Im back - kinda

[FDibbins]

Hi all.

As you may already have heard, I contracted Covid on Nov 28 2021 and spent a little over a week in hospital on oxygen (high vol 15 l/min) plus all sorts of other meds to try and manage my uncontrollable coughing.

I didnt even have the strength to get out of bed, could hardly breath and could barely feed myself. I was discharged on Friday Dec 17 2021 and am currently at home, resting on the couch, constantly tired/sleepy, still out of breath and no energy/strength. The Doc is not sure when (if ever) I will be fit to return to work, and at the moment, I just know that I am not ready for that anyway.

I am back on the forum in a very limited capacity, still extremely weak, no energy, get short of breath just from talking and I am still on oxygen (low volume now) and a nebulizer every 4 hours (along with assorted other meds)

To Glenn and Ali, thank you for your support and messages while I was laid up, they were more than appreciated!!

Thanks
Ford
Admin

[DJunqueira]

Hope you get better, 4 relatives of mine got covid and are all ok now, my nephew contracted it twice, one before the vaccine and other after the second dose, but all toke medicine for treatment, and all of them are doctors in Brazil.
I took ivermectin a few times to avoid contracting it since so many relatives got it.
My final message, there is life after it and you my profit if taking something - but as always, talk to your doctor.

Happy Christmas!
The great gift is life itself.

[AliGW]

Glad to see you back, Ford, albeit tentatively. The main thing is to work on getting better.

As far as I know, only Glenn and I were aware if your plight, so this will cone as a shock to most.

We wish you all the best in your convalescence. x

[bsalv]

I took ivermectin a few times to avoid contracting it

Really ???
That's an off-label use of something we use in the livestock for scabies in the skin.
I thought this was a myth.

2nd thought, did it work ? no side-effects ?
I suppose it was for oral use because injecting is very irritating (or else the "pour-on" version)

@Fdibbins, i wish you the best while healing.

[alansidman]

Welcome back Ford. Glad to hear you are feeling better.

[Glenn Kennedy]

Ford: Good to see you back! Take it easy.

Regarding ivermectin....

One study showed that in the laboratory, ivermectin could kill Covid-19, but at concentrations FAR higher than can be achieved safely in human tissues. Its off-label use subsequently became very popular in S America (most notably in Colombia) and it was "adopted" by conspiracy theorists worldwide (including a number of disgraced /struck off doctors)to support their anti-vaccine, big-Pharma, New World Order beliefs. A number of clinical studies HAVE shown its effectivenss in reducing Covid mortalities, but the level of fraud (making up data, including already dead people in the study, copy-paste of patient data to increase participant numbers, risk of bias because of faulty study design) has led to several of these studies being retracted or being regarded as unreliable (having a "high risk of bias" is term used). I have been a research scientist (in unrelated fields) for 40 years and have NEVER seen so many retractions/reports of fraud in any ara other than ivermectin

On balance there little evidence of any significant ivermectin effect on Covid 19. I am fairly certain that it is not approved for use against Covid... anywhere. It's certainly not approved by FDA/WHO/EU... But facts make no difference to those peddling bizarre/dangerous "New World Order" views.

Why BigPharma might want to rubbish the use of ivermectin (an old cheap drug) while falling over themselves to support the use of dexamethasone (another old, cheap drug) to prevent Covid deaths has no rational explanation So, regarding ivermectin, its use has no proven scientific/medical basis... but may provide comfort to some... even if it does nothing.

[KOKOSEK]

Glad to see you back, Ford.

[bsalv]

@glenn, thanks for your summary.

I can't use ivermectin for cows in lactation, otherwise the milk could be contaminated (concentration ppm?).
Even for meat, you have to wait 50 days before slaughter.

And now with Covid, people take it oral at a dose * 1.000 of what can be achieved in milk or meat ????

Last thoughts, because i don't want to hijack this topic.

[AliGW]

Last thoughts, because i don't want to hijack this topic.

Good - please let this be a celebration of Ford's return and an expression of good wishes for his convalescence.

[romperstomper]

Glad to have you back in any capacity, Ford, and hope the recovery goes well and quickly for you!

[davsth]

Yes Glad you are back Ford, not that i knew you were gone!

It takes as long as it takes, there is not point rushing. I have had colleagues off for a very long time, but they did return in time. Enjoy your Christmas and cherish life! the future will be better

[The_Snook]

Welcome back Ford, sorry to hear you've been through the wringer. Rest up mate (that's what Xmas is for ) and best wishes for 2022!

Snook

[FlameRetired]

Totally shocked.

Glad to hear you are on the mend though. Keep getting better.

[FDibbins]

Thanks for the wishes, everyone, they really mean a lot.

I consider myself a tough (and stubborn) old fart - 2 heavy bouts of double pneumonia and a massive heart attack that pretty much killed me, and now the dreaded 'vid - has me convinced that someone, somewhere, dont want me yet.

Im taking things 1 day at a time, and I have OK days and I have bad days (today has been a pretty good day). My doc has booked me off for another month at least, so I will have to see how that works out for me.

Again, thanks for all the support guys!!

[DJunqueira]

Really ???
That's an off-label use of something we use in the livestock for scabies in the skin.
I thought this was a myth.
2nd thought, did it work ? no side-effects ?
I suppose it was for oral use because injecting is very irritating (or else the "pour-on" version)
@Fdibbins, i wish you the best while healing.

