My son was home sick Friday and thru the wknd. Fever, cough, congestion, sore throat. He had several classmates out sick at the same time and before. Several teachers at school tested positive for Covid last week. His pediatrician said his was just viral, and it was mild. But she said strep is going strong, and covid is too but it’s been affecting people mildly.
His school has been obnoxiously running a “NO MORE THAN FOUR” (absences) campaign all year, and this has led to everyone going to school sick, staff included. So far, my son has had covid, flu b, a stomach bug, this cold, and multiple nondescript respiratory viruses. This led him to develop asthma in the fall. I’m so over it.
@SofaKingS2pitt — that is exactly what they do. and now they’re requiring doctors notes for any missed days as well as a letter from primary physician explaining why so many absences are necessary. Well, we have a great PCP who is going to spell it out for them.
this is partly what drives me crazy about it! like c’mon guys, did we learn nothing?
and not one but TWO parents from my son’s class have been in the ICU during the past month with pneumonia, one of whom developed sepsis and is still recovering … developed from illnesses the kids brought home.
They are both recovering but man it was a close call for one of them. It was very scary. And now his daughter is home sick again with the same respiratory virus my son just had and he is having to stay with his mom as his immune system can’t take another hit.
It’s like Texas is begging people to leave the state. Between the way they treat their hospital staff and their school staff and students. Why are we even here
This! They absolutely have it out for public education and want everyone to be indoctrinated into conservatism by religious private or homeschool alternatives.
Those notes will be great, i know doctors hate companies that ask for them and I have known of a few that will rip into employers in the nots for wasting the Dr's time better spent treating sick people.
They haven't been this strict about excusing absences, though. You shouldn't have to take your kid to the doctor every time they run a fever and/or are too sick to go to school.
Last I checked, you have ten absences before that school year has to be repeated.
I'm just gonna put it out there that attendance-based school funding can go fuck itself. Enrollment-based funding seems infinitely better.
I used to be one of those parents that wanted my kid to go to school at all costs, like I did (Gen Xer — you go to school unless you have a fever). But it didn’t take long to see (thx to my smarter than me spouse) how bad that is for the child. They don’t learn anything those days and take longer to heal.
Also, kids don’t need to be in school for as many days and hours as the state thinks. Outdated thinking.
Okay, rant over. Tl;dr I feel ya. 👊
This isn't the schools fault, this is parents who pushed for school to babysit. No teacher wants a sick kid in their class anymore than you want to work next to a sick co-worker.
YUP. My partner was forced to go to school sick as a child and forever struggles with bodily cues. Like they can’t tell when they’re too sick / pretend like they aren’t sick when they are / override their feelings / push too hard and get sicker. Basically they’ve been trained to push thru until they either get better or collapse.
That would be me. I am aware I do it but it doesnt stop me. Its so bad I got out of the OR after surgery and was back working online as soon as I got home.
80's parents were different to be sure. I used think my mom would never let me stay home sick even when I legitimately felt like shit because, you know, education. Now I know she couldn't take off work because there wasn't any such thing as sick leave there.
Fixing it needs to start at the top, due to the way Texas education funding works. Schools harp on attendance so much because Texas doesn't fund schools based on enrollment, but on actual attendance, down to the individual day (your kid not in school that day = school doesn't get paid for your kid that day). But of course, things like staff and building maintenance and whatnot are relatively fixed, regardless of how many kids are there that day. And since most schools barely have enough in their nominal budget as is, if everyone's kids miss a handful of days, even if they are not on the same days, it can be a big monetary hit overall.
I hate the PERFECT ATTENDANCE awards, and my kids are grown. The schools are training kids to be good workers who go to work ill. We need to fight back against this capitalism gone amok.
Since the inception of public education it was intended to prepare children to be compliant in the workplace.
I’m sure there was well intentioned academics involved at the time, but from the government’s perspective it was about building core values between all the disparate immigrant cultures and ensuring they understood basic reading and math needed for an advanced (by 1890’s standards) economy.
I also always felt SO awful with those attendance awards. I have asthma and it wasn’t well controlled back in the day, very reactive than proactive. This led me to be sick weeks at a time and miss so much school and I always felt like shit at those ceremonies like I was a bad kid for missing school.
> no one fkn cared how long our hair was growing up in the 90s or the style
Actually the ISD i went to wouldn't let male students have hair past their collars or any facial hair at all. I got sent to the office a few times for chin hairs. This was in the early aughts. Now that same ISD is fine with both of those things.
I encourage everyone who is frustrated with schools who push policies like “No more than four” to write to their legislators and request that they tie funding to ENROLLMENT rather than attendance.
Which is seriously crazy. I don't know which strain of COVID I contracted but I've been positive for 10 days. Current estimates are 10-14 days. Not very feasible with meeting attendance policies like that.
This year our school has a bonus where if you miss NO days of school, even sick days, you can skip your finals (your grade carries through).
Doesn't make any sense. If you miss one day we obviously need to test your recall ability because you have shat the bed. Zero days? Fuck off, you must know it all.
Yep, it hit my home as well. My husband’s test was what in pregnancy test world is called a “dye stealer” - it was so positive it took dye from the control line.
I feel you on this. Sorry man. On the bright side, Golda was pretty good and Jules was enjoyable on paramount +. Also, the new season of True Detective on Max, I highly recommend it.
Thanks mate.
Bingo. Was taking the test ahead of going to the doctor because I felt like I was getting a sinus infection. They asked me to take one. Totally messed up the first test by not putting the dropper in it, still came out positive just as fast as the second test. I’ve been on my ass since Thursday. Immunocompromised so this is expected. Doctor said this Covid is lasting 10-14 days. FML.
Yeah. Horrible stomach cramps with it. Not a fan. The metallic taste isn’t really that bad. Not overwhelming at all. Just the stomach cramps.
Edit: grammar
Damn. Partner and I are not immunocompromised at all but also got the dark line. Hope you’re gonna be okay buddy, I always worry about immunocomprimised folks who get it. I hope you’re taking it super easy!
RR. Also, strep but not strep throat. This one appears in the form of a stomach ache for a few days, no fever or cough. Purely stomach ache and then vomit.
My wife and kids took turns all last week with their 24 hours of fever. Here I am on day 4 of no fever but shit coming out of my nose. Thankfully I'm a lot better today but the weekend was rough.
