Is Covid Still A Concern?

Covid wasn’t so bad here in the Denver metro this winter, but the flu has been on a rampage. Several friends were severely ill for 10-14 days. My wife’s church has a monthly senior’s luncheon that was canceled because of the flu threat.

Interesting (and unfortunate) that radiation therapy ravaged your immune system. I had 38 doses of salvage RT last fall for a local recurrence, and in the final week and into the next six weeks, rashes started popping up in all different places on my body. Not a normal occurrence for me. I figured that it was because my immune system was whacked out from the radiation. However, my RO dismissed that because, according to her, radiation to the pelvic area doesn’t normally affect the immune system. She brushed it off as a coincidence. Not really convinced of her assessment. The rashes were WAY too much of a coincidence with the end of RT. Well, anyway, the rashes resolved as I gradually recovered from the RT induced fatigue. But I’m sure that was just a coincidence too.

If I worried about catching everything I could catch in public, I'd never leave the house. No, I don't wear a mask, but I do try not to lick door handles or elevator buttons anymore.

@northoftheborder

Another vaccine to get is for RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus), especially for older & susceptible people. I only mention it because a woman in our church came down with it for a month. She said she had never heard of it before getting it. I was surprised, because it's been in the news (& TV ads) for two years. Medicare covers it.

Another for older people to get, is the Shingles vaccine. Not a respiratory illness, so you can skip it if you don't mind getting an irritating rash for a couple months when you are older. My father had it in his 90s. I got the vaccine before Medicare covered it.

@melvinw

Could the rash have been Shingles?

Regarding masks: I wear a standard surgical mask when I go for my 1.5 mile daily walk, if the temperature is below 40F. Not to protect so much against germs enroute, but to keep my throat moist & warm, & not susceptible to germs later. The mask gets very moist, which is the idea.

When I first had to wear a mask when I visited my mother in a nursing facility where the flu was running around, I couldn't wait to get the cursed thing off. This was before COVID.

Fast forward to COVID, where I volunteered to help the county doing COVID testing, where I wore it 4 hours at a time, & it was no big deal. You get used to it.

I do admit it's more of a nuisance for those that wear glasses.

@readandlearn One rash on my left foot followed a nerve path, like shingles, but my dermatologist didn’t think it was shingles. Itched like crazy (which can happen with shingles), but I didn’t have the typical shingles pain. I‘ve been vaccinated for shingles. Other rashes ranged from mildly itchy to intensely itchy. Rashes broke out on my butt, penis, feet, ankles, shins, abdomen, and my right eye lid (more of an inflammation but all part of the skin reaction). Admittedly, it was all pretty weird and unexpected. Just glad it has passed.