I have COVID:(

Sounds like you’re on the mend! Well done.

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29-May: yesterday was really bad post nasal drip after feeling almost completely better. I took Sudafed and that seemed to help. Today I started the day right away with a hot shower to loosen any overnight mucus and it hasn’t been too terrible, but still having to blow nose (fine) and some annoying post nasal drip, though not as bad as yesterday.

Post nasal drip is the absolute worst for me–that feeling that it wont quite blow out of my nose, but it won’t quite just swallow down, so I end up gagging. I know, disgusting, but it’s what I’m dealing with. I have dealt with this on and off all year to some extent since my sinus infection of 10 or so months ago but it’s definitely worse since COVID so I’m hoping it lessens. I have to return to work tomorrow, but I have the option to work from home for 1 week, so I’m very grateful for that. I’m hoping I’ll be back to 100% after.

One update, I talked with my Endo and he said if I had reached out to him ASAP he would have prescribed Paxlovid or whatever it’s called, but that it was of no use after the 5 days post symptoms. So I wish I had, but can’t turn back time. I’ll know for next time I suppose.

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Regarding Paxlovid (not sure if this deserves its own thread)

I was diagnosed with otherwise mild symptoms, but typical high glucose values: 150% basal, 1.5-2x bolus, still no sensitivity, etc. The clinic I go to prescribed me Paxlovid. Through my googling I couldn’t find out if it helped or hurt glucose control, and was hesitant to take it as the other Covid symptoms weren’t too bad.

By the second dose my control got much better. Very little post meal rise, steady through the night, etc. YMMV, correlation is not causation, etc, but in my case Paxlovid did not hurt blood glucose control and may have helped.

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@Margoriebest perhaps that is a WA health thing in relation to the antivirals? I’m in Qld and apparently all I need to do is contact my GP and he will prescribe them for me. Having a chronic illness makes me eligible.

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Oh, @SBee ,that’s interesting.
I am definitely going to follow it up in view of your info. So thank you.

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@SBee
I wonder how much our GPs know about this subject.
I asked my GP whether I would be eligible. He hadn’t even heard about antivirals for Covid!
I am in a retirement village. One of my neighbours is 85 with respiratory disease (I’m not sure what) when she contracted Covid she contacted her GP, who was reluctant to prescribe an antiviral. She persisted and he told her it required for him to spend 45 minutes filling in an application form. She saw a different GP who was adamant that she take an antiviral.
I do wonder whether some of this confusion is related to the fact that WA was virtually Covid-free until our borders opened at the beginning of March. So this is all relatively new here.

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01-Jun-2022: Felt okay waking up, went for a walk which was okay other than major post nasal drip, which meant blowing my nose quite literally every step or clearing my throat or gagging. Lovely way to start the day. If it’s anything like yesterday, it’ll clear up after mid morning and I’ll look totally fine all day, then a bit snotty at night again.

I decided to wait until Thurs. morning (tomorrow) and then do another COVID test to see if I’m negative yet. If I’m still positive, I’m going to explain how bad my morning symptoms are, ask if they would let me try Plaxovid to see if it helps and perhaps see if I can get another week working from home, as that alleviates some stress and helps me focus on healing.

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A recent experience; my brother-in-law (nominally T2) currently has COVID-19 and was prescribed Paxlovid along with his mother. He stopped as a result of the effects he experienced; exhaustion, everything tasted bitter. His mother (also diagnosed T2 of many years) is taking it with no reported (as yet) bad effects. Both are experiencing what I would call “medium” COVID-19 effects, not mild, not extreme, but it’s still early.

We’re not sure if brother is taking statins but that seems very likely as they are routinely prescribed for diabetes.

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@Margoriebest, Qld was in a very similar boat to WA, however your state’s vaccination rates are much higher than Qld’s is. I also happen to live in a region that is vaccine hesitant/resistant. I have had my 4th vaccine and just had my flu shot too.

My GP is excellent. He knows that I know more about diabetes than he does (has also been comfortable admitting that to me), and is a great listener and collaborater. He also makes sure that he stays in contact with my endocrinology team.

I think that the Diabetes Australia website talks about the antivirals, (I’ll see if I can find you the link) however I’m also reasonably confident that I also saw it on the Queensland health covid page.
The main factor to consider is that you require them within 5 days. So don’t hesitate if you do have a positive test!

