOW you are immune. As I've said already - I'm carrying on as I have for the last year.

[2013mayo in reply to PMRpro]

Hi. I agree, it’s far too early to think about going on holiday abroad, as you say, siting on a plane is the last thing in the world I feel like doing.

We have booked a couple of nights away in Bournemouth but will be very cautious and wear our masks, and I will clean everywhere in the room at the Hilton, they say they are taking all precautions regarding social distancing and cleaning but I’d rather trust myself and use antibacterial wipes in the room, also take our own towels.

We are not going away yet, June 8-11th it’s our anniversary, which we had to cancel last year, well the hotel cancelled due to lockdown .

X

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to 2013mayo]

They are agreed that fomite transfer of the virus is pretty much negligible - that is catching it from surfaces. It is people who pose the problem!!! They breathe, and cough and sneeze! Even the desperately feared "aerosol generating procedures" in hospital have turned out to be far safer for the doctor intubating or doing the scope than for the nurses looking after a patient on the ward. The nurses only got a pathetic little mask and plastic pinny - the ICU staff got full PPE. That's why so many ward staff caught it.

[2013mayo in reply to PMRpro]

Hi. Yes I know that it’s not too contagious on surfaces, but I’m still going to double make sure. We will not take any chances going out and about, we will wear our masks and keep our distance.

Fortunately or unfortunately we both have immune disorders, me GCA/PMR and husband has myasthenia gravis, both taking pred, both get very tired so won’t be going out too much, just to get away for a day or two is enough for us.

X

[lizg0017]

Hello, do you have links to the studies you read about?

[bluegirl7 in reply to lizg0017]

theatlantic.com/science/arc.... trying to leave you links

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to bluegirl7]

Not a bad article that - at least, in that says everything I've been saying for months. It is the way viruses, the immune system and vaccination works. There is no golden bullet and nothing is certain.

[bluegirl7 in reply to lizg0017]

creakyjoints.org/living-wit...

Trying to find link to Univ of CA at SF link and Science Also see NYT Vaccines Won't Protect Millions and Miami Herald Do COVID Vaccines work on immunosuppressed people?

The NYT article was terrible and created lots of fear

This is all a shift from what was written 2 months ago about the negative antibody tests. At that time the tests were not very good but since the CDC authorized two tests - the Quest one I had - as being able to detect the Spike protein - there has so much noise about people who are not protected. Very discouraging. They should give us more. Also they seem to focus on the meds mostly that we take etc.

[bluegirl7 in reply to bluegirl7]

Also people are running to get the Quest test is their doctor says it is ok for $69 if insurance doesn't pay