I have been on prednisone for 5 years and I’m currently taking 8 mg.
I have been very cautious since COVID hit and my wife and I managed to avoid getting sick. Well, at least up until 2 days ago.
We both felt like we were coming down with a cold so we decided to perform a home test. Much to our surprise my wife tested positive (I tested negative). We ran over to our local Urgent Care center and had a Rapid PCR test performed and low and behold we both tested positive.
I’m happy to report that I have only been experiencing mild-moderate flu like symptoms without fever. I have some body aches, fatigue and a cough but other than that I am fairing quite well. Needless to say I am pleasantly surprised by how nicely my system is handling it. I have had many worse flu’s in my life and the “boogey man” turns out not to be as scary as I thought.
I am fully vaccinated and had only one booster shot 8 months ago. A few more days of quarantine and hopefully I can go back to living my life as a “normal” PMR patient. 🙏🏻
Hopefully this helps others who may be living in fear.
Written by
rocketman42
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Hard luck! Of course - 8 months post a vaccine its effect will have been waning. But glad there was obviously still enough left to make it a minor escapade. And now your immunity will have been boosted somewhat.
That’s why I mentioned 8 months in order to emphasize that even with the boosters waning effectiveness my system was strong enough to handle it. My main purpose of posting is to try to allay some fears that folks rightfully have about us PMR patients being weakened and at tremendous risk. Obviously continue to take precautions but under current circumstances it’s not a death sentence.
I just had my 4th jab - just under 6 months since the last one. There isn't the same rush here in Italy as in the UK and my next will be the autumn booster that is being planned. There is a reticence to give too many here since there is some evidence the response wanes if you stimulate it too often. It would be so nice if they could measure the memory immunity ...
Not heard of the that, but Immune imprinting is mentioned by immunologist. To the immune system it’s like teaching a dog the same trick many times, then trying another different trick but the dog is incapable of learning.
Thankyou for that information and I'm so pleased you've got through it relatively unscathed.
It's probably what I needed to hear, bearing in mind that I am waiting to see if I've contracted covid!.... a meal with my (soon-to-be) DIL's family on Sunday, saw 2 members rock up with streaming colds and very 'meaty' coughs! "It's not covid...just a bad cold", I was told, but I didn't feel confident that was true.
It was such a difficult situation and I felt completely backed into a corner where I felt I had to stay, mainly because it was a special Easter meal together, their LF tests were negative (allegedly), another family member and her children had flown over from America to see everyone, and I felt I would be perceived to be over-reacting to the situation. Stupid I know...and not at all like me to act so submissively!
Anyway, yesterday, my DIL phoned to say she's tested positive for covid! She's just spent a week with the 2 people who were manifesting cold symptoms so it's not difficult to work out the bigger picture here!!
I feel so angry...... firstly with these people for being so irresponsible, particularly when they know about my health situation..... and secondly, with myself for not following my gut instinct.
I was seated opposite these 2 people too, and hugged my DIL several times, so if I don't contract it, at least I'll know my immune system has some functionality!
I've calmed down a lot since yesterday...honestly! 😄
My LF test today is negative......although I'm aware they are not consistently reliable and I may not yet have enough of the virus in my system to register on a test yet anyway!
One day at a time - and if I've caught it, then hopefully I'll only have it mildly... and as Pro said.... I'll have a nicely 'boosted' immunity to it.
There is no such thing as “just a cold” anymore. I would have made a bet neither my wife or I had it based on our initial symptoms. It must be assumed that a person has it unless proved otherwise.
Exactly.....but not if you're selfish enough to want to do something more than you want to do the right thing!! What's done is done now. I can't change it, so I'll simply get on with it.
"Just a bad cold" - yeah, right. Hope they feel at least a smidgeon of guilt. But they won't. If I had even a mild cold I wouldn't visit someone else these days, never mind one with a major cough.
Hope you escape despite the degree of exposure. I risked a weekend with family who were right at the end of the Covid they caught here skiiing though they were still positive when they got back to the UK, and I did escape - or had no symptoms. But I hid as much as I could for over a week, just in case.
I'm not a vindictive person but I hope they feel guilty too... particularly as my DIL is now feeling extremely unwell today and isn't asymptomatic as her mother has previously suggested would be the case if she ever caught it!! Also her other daughter will not be able to fly home to America with her 2yr old and 4yr old on Saturday if they test positive, and then there's their 85yr old nan!!I normally ask my friends to let me know if they have a cold, a sore throat, etc, if I've arranged to meet them, and stupidly assumed someone would inform me of the same regarding Sunday! People can be so stupid. All the symptoms of a bad cold are now currently the main symptoms of covid... hence my hesitation and anxiety around 'Sunday'.
Sophie has exactly the same symptoms as her mother and father! I'm livid!
I hope the insurance covers any Covid adjustments they need. The hotel the cousins were in insisted on their own policy being taken - hence the "No bother at all" of an extra week there as they couldn't travel. They were making money out of it And their holiday insurance and bookings allowed for delays/changes due to Covid.
And I wouldn't want to be in a foreign country - on holiday anywhere for whatever reason if it comes to that - with a 2 year old and 4 year old. It is the one thing that really holds me back from a UK trip - if I did catch it, what would I do? I visit family and friends for a few days at a time, I don't stay in a hotel, and some of them have very small flats where it simply isn't practical to isolate.
