Doctor thinks I have Covid19

Totally serious. 

My job has me inspecting aircraft from around the world. Last night I started getting a tickle in my throat in Jacksonville, a couple hours later I was lightly coughing in Baltimore, and by the time I got to Minneapolis I was sicker than hell. 

Then I had to drive a rental to Iowa where I was supposed to take a look at a sweet little Citation.

I was getting the spins, feeling feverish, coughing, etc. Went to the ER and they put me in an isolation room and stuck a six inch swab up my nostrils to test for both influenza and Covid19. Influenza came back negative so they think it is indeed the China McChina Kung Wu Flu and put me into home isolation. The .gov is giving me two weeks or more admin leave, which at $52 an hour to sit and watch netflix and get all caught up on my stories 

Honestly i have had worse colds than this. I had the real deal flu a few years ago and it would have killed a lesser man. I had trouble getting INTO bed. This the only thing is I am coughing from time to time, a bit of phlegm and a fever.

Doctor gave me this: 

Yikes! Are you at your own home now?  

Take care of yourself please, and keep us informed.  Sending healing thoughts.   

WOW, Turbo, hope you are home and get better fast.  Like CRS says it most likely will be a bad cold.  Keep us posted with daily updates.  If you are alone please tell a friend near you so that if you get worse they can at least check on you or get your butt to the hospital if you can't breath.  Do you have an Oximeter?    You should you can get one on Amazon.  Get one and check you O2 levels 3 times a day.  If you go below 90 get your butt to the hospital!

Turbo is a founding member of forum from years ago.  Going to make this a sticky topic for awhile.  

Hang in there Turbo! 

Reminds me of a nursing tale from long ago:

Patient having a catheter fitted speaking to pretty nurse:  "Do you always take the p1ss out of people when you first meet them?"

Turboguy wrote: Thanks everyone.  Yeah, it is really a cold. Not a bad cold, just a cold. I was able to flirt reasonably well with the very attractive nurse who tried four times to get my vein and failed. As the good Dr. said above, and was said to me multiple times at the hospital, if you're a smoker, COPD, etc, this thing could really easily put you in the ground, and they asked me multiple times if I smoked. Or partook in other... more interesting flavors of smoke. I don't, wouldn't want to lose my job. I will know for sure what I have in the next couple days. Doctors said that if I indeed have it I will get a call from them verifying that it is indeed Covid, and then a call from someone at the CDC saying what I should do next, and that I will be having to call in twice a day so they can make sure that I am not going out and eating brains, licking door handles, farting on pillows. You know, normal me stuff.  The swabs to the nostrils was interesting. She got so far up there I think she poked my brain and the backs of my eyes... I almost asked her for her phone number after getting that intimate with me.

  I'm loving the intimacy of your nose swab!! lol. 

Did you tell the rental company that you are infected? I'm not sure how well they clean those cars at the best of time. I had one in the North Island last month, a real top of the range one, and we found some very expensive skin cream under the front seat - I was delighted, but if they miss that, what else are they missing?

I hope you recover soon. Take care. xx

Unfortunately we in the U.S. have no rapid testing available, and barely any testing at all.  It has to be sent to the CDC, which takes 2-3 days.  We always hear about the millions of test kits being sent out in the U.S., but literally there are none whatsoever.    

Hmmm...are you that AA pilot that has Covid 19?

Pretty sure I read US has all the strains.🤒

Feel better soon, Turboguy.

KiwiMum wrote: https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/emojione/2.0.1/assets/svg/1f602.svg);">  I'm loving the intimacy of your nose swab!! lol.  Did you tell the rental company that you are infected? I'm not sure how well they clean those cars at the best of time. I had one in the North Island last month, a real top of the range one, and we found some very expensive skin cream under the front seat - I was delighted, but if they miss that, what else are they missing? I hope you recover soon. Take care. xx

No, I did not... not yet anyway. They just gave me the rental and I drove it. I figure that if this is indeed Covid that after the two full weeks of the car sitting in the sun, any possibility of spreading it from there will be moot. I am afraid that if I told them that I have this that they'd make me buy the stupid thing. It is a *VERY* nice truck, however, exactly like my personal truck except dark ocean blue. 

