Fear and Loathing, a Rat Flu Odyssey

**bodywhomper** · 06-27-2022, 03:14 PM

I saw my maternal grandfather go through this in hospice at my aunt’s home. One of my uncles and my grandmother struggled. My grandfather had a foundational parting discussion with my uncle during a few moments of lucidity. It really changed my uncle. My grandmother emotionally struggled almost the entire time that he was in at home hospice.

There are now large population studies about reinfection, immune escape, and potential for increased severity when re-infected.

I still can’t figure out how this is all going to play out. I have many friends and coworkers that have dropped all inhibition/care, are experiencing their hot vaxed breakthrough summer, and getting knocked on their ass (never hospitalization level sick). For some it starts with a child bringing it home for day camp and others, it’s that week in MX or Europe or HI with friends and family that they haven’t seen in years. Some are hit hard enough where they’re barely able to take care of themselves and their kids for over a week. I see via work meetings, conversations, and social media that many, but not all, once they’re recovered enough are back to their previous behavior.

So if people are taking time off work 2+ times a year because their in-bed-level sick (ie, they’re hit hard enough that they can’t function at a job), it seems like something has got to give. Seems like slow economic collapse if status quo remains. And there’s the fraction of the population that have been debilitated for 2 years. Isn’t that number growing?

**skiJ** · 06-27-2022, 03:15 PM

Good luck, ugly- ! !!

( please keep us posted ) skiJ

**G. Gordon Liddy** · 06-27-2022, 03:16 PM

Originally Posted by ~mikey b

we’re seeing a lot of Flu A - patients and staff

Curious what the symptoms are? I was knocked down last week with some of the worst body aches I've ever had. Also had horrible indigestion, but never puked, etc. Still feeling queasy 6 days later, but the body aches are gone for the most part.

**~mikey b** · 06-27-2022, 03:49 PM

fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, weakness, fatigue, sore throat, cough, sneezing, runny nose, stuffy nose — feeling shitty

pretty similar to a lot of things

**SumJongGuy** · 06-27-2022, 06:06 PM

^^^You can have that for 2-3 days and still be testing negative with the rapid tests right?

**old goat** · 06-27-2022, 06:21 PM

Originally Posted by ~mikey b

fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, weakness, fatigue, sore throat, cough, sneezing, runny nose, stuffy nose — feeling shitty

pretty similar to a lot of things

Especially the first six, plus dry cough. The fever is usually high--over 101 and usually 102+. And another symptoms is being bothered by light.

**~mikey b** · 06-27-2022, 06:22 PM

yup

that’s what’s so fucked about COVID

and flu

funny that flu is spiking in what’s not normally considered flu season eh?

**bodywhomper** · 06-27-2022, 07:47 PM

Or is it cuz people are being tested more for flu these days? I’ve been super fucking sick during the summer.

**Iowagriz** · 06-27-2022, 08:17 PM

Covid finally showed up at our house.

Wife got pedi last Weds, then we went out to dinner and drinks. Thursday we drive 2 hrs north together, kisses and she hops a plane to Vegas for the weekend (95 masked). She's OK Friday, but starts to feel it Friday night. Ill Saturday and masks up again for the duration of the weekend. 2hr drove home with windows venting. She tests and is positive Sunday afternoon. I sleep in the guest room and she isolates in the master. I wait and test Monday night and am negative.

The two other ladies that shared a hotel room with her also test negative.

Really odd that she hasn't spread it (yet). I just assumed I'd get it from her.

Edit: we assume she got it from the pedi store, we've done everything else together prior and after.

**funkendrenchman** · 06-27-2022, 09:01 PM

Originally Posted by Iowagriz

Covid finally showed up at our house.

Wife got pedi last Weds, then we went out to dinner and drinks. Thursday we drive 2 hrs north together, kisses and she hops a plane to Vegas for the weekend (95 masked). She's OK Friday, but starts to feel it Friday night. Ill Saturday and masks up again for the duration of the weekend. 2hr drove home with windows venting. She tests and is positive Sunday afternoon. I sleep in the guest room and she isolates in the master. I wait and test Monday night and am negative.

The two other ladies that shared a hotel room with her also test negative.

Really odd that she hasn't spread it (yet). I just assumed I'd get it from her.

Edit: we assume she got it from the pedi store, we've done everything else together prior and after.

Likely not infectious until at least the time the symptoms started. Maybe slightly before.

**mb6f50** · 06-27-2022, 10:36 PM

Originally Posted by Trackhead

FWIW, still a lot of febrile/coughing patients testing negative at my work. There is another bug out there, or we're just sucking at the timing of our tests.

I'm pretty fucking sick. Still testing negative on antigens but went to urgent care today because I cant breathe very well. Got an inhaler and a PCR. Will have the results tomorrow.

