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Experience w RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus)?
Whew, I've contracted RSV and this is no joke. It's put me in an exacerbation so I'm on doxycycline. My docs are keeping a close eye so that's good, I have the needed medical resources. Anyone with experience to share? If you had it, how bad were your symptoms? How long til you recovered? Any tricks besides the usual: rigorous airway clearannce, Tylenol for fever, hydrate hydrate hydrate, and sleep sleep sleep. I'm 70, female, with bronchiectasis and MAI, on maintenance ethambutol & azithromycin 3x/week (after the MAI did not clear.
(I searched here and saw a lot of comments about whether to get the vaccine, but nothing I could see about experiencing the illness. I did get the vaccine.)
Thanks as always to this generous and helpful group!
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Oh god. I'm pretty sure this is what I got last year that started the collapse of my health. Friends had it too, they recovered in a week or two. I got it and just got worse and worse. After a month I thought I was maybe recovering but then got a "secondary infection," probably adenovirus. I was sick for two months and just kept getting sicker, coughing more and more, infections on top of infections, until I finally went to the "Urgent Care" next door to the emergency room and had my first CT scan that came back with "mild bilateral bronchiectasis" that changed my life forever.
I was never actually tested for either RSV or adenovirus, as such tests were too expensive and wouldn't have altered my treatment. I later got the RSV vaccine in hopes of never getting it again. However, I mask everywhere now and avoid being indoors with small children (probably how I got the adenovirus and/or who knows what else) and fear even getting a "cold," because any respiratory virus could send me into another tailspin.
You have my sympathy. Twice-daily saline nasal lavage with a Neilmed squeeze bottle, in addition to codeine cough syrup and mucinex, and of course starting to nebulize hypertonic saline, helped me crawl out of it.
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1 Reaction@bronchiectasaurus @lvnl So sorry to hear about the RSV bouts.
The doctors were so strong in their talk to me about getting the RSV vaccine and so I did get it. I have not done any other as yet Well, other than the shingles vaccine, but I very much faithfully mask with an N95 and hope, miraculously, I can avoid a bad bout of the shingles, a virus or another type of infection other than the MAI. Sadly, in reality it is probably just a matter of time, but trying so hard to avoid a double whammy. As they say: "it is not when but just a matter of time."
It is remarkable how well many are able to handle multiple health problems. I truly admire them for their determination and perseverance.
Barbara
@bronchiectasaurus
Thank you ... It's helpful to hear from others sharing the experience. Going through this now I'm sorry but not surprised to hear it may have triggered a downward spiral.
Hoping I'm starting to pull out of it. Reputable medical sites say RSV may peak around day 4-5. Yesterday was day 5 and I had fever of 101.5 (while on Tylenol). Now I'm back down to 99. They say it can take up to 2 weeks to get better. Now, back to bed.
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1 Reaction@blm1007blm1007
Thank you Barbara. I have the distinction of being called a "complex case" because of multiple things going on. But I don't imagine many of us by a certain age are "simple cases."
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1 ReactionHow discouraging, that you had the vaccine, yet you're now in the throes of the full-blown virus. I had the vaccine about 20 months ago and have been living with (likely) a false sense of security. Who knows, maybe the vaccine doesn't do a good job of protecting those of us who are immuno-compromised.
My understanding is vaccines in general may be somewhat less effective in immuno-compromised people, but it's all the more important to have even the somewhat reduced protection. I may have turned the corner, hopefully improving.