Play Book Tag discussion
Footnotes
>
Hello Covid





I wish a speedy recovery to you and your family!!!









Well, we spent most of the day today at the Ark Research Center, and my Covid test came up positive too. My symptoms are like a mild flu only - some chills and body aches, and cough. Thank goodness the kids tested negative.
My husband got the first dose of the Regeneron experimental drug that they gave to Trump, he will be in the study for at least 6 months I think (I'm getting confused with all of us in three different studies).
The kids got injected (4 shots in the tummy - ouch) with a different Regeneron drug that is designed to prevent them getting Covid and alleviate any symptoms. Their drug trial is around 8 months.
The nice thing is that we are all getting paid for this - not all at once, but for each visit we will get some chunk of change. The kids get a total of around $4K, my husband gets around $3K, and I think I'm getting $2.5K.
The plumbers said it's dry enough under our house, so they will come back tomorrow to fix the piping. It will be a relief to be able to use our kitchen and laundry again, and for the kids to have their own bathroom back. Right now it's impossible to totally quarantine ourselves from them since we all have to share a bathroom.
It's been a busy week, that's for sure.
Someone asked how we got into the study - a friend of my sister-in-law's was at her beach birthday party in November (small group in the open, all masked) and mentioned that they were in a Covid vaccine trial. I expressed an interest, and she told me to Google the Johnson&Johnson Covid vaccine study, and I did so the next day and put my information in. I don't know if they had tried to contact me sooner, but I don't usually answer my phone if I don't recognize the number. But Dec. 16 I got a call that I thought looked familiar so I answered it. It wasn't the call I expected, but it was the vaccine trial, and I made an appointment for the next day, which was the last day they were taking participants. So I got in just in time. I got my shot, though not even the nurses are informed whether it was vaccine or placebo since it's a double blind study.
When my husband mentioned losing his sense of taste, I called the research people and asked what I should do. They told me about the other studies in tandem with mine, and I got my husband in the next day for his testing. They got the result of his test that same afternoon, so we were able to come in today for his first dose, and to get the kids tested and into their trial for people exposed but asymptomatic. So all 4 of us are in 3 different studies.

Shots to the tummy? How old are they?

Shots to the tummy? How old are they?"
They're 18 and 17. My daughter is turning 19 in February, my son will be 18 in May.

Shots to the tummy? How old are they?"
They're 18 and 17. My daughter is turning 19 in Februa..."
Not fun for them, for sure.

That's a pretty nice bonus!

The study sounds like a real win-win experience. You're doing a good thing for ALL of us by helping to test the vaccine, and you get prompt treatment and money in return.


Keep us posted on how you are doing.



Don't hesitate to get care, especially if anything gets worse.


Oh yikes! Definitely better to smell smoke than garbage, for sure!

I lost my sense of smell at 5 pm today. Was still smelling smoke all day, and kind of still smell it, but when my husband shoved his deodorant under my nose I could not smell a thing.
Had dinner around 7, could still taste it a bit, but then at 8 pm had a cup of turmeric ginger tea, and it tasted like water. Happy happy joy joy.
So far still breathing ok.

I lost my sense of smell at 5 pm today. Was still smelling smoke all day, and kind of still smell it, but when my husband shoved his deodorant under my nose I could not smell a thing.
Had..."
Here is hoping that loss of smell is the worst of it for you.

Hope you are all well soon and thank you for volunteering for a much needed study.

How're are the plumbing repairs going?

Agreed - we don't usually get to hear about the progression.

Also part of my routine is doing a nasal swab and saliva sample every other day (it alternates - nasal swab one day, saliva next day, etc). They will pick up the samples on Tuesday.
On the advice of my monitoring nurse, I've put in a request to the study to be unblinded, will see whether they agree to it or not.
Husband is slowly getting his taste back, and the kids seem to be okay so far.
This loss of smell is definitely disconcerting. It feels so strange because I feel so normal. But I spritzed some air freshener in the bathroom to test it, walked into the cloud, and smelled absolutely NOTHING. At least the phantom odor of smoke seems to be diminishing, it went away last night but right now I think I'm getting a whiff again.
Taste-wise I am able to taste a little bit of salt in my food and a bit of the sugar in my tea, but otherwise nothing. Hubby and I were discussing this morning we should just order food that is the cheapest (read: Little Ceasar's pizza, Taco Bell, local diner across the street) since we can't taste anything anyway. I figure the kids can have their sushi if they want but it would be wasted on us. So we were checking the fast food menus around for items less than $5.

Also part of my routine is doing a nasal s..."
I'm glad that your plumbing is repaired and hope that you can be unblinded now that you have it and that you recover soon.
Much loss taste is directly due to the loss of smell--most of what we "taste" is really smell. I am amazed that it is also affecting your taste buds as well, since that goes beyond the olfactory part of your nose; people born with no sense of smell can usually taste all 5 things that are there.
I hope it all comes back soon :)

Also part of my routine is doing a nasal s..."
LoL-at the end of the Holidays it might be nice to not taste anything. I have spent the day eating snacks to get them gone!

Oh, this makes sense! Glad your plumbing is fixed, too!

Also part of my routine is doing a nasal s..."
I got super sick in January of this year. I have no way of knowing if it was COVID or not (some symptoms match, others don't) but I lost my sense of taste and most of my sense of smell. I would just eat a package of mac and cheese around midday because who cares? I tried chicken soup later but the steam had me coughing so hard I couldn't physically get it into my mouth.
Feel better!

Also part of my routine is ..."
That certainly sounds like it, it's not a common symptom of other illnesses to lose taste & smell entirely. Even through March, it was hard to get tests. I'm sure all the estimates of cases are low because people didn't get tested.

Also part of m..."
I also completely lost my voice for over 6 weeks, which is not a symptom of COVID at all.

Anna, I am so glad you ended up with a milder rendition of Covid. Although loss of taste and smell isn't the most fun. My son's roommate got covid, and my son lost his sense of smell and still doesn't have it back. He never got tested - - just quarantined with his roommate. No other symptoms at all. Oh to be 22. It's awesome you got in a study; I signed up for three different ones and was never chosen.
Mary, I had a really terrible cough in April that lingered for like a month and culminated in losing sense of taste/smell. I was tested for COVID, and nope. I thought maybe the test was wrong and got tested for antibodies. Still no. There are still other cold type viruses out there and the symptoms can be similar. So annoying.
The good news is that the vaccine study I'm in has two other branches, one for treatment of those positive, and another for study of those who have been exposed but are asymptomatic, which our kids can join. Even better, we get paid to be in these studies. And they'll be monitoring us very closely. I still don't know if I got the vaccine or the placebo. They will be testing me and I think if I'm positive then they will find out and tell me which one I got.
I also started general cold/flu symptoms yesterday, body aches and chills, but can still taste. Not sure yet what I have, since every year at this season someone always gets sick.
He probably picked it up somewhere along his delivery/pickup routes for the printing company he is currently working for. Always masked and socially distanced, but there you go.
Naturally this is also the time when we have a plumbing problem that involves major work on our 95-year-old house, so currently we only have one bathroom functional and are not allowed to use our kitchen sink or laundry room. Fun times!