If you are over 60 and get COVID

[valenciajim]

I realize that this topic has nothing to do with model railroading, but I suspect many of the members of this forum are over sixty. I am sixty-nine and tested positive for COVID while in Ireland on Friday, May 13th.

I was sick for about two and a half days. The worst part was a really bad sore throat that lasted 24 hours. I also had a running nose, cough and felt feverish, although I never actually had a fever. My wife got sick within a few hours of me and had similar symptoms.  We got to spend ten days quarantined in a hotel room in rural Ireland. (That was the worst part.)

We returned home on May 26th. I feel pretty good, except that I am still tired and have an occasional sore throat that lasts 15-20 minutes before disappearing. On June 2nd, I had my normal six-month appointment with my endocrinologist when they took my blood pressure. It was 150/82. My endocrinologist was concerned, but I told him that I was seeing my cardiologist the following week, so he said to make sure I didn't cancel that appointment. When I went to my cardiologist on June 7th, my blood pressure was 165/80. My cardiologist did not like the trend and was concerned that I was at an elevated risk of having a stroke. He put me on a blood pressure medication, which has reduced my blood pressure to a more acceptable, but still elevated, level.

My son works for a biotech company and follows all of the COVID developments as part of his job. He sent me a couple of recently published papers from medical journals stating that recent studies show that males over the age of 60 have an increased risk of hypertension (aka high blood pressure) after contracting COVID. It is not certain how long the hypertension lasts. The problem is that hypertension is a dangerous, but symptomless, condition and many people who have COVID may have dangerously high hypertension without being aware of it. Hypertension is a leading cause of strokes.

I realize that many of the people who participate in this Forum are in the affected demographic, so I thought I would alert you to this problem in the event that you get COVID. If you have had COVID, you might want to check your blood pressure just to be sure.

Hopefully everyone stays healthy and keeps those amazing models coming.

[edwardsutorik]

Thanks for the information.

Ed

[Deleted]

I know a relatively young guy, very early 50's, who after Covid had shortness of breath, excessive tiredness, etc. He ended up needing 3 stents in his arteries to the heart. Probably not where you want to start in your early 50's. The doctor perhaps had the opinion that with his genetics he might have gotten there anyway, BUT that Covid DID most likely accelerate the need to get stents much sooner in life.

The shots come with their own issues, which are not being reported to the public, but the federal VAERS database (if I spelled it correctly) has a large number of significant adverse events recorded. Some people have had as many as 100 blood clots after getting the shot, and ended up in the hospital in serious condition.

Here in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, a local eye doctor had 8 patients who went permanently blind in one eye as a result of blood clots from getting the shot, and specifically told one of my fellow engineers who is in her 40's NOT to get the shot, based upon his actual case histories. Carlisle is a relatively small borough to be having THAT many significant adverse events.

I did get the two Moderna shots a year ago, but based upon what I know now, and the counsel of my personal medical professionals, I won't be getting any more shots...besides, there's a new study that says natural immunity is better.  One question is how many years after the shot does it take to get back to natural immunity?

I am on hydroxyzine, an antihistamine that is non-habit-forming to help me get to sleep at night.  There are studies in Europe that say if given early hydroxyzine stops Covid.  I know that I had both Delta and Omicron variants, Delta in October, and Omicron in January to February of this year.  My son is subject to routine testing for his college baseball and tested positive at the same times, after being around me.  With the antihistamine (any effects from the shots would have been waning at that time), my symptoms both times were minimal, except for coated tongue and messed up smell (briefly) and messed up taste which lasted for a few months.  Covid tongue, as they call it, can last for MONTHS.  My younger son, also an athlete and in pretty good health, may have permanently lost much of his sense of smell.  It's been more than 6 months for him.

So make your health care choices based upon as much factual information as you can obtain, and choose wisely.

Best Regards to all--

John

[edwardsutorik]

If someone needs stents (got 4, myself), it's because their arteries are partially blocked. Arteries get blocked with plaque. Covid does not cause plaque production.

What Covid CAN do is raise blood pressure (see Jim, above). IF you already have plaque coating your arteries, the high blood pressure can break a piece of plaque loose. That piece can then travel with the blood flow to a place that is already narrowed by plaque, and cause a further narrowing. Or worse. That sounds like what happened to the young guy. Except for the "worse" part. He had a problem before he got Covid. He hopefully is now sucking down Lipitor, getting skinnier, and possibly eating various other drugs. And generally developing an interest in a healthier life style.

Covid can kill. I know/knew someone who died. Maybe 40 years old. Wife, two daughters. Not good. Not at all.

I've gotten all 4 shots, so far. I generally stay away from groups (I skipped the BAPM this year, for that reason). I rarely go to restaurants and bars. I generally don't wear a mask, but have N95's handy should I feel the need. Haven't been on an airplane in several years. Have yet to see my great-granddaughter--but the longer I wait, the more fun it will be. Five year olds are MUCH more fun than 6 month olds.


Ed

[valenciajim]

Ed-thanks for the comment. When I made the original post, I did not do so because I wanted to get into a debate about vaccines or COVID. I wanted to let members of this forum know that there is a potentially long term COVID effect that is not well publicized and could affect members who contract COVID.

[lvrr325]

I was fairly certain I got it in early March 2020. I started to get sick with what seemed like the usual cold then never really came down with it. Then no colds or flu of any kind for over 18 months, and the few I've had since have been no worse than before the pandemic. I'm no kid nor in the best of shape either.