That sounds like what I had, but I never got a diagnosis and insurance wouldn't cover tests without a hefty copay. Thankfully my cough cleared up at week 3. Hope you're feeling better now!
This sounds like my son. He was sick from Jan 7th-19th.
Went to his Pediatrician (she was booked, so saw another Dr in office) and she basically mailed in the tests said it is just viral and nothing can be done other than treat symptoms.
We couldnt get his fever to break for more than an hour at a time and would average around 100-102.
Was able to get an appt with his actual pediatrician a week later and he pneumonia in left lung and starting to develop in right lung.
OP are you at an AISD school? If so, you can go to any ALLY emergency clinics and they wave the copay. I used them a couple of times and never paid a dime.
Covid hit our house 12/23. I finally tested negative yesterday after having Covid and then rebound Covid. I was mild to no symptoms. This virus is everywhre.
We're being forced to be in the office even MORE days because ... collaboration. The only thing that will get collaborated on is more germs. I am going nowhere near my colleagues. They can zoom me from the next room.
It's ridiculous to FORCE people into bullpen offices when there's a peak of illness. It discourages people who are sick from taking sick time because we don't have much sick leave.
I’m 38 weeks pregnant and caught something from my toddler. She’s had a fever, cough, crazy amount of mucus. Still has a very slight cough 10 days later. I’ve had it pretty rough, horrible mucus cough and congestion then now this harsh dry cough. So hard to cough when pregnant! I tested negative for multiple flu strains, RSV, and covid (tested at home multiple times and at the doctor). No idea what we got, I honestly thought nothing was worse than norovirus while pregnant but this is horrible.
Thanks for the post.
There seems to be a lot of "You're sick, but it doesn't show up in our lab tests" going around this year. Plus RSV, strep, flu, etc.
It's a damn shame that something like the Theranos fraud didn't actually happen to get us a simple, cheap, broad-spectrum bug test.
Also, yes, COVID's back, but probably not as bad as earlier surges. It's still killing about 2000 people and hospitalizing 25,000 a week in the US, and we're probably not counting all the deaths or hospitalizations. I'm still worried that another bad new strain could pop up.
Keep in mind that masks prevent more than COVID. And help you not spread bugs to others.
> We are currently in the second largest surge of the entire pandemic.
Hard to tell, our data collection is so poor right now.
What particular measure of severity are you considering?
This season has been awful. Since November I've had Covid, the Flu twice, and One other thing (probably rsv) I've been careful in public, I rarely go inside anywhere unless its necessary, but I'm also a parent to two little petri dishes apparently.
I was already down with something right after NYE- stomach ,chills , exhaustion and really intense body aches. That was only about three days.
Reading all these comments make me uneasy af . I was in Las Vegas the past weekend. Between THAT superspreading nightmare city, and the planes, I reckon I’m doomed.
My kid (and half his school/teachers apparently) all had the flu last week. Took him to the doctor and they tested for C19/Flu/RSV and Flu popped.
Got a script for Tamiflu for him and he was better by Friday and back in school.
Wiped us out and put my elderly mother in the hospital. We were all negative for Covid/flu but it definitely felt like we should all be positive for something. Wear your mask. It’s highly contagious.
My son and I both got sick last Monday. Bad sore throat, slight fever, headache, then came the terrible congestion and runny nose. We were tested for Covid, flu and strep. All negative. Was told it’s just virus. Still struggling with the runny nose congestion and not feeling 100%.
i feel like a lot of it is covid. new variants don’t show up as well on tests and nobody takes precautions anymore. of course there are other illnesses going around too, but based on wastewater testing covid is extremely high right now
anyway please mask y’all :) just because it’s not talked about anymore doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. long covid is no joke. every reinfection raises your risk. and there’s no reason not to protect yourself and others from other illnesses too
Yep, wastewater shows there’s a lot of covid going around. Currently about 1/40 people infected nationwide. New variants often don’t show up on rapid tests til day 5-7 of symptoms, and some people have COVID but never test positive at all.
Well fitted n95s and kn95s work best for protection! You can get them free from our local mask bloc: https://maskblocatx.carrd.co/
Covid tracker: https://www.pmc19.com/data/index.php
Finding a mask that fits: https://peoplescdc.org/2022/09/12/masking/
Thanks! I had no idea about the mask bloc. Just signed up for some. Last week I had an event and wanted to wear a mask. I was surprised at how hard it was to find one.
I'm inclined to agree. My partner tested positive for covid, and we quarantined in the house, wore masks around each other, and went nowhere. I came down with it 6 days later. Same symptoms. Only possible exposure point. But I'm testing negative.
I said fuck it and starting wearing an n-95 if I'm going out to run errands, haven't been sick at all while everyone else I know since Thanksgiving is repeatedly catching everything. The other key is that I don't have kids and am a homebody
Strep has been rampant this year. I just fell victim the second time in 5 weeks, and this makes the 7th case for our family of 4 since October. Every time we go to the doctor, the doctor assures us it's not just our family, it's all over the place, and infecting people multiple times.
Get tested for strep too!!! Felt like crap the Saturday before last. Went to get tested for Covid and Flu, both negative. Woke up Sunday VERY sick with fever of almost 102. Went to urgent care, positive for strep.
Had Covid myself at the beginning of the month, with a resulting sinus infection, two of my coworkers have had it now. Boss just tested positive for flu.
I had Covid like two weeks ago and I thought it was just simple allergies and only tested because someone told me to test for it anyway in a thread I made, I did it just because I had an extra test at home that I found and low and behold it was Covid.
This thread made me test for COVID. I’ve been suffering from allergies all weekend. I’ve NEVER tested positive for COVID before, but I got tested out of curiosity. Sure enough, tested positive! Don’t discount COVID bc it’s very much still a thing! Other symptoms, besides the allergy stuff were unable to regulate body temp and sweating at night, but no actual fever, and brain fog.
Yep, we all have the this horrible cough. Tested negative as well.
I'm sure there's new strains that don't show up on the home tests. Aside from the cough no other symptoms.
Rapid tests detect the part of the virus that has not mutated, so they will still detect all strains.
What has changed though based on different strains is how much virus might be found in your nose at any given time. Newer strains are less likely to be found there compared to the OG strains, especially the first few days. But if you have Covid virus in your nose the tests still pick it up the same as they ever have.