Yeah, she *REALLY* got in there. It was to the point it seemed like she was having fun trying to light a campfire in my head with the spinning stick trick.

FluMom wrote: Turbo my late husband made me laugh till I got tears, all the time.  I haven't laughed like that since he was here even at the end he made me laugh.  Well today you made me laugh like that again...sorry it took you getting Covid19 to do that...but I love to laugh.   I have not done that until today!  Stay well Turbo and keep the funny lines coming!!!! LOL!

Haha yeah mom, we have all heard it said that a good laugh is the best medicine. 

The best part of today was the look on the receptionist's face as I left the hospital when I said to her, "Have fun being freaked out over this!!!" She genuinely looked like she picked her nose and found a spider. I personally blame the media for screaming at the tops of their collective lungs that "ZOMG WE ARE ALL GOAN DIE!!!" when that really isn't the case. It is a virus that you only really have to worry about if you do unhealthy stuff or are late in life. Don't get me wrong, it's not all rainbows and sunshine and I am right now trying to figure out how in the hell I'm going to order food here, get Hyvee or Sam's club stuff to make my own, etc when I could give someone potential Covid19 by handing them my credit card, but it isn't any worse than an annoying cold.

Albert wrote: Unfortunately we in the U.S. have no rapid testing available, and barely any testing at all.  It has to be sent to the CDC, which takes 2-3 days.  We always hear about the millions of test kits being sent out in the U.S., but literally there are none whatsoever.

Yup, but they told me 24 to 48 hours until they call me to tell me what I have. That's probably best case scenario. 

Tabitha111 wrote: Hmmm...are you that AA pilot that has Covid 19?

No, I'm not an airline pilot. I work as an Avionics Airworthiness Safety Inspector for the FAA. I have my private pilot license and instrument rating, but never piloted the big boys. Basically if someone needs to have their aircraft inspected to ensure that it is safe to fly on, they call me and I go do the certification. I have an extensive law enforcement background which has helped me quite a bit as this job can sometimes lead to the enforcement side of ensuring air safety. My other duty is crash investigation, where Law Enforcement comes in handy as I've been to the NHTSA accident investigation school for cars, and weirdly enough many of the principles are exactly the same.

carbon20 wrote: I've had a sore throat for the last 2 days,daughter and grandaughter same, not worried,(not getting a test) wife had cold last week, over it in a few days, keeping an eye on it though, as I've heard there could be three stages, We STILL need to know which Strain is circulating where ? "L" in Europe ? The baddie "S "here and in the USA, the not so bad?  Anyone any wiser?

Mine was in stages over a few hours. Started out as a tickle in my throat like I had a hair way back there where I wanted to cough it out but couldn't and would just clear my throat from time to time to itch it. Then it became a light cough. Never sore, just a tickle and slight productivity. From the time it was a light cough to where I was one sick pup was maybe an hour. I kind of figured it might be allergies or I was super tired or something, because sometimes if I get too tired I'll have an occasional cough or feel sick and I did a lot of flying yesterday. 

The drive from Minneapolis to where I am now in Iowa was about 3.5 hours starting at 0000 and I remember very little of it. Just that if I looked away from the road I would get positional disorientation and look back up and it was like I couldn't remember what the hell I was doing before I looked away. I ended up stopping at a gas station in Albert Lea and drinking a Monster which got me the rest of the way through. Kind of scary now that I think about the drive. 

This morning when I woke up I felt like I had a cold, but noticed that I felt oddly frigid in this apartment. Funny thing is that the apartment here is situated with many East Indian families around and I swear they have to have their heat well over 90! All of them! I have the heat turned off in here and the thermostat still says it is 74 degrees inside. When I saw that I figured I should take a shower and noticed that I was cold in the shower too with hot water hitting me. Went to the hospital after that. 

