Covid 19 - Thoughts and feelings

[Grade E cat]

I think all countries have at least one aspect on which they are doing worse than others, including the US. France is still quite "to reduce your paperwork load, please fill this form", so the start of the vaccination campaign was greatly slowed down by the requirement of consent forms for the residents of retirment homes and the families of those unfit to make the decision themselves in hope to win reluctant and undecided people over, which temporarily made the whole system inadequate for the part of the population that was more than ready to get vaccinated. And after all that trouble, we need to deal with the shortage of doses like everybody else.

[PaperArtillery]

I think all countries have at least one aspect on which they are doing worse than others, including the US

We've been doing almost everything wrong, is the problem. Reluctance to lock down, reluctance to enforce mask-wearing more than a suggestion, reluctance to enforce a travel ban even within the US...all of it's been a disaster. We've had plans for this for years and nothing got implemented because "oh no what if we p*#@ off our constituents" in most traditionally "red" (conservative) states. People still insist on going out and partying, going to bars, having large gatherings for holidays, &c.

It's just a case of "if I turn a blind eye to the problems, it's fine" at minimum, and at worse, a "this was engineered by communism and Chinese influence" conspiracy theory here in America.

[Lenny]

I really am losing it, argh.

I just wanna be able to do stuff. I want to start on driving lessons, I want to go to the pub with my uni friends and enjoy the Irish folk music there, I want to go to the beach and stay a few nights, I want to visit my mum on her birthday, I want to see my grandparents and have coffee with them without putting them at risk.

The driving lessons thing is irking me most. Since I can't drive atm and we don't have a car, the only way to get places is via public transport or getting other people to pick me up. That makes doing things like seeing my family even riskier, so I just don't do them. But I can't work on getting a licence (other than theory) because everything's closed.

But at the same time as all of that, I just want to do nothing. I'm not sure I'd be able to make myself start lessons even if it were possible. It's rubbish, haha.

...actually, now that I'm writing this out, I think I really need to get my ADHD meds sorted out. The wanting to do things but not wanting to do anything is much too similar to unmedicated me from years ago, and since I moved cities in the middle of a pandemic my pharmacy/doctor situation still isn't sorted out correctly and I've been without meds for months.

[Tarnagh]

I've been baking bread from scratch for a year now. It's surprisingly easy and tastes a lot better than the stuff from the store. I may never buy bread from a store again.

I was always an introvert but the last year has made me actively dread trying to re-integrate into "society" when All This™ is over. If there's one thing this last year has done it's shown us some important revelations about ourselves, our family members, and our friends. It's been depressingly enlightening to see what kind of people some of them really are.

[Sc0ut]

The isolation of pandemic measures is starting to really wear on me. Where I live, we have a curfew, which has just gotten tighter, and every other week they close or reopen one thing or another. This makes little difference to me anyway since I've been staying away from crowded places and significant unnecessary health risks by choice - such as eating out - (more out of concern for others than for myself), but the flipflopping of regulations contributes to everything feeling uncertain and stressful.

The problem is, I've always been an introvert with many of my friendships being online and long distance. I work from home, and the sport I was doing is close contact so untenable during the pandemic, so virtually almost all the reasons I had for going out have collapsed. I've become very sedentary and feel  isolated (I live with a good friend and that's a real help but he's just one person, besides we are at a point where we already rely on each other in slightly unhealthy ways for a variety of reasons), and my mental health has been taking a bit of a nose dive this year. It's easy to start feeling like your life has no point when you find little enjoyment in it, you have a job that feels non-essential, and the local friends you have are almost impossible to convince to meet in any form, even for just a walk or other outdoor activities. Access to the vaccines here is still slow, we are all trying to get it and I think it will be better once more people in my local groups get it in terms of getting them to meet, but I don't know how long it is until then. I've been commenting online more, in an attempt to make up for socialisation that I'm not getting otherwise, I suppose, and I'm not exactly comfortable with that. It's so difficult to make healthy choices when it comes to exercise, food, socialising with all the limitations in place and it hits even harder when you're neurodivergent and were struggling with these things to begin with (I really empathize with @Lenny's post above).

Anyway I'll probably be fine, I just wanted to vent a little bit. Thank you for providing a place for this.

[tzelly]

Something I did not expect to happen with all the lock-downs, panic, isolation, etc... was a lot of time for reflection and interspersion. With all the sadness and frustration, I would like to share that some good has come of it, at least for myself.

I've learned a lot about myself and my SO, and I am so grateful to be living with them and being by their side through all of this garbage. I've moved out with them a few years before the pandemic and my family HEAVILY judged me for that.
_{Side note: family turned super religious in my early 20s and wanted me to play my assigned role as female and marry a man they wanted and I ran off with my female presenting best friend and platonic life partner. \o/}
I still questioned if I made the right chose up until the lock-down started last year. Since then, 0 doubts. We've had many nights of deep discussions about psychology, politics, different world views (they come from a more agnostic upbringing), mbti and what not.
And with how my family has reacted to the lock down and turn to blame games and skirting the rules beyond what is acceptable, I am so glad I am not stuck there with them. Now I get to continue to learn the benefits of found family instead of settling for a toxic one.

