How has the Pandemic affected you as a cancer patient/survivor
Comments
-
Well, thanks gals. I scheduled a test for this afternoon. I don't think it's the rapid one as it says results 1-2 days. I'd rather know if it's in my head that I don't feel that great, or not. It could just be stress. This positive person was at the fishbowl table for hours with others all afternoon. Even though I wasn't around her, the others that were around her were around me. So, I'll text my friend and see if her husband can come outside and I can least drop off the food I made. I don't think it is contagious. I will also have to call my sister (mbc patient) and cancel with her for tomorrow. Her Godmother (our mother's best friend) passed and we were going to attend her funeral Mass. I may also work remotely tomorrow for my own sanity. I do feel like there is more than 1 sicko in here. I am vaccinated. Here's my employers covid response:
If you have been exposed but are vaccinated and not symptomatic, no further action is necessary. Please monitor for any symptoms that may develop.
If you have been exposed and are NOT vaccinated – whether you are symptomatic or not – you should get tested. If test is negative, resume normal activity. If test is positive, follow isolation protocol.
-
I wish your employer encouraged people to work remotely if possible to prevent more cases at your office. Fewer sick employees => more productive employees.
If infected and vaccinated, you're infectious for a shorter period of time than someone infected and unvaccinated. You're also less likely to suffer from severe symptoms.
It's a good plan to avoid your sister and the funeral before you're sure you're not infectious. I'm sorry for your loss.
-
Ctmbsikia,
Testing too soon after a possible exposure can lead to false negative results. My county health department recommends waiting 3 to 5 days after exposure before getting tested and allowing the virus load to build for detection.
-
HersheyKiss brings up a good reminder of the limitations of testing. Also, if you feel other co-workers may be sick with COVID, then you've been exposed again today.
-
Hershey I thought of that and proceeded anyway since this person was in the office everyday this week. Next time I'll wait, and wait until I'm sure I'm symptomatic. That's what's so hard with this virus, you could be walking around with it and not know.
-
The one time I was exposed (about a year ago), I quarantined for 3 days before getting tested, then another 48 hrs. till the results came back negative.
We're all triple-vaxed (DH, DS, his fiancee, our HK and her DH), and Chicago's metrics are still pretty low (transmission level is "substantial," down from "high" and positivity rate is 1.6%) so we feel comfortable dining indoors in restaurants we know that take precautions. All of IL (except Elk Grove Village, whose renegade mayor thinks urging vaccinations is enough and mask-wearing should be a "choice") is still under indoor-public-spaces mask mandate. We wear our masks when not sctively eating & drinking--and put them back on when a server approaches.
But we're skipping Halloween this year. Enough houses on our double block will be handing out candy that they don't need us. At most we'll just periodically strew candy on the porch till it's gone, turn off the light, reload, lather, rinse, repeat till we run completely out. Halloween is an exhausting holiday (though it was worse when we had cats that were potential escape artists--our current two know how good they have it indoors and have no inclination to prowl). Only Yom Kippur is less pleasant for me, IMHO.
-
The State Senator in Florida who refused to meet with the Florida Surgeon General because he would not wear a mask was on Anderson Cooper tonight. She has been diagnosed with stage 1 BC, and she just started radiation. The Surgeon General said that he did not feel comfortable talking while he was wearing a mask. He offered to meet with her outside without a mask, under the assumption it was safer, or he offered to talk to her while standing in the hall way right outside her office, and she refused both of those options. This story popped up on Fox News, and nothing was mentioned about the fact that she was dealing with breast cancer, and she was portrayed as being unreasonable, and she has received a few death threats since then.
-
It was just on the news that the country singer Travis Tritt has cancelled a few concerts because the venue holding them required people to be fully vaxxed or present a negative COVID test, and wear a mask. He said he is not antivax, and he is vaccinated himself, but he is anti mandates
-
Working from home today. I hate being overly paranoid but thanks to being old and already having bc, and other issues, it is what it is. My nose is running more than usual. It's probably just the seasonal cold. Mild, feeling fine otherwise. I have much less anxiety not being around anyone. I was never like this. Being a widow now I am getting used to being alone and it's not as scary as I feared.
Have a happy and safe Halloween. Was invited to a happy hour later which I will also cancel. No big plans for the weekend, so no more cancellations to do!! Just going to chill and hang with myself! LOL
-
Peaches, didn't anti mandate Travis Truth just create a mandate himself?!