Now every now and again I get a little twinge in my sinuses and feel like I constantly need to clear my throat. When I cough I really get going and sometimes cough hard enough to gag, but it is a rarity; maybe once every two hours.

FluMom wrote: NOT TRUE...my friends daughter is manning a van in front of the clinic she is working at.  She is a physician's assistant and she is in the front lines.  Today she had 12 people come through from other doctors and ER's not many know her company can test but out of the 12 only 3 had the correct symptoms for Covid19.  So you better know what the symptoms are if you don't have them they will not test you.  BAD as far as I am concerned but those are the rules. She is fully suited PPE for the testing line but in the clinic to see people NO MASKS!  I told her mother I have some masks if things get really bad or they need them.  She said that her daughter and son in law also in the medical field are not worried because they are in their 30's.  YCFS!

Whenever the doctors/nurses came in to see me they would put on a new gown, face mask, gloves, etc. As they walked out, they would toss them in a biohazard wastebasket. They were wearing full faceshields with ther N95's which I belive is why the cute nurse (Rebecca, I might accidentally get "Sick" again at some point in the near future to get some more of her tender ministrations and maybe seven digits) had such a hard time starting the blood draw. You can't see crap through those things.

I hope you recover quickly.

I've spent time in Minnesota so I think you got lucky with Minnesota or Iowa hospitals...very professional and high quality. Perhaps in another place they wouldn't have even tested. 

But Albert Lea.on the road...I have also been on the road and I am absolutely paranoid over gas station food shops and restrooms right now. You've just given me a very good reason to be even more so...;)

TG - sorry to hear it found you, but I'm glad it's sounding like a pretty mild case. Rest up and make the most of the unscheduled paid break. Keep us in the loop, yeah?

Do get lots of rest in these two weeks at home.  Hope it doesn't turn bad enough for you to visit that pretty nurse again  

FluMom wrote: Albert wrote: Unfortunately we in the U.S. have no rapid testing available, and barely any testing at all.  It has to be sent to the CDC, which takes 2-3 days.  We always hear about the millions of test kits being sent out in the U.S., but literally there are none whatsoever.        NOT TRUE...my friends daughter is manning a van in front of the clinic she is working at.  She is a physician's assistant and she is in the front lines.  Today she had 12 people come through from other doctors and ER's not many know her company can test but out of the 12 only 3 had the correct symptoms for Covid19.  So you better know what the symptoms are if you don't have them they will not test you.  BAD as far as I am concerned but those are the rules. She is fully suited PPE for the testing line but in the clinic to see people NO MASKS!  I told her mother I have some masks if things get really bad or they need them.  She said that her daughter and son in law also in the medical field are not worried because they are in their 30's.  YCFS!

I suppose it depends on where you are located.  Turbo is in hospital and still doesn't have results yet and has to wait a couple days.  On the FB groups, hearing a lot of the same, and the lack of ability to test, or they have to wait several days for results. Again, it depends where you are located I suppose. 

Day 2. 

Ugh... Last night was horrible. I have always wondered why all sicknesses are x5 as bad at night than they are during the day. Probably to prevent you from sleeping so you can be even more miserable! My fever was, per this piece of shit Mobi digital thermometer that will read something different every time you stick it in your ear, somewhere around 101.8. I woke up at about 0400 and took two more ibuprophens and drank a liter bottle of water from the fridge. Seemed to give me some relief because I went back to sleep, but being in that state at night like that was surreal. I had the spins and my ears were ringing (They still are) so a secondary ear infection might be a thing, or maybe just me sniffling and coughing and whatnot pressurized/depressurized my ears. Either way I am unable to clear my ears.

My voice now sounds genuinely sick, but I haven't really had to cough anymore, which is an improvement I think. If I make myself cough to get the crud out, it tastes nasty.  Day two is DEFINITELY worse than day one was. Yesterday I was just feeling kind of cruddy. This morning I feel like shit, but not as bad as I felt last night.

Hoping the fever breaks. I sincerely hate fevers. 

