I last visited my 94 year old mom on her birthday 5/22/25 (last week); I had what I thought was a cold. The next morning at 4:00 am I woke up with a fever and my heart rate was at 177 bpm. I thought I was having a heart attack and called 911; in the ER I was tested for everything and advised I tested positive for COVID. Once I got home at about 9:00 am in the morning, I contacted the facility to advise them that I had tested positive and requested they test my mother. They did; They called me later that afternoon, and advised me that they had tested her twice and she was negative. I have since isolated; this is my second bout and oh my it’s been horrible. I was contacted by the facility on Thursday and told that they had positive Covid cases and that visitation was still allowed, but that we need to wear masks and also would be tested at arrival- which I’m perfectly fine with… my concern is my mother doesn’t seem to understand why I’m MIA. She has a phone, but doesn’t understand to put the phone to her ear, so it gets complicated to communicate and she always worries about everything. I have not had one-on-one communication with her Now that I will be returning to work on Monday; I’m not sure what the protocol is in regards to visiting an elderly person…I have two fears; that she’s going to get ill and that I I’m going to get reinfected. Any suggestions or any ideas, or any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
What a situation.
I agree with the advice to stay away from your mother until you are 1000% sure you're no longer contagious.
Work is more complicated. IMO you *must* go to work tomorrow to keep your job. This is a terrible time to be a federal employee and you must protect your own financial security. Wear an industrial strength mask, wear disposable gloves, stay away from your co-workers as much as possible. Try not to touch co-workers phones or keyboards. I hope co-workers will understand that you basically have no choice and this is not your fault.
Are you taking Paxlovid or the equivalent? I hope you recover soon.
These are hard times.
Makes me upset when I see people out and about who are obviously sick, stay home for crying out loud, it's called common courtesy and self care.
This from UC-San Francisco scientific research: "Since the virus is believed to persist in the tissue reservoirs, the scientists turned to UCSF’s Long COVID Tissue Bank, which contains samples donated by patients with and without long COVID.
They detected portions of viral RNA for up to two years after infection, although there was no evidence that the person had become reinfected. They found it in the connective tissue where immune cells are located, suggesting that the viral fragments were causing the immune system to attack. In some of the samples, the researchers found that the virus could be active."
Folks, don't get Covid in the first place. It's not just a cold.
Your mom doesn't have to understand everything that's going on because it may be beyond her as she is now. If you must, call the facility and ask them to put her on their phone. Chat briefly, pleasantly, and superficially. Don't talk about illness.
My husband is in a memory care facility. My fear, and that of other spouses and relatives of those who live there, is that someone with Covid will come in and infect everyone. Some are so weak and frail that they might not survive. So I understand your fear. Err on the side of caution; mom will survive your absence for a week or three, but you don't want her to get Covid, and dropping by just to prevent her worries makes no sense. The worriers will always worry about something. You are the best help for mom if you are Covid-free and not in the hospital. Keep that in mind and continue to be considerate of others. Their lives and future health may depend on it.