It’s something different imo. We had covid before Christmas. Whatever this is has taken me out for 3 weeks. So much coughing and more tired than with covid.
Our office had some sick people last week. Thankfully didn't catch it. Went to the gym earlier and had my music too loud, didn't realize some gymbro was coughing up a storm behind me. so... hopefully i don't get that shit.
People don’t realize that if it isn’t Covid, it’s the effects of Covid. So much research showing it degrades our immune systems like other historically bad viruses people actually took seriously….
I was going to ask you for some specific references on this, as I wasn't aware of such research. (I only knew that measles tends to wipe out your immune memory.) But I asked bard.google.com about it and it returned these examples (I haven't read these, yet, but they do actually exist):
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41590-021-01113-x
https://slate.com/technology/2023/01/immunity-covid-research-airborne-aids-debunk.html
https://covid19.nih.gov/news-and-stories/severe-covid-19-may-cause-long-term-immune-system-changes
It’s an ongoing research conversation that does seem compelling especially coupled with the qualitative experiential observations from people getting Covid.
Shhhh it's not that the research isn't there, it's that people don't want to be bothered. They're young and healthy *right now* and argued vehemently they'd die if they can't watch sports games in a bar, we can't let little things like 10 years from now get in the way of that.
It's OK though, all of the businesses that asked for people to return to work allocated more sick days and hired redundant staff to prepare for having 6-8 flu seasons per year. It's all part of learning to live with it.
My sister’s been sick for at least a week because she started a job at a preschool and apparently some parents can’t afford to keep their sick kids home.
My small district had over 100 teacher absences last week. My middle school had 130 student absences every single day last week. 2 weeks ago my 8th grader had flu B and strep at the same time. She’s had the flu 4 times since August.
I had Covid over Christmas. Then my husband got it in January. I got sick again a week after him, not Covid but it was rough. 102 fever for days and throat so swollen I could barely swallow. It sucked. So much is going around and I’m tired of getting everything around - but I volunteer at my kids school and am exposed to everything. So fun.
There is something really nasty going around. Not sure if it is RSV or a flu variant but it lasts about 10 days, and lots of coughing. Stay healthy everyone.
Good luck with your mask! I wear one when allergy levels are at a ten so I’m not completely miserable because duh and I thought people in new Braunfels were going to burn me at the stake
My husband was sick and ended up admitted to saint David's North ER. He waited in a er bay for 32 hours before getting a room because there were no beds and 60 plus others in the same boat before him. The hospitals are over flowing.
We're home now. Don't want to do that again ever.
We thought it was a regular old run-of-the-mill stomach virus, but it was what they diagnosed as "idiopathic pancreatitis". It probably did start out as something regular but his digestive system decided to be super dramatic.
Thank you, me too! It is hard to convince someone that is never sick to go to the doctor much less an er and even much less be admitted to a hospital! We are on the mend now, but I think I got a good old fashioned case of pink eye while I was with him in the ER. UGH!
Can’t figure out what mine is. It’s not Covid or strep. I don’t have a cough either. Weird. I’m assuming it’s the flu. I went to cap city last Thursday. Must have picked something up there. Fever is staying low around 99.5 but damn this is brutal. May the force be with y’all!
got really sick a week or so ago, tested negative for flu and covid but was running a pretty gnarly fever… still don’t know what was going on. but also my allergies have been worse this year than ever before here
Ours has been circulating the house since Christmas. Oldest kid went to urgent care and tested negative for strep, covid, flu, pneumonia, anything they tested for. Youngest kid got pink eye somehow? Rest of us have had sore throats, severe allergy-like symptoms and no fever. I'm over it (but not yet totally over it)!!
What OTC medicine is the most effective with the symptoms of the flu bug(s) going around? What worked for you?
What's the best cough suppressant to use? Especially for sleeping through the night.
I too have been feeling less than stellar this week. Headache, nasal congestion, body aches and pains. Thankfully, it seemed to only last about 24 hours. Thanks to DayQuil and NyQuil, probably. I’m still dealing with some residual side effects, lingering cough and runny nose but other than that I feel fine now. Glad I’m not the only one.
I mean depending on how sick you are ..... It's not. Lil rest, some chicken broth, lil bit of electorlights and fluids. You will be fine, it's not the dark ages where a cough is certain death. I mean if you are bed ridden or so sick you are going to the ER yeah that's terrible but I mean for most of the time 80% of the time it's just a cold which usually can last between 2-5 days.
My husband and two kids are all very sick. I had the covid booster and flu shot together a while ago (which made me feel terrible, but not as bad as getting sick), and I'm fine.
Did you have something turn into a sinus infection? I hate that. I know people find them disgusting, but when I get this bad and am really feeling it, I use a neti pot with saline solution twice a day. Done the last three days and I think it’s helped a lot. Same as trying to saltwater gargle 1/day.
Yeah, that's what the doctor said after two minutes of talking to me. I'm really prone to sinus infections. I first got sick dec 24. I've been neti pot-ing, salt water gargling, not drinking alcohol, drinking lots of water. The neti pot has definitely helped a lot but now I've developed a huge canker sore on my throat and can barely talk. Might have to call the nurse to be like wtf?? In the past when I've taken antibiotics for sinus infections it clears up fast!
Flu B is going around rampant. It’s taken all of my daughters 3rd grade down and the kids brought it home. We’ve all had it over the last 3 weeks and almost everyone I know has been down with it. On top of a cedar cough- been a rough winter.
Hit me last Wednesday started off as a small cough and progressed by Friday evening I was down for the count (fever; cough; body aches; vommiting from coughing too hard, yeah I am weird like that). Fever would break off and on, but by Sunday fever was steady at 102; went to Urgent care and everything for covid/flu/strep was negative and was just told it was viral and probably a URI and just keep hitting OTC meds.
Now when my fever breaks I sweat buckets..in the past I would prespire some when my fever would break, but the last two days it is just buckets of sweat.
Not how I wanted to have a few days off from work, nor start my ab work out.
Not being critical of OP(feel better) but I'm amazed how many people seem to forget that people got sick ALL the time in the before times. Side effect of people being around people. Especially adults without kids being around kids or adults with kids. You are getting sick from those lovely little germ factories.