Utter selfishness. Do hope the DIL is OK. It isn't just being really unwell/off work that is a concern - Long Covid isn't funny and doesn't excuse the youth,
Nobody thinks of the 'long covid' possibility. But it's very real. Sophies sister and nieces have been staying at her mother's house so probably likely that one, two or all of them may get it, but who knows.
Weirdly they didn't need negative tests to get in to UK but need them to fly home!!
No idea about their travel insurance cover though.
Well at least the lady concerned will get the payback then - and typical would be someone doesn't get it first time round but delayed! Obviously some countries have some sense!
Kendrew, how thoroughly selfish of those people to go along with streaming colds! A similar thing happened to us last year when my DIL's stepfather came along to a lunch gathering with a hacking cough and a crumpled tissue to catch his disgusting sneezes! We were outside fortunately and not sitting opposite but I was appalled and disgusted; it must have shown in my face 😱.Fortunately you are level-headed and will take it in your capable stride if it turns out you do have the virus. 💐
I know that feeling of anger at other people. It is so stressful spending so much energy on protecting yourself and they just blow it out of the water on you. With luck you will only get it mild if you do get it because there is a huge upside afterwards. All that stress and fear is gone away for a period after you recover. It gives you great freedom to enjoy life for awhile.
I know but you are unlikely to be reinfected immediately so as I say you get freedom for awhile. Any period of less stress is a relief no matter how short.
I find that comment nasty and very upsetting. I never suggested that anyone should wander around without any consideration for others. I have never done such a thing at any time and I would assume anyone on here would be equally considered of others since we are all understand the situtation so well. For me personally I got brief relief from the stress for a short period after having covid. Those stress levels are back now but that period where my risk level was lower gave me a welcome break from my stress being through the roof.
I apologise if I upset you. I just find that people are complaining of getting Covid 2-3 times, yet they wear no masks when out or stay away from crowded places. If when feeling unwell and we still mix today seems a bit complacent .I was accusing or judging, just how I feel and didn’t mean to offend you
I understand what you are saying. I am amazed at the people that say I dont know how I got it while I'm thinking I dont know how you escaped so long!! Others are not living at the same level of awareness as us.
I am afraid I would have left giving my reasons. But otoh you had made contact.I was supposed to visit my Granddaughter Easter Monday but she texted to say her partner had tested positive. He a physio at a hospital. Disappointment all round but best we didn’t go
I should have done that definitely, but for reasons I'll never be sure of, I didn't. I'm still testing negative but there's still a few more days to go before I can feel more confident.
My symptoms were exactly the same as yours rocketman42. I am now on 4mg pred. and my wife and I have been very cautious. I've no idea where I became infected but its been 13 days now and still testing +ve. Apart from the isolation and my wife and I dancing around each other with masks on I now feel completely 100% okay. I wondered, is it taking so long with a positive result because of my poor immune system? I have now had the 4 jabs and am very grateful. But as you said it's not to be feared.
I was told that you can test positive for several months and that’s why there is no need to keep testing. Follow the prescribed guidelines for quarantining and then carry on without the need for a negative test.
I too tested positive for covid yesterday after developing cold like symptoms, probably caught it at a football match last Saturday, despite being FFP2 masked.
I only took it off briefly to buy some lunch but my defences were breached. Interestingly I had my 4th jab 8 days prior. My message is really about the NHS Sick Day Rules. On reading it seemed to me that only those already on steroid medication who had symptoms severe enough to confine them to bed need increase their steroid dosage.
I decided to seek medical advice to avoid ambiguity and despite my early mild symptoms I was advised to increase my 3.5mg dose to 10mg for the duration of my symptoms.
My 98 year old mum contracted covid in hospital after an operation and had mild symptoms - just a cough. Me and my partner got it from her - we had symptoms of a bad cold for about 5 days. Symptoms are lingering a bit, 10 days in for me, but are low level eg the odd cough and tiredness. Also they come and go. My partner lost his cough for a day but it is now back.
I was contacted by a consultant from Somerset covid team and we agreed I didn't need antivirals; also a nurse who offered an oxygen oxymetry service. Amazingly efficient. I'd been very worried about covid but so far it has been reassuringly ok.
Interesting to hear you can go on testing positive for some time. My positive line was more blurry but definitely there. I won't bother testing again.
What really annoyed me at our big family's Easter was that no one wore a mask (we did) and we found out a relative had had Covid 14 days before! I'm not sure of how long he would be infectious (opinions seem to vary on this) but my husband who was quite ill recently also was furious no one told us till mid-way through our visit. Yikes. Our masks are N95's of top quality. We are fine, so far, but I don't think will head out again to such a function for some time.
By Day 14 the consensus is that the viral load is low enough not to be much risk. I was with cousins on days 7-10 and was fine. I didn't wear a mask in the house, doors to the balcony open though but we did all wear FFP2 masks in the car - actually, at the time I think it was still mandatory here for people from different households.
I totally understand your annoyance.I didn’t know at the time time but my stepson had a terrible cold but told my husband that he had tested and it was not COVID. He knows I am on high doses of steroid so why would I want a bad cold either . We both got very sick with this cold. It wasn’t COVID but we suffered for three plus weeks. People seem to think if it’s not COVID it’s OK to spread it around.
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And their holiday insurance and bookings allowed for delays/changes due to Covid.
Finally reached zero preds!
Finally off Prednisolone and methotrexate
Final Reduction of Prednisolone 
Finally, a human Rheumatologist!
Final stages of tapering