-
Covid: Double vaccinated can still spread virus at home https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-59077036
-
Princess buttercup, I just read that yesterday and was a little surprised as I had thought that the difference would be greater. I still consider vaccinated friends safer (if they are still using precautions) but not safe enough to let my guard down. And now talk about a 4th booster, this delta variant is such a beast.
-
Illimae,
I will only visit outdoors with a vaccinated and masked friend. Many layers of caution here in our house, because my husband has Multiple Myeloma. He’s received his third full dose of Moderna, and will hopefully get a fourth dose at some point.
So we just don’t consider anyone safe if they’re not in our bubble. I stopped going to one doctor who doesn’t require his office to be masked. There’s just no way.
-
My pregnant daughter had to take her 2 year old daughter for a covid test yesterday. She was called from daycare because sweet girl had a fever. I am so angry that my first experience at being a grandma was cut short (pandemic started when she just turned 1) by people who thought they knew better than the scientists and made things so much worse.
Waiting for test results and hoping it is just a seasonal cold. This makes my patience with anti vaxxers and those pretending to be rational and still not getting the shot very thin.
-
Oh, Wrenn, that has to have your nerves gnawing through your head! How scary!
-
Alice, Just found out they are negative and just have the usual seasonal colds. It is so shitty that I automatically go to worst case over this thing. In my 75th year it feels like this is how I will spend the rest of my life.
I AM luckier than most and am grateful but still pissed. :-)
-
Wrenn, I know. Every cough in our house now gets "Are you okay?" instead of "Gross!"
-
"Every cough in our house now gets "Are you okay?" instead of "Gross!""
LOL
-
wrenn - Glad your family is ok.
In our house the coughs are still from having a drinking problem. 😉
-
“In September 2021, COVID-19 ranked as the number 1 leading cause of death above accidents for people age 35-44, number 1 above cancer for people age 45-54, number 2 above suicide for people age 25-34, and number 2 above heart disease for people age 55-64. COVID-19 ranked number 3 among people age 65 and older, above chronic lower respiratory disease for people age 65-74 and 75-84 years, and above Alzheimer disease for people age over 85 years.”
Article link: https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/covid19-and-other-leading-causes-of-death-in-the-us/
-
Glad younger kids will get vaccinated soon.
-
I too have the seasonal cold. Covid test was negative.
-
Now that it's chilly out, my nose drips when I get back indoors (as it has done for years). And I've been slacking off my Nasalcrom & Nascort (thought hay fever season was over) with my increasingly needy senior kitties assertively snuggling me. I just found out that here we still have ragweed pollen (at lesst till two hard frosts in a row)!!! Our next-door neighbor's yard is a ragweed patch (he's been in CO since Sept.). I am triple-vaxed (since late Aug., with my third dose of Moderna being full rather than half "booster" strength) and I mask when I go into indoor public spaces, so I'm sure it's not COVID.
-
This is my 5 year old grandson getting his pediatric COVID vaccine yesterday.They had lots of trinkets, entertainment and distractions for the kids.When he was in school earlier in the day, he told his teacher he was getting his COVID vaccine.She called him a super hero and he was so proud!
-
I looked at that photo thinking your grandson was actually standing there with his buddy Dr. Fauci!
Here is another way the pandemic has affected me as a cancer patient: It adds one more uncomfortable test, (I hate them! They sting.) and one more long drive to the cancer center with DH missing work, to our already considerable burden when something is going on. I had to do it this week before my colonoscopy to diagnose the ILC colon met. It was my fourth such covid test.
-
Shetland,
That’s what I first thought when dd sent me the pic! I get very excited, momentarily, until I realized it was a cardboard cutout 😅.
-
Dear All, I have a question. Did anyone have a booster of a different manufacturer in comparison with original 2 dozes?
I would like to have moderna booster, I had pfizer in march of 2021.
-
I had Pfizer + Pfizer & then full dose Moderna as my 3rd.
-
Can someone tell me the benefit of different brand for booster? I had 2 pfizer and will be getting my 3rd soon. Iwill ask for moderna if i understand it. Thanks for any help.
-
Wrenn, there was an NIH trial that showed if that if people developed higher antibody levels if they had 2 pfizer + 1 full (100mcg) moderna dose as booster vs. 3 pfizer.
