OT - Covid and Heart Disease

I think i may have asked about this in the past, but the knowledge base and peoples actions and experiences are both changing very rapidly, so i thought I'd ask again, because I am very torn...

Background for context...

I have coronary artery disease. Asymptomatic, do all activiteies with no problem, from Spin Bike to Pickleball, etc. Cardiac Cath in June showed no "flow limiting blockages" only one blockage and it was only 30%. BUT a lot of plaque. Calcium score is 1,998. My Cardiologist in NY has told me i am at high risk for severe disease if i become infected with Covid. That was two years ago. More recently, the Interventional Cardiologist who did my cardiac cath, in June, when asked, said "i wouldn't say high risk for severe disease, i would say moderate risk". And the Cardiologist i see in Florida on my first visit, after looking thru all my records, when asked on my first visit with him as a new patient, a month ago, said he doesnt think i am at high risk for severe disease (he wasnt wearing a mask FWIW lol)

Partly because of this, I remain super cautious. I dont go into a store without a mask, dont eat indoors, Haven't been on a plane since Covid began, and all that. I'm not a hermit, i enjoy myself, eat out a lot, always outdoors,spend winter in Florida where i have a great social life, out at the pool, golf, gym (i do go to the gym, a more recent development, its never crowded in my community), pickleball - obviously almost all outdoor activities. Only thing missing is travel. ( i drive to Florida and back)

I look around and wonder sometimes if i am being over the top, even though i realize everyone needs to act based on their tolerance for risk. My friends are traveling, cruising, flying, going to casino's , indoor concerts, basically doing what they want. many are just done with it and want to live their lives, and i get that.

I have seen many of my friends, with serious health issues, many with heart issues, get Covid and its mild and they feel like crap for a couple of days, take Paxlovid and are fine within a week. Have only seen one hospitalized, and he had serious pre-exisitng lung issues, plus that was before Omicron which seemslike a very different form of the virus.

So i am curious to get peoples thoughts.....
Do you have heart issues? if so, how are you conducting yourself? what have you seen in friends and family who had covid with heart issues? And any other thoughts

Sorry for the long post. I wanted to be very clear in my thoughts (and also needed to get it off my chest because its getting annoying.)

Prato, During early Covid surge I wore a mask everywhere. For the last 9 mos. or so, I don't, unless I'm in a medical facility or where they're required. I've had two Covid initial injections, plus THREE boosters. I'm not convinced they work but so far so good. I should mention that I had Covid about six or eight months ago. Nothing major though, coughing and a sore throat for a couple of days.

I, too, am a man without a Prostate and I have CAD (lots of plaque), my left ventricle protests a bit and a thoracic aneurysm.

I go about life like I usually did pre-Covid, walking, running, stationary bike, very light weights, yard work and we still travel. I've cut back on travel not because of Covid or heart conditions I just don't like the attitudes of the majority of the idiots on airplanes any more and am too old to change.

Life's good though.

Prato, as you say, it's a matter of each person's own risk tolerance. In your case, what your doc told you two years ago may not be the same case for you today --hence the different advice from your Florida guy. Two years ago COVID was a different animal. The strains were more severe, the protection less available and the treatments less predictable.

My take on COVID today is pretty much like my take on the flu. I get my shots, hope I avoid it but think that if I do get it there will be treatment available to help me recover. Of course, experience helps also. My wife and I both had COVID and it was more like a bad cold and we didn't need Paxlovid to recover. Most of our friends have had COVID in the past year or so and all of them have recovered. Some used Paxlovid, some not. But all made it through just fine.

So we lead our lives now exactly the same as pre-COVID except we use a little more hand sanitizer and don't really like shaking hands. Other than that, no masks, full travel (including cruises), indoor activities, etc.

We obviously can't tell you what to do (well we could, but you wouldn't listen!) but maybe you might like life on the wild side for a change of pace...

Jim

Even though I have had all the shots and boosters, wear a mask, stay away from people I caught covid. My wife came down with it a couple of days later. This was in the first week of January. My wife still coughs, runs a fever, and gets chills. Long covid is what concerns me. An article I read in the NYT a few days ago talked about the captain of the Chicago Blackhawks who caught covid in 2021 and tried to start playing again this year, but has had to quit playing because of long covid. He hopes to return to the ice once he gets well. But to each his own. I'll keep doing what I've been doing and hoping that a vaccine is developed that can kill this crap.

i was an essential worker all though the lockdowns. i am fully vaxxed and these days i don't mask up unless i am asked or it is required. for the first two years i was not sick once. in the past year i've had a "cold" probably five times. just got over one

but i have never gotten covid. if i do contract covid i will ask my doctor for Paxlovid or whatever else they may be using because i am high risk due to my age. i no longer practice self-diagnosis or self-treatment

Thanks very much for all the responses. It’s funny, (actually, not) someone I know who I met on HW (she’s no longer active) posted on Facebook just now, that since she had Covid, 3 months ago) she’s got btprain fog. Her friends near where she lives mostly responded “me too”. So that gave me pause.

