Long Covid

[stormdog]

Long Covid is the primary reason Miriam and I are continuing to isolate every bit as much as we have for the last nearly three years. Going to a restaurant or a social meetup isn't worth the risk of long term, potentially permanent, disability. Even more so with Miriam's potentially greater vulnerability. This is shaping nearly every aspect of our lives. Even our search for housing was informed by Covid: we ruled out any condo that didn't have its own private entrance to avoid being in an indoor shared space. In fact, one of the reasons we looked into buying instead was the difficulty in finding a rental that had it's own private entrance.

And I'm so tired of this. I had a dream last night where people were asking me to come out and do social things and potentially go on a trip together, and I had to say no. I keep telling myself it won't always be like this. But maybe it will. How will I manage that?

People are talking about things like Gen-Con and, I'm sorry, I feel a little bitter about this stuff. I try not to let that feeling out too much.

Here's info about a currently pre-press paper on long Covid that suggests 7% of the US adult population has long Covid effects right now.

https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/prevention-cures/3586890-long-covid-comes-in-three-forms-study/

Comments

[cmcmck]

We have taken the view that we've both had our jabs and we've both had Omicron so we're no longer willing to put up with this stuff and have gone back to getting on with life and doing what we normally do- trips, cafés, restaurants, pubs etc.

Infection numbers here are dropping like a stone.

The trouble is that 'long covid' numbers are including a bad dose that last four or five weeks and that isn't accurate. My SiL had such a dose and is now over it. That isn't 'long covid' in my book- it's a nasty dose of covid.

[stormdog]

I don't feel like I have a choice other than continuing to put up with this stuff. It's the reality, and my partner may be immune compromised, and I'm not willing to put up with potentially causing her long-term illness and pain.

Numbers here are down too, but a lot of that is because people are testing at home and not reporting results. Waste water studies suggest rates are quite high, and the latest versions of Covid are very good at causing break through infections.

[sabotabby]

It's so hard. I'm terrified but also I keep thinking that it will always be like this, and I just won't get to do things, and no one cares. So I do things. Masked and terrified and in pain, but still. I don't think it's the smartest solution but I'm at a breaking point and school will kill me, so I'd rather die from concerts.

[stormdog]

I'm at the point where I might just do that except for the fact that my partner may be immune compromised and have worse than typical reactions to Covid. But we're still in diagnosis limbo with her after I don't know how many months now and it's so frustrating.

I honestly expect that if I got Covid, I'd probably fight it off pretty quickly. I never seem to be sick as much or as long as most other people, and while exposing myself still increases risk to other people I'm around in places like grocery stores, I go to such places incredibly rarely. It might be worth it for me.

But Danae gets sick much more easily, stays sick longer, and has serious chronic pain flares from nearly any kind of cold or stress and I'm not willing to be responsible for subjecting her to that. Similarly, we worry she'd be more vulnerable to long Covid too.

This is getting harder and harder for me as I become more myself and find myself wanting *so* much to just go be a girl socially. I might write more about it at some point. Or maybe not, because what will it accomplish?

But not getting to do things and no one caring: I feel you *so* much on that.

[sabotabby]

Yeah. That totally makes sense.