if You Get Sick - Pay Attention To Yourself - Just Lost A Good Friend To COVID

[HikerGuy83]

I am sitting here stunned and really don't know what I should be feeling.

This was a man who was in good physical condition and had many years to look forward to.

I don't have a lot of details, but I suspect he may have waited to long to go to the hospital.  He came down with pneumonia and I think the hospital may have waited to long to figure out this was beyond them.  He was life-flighted to Albuquerque a couple of days ago.

He passed away last night.

I am coming off three weeks of dealing with this myself.  At all times, I was resolved that if I felt respiratory issues, I would head to the E.R.   As my wife is in AZ, I had friends check in with me. 

This thing is no joke (as I found out by dealing with loss of energy....fatique.....like I have never experienced). 

Please, please......

If you think you have an issue, pay attention.  Don't ignore it and hope it goes away.

[libertybele]

Very sorry to hear of the loss of your friend.  You give a good message: pay attention to your body and to your health period. 

Before COVID was recognized or known of, for about a month I was fatigued like never before, exhausted, low energy, and I chalked it up to stress, low blood sugar, etc. I would run a fever for about ten minutes and then it would go away; this went on for weeks. From all the stories that I've heard, I think I may have had COVID.

It is a shame that your friend went to the hospital and the hospital may have waited to long to figure out what was going on; in light of this disease being highly contagious, you would think that they very first thing that they would have assumed was COVID.

I think a good thing for everybody to have on hand is an oxymeter; they are relatively inexpensive and even though people may feel that they are breathing ok, sometimes the oxygen saturation is actually low and that is the time to get to the hospital to make sure you don't have COVID.

Prayers up for your friend's family and for you as well.

[Hoodat]

I'm confused.  Did he die of Covid, or did he die of pneumonia?  Both are treatable, but treatment is not the same for both.

[HikerGuy83]

I'm confused.  Did he die of Covid, or did he die of pneumonia?  Both are treatable, but treatment is not the same for both.

I don't know.

I just learned that he passed.

What I knew before was that he had COVID and developed pneumonia.

And yes, both are treatable.....as long as you don't wait until you are in a critical state.

I don't know the full story here, but I suspect it MAY have been a case of waiting to long.

I am still just without any kind of words. 

I am praying for his family.

[HikerGuy83]

Very sorry to hear of the loss of your friend.  You give a good message: pay attention to your body and to your health period. 

Before COVID was recognized or known of, for about a month I was fatigued like never before, exhausted, low energy, and I chalked it up to stress, low blood sugar, etc. I would run a fever for about ten minutes and then it would go away; this went on for weeks. From all the stories that I've heard, I think I may have had COVID.

It is a shame that your friend went to the hospital and the hospital may have waited to long to figure out what was going on; in light of this disease being highly contagious, you would think that they very first thing that they would have assumed was COVID.

I think a good thing for everybody to have on hand is an oxymeter; they are relatively inexpensive and even though people may feel that they are breathing ok, sometimes the oxygen saturation is actually low and that is the time to get to the hospital to make sure you don't have COVID.

Prayers up for your friend's family and for you as well.

Thank you for those prayers. 

I believe they have influence.

[HikerGuy83]

The following lists symptoms of different conditions. 

https://www.webmd.com/lung/covid-and-pneumonia#1

If you think you have a "situation", please, please don't ignore it.

[Hoodat]

That sounds like the case.  For pneumonia, heavy congestion is typically the sign to look for.  A stethoscope and a trained ear would be handy for that.  For Covid, an O₂ monitor would be the tool to use.

My condolences for your loss.  Yes, at some point we all need to bite the bullet and visit a medical professional when sick.  I lost a very close friend to a stroke just over a year ago who was like a sister to me.  I still think about her often.

[PeteS in CA]

Sorry to hear of your loss, @HikerGuy83.

I'm confused.  Did he die of Covid, or did he die of pneumonia?  Both are treatable, but treatment is not the same for both.

Covid causes the pneumonia. So "Did he die of Covid, or did he die of pneumonia?" is a distinction without a difference. The pneumonia Covid causes is particularly nasty and tough to fight.

Beware the bureaucrats Covid screening questions. Reality can be more complex and less obvious. For example, the fever can be cyclical instead of constant, and the "dry cough" may actually be "productive" (mine was). It's an uber-simple 3 day process to get tested at Walgreens, and I think we taxpayers pay for it.