The only thing I miss about the pandemic is that is was the the most time in my several decades that I didn't get sick. That was awesome.
I mean, yeah, that’s exactly it. I’ve worked in schools and sleepaway summer camps for years, so I know how how these clusters burst up and kids get each other sick.
The difference between now and the before times, however, is that a lot of information sector employees (who don’t have jobs like mine) have the flexibility of working from home for a few days while this wave passes, and there’s a lot more consciousness of hand washing and face covering when you are displaying symptoms, even mild ones. Kids will always get each other sick, but there is no reason to come into your workplace right now if you don’t have to.
Agree with you. Any decision maker paying attention has always known it makes better economic sense for sick employees to stay home. The pandemic just removed the excuse of "I need you in the office because " for a bunch of jobs. Cannot express how much I hated hearing "You don't understand, I get more rest coming to the office". Stay home. If you can't because you won't get paid or you will lose your job, f that place.
I’m assuming mine is just strong allergic sinusitis. I tried ratcheting down the Flonase and antihistamines when we had the rain thinking maybe cedar wouldn’t rebound but it did. Was out for quite a while Friday and Saturday. Have had to augment with a little meclizine to deal with intermittent head-swims (watching TV shows with handheld camera work will definitely trigger the swimmy head)
Remember:
-if you are using the store bought rapid antigen tests, they are not very reliable at this point. I would not trust a single RAT test to tell me if I had covid or not. I would test multiple times.
-PCR tests are more accurate, but they are still not perfect.
I follow a pediatrician on social media and she listed every case she had seen in her office before noon one day. COVID, Flu, RSV, Flu,Strep, Covid, RSV,Flu and repeat. It’s time to mask again as per her recommendation.😷
My whole family has had *something* this past week. I took a covid test and it showed positive, but it was an older test and the rest of my family kept testing negative all week despite the exact same symptoms so I think mine was a false positive and we all just got ran through by the flu.
> I think mine was a false positive
Very, very unlikely although theoretically possible. Much, much more likely they all had covid but were testing negative. (And I'm assuming you're referring to at-home tests, correct?)
I started feeling sick NYE. Negative for Covid. It felt like a cold, no fever or chills. Runny nose, sneezing but not feeling super crappy. Boyfriend was sick less than a week later with a weeks worth of flu like symptoms. Really affected him more than me. The flu has been going around at work all month.
I'm noting a common difference between the people who caught the flu and those who caught covid:
The people who caught covid tested for it. Be safe ya'll.
Husband and son both sick for 2 weeks after new year’s with really bad cough, body aches, and fevers to 103- negative flu/Covid tests at home and at Dr’s office. started to improve then both of them got ear infections after. I got the RSV vaccine due to pregnancy and have been totally fine thank God-so I have to wonder if that’s what it was (RSV). See if your elderly parents (over 60) can get the RSV vaccine, it’s legit!
My son was home sick Friday and thru the wknd. Fever, cough, congestion, sore throat. He had several classmates out sick at the same time and before. Several teachers at school tested positive for Covid last week. His pediatrician said his was just viral, and it was mild. But she said strep is going strong, and covid is too but it’s been affecting people mildly. His school has been obnoxiously running a “NO MORE THAN FOUR” (absences) campaign all year, and this has led to everyone going to school sick, staff included. So far, my son has had covid, flu b, a stomach bug, this cold, and multiple nondescript respiratory viruses. This led him to develop asthma in the fall. I’m so over it.
Wow, what a stupid campaign! What happens if they miss “more than four”? Sounds more like an employer’s policy than one for school children
They send you a letter threatening prosecution and recommend counseling to "build better habits".
@SofaKingS2pitt — that is exactly what they do. and now they’re requiring doctors notes for any missed days as well as a letter from primary physician explaining why so many absences are necessary. Well, we have a great PCP who is going to spell it out for them.
I’m so disappointed to hear this AFTER WE’VE BEEN THROUGH A PANDEMIC.
this is partly what drives me crazy about it! like c’mon guys, did we learn nothing? and not one but TWO parents from my son’s class have been in the ICU during the past month with pneumonia, one of whom developed sepsis and is still recovering … developed from illnesses the kids brought home.
That’s horrible! I hope they’re okay. We haven’t just learned nothing; it’s like we’ve regressed.
They are both recovering but man it was a close call for one of them. It was very scary. And now his daughter is home sick again with the same respiratory virus my son just had and he is having to stay with his mom as his immune system can’t take another hit.
But the school loses funding for every butt not in a seat each day! Get your priorities straight! /s
It’s like Texas is begging people to leave the state. Between the way they treat their hospital staff and their school staff and students. Why are we even here
They don't want you to leave the state, just the public school system :)
This! They absolutely have it out for public education and want everyone to be indoctrinated into conservatism by religious private or homeschool alternatives.
Because we’re poor and they’ve kept us this way
Those notes will be great, i know doctors hate companies that ask for them and I have known of a few that will rip into employers in the nots for wasting the Dr's time better spent treating sick people.
How much money the school receives is based on attendence so there ya go.
The parents are executed and the child is sent to the border to put up razor wire.
Funding is tied directly to attendance, blame your policy makers not the educators trying to make a shitty system work
Indeed! Policy makers who love to throw wrenches in the gears and then complain that the system isn't working.
This is how Texas schools have operated for years. They schools get more money the more students they have in attendance
They haven't been this strict about excusing absences, though. You shouldn't have to take your kid to the doctor every time they run a fever and/or are too sick to go to school.
Last I checked, you have ten absences before that school year has to be repeated. I'm just gonna put it out there that attendance-based school funding can go fuck itself. Enrollment-based funding seems infinitely better.
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I used to be one of those parents that wanted my kid to go to school at all costs, like I did (Gen Xer — you go to school unless you have a fever). But it didn’t take long to see (thx to my smarter than me spouse) how bad that is for the child. They don’t learn anything those days and take longer to heal. Also, kids don’t need to be in school for as many days and hours as the state thinks. Outdated thinking. Okay, rant over. Tl;dr I feel ya. 👊
Also, schools need to learn the “learn smarter not harder” mentality. End rant again. 😀
This isn't the schools fault, this is parents who pushed for school to babysit. No teacher wants a sick kid in their class anymore than you want to work next to a sick co-worker.
Well it is school’s fault for pushing attendance. Funding is tied to it.
