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So I tested positive for covid on Friday and have had all the symptoms ie fever, chills, aches, cough, headache.. dr said given I’m a healthy 61 yr old it’s up to me if I want to take paxlovid … only issue is I don’t do well w meds.. many make me sick etc and have a condition called neurocardiogenic syncope that causes me to faint when I feel sick etc .. biggest concern is I’m taking care of frail 91 yr old mom and trying to prevent her from getting covud again .. wear 2 n95 masks around her and gloves …wondering if taking this drug reduces viral load as to protect her further .. if it was just me, I would ride this out…im calling around to see if i can get any aides to come to house until i get better but who would come if covid is in the household? and mom needs care.

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Wearing 2 N95 masks is pointless

https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-double-masking#double-up-to-enhance-mask-fit

Interesting your doctor a medical professional offered you no guidance on taking paxlovid. Many who take it get a second round of covid after recovering from covid. Perhaps that's why he isnt encouraging you to take it but he is to much of a coward to tell you that up front.

Paxlovid does not stop the spread of covid. Basically it's claim fame is that you won't die from covid or get hospitalized if you take this drug. Sound familiar just like the vaccines. You can still get and transmit covid but you wont die from it (just like 99.9% of people who got covid before vaccinations were available) But you may get a rebound case of covid after taking a course of the medication paxlovid. Which you can transmit to your mother. You are already living with mom with covid so if she's going to get it she's going to get it.

Maybe your doctor should prescribe ivermectin or advise you to take a vitamin regimen to boost immunity.
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Mhillwt Dec 2022
I feel n95s and hand washing are helpful w any contagious disease but obviously not a panacea
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Mh, I'm sorry that you're ill. My reading says that Paxlovid reduces the viral load faster than not treating.

Given your circumstances (sole caregiver to mom) I would opt for taking the drug in hopes that it will prevent the severe symptoms that some folks have.

Heal quickly. Have a low threshold for calling emergency services if you start to feel very ill.
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sp19690 Dec 2022
If the doctor thought it would make a difference he would have given her the drug. Seems like there's a reason he didn't want to prescribe it to her.
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Please don’t accept any “advice” that you receive here as being in any way reasonable or valid.
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sp19690 Dec 2022
Well she asked her doctor and they wouldn't commit one way or another by telling her yes she should take it or no don't take it. Why do you think that is? Should she potentially damage her health to protect her 91 year old mother from covid? I dont think she should but that's just me.
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Paxlovid can cause kidney and liver damage. If you take it test liver and kidney function first.
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Mhillwt Dec 2022
Yes mom would need 1/2 dose if she tests pos..btw I’m male
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Time to put yourself first! How can you take care of your mother while feeling sick? Is she still calling out every 5 or 10 minutes at night? Doesn't your caregiving require a LOT of hands-on care for her?

You've written in the past about holiday parties with relatives. And you have a brother. Can NO ONE take care of your mother while you get better?

As far as whether or not paid help would come in, that's a very good question. Does anyone even care about covid anymore? Most people don't seem to. A very low percentage have gotten the bivalent booster. Not many people have gotten the flu shot, either. People are traveling. Not many are masking. There is a tridemic out there, but people just don't seem to care.

Please do some research on Paxlovid, including taking into account the condition you get (meds make you sick?) and whether that could be worse than neurocardiogenic syncope. I know that if I get covid, I will be getting an RX for Paxlovid, as I am very convinced about its benefits.
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Mhillwt Dec 2022
She only gets up a few times now at night …we resolved that issue thank god and her agitation stopped.my brother is doing the hands on but can’t do certain things ie washing her,vitals etc so trying to get an aide..several already said no due to Covid.I clean , wash dishes ,etc…tiday I feel like I turned corner so I pray mim stays neg…btw I’m male not sure why everyone assumes I’m female ..thank you for responding
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If you've been taking care of mom since before you showed symptoms and since then for quite a few days, there's no reason to worry about giving it to her. If she's going to get it, she's already been exposed. The best you can do it try to keep your distance and give her some supplements to boost her immune system - vitamin c, vitamin D, zinc, probiotics. Run a humidifier if you have heat running. Try to get her to drink more fluids. Same advice for you! And don't bother with that med now - most of them work best when taken as early as possible.
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That drug is no longer recommended by the FDA since it has no effect on significantly reducing days or improvement. At this point just minimize the time with her and both wear masks when together for the next 5 days
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I think unless someone specifies most assume the caregiver is female since women seem to take on that role more than men. Thanks for letting me know you are male.
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My geriatric internist is a firm believer in double masking with N95s.
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sp19690 Dec 2022
Time to find a new geriatric internist. If they believe doubke masking an N95 is a good thing then God only knows what other crazy fauci-isms they believe in their medical practice. It's like many of these doctors never went to medical school and dont know how viruses spread.
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Your d _ _ _ed if you do and d _ _ _ed if you don't.

As said, by the time you showed symptoms and got tested, Mom was exposed. It can take 5 days from exposure for a test to show positive. I would say mask if you feel its necessary. Wash hands frequently. Get as much rest as u can. If she contracts it again, not much u can do about it. Its the situation ur in.

I have had my vaccines and one booster. In 2 years from when Covid started my DH and I had never had it until our cruise in June. We started symtoms at the end, flew home thinking we caught a cold from niece. Only to find out we had COVID. DH ran a fever, I didn't. It was like a bad head cold. Protocol then was Quarantine for 5 days, mask for 5 days.
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