My husband has COVID and I can't get a test..yay!

[UkrainianTracksuit]

Well, my husband has COVID again and this time it is BAD.

Well, not intubation bad, but he can't get out of bed.

He had a headache and a runny nose. Rapid antigen test showed negative so he went for a PCR. PCR was positive.

He has been triple vaxxed. He is a generally-healthy athletic guy and it has thus far knocked him on his behind. He said this is the sickest he has ever been in his life.

We have a refugee family staying with us so I have been masked at home just because they don't believe in COVID type of thing and they think I am nuts. But, I don't know who they encounter during the day, so I mask up. I hope this has protected me against my husband...but now I have to worry about this family catching it too.

We are still waiting to hear about my husband getting Paxlovid.

[cassandra]

Jeeeez UT, what a horrible thing to read again. Good on you for wearing your mask all the time. Here’s hoping you stay well, and that the family believes hard enough that Covid doesn’t exist. I hope as well that your husband recovers soon.


Love, Cas

[kristina]

Dear Ukrainian Tracksuit, I am very sorry for your husband and it must be frightening for you to think about how to go from here, especially since your husband and you are so close and thankfully you are wearing your facemask at all times. I don't know what to say and just hope your husband recovers quickly and you remain as well as is possible. I wish you both the best of luck from Kristina and please take great care.

[SooMK]

I'm sorry. I surely hope you stay healthy and your husband bounces back soon. Thinking of you!

[Simon Dog]

Not relevant in your husband's case but interesting trivia - Paxlovid is absolutely contraindicated for patients who take Tacro.

[UkrainianTracksuit]

Thanks to those for their kind thoughts.

He was admitted to hospital this afternoon. Since he got sick, he said he felt like his head wanted to explode, but then his temperature spiked to 40.7 C/105.3 F. He hadn't been taking in adequate fluids so I coaxed him to at least hit up the ER for some fluids. His oxygen levels weren't impacted so that's the main thing. I'm sure he'll be fine and as an inpatient they'll start the antivirals. That's not to say I am not worried. Like..just because... and he's alone.

So, this Cimzia medication he takes also causes a weak antibody response to the vaccine. But, you can't talk to wall about being careful. He's been eating at restaurants (not wearing a mask) and went to a bachelor party (...obviously no masks there..).

So far, I continue to feel fine. Our guests seem fine too. Fingers crossed for them.

[MooseMom]

Good grief, UT, I am so sorry to hear all of this is happening.  I certainly don't like the fact that your husband has had to be admitted to hospital, but at least they will be well equipped to take care of him.  I know you doin't like the idea of him being alone, but I DO like the idea that you are isolated from him.  There is nothing you can do for him while he is in hospital, and you need to keep yourself safe so that you will be able to look after him once he returns home.

I knew he had been taking medication but didn't realize it impacted the antibody response.

How kind of you to be offering shelter for a refugee family, but I can't help but think it is ungrateful for them to ignore your situation and do nothing to keep you safe.  They need to do better.

[kristina]

Dear Ukrainian Tracksuit, I am so sorry what you both continue to go through and I do hope your husband recovers very soon. How are you both doing today? Is your husband getting better? I send you both my best wishes and hopefully you stay as well as is possible and I also send my get-well-soon-wishes to your husband from Kristina.

[UkrainianTracksuit]

How kind of you to be offering shelter for a refugee family, but I can't help but think it is ungrateful for them to ignore your situation and do nothing to keep you safe.  They need to do better.

Agreed. Ukraine had the lowest vaccination rate in Europe and experienced a high death rate. They never took Covid seriously. They didn't want to wear masks and thought social distancing was silly. But hey, centuries of natural remedies will help... Every conversation begins with "Listen, I know that you're going through a really difficult time, but if you would just..." So now they have taken that mindset here. Mother probably tells her kids that I am an orc or a moskal. 

My husband is still in the hospital. He is not intubated but he is sick. It's the inflammation that gets you I guess. Tests tomorrow will give a better idea.

This morning I got bad legal news from overseas too. Sitting having my coffee and then bam...find out.

I have so much anxiety I feel like my heart is going to stop and I am so so so nauseated. Yet I have to keep it together and come across as a functioning human being. It was a struggle keeping my tac and MMF down and not a pile of barf.

[cassandra]

O UT.   

[iolaire]

Sorry UkrainianTracksuit.

[kristina]

I have so much anxiety I feel like my heart is going to stop and I am so so so nauseated. Yet I have to keep it together and come across as a functioning human being. It was a struggle keeping my tac and MMF down and not a pile of barf.