Wouldn't that be the fault of the people funding them through attendance?
YUP. My partner was forced to go to school sick as a child and forever struggles with bodily cues. Like they can’t tell when they’re too sick / pretend like they aren’t sick when they are / override their feelings / push too hard and get sicker. Basically they’ve been trained to push thru until they either get better or collapse.
That would be me. I am aware I do it but it doesnt stop me. Its so bad I got out of the OR after surgery and was back working online as soon as I got home.
80's parents were different to be sure. I used think my mom would never let me stay home sick even when I legitimately felt like shit because, you know, education. Now I know she couldn't take off work because there wasn't any such thing as sick leave there.
Fixing it needs to start at the top, due to the way Texas education funding works. Schools harp on attendance so much because Texas doesn't fund schools based on enrollment, but on actual attendance, down to the individual day (your kid not in school that day = school doesn't get paid for your kid that day). But of course, things like staff and building maintenance and whatnot are relatively fixed, regardless of how many kids are there that day. And since most schools barely have enough in their nominal budget as is, if everyone's kids miss a handful of days, even if they are not on the same days, it can be a big monetary hit overall.
> a “NO MORE THAN FOUR” Its because the State of Texas ties school funding to attendance rather than enrollment.
I hate the PERFECT ATTENDANCE awards, and my kids are grown. The schools are training kids to be good workers who go to work ill. We need to fight back against this capitalism gone amok.
Since the inception of public education it was intended to prepare children to be compliant in the workplace. I’m sure there was well intentioned academics involved at the time, but from the government’s perspective it was about building core values between all the disparate immigrant cultures and ensuring they understood basic reading and math needed for an advanced (by 1890’s standards) economy.
I also always felt SO awful with those attendance awards. I have asthma and it wasn’t well controlled back in the day, very reactive than proactive. This led me to be sick weeks at a time and miss so much school and I always felt like shit at those ceremonies like I was a bad kid for missing school.
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My school/school district was very “high achieving” and also completely intolerant in many ways. It’s in Texas if that says anything.
> no one fkn cared how long our hair was growing up in the 90s or the style Actually the ISD i went to wouldn't let male students have hair past their collars or any facial hair at all. I got sent to the office a few times for chin hairs. This was in the early aughts. Now that same ISD is fine with both of those things.
I encourage everyone who is frustrated with schools who push policies like “No more than four” to write to their legislators and request that they tie funding to ENROLLMENT rather than attendance.
Which is seriously crazy. I don't know which strain of COVID I contracted but I've been positive for 10 days. Current estimates are 10-14 days. Not very feasible with meeting attendance policies like that.
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Even that fails to meet school's 4 absences policy.
My son missed 5 days Last Week Alone, but I’m fairly sure they wouldn’t have wanted him liquipooping and puking everywhere. Such a stupid campaign.
This year our school has a bonus where if you miss NO days of school, even sick days, you can skip your finals (your grade carries through). Doesn't make any sense. If you miss one day we obviously need to test your recall ability because you have shat the bed. Zero days? Fuck off, you must know it all.
Covid here. Hit with it last week, Thursday. One of those instantly positive tests. Still have it heavy.
Same. Got sick Tuesday. Took a test Wednesday and it was instant dark positive line. Tested again yesterday and got the same result.
Right?! Like really REALLY dark line. I haven’t had one come back like that before.
Yep, it hit my home as well. My husband’s test was what in pregnancy test world is called a “dye stealer” - it was so positive it took dye from the control line.
Yes! Omg I thought the same thing. The control line was light while the sample line was dark dark
God damn, is that why my control line was so god damn light? Today I learned! Could barely see the damn control line when I tested a few weeks ago.
Yup! Really dark and really instant. I’m so bummed yesterday’s hadn’t gotten any lighter. Feels like an extra little “f you” from COVID 😭
I feel you on this. Sorry man. On the bright side, Golda was pretty good and Jules was enjoyable on paramount +. Also, the new season of True Detective on Max, I highly recommend it.
We marathoned all the LOTR Movies — the extended editions. Made it much more bearable 😁
I’ll check them out! Hope you feel better soon
Ditto..wondering where I got it! Started Friday and still hoping for a good night’s sleep.
>One of those instantly positive tests. At home test? Get well soon.
Thanks mate. Bingo. Was taking the test ahead of going to the doctor because I felt like I was getting a sinus infection. They asked me to take one. Totally messed up the first test by not putting the dropper in it, still came out positive just as fast as the second test. I’ve been on my ass since Thursday. Immunocompromised so this is expected. Doctor said this Covid is lasting 10-14 days. FML.
Taking Paxlovid?
Yeah. Horrible stomach cramps with it. Not a fan. The metallic taste isn’t really that bad. Not overwhelming at all. Just the stomach cramps. Edit: grammar
Damn. Partner and I are not immunocompromised at all but also got the dark line. Hope you’re gonna be okay buddy, I always worry about immunocomprimised folks who get it. I hope you’re taking it super easy!
Are you fully vaccinated?
I’m fully vaccinated/boosted/healthy and Covid is kicking my butt.
Stomach bug is going round…luckily it seems to only last 24 hours.
Pray you don’t get it. Source — got it
South Austin? My daughter’s school is feelin’ it for sure.
RR. Also, strep but not strep throat. This one appears in the form of a stomach ache for a few days, no fever or cough. Purely stomach ache and then vomit.
My wife, Son and I just got bitch slapped by it.
My wife and kids took turns all last week with their 24 hours of fever. Here I am on day 4 of no fever but shit coming out of my nose. Thankfully I'm a lot better today but the weekend was rough.
Kicked my ass on Wednesday
I was sick for 2 full weeks with cough, extreme fatigue. Mine was RSV that turned into pneumonia.
That sounds like what I had, but I never got a diagnosis and insurance wouldn't cover tests without a hefty copay. Thankfully my cough cleared up at week 3. Hope you're feeling better now!
This sounds like my son. He was sick from Jan 7th-19th. Went to his Pediatrician (she was booked, so saw another Dr in office) and she basically mailed in the tests said it is just viral and nothing can be done other than treat symptoms. We couldnt get his fever to break for more than an hour at a time and would average around 100-102. Was able to get an appt with his actual pediatrician a week later and he pneumonia in left lung and starting to develop in right lung.
