ME and Coronavius

[Sallyagerharris]

How the heck are we supposed to know if we have symptoms of Coronavirus.

My ME symptoms mimic exactly those of Coronavirus but as this is normal for my ME and basically I don’t think I’ve been out for 10 days and even when I last went out I’ve hardly been in contact with other people it’s massively unlikely and just another day with ME.

Today this thought just makes me want to cry ... so fed up anyway ... but this is life for too many of us.

 

[AnnieT]

The advice is just to stay home .... I've got that covered!

I don't have respiratory symptoms, but I can see how many symptoms will cross over on people. Apparently many healthy people might just get a sniffle and think nothing of it, but have it. There are probably many more people walking around with it than documented.

 

[andyguitar]

There are probably many more people walking around with it than documented.

Yes i expect there are. From some reports i've read the mild symptoms dont include the obvious 'cold' type ones ie runny nose so it will be easy for the infected to go unrecorded. This would make the stated mortality rate of 1% ish way to high.

 

[Wolfcub]

I agree, it's quite hard to tell, especially if ME/CFS symptoms are rather "flu-like" anyway especially during crashes.

But I have been following the story of a British couple with the virus, now isolated in a Japanese hospital. They send regular vlog updates.
Neither has ME/CFS but they are both well in their 70s, and one of them has a pre-existing health condition (diabetes 2) plus history of a bad recent tooth root infection.
Neither knew they had this as it seems the symptoms weren't in-your-face obvious.
They were both diagnosed with pneumonia but seem to be doing really well, and not even suffering terrible symptoms from the pneumonia. There was no treatment, except supportive treatment (the usual....lots of fluids, rest, sleep, etc)Their story helps, I think, to lift some of the dreadful fear.

Meanwhile, self isolation (with possible forays into a garden or if we are able to -a gentle walk outiside away from people)is becoming a more and more attractive idea, whether we have it or not. Especially for us with ME/CFS.

 

[AnnieT]

I wish people were this vigilant over the spread of usual flu ... that is a killer for many and you never hear about it.

 

[andyguitar]

They were both diagnosed with pneumonia but seem to be doing really well, and not even suffering terrible symptoms from the pneumonia. Their story helps, I think, to lift some of the dreadful fear.

Yeah what is often not mentioned is that pneumonia does not always produce symptoms. Anyone suprised by that? I was several years ago when it was found I had it. Felt pretty ok, just discovered from routine chest x ray. It's called 'Walking Pneumonia'.

 

[Wolfcub]

Yes @andyguitar I have heard of walking pneumonia. People who have it don't always know.

I think I might have had pneumonia once but it wasn't diagnosed officially. I was strong, fit and well, active, playing frisbee with doggy in minus degrees freezing, running a fever. Caught a cold or something. Fought it. Then started coughing up blood. Really very nasty cough.
I treated it with herbs, steam, chest percussion, deliberate coughing to remove mucus, deep breathing and fortunately it passed. But I always knew it left some scarring as I always had a brief morning cough after that.

 

[ljimbo423]

I wish people were this vigilant over the spread of usual flu ... that is a killer for many and you never hear about it.

This is a really good point. About 30,000 people a year die in the United States from the flu every year. The 2018-2019 flu season caused over 34,000 deaths in the U.S.!

During the 2018-2019 season, the CDC estimates 16.5 million people went to a health care provider for the flu and more than 34,000 people died in the U.S. The prior season saw 61,000 deaths. "This is the annual outbreak that we have every year that we're not really paying as much attention to," Brown says.Jan 30, 2020

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=2018-2019+flu+season+caused+over+34,000+deaths+in+the+U.S.