Going tomorrow for a covid test

[Fishmanpa]

I just can't imagine not having any anxiety about such a thing, especially now. It must be nice.

Ok... Let's be real about this. Anxiety or not. Not taking any of the fake info that's permeating the news and social media, if you really look at the statistics and the history here, the bottom line is we just really don't know and are erring on the side of caution. While there are definitely trends on how all the variants affect us. The general consensus and facts say that people with pre-existing issues and unvaxxed are most vulnerable. The young tend to come out of it Ok and people who are vaxxed tend to stay out of the hospital more than the unvaxxed. Regardless, this is a real pandemic of a virus the world hasn't seen.

Kudos to the pharmaceutical companies for coming up with vaccines that can help prevent infection and limit the severity if it gets through. The fact remains that there are and will be exceptions to the trends so it really does come down to common sense. Yeah, you know what? It sucks! I'm tired of masks and social distancing and treating other people like they're a threat to my life! At the same time, I'm in the 'high risk' category! Two time heart attack survivor and Stage IVa cancer survivor so yeah, and all the other crap and physical issues and side effects I deal with so what is a minor inconvenience or asymptomatic for one person could kill me! Mind you, that's not anxiety (although it naturally causes some), that's reality!

Bottom, line, we should do the things that help us, help our family and others. And if that means a few needle jabs, so be it. It that means social distancing, jabs, masks and sacrificing the life we had prior than so be it. You can ignore it and take your risks, but the consequences could be fatal for you, your family, someone you love and your fellow citizens. So yeah, anxiety or not, this sucks and its difficult. All we can do is what we feel is truly right to do for all involved. I'm making that sacrifice and its worth it IMO.

I want to commend you Poppy. I've followed your posts for many years and yes, there have been times when you struggle and the dragon gets the better of you. I don't know your age but you remind me of my daughter and how she battles her dragon. She has her moments and takes a few punches now and again but she's a fighter and she always battles back. You exhibit the same traits so kudos to you! You got this! Best to you and the fur baby

Positive thoughts

[glassgirlw]

I get where you’re coming from Poppy. Waiting for the test results sucks, and let’s be honest, testing isn’t exactly speedy around here is it lol. Hubby developed symptoms Wednesday, finally got him a test this morning - said to expect results back in 48-96 hours. Holy crap. Going by CDC guidelines now, he’ll be out of isolation by the time his results come back!!! It just seems so messed up. But, we’re continuing to stay isolated from each other, using separate bathrooms, etc. We FaceTime at dinner and “eat together” lol. It’s all so surreal. And I keep monitoring myself for symptoms and it’s easy for the mind to create a symptom where one doesn’t exist. I understand your frustration.

[.Poppy.]

FMP - thank you for your kind words. I am 30 - it's good to hear how your daughter keeps pushing as it is definitely very difficult. I usually do push back and recover, and true to my signature, I don't have as many anxiety funks as I used to nor do I wallow quite as long, which I am thankful for. Covid in particular has really tested that.

Glassgirl - I hope your husband gets to feeling better and gets some answers! At this point I don't know when I'll hear back, if ever - they said 48 hours and to contact if no answer after 72, but it's been longer, I've contacted, and still nothing. I think they are closed over the weekend so maybe Monday, if ever? I know they are overwhelmed. The rabies lab at the vet school here has also started processing covid tests, but I don't know which ones and I know they are really busy (my office approved their IBC and one of my coworkers volunteers in the lab on occasion). I know that starting next week we can get OTC tests via insurance, but I feel like they are going to be all gone and I'm also concerned with both accuracy and what having an at-home test might do for my anxiety. At least when I had rapid tests done at urgent care a professional interpreted it and could have reassured me somewhat if it had come back positive.

It is entirely too easy to create symptoms that aren't there, and for that reason I don't truly know when my true symptoms even began. Definitely have had sinus/nasal congestion for a couple of days but who knows, could be covid, or could be something else entirely.

Just trying to take it one hour, one day at a time. I hope your husband is able to get test results quickly and gets to feeling better. I can't believe we are two years into this and don't have any better guidance, treatment info, or testing availability, if anything it is worse. It's such a scary feeling to have these organizations that should have answers and they themselves are scrambling.

[Catkins]

Honestly, the last two years have been incredibly tough for anyone suffering from anxiety (in any form). Hang on in there Poppy, I do believe things are improving.

[pulisa]

Honestly, the last two years have been incredibly tough for anyone suffering from anxiety (in any form). Hang on in there Poppy, I do believe things are improving.

I completely agree about covid impacting hugely on all those with pre-existing anxiety disorders. Also I think being independent and responsible for other decisions along with your covid fears will make you more anxious, Poppy. It's ok not to be able to fight back all the time. We are all just human and sometimes it all gets too much. I'm so sorry that you are having to keep away from your parents this weekend when you could do with a big hug and plenty of TLC.