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.10.10...
the current Moderna booster is 50mcg. If you want to get the 100mcg Moderna, you will have to ask for the 3rd dose for immunocompromised people rather than the 50mg moderna booster. Also, keep in mind, some moderna people experienced worsen side effects than those who had pifzer.
Categories
- All Categories
- 679 Advocacy and Fund-Raising
- 289 Advocacy
- 68 I've Donated to Breastcancer.org in honor of....
- Test
- 322 Walks, Runs and Fundraising Events for Breastcancer.org
- 5.6K Community Connections
- 282 Middle Age 40-60(ish) Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 53 Australians and New Zealanders Affected by Breast Cancer
- 208 Black Women or Men With Breast Cancer
- 684 Canadians Affected by Breast Cancer
- 1.5K Caring for Someone with Breast cancer
- 455 Caring for Someone with Stage IV or Mets
- 260 High Risk of Recurrence or Second Breast Cancer
- 22 International, Non-English Speakers With Breast Cancer
- 16 Latinas/Hispanics With Breast Cancer
- 189 LGBTQA+ With Breast Cancer
- 152 May Their Memory Live On
- 85 Member Matchup & Virtual Support Meetups
- 375 Members by Location
- 291 Older Than 60 Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 177 Singles With Breast Cancer
- 869 Young With Breast Cancer
- 50.4K Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis
- 204 Breast Cancer with Another Diagnosis or Comorbidity
- 4K DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ)
- 79 DCIS plus HER2-positive Microinvasion
- 529 Genetic Testing
- 2.2K HER2+ (Positive) Breast Cancer
- 1.5K IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer)
- 3.4K IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)
- 1.5K ILC (Invasive Lobular Carcinoma)
- 999 Just Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastasis
- 652 LCIS (Lobular Carcinoma In Situ)
- 193 Less Common Types of Breast Cancer
- 252 Male Breast Cancer
- 86 Mixed Type Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned
- 189 Palliative Therapy/Hospice Care
- 488 Second or Third Breast Cancer
- 1.2K Stage I Breast Cancer
- 313 Stage II Breast Cancer
- 3.8K Stage III Breast Cancer
- 2.5K Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
- 13.1K Day-to-Day Matters
- 132 All things COVID-19 or coronavirus
- 87 BCO Free-Cycle: Give or Trade Items Related to Breast Cancer
- 5.9K Clinical Trials, Research News, Podcasts, and Study Results
- 86 Coping with Holidays, Special Days and Anniversaries
- 828 Employment, Insurance, and Other Financial Issues
- 101 Family and Family Planning Matters
- Family Issues for Those Who Have Breast Cancer
- 26 Furry friends
- 1.8K Humor and Games
- 1.6K Mental Health: Because Cancer Doesn't Just Affect Your Breasts
- 706 Recipe Swap for Healthy Living
- 704 Recommend Your Resources
- 171 Sex & Relationship Matters
- 9 The Political Corner
- 874 Working on Your Fitness
- 4.5K Moving On & Finding Inspiration After Breast Cancer
- 394 Bonded by Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Life After Breast Cancer
- 806 Prayers and Spiritual Support
- 285 Who or What Inspires You?
- 28.7K Not Diagnosed But Concerned
- 1K Benign Breast Conditions
- 2.3K High Risk for Breast Cancer
- 18K Not Diagnosed But Worried
- 7.4K Waiting for Test Results
- 603 Site News and Announcements
- 560 Comments, Suggestions, Feature Requests
- 39 Mod Announcements, Breastcancer.org News, Blog Entries, Podcasts
- 4 Survey, Interview and Participant Requests: Need your Help!
- 61.9K Tests, Treatments & Side Effects
- 586 Alternative Medicine
- 255 Bone Health and Bone Loss
- 11.4K Breast Reconstruction
- 7.9K Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 2.7K Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment
- 775 Diagnosed and Waiting for Test Results
- 7.8K Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 50 Immunotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 7.4K Just Diagnosed
- 1.4K Living Without Reconstruction After a Mastectomy
- 5.2K Lymphedema
- 3.6K Managing Side Effects of Breast Cancer and Its Treatment
- 591 Pain
- 3.9K Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 8.4K Surgery - Before, During, and After
- 109 Welcome to Breastcancer.org
- 98 Acknowledging and honoring our Community
- 11 Info & Resources for New Patients & Members From the Team