This thing isn't really all that bad to be honest, nowhere near the real deal influenza, but the thing is that if everyone got as sick as I am right now at the same time, it would be BAD. I could go outside and work if I really wanted to, but I would have to *REALLY* want to, and there isn't anything all that important at work anyway.

Now I just wish I had some Tylenol...

Usk wrote: Wishing you a speedy recovery,!!!!A few weeks ago mine came back as H1N2. Hope yours does too!

So they tested for that specifically, (InfluA/B) with the mind probes up my nose and mine came back negative for them. I should hear what it is tonight/tomorrow/Tuesday. Kinda feel that if this was just standard flu they'd have told me right then and there.

Turbo are you home?  Where are you!  My mother side is coming out!  Fever is good it kills the virus...can you get some Tylenol delivered?  You should be comfortable.

FluMom wrote: Turbo are you home?  Where are you!  My mother side is coming out!  Fever is good it kills the virus...can you get some Tylenol delivered?  You should be comfortable.

Hey mom, I'm not at home. I forget if it is you or Penham that lives in Oklahoma, but my house is just Northwest of Bethany OK.

The FAA has contract apartments around the country and they put me in one. I have ibuprofen (Advil liquigels) and a case of water, jug of milk, and cereal and one of the guys I was supposed to work with here has brought me groceries and gave me a rash of crap through the door. Everything he bought came from from Hyvee, but he said that they were conspicuously out of regular Tylenol/acetaminophen. Currently I'm in Cedar Falls Iowa. 

I'm just tired of the fever. It is the part that is kicking my behind. That and the chills.

Turboguy wrote: FluMom wrote: Turbo are you home?  Where are you!  My mother side is coming out!  Fever is good it kills the virus...can you get some Tylenol delivered?  You should be comfortable. Hey mom, I'm not at home. I forget if it is you or Penham that lives in Oklahoma, but my house is just Northwest of Bethany OK. The FAA has contract apartments around the country and they put me in one. I have ibuprofen (Advil liquigels) and a case of water, jug of milk, and cereal and one of the guys I was supposed to work with here has brought me groceries and gave me a rash of crap through the door. Everything he bought came from from Hyvee, but he said that they were conspicuously out of regular Tylenol/acetaminophen. Currently I'm in Cedar Falls Iowa.  I'm just tired of the fever. It is the part that is kicking my behind. That and the chills.

God Love YOU, I am so sorry!  I am in Denver so I am far away too!  I know you will kick this just stay warm take your Advil and drink lots of water.  Please keep writing here so we know you are ok!!!  

Good luck Turbo hope it goes well 

Usk wrote: Turbo USK here. They did sn extended sub type on me because the rapid Flu AB test only looks for flus that were in this years vaccine. H1N2 was not in this years vaccine but is apparently here on the east coast and acts alot like coronavirus. They tested my nose and throat swabs which yes were very invasive were tested for coronavirus and all other types of AAnd B that was not in vaccine. Mine came back H1N2 which last made an appearance in 2009. Hope that helps answer your question

So I got the call from the doctor. 

"You have something very similar to covid19."
I said, "What the f*** does that mean?"

"We are going to be doing more testing and will get back to you but in the meantime you have to remain in self isolation until further notice."

He asked me if I was feeling better or needed anything. I am feeling a little better, and I have Netflix, pornhub, and video games.

He laughed at that.                                 

As USK said there could be multiple strains of flu going around at the same time. That would be fun to get multiple viruses at the same time.

Flu would not be "very similar" to covid10 in a PCR test (PCR is the only test at present) - unless the test is a cover for diagnosing by symptom only.  So there are 4 alternatives:

A new strain of the wu - you don't eat pangolin do you?

SARS or MERS - you don't eat camel do you?

A new, new coronavirus - you don't eat bat do you?

A common cold coronavirus - some can be surprisingly nasty.

Get well soon TG, keep up the info. Thanks!

IMHO MD doublespeak for yes you have it.

Sheep Lady wrote: IMHO MD doublespeak for yes you have it.

That was kind of my take on it as well, especially when he said that I was to remain isolated.