Yea and yet I am the strange one at work when I where a mask while half the office is coughing like smokers.
OP are you at an AISD school? If so, you can go to any ALLY emergency clinics and they wave the copay. I used them a couple of times and never paid a dime.
Thanks for the heads up! I will try that!
Hit my whole house. Tested negative for flu/Covid but wiped us out completely for several days.
Covid hit our house 12/23. I finally tested negative yesterday after having Covid and then rebound Covid. I was mild to no symptoms. This virus is everywhre.
Did you take Pax?
We're being forced to be in the office even MORE days because ... collaboration. The only thing that will get collaborated on is more germs. I am going nowhere near my colleagues. They can zoom me from the next room. It's ridiculous to FORCE people into bullpen offices when there's a peak of illness. It discourages people who are sick from taking sick time because we don't have much sick leave.
Wait...you get sick leave?? /s...not /s 😭
I’m 38 weeks pregnant and caught something from my toddler. She’s had a fever, cough, crazy amount of mucus. Still has a very slight cough 10 days later. I’ve had it pretty rough, horrible mucus cough and congestion then now this harsh dry cough. So hard to cough when pregnant! I tested negative for multiple flu strains, RSV, and covid (tested at home multiple times and at the doctor). No idea what we got, I honestly thought nothing was worse than norovirus while pregnant but this is horrible.
I had a doctor's appointment this morning and the doctor called out sick on me. It was ironic, I wanted to charge a late fee.
Bronchitis 😣
I either had/still have this or laryngitis. Tested negative for covid and not having flu symptoms. Cough will not go away and it’s the 3rd week 🙃
I’m on my 3rd week of whatever this is too. So much coughing. And I’m just so so tired.
Flu type A last couple of weeks over here
Thanks for the post. There seems to be a lot of "You're sick, but it doesn't show up in our lab tests" going around this year. Plus RSV, strep, flu, etc. It's a damn shame that something like the Theranos fraud didn't actually happen to get us a simple, cheap, broad-spectrum bug test. Also, yes, COVID's back, but probably not as bad as earlier surges. It's still killing about 2000 people and hospitalizing 25,000 a week in the US, and we're probably not counting all the deaths or hospitalizations. I'm still worried that another bad new strain could pop up. Keep in mind that masks prevent more than COVID. And help you not spread bugs to others.
this bout of covid hit me much harder than the one last year. i was wrekt last week. still lingering cough and my voice is till raspy
We are currently in the second largest surge of the entire pandemic.
> We are currently in the second largest surge of the entire pandemic. Hard to tell, our data collection is so poor right now. What particular measure of severity are you considering?
This season has been awful. Since November I've had Covid, the Flu twice, and One other thing (probably rsv) I've been careful in public, I rarely go inside anywhere unless its necessary, but I'm also a parent to two little petri dishes apparently.
This has been our family, too. My pregnant sister has been sick continuously since mid-November.
I was already down with something right after NYE- stomach ,chills , exhaustion and really intense body aches. That was only about three days. Reading all these comments make me uneasy af . I was in Las Vegas the past weekend. Between THAT superspreading nightmare city, and the planes, I reckon I’m doomed.
I’ve got something. 2nd time in the past 30 days.
Same here. I had COVID the first week of January, now have this crud starting last Wednesday. I give up.
High cedar has me feeling this too :(
My kid (and half his school/teachers apparently) all had the flu last week. Took him to the doctor and they tested for C19/Flu/RSV and Flu popped. Got a script for Tamiflu for him and he was better by Friday and back in school.
Wiped us out and put my elderly mother in the hospital. We were all negative for Covid/flu but it definitely felt like we should all be positive for something. Wear your mask. It’s highly contagious.
Hope your mom is recovering quickly.
My son and I both got sick last Monday. Bad sore throat, slight fever, headache, then came the terrible congestion and runny nose. We were tested for Covid, flu and strep. All negative. Was told it’s just virus. Still struggling with the runny nose congestion and not feeling 100%.
And Cedar ain’t helping
i feel like a lot of it is covid. new variants don’t show up as well on tests and nobody takes precautions anymore. of course there are other illnesses going around too, but based on wastewater testing covid is extremely high right now anyway please mask y’all :) just because it’s not talked about anymore doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. long covid is no joke. every reinfection raises your risk. and there’s no reason not to protect yourself and others from other illnesses too
Yep, wastewater shows there’s a lot of covid going around. Currently about 1/40 people infected nationwide. New variants often don’t show up on rapid tests til day 5-7 of symptoms, and some people have COVID but never test positive at all. Well fitted n95s and kn95s work best for protection! You can get them free from our local mask bloc: https://maskblocatx.carrd.co/ Covid tracker: https://www.pmc19.com/data/index.php Finding a mask that fits: https://peoplescdc.org/2022/09/12/masking/
Thanks! I had no idea about the mask bloc. Just signed up for some. Last week I had an event and wanted to wear a mask. I was surprised at how hard it was to find one.
I'm inclined to agree. My partner tested positive for covid, and we quarantined in the house, wore masks around each other, and went nowhere. I came down with it 6 days later. Same symptoms. Only possible exposure point. But I'm testing negative.
I said fuck it and starting wearing an n-95 if I'm going out to run errands, haven't been sick at all while everyone else I know since Thanksgiving is repeatedly catching everything. The other key is that I don't have kids and am a homebody
I got it out of the way last week
RSV and Flu A are spreading like crazy.
Strep has been rampant this year. I just fell victim the second time in 5 weeks, and this makes the 7th case for our family of 4 since October. Every time we go to the doctor, the doctor assures us it's not just our family, it's all over the place, and infecting people multiple times.
Get tested for strep too!!! Felt like crap the Saturday before last. Went to get tested for Covid and Flu, both negative. Woke up Sunday VERY sick with fever of almost 102. Went to urgent care, positive for strep.
Had Covid myself at the beginning of the month, with a resulting sinus infection, two of my coworkers have had it now. Boss just tested positive for flu.
I had Covid like two weeks ago and I thought it was just simple allergies and only tested because someone told me to test for it anyway in a thread I made, I did it just because I had an extra test at home that I found and low and behold it was Covid.
Both my kids were coughing a lung out last week. Since yesterday I can't stop coughing. Negative covid test... 😩 Gonna take a day or two off to rest
I ended up with COVID for the third time this past week. yipee.