** edit- I was wrong about where I saw it, it was an abc news article and then I would have gone to the TGA website to read more. Here is the story link. High-risk COVID-19 patients can now get two antiviral prescription drugs — but some are still missing out - ABC News

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Unfortunately, I didn’t ask for antiviral right away and both my GP and Endo will not provide me with it now. I still don’t understand why the ER doctor wouldn’t give it to me. I saw him the very first day of my positive test, and within 5 days of symptom onset. Perhaps they are burnt out, both the doctor and nurse expressed frustration at patients being directed to the ER after calling the nurse hotline. I thought that was unprofessional to complain to me, the patient. Also made me feel like I was doing something wrong by going. But, I had initially been told to go from the nurse hotline, and when I said I wasn’t sure that was necessary, I was urged to at least talk to a doctor via the same hotline and when I agreed, the doctor also urged me to go, so I did.

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ER are at the bottom of the refuse-treatment chain; they can’t refuse, and at present in the US my experience is that everyone higher up the chain is either swamped or playing way too much golf. They were just expressing their frustration at the ongoing situation, not just COVID but also lack of available health care now that everyone can get it; you were dumped on ER because the nurse hotline doesn’t have anyone else available for urgent care.

There is a positive, albeit not a very productive positive. Going to ER is invariably covered by US insurance in these circumstances (i.e. you were told to go by a pro). If you go to some other provider and they are not in-network they will treat you, they will bill you and you will pay it all yourself with no reduction to your OOPMax. That happened to me with a broken shoulder; next time I will go to ER (hey, I’ve got two shoulders!)

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I do feel for the overworked healthcare workers. I’m in Canada so I don’t think I’d get a bill other than if I needed an ambulance.

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Sorry to hear you are still feeling rough @beans_betes .

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Yes, my nephew and his wife are in Qld and they are staunch anti- Vaccers!
I went to my GP yesterday to discuss whether he will prescribe an anti viral if I get COVID. He said that if I do he will apply, but that the application has to be submitted to our major teaching hospital, and they will decide whether I qualify. He also said he doesn’t think I would qualify as I “only” have one co- morbidity. He more or less told me to stop worrying about it.
When I moved a year ago and he was my new GP I told him I had T1, and he asked me if I was on insulin! Time for a change I think :thinking:
That ABC News link was where I saw the info., too.
Incidentally, there is an Australian COVID hotline number 1800020080 for any COVID related questions . I phoned them and they gave me the WA number to phone if I actually get COVID. Apparently then they can direct you to Anti-viral-friendly doctors. So it may be worth you ringing the 1800 number to get your Qld contact number.

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Oh, and yes please if you can find the link I would appreciate it thanks.

Some of the papers I’ve read recently use T1 to mean any state of a progressive condition that, if it progresses fully, will stop endogenous insulin production. So T1 just means a loss of insulin production as a consequence of such a condition; it doesn’t mean insulin dependent. Consequently it’s important to make clear to doctors how far the condition has progressed; “full developed” T1 or “insulin dependent” T1 should work.

I’ve certainly encountered one person who was not on insulin but had been told by his doctor that we was T1 and would need insulin, he was in his late 20’s. The relevant antibody tests are reliable because they show the presence of the condition before it has progressed fully (though the tests only test for specific causes of T1).

In any case MODY falls through the cracks; it corresponds to a reduction in the endogenous production of insulin but isn’t progressive so far as I know. There are a lot of different MODYs, so definitive statements are impossible; see the paper I quoted.

Yes of course. I was being brief in my post. I told him I had had type one diabetes since the age of 11. I am 69!

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This has happened to me a couple of times in my diabetes life that someone will insist that they have a friend who “beat” type 1 diabetes, and it is precisely this kind of condition - someone who is still producing insulin but not enough for their diet - so when they change their diet they don’t need insulin any more - at least in the present. Like @jbowler was saying, as the disease progresses, they will probably need insulin later, but if they are still producing some insulin then you can control via diet.

But nobody ‘beats’ type 1 diabetes, at least not yet …

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Resurrecting this topic b/c the covid train has finally caught up with me :(. I was really, really sick yesterday and had a positive test yesterday afternoon. Started Paxlovid last night (yuck) and am already feeling marginally better. Blood sugar control has been terrible – it’s like I can’t do anything to get below 200, or if I do, I spring back above it immediately (and I’m not eating much at all). Any insights on how to power through this? Thanks - Jessica

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Hi Jessica.
I am very sorry you are having to go through this. :frowning_face:

When I had Covid, my insulin requirements became crazy. Like 2-2.5 times more insulin needed.

I increased my bolus amounts a bunch!. And I also went fairly low-carb (at least low-carb compared to my normal amounts). This made it a little easier to manage.

Here is my thread which details my experience with it. Perhaps this might give you a little bit of insight.

https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/2-or-3-covid-infections-in-family/9917
(At first it was just my family, but then later in the thread I finally get it).

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