Before I was coughing a bunch of crud up and that has stopped but now I'm coughing so violently I'm afraid I'm going to break a rib or spit my lungs out or something.

Also have a low grade fever and my pulse oxometer thing hovers between 89 and 94.

I dont know whats wrong with me but I feel like I'm dying.

**jfost** · 06-27-2022, 10:45 PM

Try a throat swab with the home test?

**bennymac** · 06-27-2022, 10:47 PM

Originally Posted by mb6f50

I'm pretty fucking sick. Still testing negative on antigens but went to urgent care today because I cant breathe very well. Got an inhaler and a PCR. Will have the results tomorrow.

Before I was coughing a bunch of crud up and that has stopped but now I'm coughing so violently I'm afraid I'm going to break a rib or spit my lungs out or something.

Also have a low grade fever and my pulse oxometer thing hovers between 89 and 94.

I dont know whats wrong with me but I feel like I'm dying.

Did they do a chest X-ray? Sounds like you have pneumonia (caused by virus [covid?] or bacteria)

**mb6f50** · 06-27-2022, 10:48 PM

Originally Posted by jfost

Try a throat swab with the home test?

I tried a throat swab and I tried swirling the qtip around a gob of coughed up mucus slime.

I only have 5 tests left from my embarrassingly large stash so I'm just gonna wait for pcr results.

**mb6f50** · 06-27-2022, 10:51 PM

Originally Posted by bennymac

Did they do a chest X-ray? Sounds like you have pneumonia (caused by virus [covid?] or bacteria)

No chest xray. I've had pneumonia and I thought this was going that way but now I'm not coughing anything up anymore and even though I have a low grade fever I dont really feel feverish.

Pneumonia was way worse. If I could breathe and stop coughing I would feel mostly alright I think.

I'm either coughing or doing that bronchalspasm breath gasp thing.

I dont have muscle aches and I only have a headache from coughing. Like coughing makes my head throb but it goes away if I manage to not cough a few minutes.

**bennymac** · 06-27-2022, 11:42 PM

a little amount of codeine might calm that cough down and take the edge off that headache - but to be clear pneumonia doesn’t present the same way every time even in the same person - especially considering how pneumonia can be caused by so many different types of infections

**mb6f50** · 06-28-2022, 12:05 AM

Originally Posted by bennymac

a little amount of codeine might calm that cough down and take the edge off that headache - but to be clear pneumonia doesn’t present the same way every time even in the same person - especially considering how pneumonia can be caused by so many different types of infections

I have codine cough syrup from 2018. Says use by 2019. I'll ask them for some when they call me tomorrow and tell me if I have covid.

Its pretty hellaious to even see a doctor these days. I had to sit in the parking lot idling my truck for 4 hours at urgent care.

**bennymac** · 06-28-2022, 12:06 AM

Here’s where a stranger on the internet tells you to consider taking expired narcotics

That old bottle hasn’t turned to poison - it has lost some potency though - YMMV. This is not financial advice.

And I shouldn’t have to say this but I will - don’t drive if you’re taking narcotics (like codeine etc) in the last 4-6 hours - especially if you’re also feverish - you’re gonna be a bit loopy and delayed.

**mb6f50** · 06-28-2022, 12:25 AM

Originally Posted by bennymac

Here’s where a stranger on the internet tells you to consider taking expired narcotics

That old bottle hasn’t turned to poison - it has lost some potency though - YMMV. This is not financial advice.

And I shouldn’t have to say this but I will - don’t drive if you’re taking narcotics (like codeine etc) in the last 4-6 hours - especially if you’re also feverish - you’re gonna be a bit loopy and delayed.

I probably drank it from the bottle in 2018. I dont even remember what I had that got me that bottle but I dont want to reinfect myself

**mb6f50** · 06-28-2022, 12:31 AM

Fuck it. The trgs said it was ok. I wanna go to sleep. Expired opiates it is!

**bennymac** · 06-28-2022, 01:35 AM

listen if we lose a few 46 post m-series jongs to science that's just the price of progress

**mb6f50** · 06-28-2022, 01:40 AM

I dont think it even did anything at all but this fucking sucks. I cant sleep and I cant do anything and I can't hear the TV over coughing.

**mb6f50** · 06-28-2022, 01:46 AM

Originally Posted by Summer

Whiskey is kinda like codeine, and is also what my grandma used to give me when I was a kid and had a cough.

I dont have any whiskey. It went on the list with tequila after the fireball incident.

**bennymac** · 06-28-2022, 01:56 AM

Try some honey - like on a spoon or mix it into a small amount of hot water. No idea how it’s supposed to work but allegedly it can act as a mild cough suppressant.

If it does nothing at least it tastes good.