Dear Ukrainian Tracksuit, I am so sorry that your situation has not changed yet for the better and that you still have to "put up" with the anxiety about it all. I do hope that "things" are getting better for you both when your husband is out of hospital and back home again and hopefully these Covid-fears are calming down for all of us soon. I shall keep my fingers crossed for you both and send you my kind regards from Kristina.

[MooseMom]

Oh, UT, gosh.  I'm sorry your world just got more hostile.  I'm horrified that your husband is still in hospital.  Have you had more news about his condition yet?

Bad news from overseas?  That doesn't sound good.  No wonder your anxiety is reflected in your rapid heartbeat and stomach aches.  All of that PLUS unmasked refugees in your home adds up to a LOT of anxiety.  I am so sorry.

[SooMK]

I hope you get some good news soon. The world is awash in trauma. Even a small amount of good news in one person's life can help us all.

[UkrainianTracksuit]

Thanks for the kind words all.

My husband has myocarditis/pericarditis and an AKI. He has a chronic inflammatory condition so the Covid inflammation just went to party. He's basically in there at this point now for them to administer medication for the heart inflammation. I guess to wheel him off for echocardiograms too. It is a bit of an "ugh" situation because they have to treat the heart inflammation with the AKI in mind. His kidney function isn't close to needing short term dialysis so that's a big win. I'm not too concerned about the AKI tbh because I experienced two of those instances with deranged kidneys and they bounced back. (Well, if you consider 5% bounce back at Stage 3 good.  )

He is well enough to complain that he wants to go home. He should be home soon enough. His latest PCR is negative so I can visit. Going to pop in tonight to listen to him complain and probably ask for a sponge bath.

As for the bad news, that is making me quite ill still. I am living on ZzzQuil and coffee.

I actually had a good day with our refugee family today. Took the mama and the kids on a nature walk. Finding them housing is still a huge issue though. Everything is so expensive. This world, I tell you...

[MooseMom]

Oh man, that's a lot of -itises there, UT.  I'm glad to hear that going home is a reasonable goal, now.  Will having him home make your bad news from overseas easier to cope with?

Good to hear about your refugee family!  I hope the nature walk was soothing for you.  Gosh, you DO have an awful lot on your plate.

[kristina]

Dear Ukrainian Tracksuit,

I am very sorry for what you both are going through and I do hope, that your husband's health-scare-nightmare is amicably over soon with the right medication working hopefully well for him and I keep my fingers crossed for you both.

... It is very sweet of you to look after the refugee-family, this is very humanitarian and so thoughtful of you and I am sure they are ever so grateful  ... and ... I would not like to know details of the horrors they must have left behind ... because ... my mother's family had to leave Zhytomyr/Kiev during the winter in 1917 just in time to save their life and I don't think they ever had a real chance to recover from these horrors ... this world, I can only agree with you  ...

Please stay as well as is possible and please take great care and I send you my best wishes from Kristina. 

[UkrainianTracksuit]

MM, nope once my husband gets home, he cannot really help me at all. He is going to have to rest for 2 months because of the heart inflammation and besides, it's all on me to sort! Ugh.

He'll have to see our local neph team now too. So I kind of just can't help but laugh. Like he told a nurse, "Don't explain. I know everything about kidneys." Luckily for him, he should be able to hop off the kidney train in the near future. I wouldn't doubt dehydration to the point of pee almost like Texas tea didn't help him either. 

The anxiety hits me so hard and it comes in waves. Yesterday I managed to push it to the side with the activity with the family and visiting my husband but it hit me as I lay in bed. I'm doing what I have to do but damn, it is so destabilizing.

[MooseMom]

Oh no, I hope he is not an undue burden once he returns home.  Husbands can be so needy.

Yes, keeping busy during the day can help stave off waves of anxiety, but then exhaustion sets in.  It's impossible to be "busy enough" all day long.  With dark nights can come dark thoughts.  It can become a vicious circle. I hope posting to IHD can help a bit.

[UkrainianTracksuit]

My husband has been home for a handful of days now. That's good.

However, he developed a sinus infection from all the inflammation and gunk coming out of his nose from the COVID. Pain was intense. This was Sunday. Went to walk in clinic yesterday morning, told him to take a bunch of Sudafed and crap (even with AKI) and he's on the road to recovery.

He sees the same neph I do next week.  I am just laughing at it. Neph monitoring for a little bit.

Life remains a dumpster fire.

[iolaire]

I’m glad to hear he is out of the hospital. I wish you the best.