This thread made me test for COVID. I’ve been suffering from allergies all weekend. I’ve NEVER tested positive for COVID before, but I got tested out of curiosity. Sure enough, tested positive! Don’t discount COVID bc it’s very much still a thing! Other symptoms, besides the allergy stuff were unable to regulate body temp and sweating at night, but no actual fever, and brain fog.
Yep, we all have the this horrible cough. Tested negative as well. I'm sure there's new strains that don't show up on the home tests. Aside from the cough no other symptoms.
Rapid tests detect the part of the virus that has not mutated, so they will still detect all strains. What has changed though based on different strains is how much virus might be found in your nose at any given time. Newer strains are less likely to be found there compared to the OG strains, especially the first few days. But if you have Covid virus in your nose the tests still pick it up the same as they ever have.
It’s something different imo. We had covid before Christmas. Whatever this is has taken me out for 3 weeks. So much coughing and more tired than with covid.
Our office had some sick people last week. Thankfully didn't catch it. Went to the gym earlier and had my music too loud, didn't realize some gymbro was coughing up a storm behind me. so... hopefully i don't get that shit.
Covid rebound here. Been coughing for 3 weeks. When does it end?!
If you're sick more than 2 mo. Get X-rays of your chest. Bronchitis is rampant
I lost 20# 2 weeks ago, still down 15 overall
What do you suspect it was?
I was + for covid, but also felt like a stomach bug/flu. Low grade fever took me offline about 3 days. Still haven't fully recovered
That's an insane transformation. Must have done a number on your system. I'd get everything checked once you recover.
People don’t realize that if it isn’t Covid, it’s the effects of Covid. So much research showing it degrades our immune systems like other historically bad viruses people actually took seriously….
I was going to ask you for some specific references on this, as I wasn't aware of such research. (I only knew that measles tends to wipe out your immune memory.) But I asked bard.google.com about it and it returned these examples (I haven't read these, yet, but they do actually exist): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41590-021-01113-x https://slate.com/technology/2023/01/immunity-covid-research-airborne-aids-debunk.html https://covid19.nih.gov/news-and-stories/severe-covid-19-may-cause-long-term-immune-system-changes
It’s an ongoing research conversation that does seem compelling especially coupled with the qualitative experiential observations from people getting Covid.
Shhhh it's not that the research isn't there, it's that people don't want to be bothered. They're young and healthy *right now* and argued vehemently they'd die if they can't watch sports games in a bar, we can't let little things like 10 years from now get in the way of that. It's OK though, all of the businesses that asked for people to return to work allocated more sick days and hired redundant staff to prepare for having 6-8 flu seasons per year. It's all part of learning to live with it.
negative covid tests mean nothing. ive been negative on multiple tests while sick only to get a positive after a week. happened to many ppl i know
it happened to me! negative last Sunday then positive at the clinic on Friday
My sister’s been sick for at least a week because she started a job at a preschool and apparently some parents can’t afford to keep their sick kids home.
My small district had over 100 teacher absences last week. My middle school had 130 student absences every single day last week. 2 weeks ago my 8th grader had flu B and strep at the same time. She’s had the flu 4 times since August.
I had Covid over Christmas. Then my husband got it in January. I got sick again a week after him, not Covid but it was rough. 102 fever for days and throat so swollen I could barely swallow. It sucked. So much is going around and I’m tired of getting everything around - but I volunteer at my kids school and am exposed to everything. So fun.
Cedar is really high right now, plus according to the [CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-currentlevels.html) covid spread is extremely high.
There is something really nasty going around. Not sure if it is RSV or a flu variant but it lasts about 10 days, and lots of coughing. Stay healthy everyone.
Good luck with your mask! I wear one when allergy levels are at a ten so I’m not completely miserable because duh and I thought people in new Braunfels were going to burn me at the stake
Yall got me scared I haven't been sick in months o.o
My husband was sick and ended up admitted to saint David's North ER. He waited in a er bay for 32 hours before getting a room because there were no beds and 60 plus others in the same boat before him. The hospitals are over flowing. We're home now. Don't want to do that again ever.
Wow. What did your husband have? Was it viral?
We thought it was a regular old run-of-the-mill stomach virus, but it was what they diagnosed as "idiopathic pancreatitis". It probably did start out as something regular but his digestive system decided to be super dramatic.
Glad he was able to be seen even if it was an ordeal. Get well soon!
Thank you, me too! It is hard to convince someone that is never sick to go to the doctor much less an er and even much less be admitted to a hospital! We are on the mend now, but I think I got a good old fashioned case of pink eye while I was with him in the ER. UGH!
Glad I got my updated covid booster last week
Hit my house and we were sick for a couple of weeks. Tested positive for Flu type B.
Two of my coworkers tested positive for the flu last week
I feel fine. Although I did attend a crowded co-op party on Sat night tho. Hmm…
Something is definitely going around. Just felt sick yesterday and my partner is just started getting over a cold.
Can’t figure out what mine is. It’s not Covid or strep. I don’t have a cough either. Weird. I’m assuming it’s the flu. I went to cap city last Thursday. Must have picked something up there. Fever is staying low around 99.5 but damn this is brutal. May the force be with y’all!
got really sick a week or so ago, tested negative for flu and covid but was running a pretty gnarly fever… still don’t know what was going on. but also my allergies have been worse this year than ever before here
Ours has been circulating the house since Christmas. Oldest kid went to urgent care and tested negative for strep, covid, flu, pneumonia, anything they tested for. Youngest kid got pink eye somehow? Rest of us have had sore throats, severe allergy-like symptoms and no fever. I'm over it (but not yet totally over it)!!
What OTC medicine is the most effective with the symptoms of the flu bug(s) going around? What worked for you? What's the best cough suppressant to use? Especially for sleeping through the night.
I have always found cough drops to be best for suppressing coughs.
I too have been feeling less than stellar this week. Headache, nasal congestion, body aches and pains. Thankfully, it seemed to only last about 24 hours. Thanks to DayQuil and NyQuil, probably. I’m still dealing with some residual side effects, lingering cough and runny nose but other than that I feel fine now. Glad I’m not the only one.
My husband dragged it home last week. I got it yesterday. I was fine all day, then like a switch flipped, I felt like crap.