Glassgirl...I hope your husband finds out soon and I'm so sorry you are in this uncertain situation too. We are a few weeks ahead of you in the UK and it looks as though Omicron is a mild illness for those vaccinated and not nearly as severe as Delta.

[.Poppy.]

Glassgirl, hope all is still well with your husband.

My PCR was negative, I got the results this morning. Of course I’m going to think that I tested too soon, but really I got the test over a week after my most likely exposure and I did have some symptoms, plus it was a saliva test - so probably as accurate as can be hoped for.

I really wish I could feel better, but honestly this morning the other anxieties are getting me, especially finances. I hopped online because I really need to buy more cat and dog food, the type I usually buy can’t be bought anywhere, other flavors of that brand are also out of stock, and what I can find is at a markup. I don’t want to go popping around to local pet stores or grocery stores hoping to find it, and that’s really scary. I also need to order groceries for myself, but everything is so much more expensive so I really need to prioritize what to buy and for the first time ever I’m feeling super pressured to eat as little as possible. Also have a lot of house expenses coming up - I just really want to cry, honestly.

I may take a drive out to the lake and go on a long hike with my dog. Of course now I’m thinking about the gas I’ll have to use ti get there but maybe some time outside will make me feel better?

[pulisa]

Poppy, can you speak to your parents about your financial pressures? I'm sure they would want to be aware of how you are feeling and it would be very easy to slip into self-denial re food when you need good nutrition to keep healthy. Money worries can quickly become overwhelming and talking to someone you trust can be a huge relief.

As for pet food supplies could the vet advise as to alternatives if you can't get your usual food online at all or would that be even more financial pressure?

[glassgirlw]

Hey poppy, yep my husbands results came in late last night, negative. I thought the same as you, was it too early? A shoddy test? Etc. But, he did a saliva test and had symptoms for three days before the test, and we’ve both been exposed multiple times at work over the last week or two. So I’m trusting that it was right and he just had a cold. His symptoms are almost gone today. I never did develop any. I hope you’re feeling better!!

[davey2k17]

I’ve just read through this thread and it’s great to get too the end and read your PCR was negative that’s fantastic news 😊. We all had the virus recently me my friend and my 70 year old father and for us at least it was no worse than a bad cold accompanied by a little bit of a tight chest which cleared up reasonably quickly. Like I’ve been saying several times on several threads the absolute worst part of the whole experience was without a doubt my panicking it’s really scary and it’s hard not too panic but we’ve honestly got too try because we make it so much harder for ourselves. I know everybody is different and everybody has a different reaction to the virus but the statistics here in the UK if read correctly are pointing towards this variant being a little less dangerous of course it’s early days and nobody actually knows fully yet but there are good signs since the start of this wave. May I point you towards a chap I watch on YouTube maybe you’ve heard of him DR John Campbell he breaks down the facts in such a way that isn’t panic stricken or alarming to the viewer his daily videos are filled with insightful knowledgeable information that can often be extremely useful in understanding exactly what it is that we are facing. Glad your test was negative take care 😊

[.Poppy.]

Poppy, can you speak to your parents about your financial pressures? I'm sure they would want to be aware of how you are feeling and it would be very easy to slip into self-denial re food when you need good nutrition to keep healthy. Money worries can quickly become overwhelming and talking to someone you trust can be a huge relief.

As for pet food supplies could the vet advise as to alternatives if you can't get your usual food online at all or would that be even more financial pressure?

I should be able to get some groceries, I'll just have to pay less towards the credit card I'm trying to pay off. I think what gets me is that all of my utilities are going up in price, so that puts my budget off balance and means I'm sinking more money into just living here.

I can definitely talk to my parents, but it's an interesting dynamic. They are both just fine financially - both are retired but make more than they did when employed. The thing is, the house I bought has required some updates (which is why I have a large balance on my card to pay off) and my dad has been really excited about doing this so he keeps pressing to start new projects. I just finished my bathroom, today he came over to tear out my fireplace because he decided it needed updating and I also have a tree that needs to come down. What ends up happening is I will say I can't afford to do X, he will act baffled and say "why not?", but then he'll end up just buying things and saying that I can just pay him back. Which is really nice but makes me feel like I'm just in a hole I ultimately won't get out of.

End game, I need to get a better paying job, which is hard because I don't know what I want to do and I really love my job now, if it paid more reasonably it would be absolutely perfect. But it's one of my new year's resolutions to figure that out.

Hey poppy, yep my husbands results came in late last night, negative. I thought the same as you, was it too early? A shoddy test? Etc. But, he did a saliva test and had symptoms for three days before the test, and we’ve both been exposed multiple times at work over the last week or two. So I’m trusting that it was right and he just had a cold. His symptoms are almost gone today. I never did develop any. I hope you’re feeling better!!

That's great news! It's so hard to stop that cycle of worry.

I feel better overall, still some nasal congestion but I wonder if some of it is the crazy weather messing with me. The worst of it is that my costochondritis is acting up, and I know for sure that's what it is, and yet I have to push back against my anxiety telling me it's something more sinister.