COVID Reinfection: Hard To Avoid, Be Prepared
COVID reinfection is certainly a thing, as a COVID Long Hauler who has experienced it. It might be harder to avoid than a COVID Vaccine advertisement. They’re everywhere! Can’t watch the Mets without a reminder. Who exactly doesn’t know about them at this point? In this post I’m going to discuss what I do when I feel I’m reinfected and how I judge that I may be reinfected, outside of the weak testing available.
Reinfection for me feels different dependent on the variant out at the time, but there are a few typical mainstay symptoms and they are: chest tightness/fullness (that can fluctuate in severity), headaches (especially in the beginning of the acute phase), head/neck inflammation, weak limbs (tied to brain stem and neck inflammation it seems), muscle twitching, scratchy throat (dead voice at times), extra neurological unrest (sort of like restless leg syndrome and pins and needles), burping/gas, dry eyes/mouth, fatigue, and an increase in some of the normal COVID Long Haul symptoms. These are mostly symptoms I rarely have, never have, or don’t experience to such severity with my Long Haul COVID, now 2+ years out. These acute symptoms usually last 2-4 weeks peaking around 7-10 days approximately. The duration seems to depend on the severity of the variant, variant type, maybe based on how much it’s mutated, and viral load. Delta was by far my worst reinfection, and I believe I’ve had several. Delta hit my chest very hard.
Recently, I believe I had BA.4 or BA.5. It inflamed my head and neck and I felt it in my chest, along with other symptoms. Testing has not produced many results for me for whatever reason, so when I get the symptoms that I discussed above, I treat it as if I have COVID. To me doing the opposite would be much riskier and more harmful. I’ve had COVID before and know what it feels like. I’ve also had other things before and nothing has hit me like COVID hits me in the chest in particular. It’s unique. It’s also summer, not exactly Flu season. Playing the, I don’t have it unless it shows up in tests game is not a game I like to play, it’s failed me many times in the past and I’ve seen it fail many others. Plus there is further danger of re-exposure if I go try to get a PCR test at a clinic when 20% of the time or more PCR tests show false negatives (https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/96789). Furthermore, the tests are also timing dependent. Not worth it for me. What does getting the test really change? It might be beneficial for someone trying to get a script they couldn’t otherwise get or don’t have already, but that’s not my situation.
When I get hit with a reinfection, I ramp up my arsenal. I increase my Tollovid uptake (helps noticeably), Hyperbaric Oxygen, Ear Ozone, Powdered C, D, Zinc, slight increase in Aspirin and Nattokinase, keep on my Fluvoxamine, Rife, strong Probiotics (Progurt, Seeking Health, etc.), nebulize Compounded Glutathione, Epsom Salt Baths, etc. This all helps me control how severely sick I get and how I feel during the acute stage as best I can. I have Paxlovid on hand in the event I need it and scope out Monoclonal Antibody places.
Luckily I’ve been alright after my reinfections. That seems to be the case for most COVID Long Haulers, at least eventually. I worry though the reinfections might cause some additional damage. What am I to do though? The COVID Vaccines have significantly harmed my Mom, Aunt, Godmother, friend, and my mom’s friend, just out of those close to me, and possibly more. Additionally, COVID Long Haulers feel worse about 26% of the time after their shots. It’s not a viable option. Thankfully though my subsequent infections have never been as bad as the initial and Long Haul COVID never restarted, but for up to 2 months I felt worse than baseline.
1 COMMENT
Glad to hear you got thru it again too Devin.
I just got over my second time with covid. 1st was 8/2020, becoming a long hauler after chronic thiamine deficiency.
This time the shortness of breath was most scary. I was exposed on a Friday, and I knew just by looking at him walk in the door from a long day’s work. By Sunday night I spiked a 101.5 fever and tested positive Monday 6/13. That Monday, his Boss told him he needed to get tested because he was positive and exposed the entire crew. I had a fever 101-102 x 4 days, hoarse weak voice, extremely weak, unrelenting fatigue, then the worse sore throat of my life (felt like razor blade’s in my throat). Couldn’t eat or drink, became very dehydrated and got IV fluids in an ER then went back home to self treat because hospitals don’t want covid patients. It was very scary even for this experienced RN. Finally, today 3 weeks tomorrow, I tested negative after testing positive 3-4 times these past 3 weeks. I don’t believe in testing either. I knew right away by my symptoms. It hit like a train wreck with severe muscle weakness and fatigue, chest tightness, cough, cold symptoms, joint and muscle pain, and shortness of breath. Immediately, I forced electrolyte fluids, pure vitamin C powder added in my electrolyte water and upped my thiamine, melatonin and other vits and this time found NAD most helpful too. Due to my underlying illness, I can’t take vaccines, nor the anti-viral or other “emergent authorized treatments,” so it’s all vitamin supplements and OTC flu liquid meds that got me thru this time too. It’s scary how lax everyone has become. Few care to test or isolate and go about life like it’s nothing. For the young and healthy, it’s often not so much more than a cold and I’ve stayed away from my grandkids seeing them with “mild colds,” fearing it wouldn’t be so “mild” for me. After my bout in 2020, I had been recovering from chronic thiamine deficiency and severe small fiber peripheral neuropathies. I had a severe “Gillian Barre” reaction to the Tdap vax so no more vaccines for me! Viruses mutate, and as we are seeing this one continues mutating no matter how many vaccines. I’ve witnessed fully vaccinated FAMILIES ALL getting it over & over, making me glad I didn’t get vaccinated.