I am also a heavy introvert and the move to working from home (and not needing to be around other people) has been a nice change for me. I joke for years with my friends that if I had my way, I would be a hikikomori (a japans term that refers to complete social isolation that is self imposed) and this pandemic as shown that I was correct for the most part. Its strange, but its nice to not have to panic about going to social events or feel guilt for not seeing someone in months/years. I feel like this is something that I will have to address at some point..

Anyways, I know not everyone is as lucky with whom they were stuck with and I wish them all the best and I really do hope it ends soon. (though that hope is the thickness of rice paper) stay safe!

[Opaque]

Well, I got my second vaccine shot yesterday and my thoughts and feelings about it are...
Glad I got it but I was expecting mild symptoms like everyone else not a 101° (32.8C) fever. Ugh... I hope y'all fared better than me.

[Tarnagh]

Well, I got my second vaccine shot yesterday and my thoughts and feelings about it are...
Glad I got it but I was expecting mild symptoms like everyone else not a 101° (32.8C) fever. Ugh... I hope y'all fared better than me.

Yikes! I'm sorry you're experiencing all that. I don't know how old you are but I read an article about a week ago (that I really wish I'd bookmarked) that was saying the more severe symptoms seem to be more common in younger people than older people and nobody really knows why. The article also said that people who were suffering from "Long Covid" saw their symptoms ease considerably (with a few recovering completely!) after they got their vaccines... and nobody really knows why.

There's still so much to learn about this disease.

I got my 2nd shot this past Tuesday and didn't experience any side effects other than a sore arm. I felt like someone had punched me really hard. With a hammer. It sorted itself out by the next day though.

[Opaque]

A 101° fever is kinda bad but it's not the worst thing. I had kittens around to help me feel better (One is currently biting my phone as I write this). I haven't heard about how people react to the vaccine based on age. That's interesting, I may have to read up on that. I'm 31 so still youngish. My brother is a year older and he barely got sick at all with the vaccine. Just some minor aches and pains. Maybe I just got unlucky.

[Vulpes]

<snip>the more severe symptoms seem to be more common in younger people than older people and nobody really knows why. The article also said that people who were suffering from "Long Covid" saw their symptoms ease considerably (with a few recovering completely!) after they got their vaccines... and nobody really knows why.

There's still so much to learn about this disease.

I'm guessing the strength of the reaction to the vaccine is related to the strength of the immune response - and older people generally have a weaker immune response to vaccines. That's why there's a different flu vaccine for people over 70(?) with an adjuvant to increase their response and improve efficacy.

It's really interesting that the vaccine helps with long covid. Understanding that may really help with understanding the disease itself, perhaps also how to treat covid to prevent the longer-term symptoms.

Opaque, I hope you're feeling better. On the bright side, having a strong reaction suggests that your body is mounting a meaningful immune response! At least that's what I told myself when I got the second shot of the shingles vaccine and felt feverish, nauseated, and dizzy for 24 hours.

All this leads to mixed feelings on the vaccine - I'm so looking forward to getting it (less worry!) but also dreading it (I'm going to feel like crap!).

[Opaque]

Thanks for concern, guys! Yes, I do feel better. Not 100% but better. That fever lasted a good part of the day but broke just before 10pm. I just had to lay in bed being a sweaty mess all night. I'm still going to take it easy today but I'm feeling well enough to clean the barn (which I didn't do yesterday).

[SkyWhalePod]

Holy heck, 101F! I've heard things similar to what other people are saying, that the young get hit harder and that the strength of one's immune system seems to be connected to the punch behind the second vaccine. I'm hearing mainly that Moderna is the one with the strong second-dose side effects. I haven't heard that the Pfizer second dose hits very hard.

I have a friend who recently received his second Moderna shot -- I believe he's about 30? (I've never actually asked.) He took an Ibuprofen/aspirin or two before receiving the shot, and at least one at some point after, and he said it really helped. He didn't feel any debilitating symptoms. It was advice his mother and sister received when they were chatting with a stranger-who-turned-out-to-be-a-doctor on a trip to Las Vegas or somewhere a few months ago. I'm receiving my second Moderna dose in six days, I'll follow that advice and let you guys know how it goes. You know, if I survive 

[Opaque]

I did take an ibuprofen but all it did for me was make me able to eat a few bites of soup. It didn't help with anything else though. Make sure you have cute critters to cuddle with to make you feel better. And drink plenty of water.

[Tarnagh]

I may have gotten the information in my last post from two separate articles because I'm not finding anything that covers both of those issues now (the side effects in younger being more common compared to older people *AND* the easing of long-Covid symptoms) but here's an article covering the long Covid issue:

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/can-a-covid-19-vaccine-improve-symptoms-for-people-with-long-covid#Science-behind-vaccine-effects-on-long-COVID-not-clear

[thorny]

He took an Ibuprofen/aspirin or two before receiving the shot, and at least one at some point after, and he said it really helped.

In the USA, at least, they're advising people NOT to take anti-inflammatories before getting vaccinated; they think it might reduce the response to the vaccine in some cases.

ETA: Quite a lot of people, of any age, have few or no side-effects in any case; so it may not even have helped, because he might not have had any problems anyway.