I've been the primary caregiver for my mother for the past two years. She is 85 and has enlarged heart (largest the ER doctor had seen), circulation issues (podiatrist hasn't been able to find a pulse in her feet for two years), stage 4 liver failure, severe osteoporosis (her lungs are denser than her bones), contact allergies to formaldehyde, parabens, cl+me, that resulted in extreme and unrelenting itching for a year before her rheumatologist referred her to an allergist (why her primary doctor or dermatologists didn't mystifies me). She is also allergic to some medicines.
In 2020, we went to doctors (she saw 14 different doctors in 2020, most more than once and most in person), hospitals (three different ones), clinics (5 at least), labs.
We lived where covid was among the hottest early and for long periods of time. Our county sometimes had the highest rate in the nation.
My husband was not able to work from home so he went out to work.
Our youngest son moved in with us in August 2020 to go to college virtually.
My mother lived with us until September 2020. Then she moved to an assisted living facility. They brought her meals and home health care stopped in twice a day to put lotion on her. I did the rest of her care.
My mother, husband and I did not get covid in 2020. My son thought he had it before he came (he had a headache one day.) I attribute this to early and extensive research into the virus and thoroughly applying what we learned about how not to get it. My best friend had recently lived in China as an expat and was very well informed and aware of both public and underground news from there. She warned us very early in January 2020.
In January 2021, the vaccines became available to people living in her assisted care facility. The week before the vaccine came, we asked her doctors if she should get it. They said she was clearly at risk for covid but also not a good candidate for the vaccine; they didn't know which was lower risk. She choose to get the vaccine and they refused to give it to her because her doctors didn't clearly say she
The next day we called the doctors again and clearly had gotten more information in the meantime and said she could get it. But there was no way to get it besides joining the wait lists/lotteries at the state health department along with all the other people over 60 who didn't live in long term care facilities.
I asked to discuss Ivermectin as a prophylactic until she could get the vaccine. Particularly since she was the only person living or working there that was not vaccinated; many workers, delivery people, ect., did not take precautions very consistently even before the vaccinations. Her doctor said he could not even discuss it because their corporate office did not allow him to.
In March, she got the vaccine. In April, I could have but what we were doing was effective so I decided to at least wait as see what happened to the people who took it.
In June, she entered hospice care. (Not related; she had been headed there anyway.)
In July, we decided to risk a visit from one of our out-of-state sons for the first time in 18 months. I thought he must have already had it; he took only the required precautions in a state that required among the least of any states. He arrived late at night, just as he began having a dry throat and fatigue. The next day, he got a message that he had been in extended contact with someone who tested positive for covid.
My husband had already spent an hour in the car with him. My husband also got covid. The son that lived with us spent three days sitting on the couch beside the visiting son playing video games. He didn't get it (evidently, he did have it the summer before). I left the house to stay alone at the farm for two weeks - with minimal visits to care for my mother. I did not get it.
My visiting son weighs 260 on a 5'10 frame and has untreated sleep apnea but no other comorbidities. He had a sore throat, dry cough, fatigue, and spiked a high fever over the first two days he had it. He took Ivermectin (people version), once per day and symptoms were 60% better within 12 hours, 80% better within 24 hours, and completely gone within 36 hours of the first dose. Then he went home and stopped taking it. All symptoms returned. He called his doctor for an appointment. His doctor told not to come it, to take Benadryl and rest and go to the ER if he got worse. He laid on the couch for three days because he couldn't breath if he moved or talked (but wasn't worse). He lives alone. I worried (understatement of the year) but he did recover.
My husband had the same initial symptoms as our son. On day two, he started taking Ivermectin (people version), and his symptoms also went away at a little slower rate than our son's initially did. My husband took it for the whole five days, though, as prescribed and his symptoms did not come back.
Soon, my mother will not need me so I will be free to decide on what risks I'm willing to take without considering how they may affect her.
I've been checking the World Health Organization's dashboard. And comparing the death rates from covid from a week a year ago, when no one was vaccinated, to the same week this year. Why are they higher this year in every week since late July?
https://covid19.who.int/region/amro/country/us