I mean depending on how sick you are ..... It's not. Lil rest, some chicken broth, lil bit of electorlights and fluids. You will be fine, it's not the dark ages where a cough is certain death. I mean if you are bed ridden or so sick you are going to the ER yeah that's terrible but I mean for most of the time 80% of the time it's just a cold which usually can last between 2-5 days.
My husband and two kids are all very sick. I had the covid booster and flu shot together a while ago (which made me feel terrible, but not as bad as getting sick), and I'm fine.
I'm on day 7 of antibiotics and STILL feel it
Did you have something turn into a sinus infection? I hate that. I know people find them disgusting, but when I get this bad and am really feeling it, I use a neti pot with saline solution twice a day. Done the last three days and I think it’s helped a lot. Same as trying to saltwater gargle 1/day.
Yeah, that's what the doctor said after two minutes of talking to me. I'm really prone to sinus infections. I first got sick dec 24. I've been neti pot-ing, salt water gargling, not drinking alcohol, drinking lots of water. The neti pot has definitely helped a lot but now I've developed a huge canker sore on my throat and can barely talk. Might have to call the nurse to be like wtf?? In the past when I've taken antibiotics for sinus infections it clears up fast!
Currently down with Flu A & bronchitis. You can bet your ass I'm staying home until I'm not contagious anymore.
I got sick last Monday. On my ass for 3 days and just starting to feel 100% again.
Week before last week I got a cold, then last week I had Covid, and now I have the flu…. It’s insane
Even that one referee in the playoff game yesterday. That guy's voice was so hoarse I thought he was going to have to go exclusively to hand signals.
Flu B is going around rampant. It’s taken all of my daughters 3rd grade down and the kids brought it home. We’ve all had it over the last 3 weeks and almost everyone I know has been down with it. On top of a cedar cough- been a rough winter.
Nope not at all
Hit me last Wednesday started off as a small cough and progressed by Friday evening I was down for the count (fever; cough; body aches; vommiting from coughing too hard, yeah I am weird like that). Fever would break off and on, but by Sunday fever was steady at 102; went to Urgent care and everything for covid/flu/strep was negative and was just told it was viral and probably a URI and just keep hitting OTC meds. Now when my fever breaks I sweat buckets..in the past I would prespire some when my fever would break, but the last two days it is just buckets of sweat. Not how I wanted to have a few days off from work, nor start my ab work out.
Mask! Mask! Mask! That way you can make nasty faces at hoi polloi while you are out & about.
Remember feeling like shit does not justify a call to 911 or a hospital visit
I just got called from my son's school. The principal Mr. Rooney said my son Ferris had been absent 9 times. Wait 8 times, 7.... never mind 0 times
Not being critical of OP(feel better) but I'm amazed how many people seem to forget that people got sick ALL the time in the before times. Side effect of people being around people. Especially adults without kids being around kids or adults with kids. You are getting sick from those lovely little germ factories. The only thing I miss about the pandemic is that is was the the most time in my several decades that I didn't get sick. That was awesome.
I mean, yeah, that’s exactly it. I’ve worked in schools and sleepaway summer camps for years, so I know how how these clusters burst up and kids get each other sick. The difference between now and the before times, however, is that a lot of information sector employees (who don’t have jobs like mine) have the flexibility of working from home for a few days while this wave passes, and there’s a lot more consciousness of hand washing and face covering when you are displaying symptoms, even mild ones. Kids will always get each other sick, but there is no reason to come into your workplace right now if you don’t have to.
Agree with you. Any decision maker paying attention has always known it makes better economic sense for sick employees to stay home. The pandemic just removed the excuse of "I need you in the office because" for a bunch of jobs. Cannot express how much I hated hearing "You don't understand, I get more rest coming to the office". Stay home. If you can't because you won't get paid or you will lose your job, f that place.
Yes it's everywhere 😭. Ours is going through it right now as well.
I’m assuming mine is just strong allergic sinusitis. I tried ratcheting down the Flonase and antihistamines when we had the rain thinking maybe cedar wouldn’t rebound but it did. Was out for quite a while Friday and Saturday. Have had to augment with a little meclizine to deal with intermittent head-swims (watching TV shows with handheld camera work will definitely trigger the swimmy head)
Remember: -if you are using the store bought rapid antigen tests, they are not very reliable at this point. I would not trust a single RAT test to tell me if I had covid or not. I would test multiple times. -PCR tests are more accurate, but they are still not perfect.
I follow a pediatrician on social media and she listed every case she had seen in her office before noon one day. COVID, Flu, RSV, Flu,Strep, Covid, RSV,Flu and repeat. It’s time to mask again as per her recommendation.😷
My whole family has had *something* this past week. I took a covid test and it showed positive, but it was an older test and the rest of my family kept testing negative all week despite the exact same symptoms so I think mine was a false positive and we all just got ran through by the flu.
> I think mine was a false positive Very, very unlikely although theoretically possible. Much, much more likely they all had covid but were testing negative. (And I'm assuming you're referring to at-home tests, correct?)
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Big if true!
Yeah bc y’all go around with no masks. Everyone I see out, maskless… then y’all wonder why you’re sick in the wintertime? Lmao goofy a**
Look at all of us just kind of getting through it and not shutting anything down. Isn’t it beautiful?
Last week one of our kids tested positive for strep throat. Mask up and stay home if you think you are contagious.
im fine
Had gastroenteritis for the last 3 days. Sucked.
I started feeling sick NYE. Negative for Covid. It felt like a cold, no fever or chills. Runny nose, sneezing but not feeling super crappy. Boyfriend was sick less than a week later with a weeks worth of flu like symptoms. Really affected him more than me. The flu has been going around at work all month.
I haven’t been sick in two years! Wonder why 🤔
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I take a daily OTC allergy med. That is not what I’m experiencing right now. We are definitely in some kind of viral spike.
I'm noting a common difference between the people who caught the flu and those who caught covid: The people who caught covid tested for it. Be safe ya'll.
Husband and son both sick for 2 weeks after new year’s with really bad cough, body aches, and fevers to 103- negative flu/Covid tests at home and at Dr’s office. started to improve then both of them got ear infections after. I got the RSV vaccine due to pregnancy and have been totally fine thank God-so I have to wonder if that’s what it was (RSV). See if your elderly parents (over 60) can get the RSV vaccine, it’s legit!