Oral use, normal drug for human, absolutely no side effects. This talk that ivermectin is only for livestock is a lie! Off-label use is about the history of medicine.
It is not a myth, many works are pointing for efficacy in the early fase of covid. (don't take any drug without medical approve)
The only thing I felt is better, less intestinal gas pressure.
Oral, 4 pills.

Obs.:
Any drug in high doses will kill you.

[Kaper]

I'm really glad to hear you are getting better.
It will for sure take time. But the good point is that you are already back home.

I keep my fingers crossed for your recovery (well, I know its a superstition, and I basically don't believe it could work, but on thye other hand, I've heard it's working also for those who do not believe ) and wish you Merry Christmas!

[Pete_UK]

Hi Ford,

I thought I hadn't seen you on the forum for a while. I do hope that you can rest up a while over the Christmas and New Year period, and start to build up your strength again. It seems from your narrative that it has knocked you back quite a bit, so take things easy and hopefully you'll be bouncing back again in the New Year.

Best wishes for your continued recovery.

Pete

[FDibbins]

Kaper, Pete, thanks for the wishes.

Yeah this thing has done a number on me and really kicked my butt. But only the good die young, and I have already proven I am not in that category lol.

I am taking it easy (coz at the moment, thats all Im able to do anyway), but Im still trying to at least walk and move around a little bit

[XLent]

Hi Ford, sorry to hear that you have been struggling -- best wishes for as speedy a recovery as is possible and, of course, a much improved 2022.

[FDibbins]

LOL seems I cant win for losing lately - now I have a tooth ache to add to my miseries. Cracked a filling just as I got covid, lived with it until I could see my dentist on Tuesday (Dec 21). She put in a temp filling (in 2 layers) and on Wed, the top layer fell out. It wasnt too bad, but (and now that my dentist is closed for the rest of the year duh) it's started getting worse.

Just going to have to hang in there (oil of cloves helps a lot) till my dentist reopens.

[JeteMc]

Glad that you are recovering from COVID, sorry to hear about dental issues and hope those too will pass.

[AliGW]

Oh, Ford! It never rains but it pours ... Get well soon. x

[FDibbins]

Oh, Ford! It never rains but it pours ... Get well soon. x

ummmm yeah you could say that. Now it seems I have developed a blood clot/s in my left thigh. Spent over 10 fricken hours in the ER last night, had an ultra sound, then they (it felt) drained all my blood to do tests. 4 hours after them taking blood, we were still waiting to find out the next steps - at almost 3am, I was done and had them discharge me. Even had to remove the IV myself, after waiting an hour for a nurse that "be there shortly"

My Doc said, this morning, that apparently they were going to admit me for observation. I would have pushed back against that lol

So now Im at home, wifey (bless her soul for all the stress and hassle I have put her though) will be picking up some (more) meds for me soon to try get rid if the clot/s

[AliGW]

Flipping heck! This saga goes on. At least you are fit enough to write with venom - that's a good sign.

[Glenn Kennedy]

Heavens, Ford!! One d@mn thing after another!!

Covid primes your immune system towards clotting: it causes massive inflammation, which, like an injury, gets your clotting system ready to go. And... of course, the less you move about post-Covid, the greater the risks of a clotting event. If you are a bit non-mobile right now... keep well hydrated (water, not the strong stuff) and keep your legs elevated (not necessarily over your head!!! but not on the ground).

[FDibbins]

Glenn, I am constantly moving (well, hobbling now, calves and thighs on both side hurt) around. I had a long chat with my long-suffering and highly over-protective wife, to the effect than i am not an invalid, that there are still things I can - and need - to do. At (almost)64, I am very much old=school, and very stubborn and independent.

My Doc discussed my situation with a vascular surgeon, who said to try the drugs 1st, if that doesnt work, then surgery is a distinct possibility.

Before this crap hit the fan, I was in the final stages of installing a sliding door (pretty much done) on 1 side of our sun room, and a big double-door french door, flanked by 36*80" windows. I had almost finished the trim work, now it mocks me every time I see it. I just need to find the stamina and energy to get back into it again.

(oh, and the coughing seems to getting worse again now)

[Kyle123]

I haven't been around much recently and have only just read this. Hope you feel better soon Ford, seems like right now, I know more people with Covid than without!

[FDibbins]

Latest episode on this Covid sage.
Because my calves and thighs still ache, and (mainly) because I have started developing chest pains, my visiting nurse fely I should go back to the ER, and my doc confirmed this. Soooo back we go, the wait was MUCH less this time They did an EKG, and drained another few gallons of blood, then sent me for a chest and heart CT scan (I dont do well in those things, so Xanax was the order of the day lol).

Tests came back negative for any clots in my lungs (good news), they them sucked a few more gallons of blood for more tests to see if I was having a heart attack - these came back neg for the H/A, but did show some other slightly elevated or lower values, but nothing serious.

They did not need to keep me in, and discharged me, so again, Im at home now - woohoo! Exhausted, coughing has returned, short of breath to where I cant say more than a few words at a time, but home

[AliGW]

Poor you! I do hope the coughing and breathlessness ease soon.

[FDibbins]

Thanks, I hope they do too. It's all the coughing that is causing the breathlessness and total lack of energy, I think.