I’m fully vaxed and had the new Omicron booster 3 months ago, in November, so I’m probably good for now.
@ Djin, I had just started cruising 2 years before Covid started, and really enjoyed it. Now I doubt I’ll ever go on a cruise again. But that’s me.

@ mattam, yeah, masks are just not used by most. And I’ve noticed most of my doctors aren’t wearing them anymore either, which surprised me. My dentists, however, both NY and Florida do.
NYC just dropped the mandate for masks in hospitals .
@Jack64, I don’t have any issues that affect my immune system, just CAD.
@duke, hope your wife recovers sooner rather than later. That’s what worries me too, more than just getting Covid, is being one of the 10-30%, depending on who you listen to, that has some form of long Covid


To everyone else, thanks again, good input from all, very helpful. I have to think it over. I’m not sure how much differently I would conduct myself if I decided to loosen up. Not wearing mask indoors at stores, which isn’t a huge deal, it’s not a big thing. Eating indoors. Not sure. Other than traveling.

So lots to think about.

I am fully vaxxed, because I want to and in order to travel to Italy last year I'd had to. I'm retired so I didn't have to deal with work during the "bad days." My wife and I NEVER eat out, before or after this thing so that was never an issue. I do the grocery shopping and would go at 5:30 am. Most of my social activities are outdoors (running club) so my chance of exposure was low. I wore a mask when the university I attended opened back up and it wasn't a big deal for me. I had my own studio space so was socially distanced. I rarely get sick at all and PCa was my first illness in decades.

about a 3/4 of a year ago, I sat across the table from a friend having a couple beers. We were inside. The next day he calls and says he has Covid. I never got it. I have no idea why some get it and others do not. My wife says she read something about blood type (I'm O pos) and high Vitamin D levels being protective. I take 5000 Vitamin D per day. Who knows?

VinceInMT said...
I am fully vaxxed, because I want to and in order to travel to Italy last year I'd had to. I'm retired so I didn't have to deal with work during the "bad days." My wife and I NEVER eat out, before or after this thing so that was never an issue. I do the grocery shopping and would go at 5:30 am. Most of my social activities are outdoors (running club) so my chance of exposure was low. I wore a mask when the university I attended opened back up and it wasn't a big deal for me. I had my own studio space so was socially distanced. I rarely get sick at all and PCa was my first illness in decades.

about a 3/4 of a year ago, I sat across the table from a friend having a couple beers. We were inside. The next day he calls and says he has Covid. I never got it. I have no idea why some get it and others do not. My wife says she read something about blood type (I'm O pos) and high Vitamin D levels being protective. I take 5000 Vitamin D per day. Who knows?

I read that too, Vince, regarding O positive blood type and Vitamin D. I am taking Vitamin D as well, i alternate days one day 5000 IU's next day 7000 IU's. Who knows. Its weird, i know a few friends whove had it and wives never got it, one before we even knew what Covid was and didnt have a test for it, so he didnt wear a mask in the house. Only knew he had it because months later he tested for antibodies (before the vaccines) and was positive.

Pratoman said...

So i am curious to get peoples thoughts.....
Do you have heart issues? if so, how are you conducting yourself? what have you seen in friends and family who had covid with heart issues? And any other thoughts

Well, guess I do have heart issues now. In the last month, I have had echo cardiogram, carotid scan, chem stress test, and 7 day Holter monitoring (guys, make sure you shave chest area first, else big-time ouch....). They want me to schedule angiogram with consent for other stuff (stent, pacemaker, etc.) while he is in there rooting around with the catheter. Guess somewhere along the line, they will tell me what they are going to do and risks, as I read there is a 2% chance the angiogram itself will kill me or cause a stroke. Starting to smell like overtreatment for billing purposes, but that's just paranoid me. But, that's another story.

Nobody in the cardio clinic was masked, nor were the several dozen mostly older patients in the waiting room (well, maybe a couple). I asked one of my technicians about that--she said "no, we don't do that anymore". This was an independent practice of multiple cardiologists certified to do some procedures in clinic and with nearby hospital privileges.

Contrast that with my colonoscopy last month, done in a hospital outpatient facility. Everybody everywhere was masked, patients and visitors. I believe anyone not willing to mask would be asked to leave.

Wife and I have been multiple covid vaccinated, as soon as available every time. Also senior flu. We travel across state lines about every other week due to estate executor duties. We make use of the web available maps of covid infections, deaths, etc. -- think they are county level. If we stop for gas ups, meals, etc. in a high activity area, we mask up, otherwise no. Have been doing this way for last year at least. Never infected. OTOH, our general contractor, a really fit muscular 60 yr old, almost died of covid. We asked him if he was vaccinated before the illness---he said "no, but I am now".

I also personally mask up every time I have to go in Walmart. Something about the crowds crawling over each other to get to merchandise just gives me the willies.

Interesting side note, and not to start a flame war, but you should read NYT's Bret Stephens' opinion piece today, "'Do something' is not science". Kudos to the Times for publishing alternative views. It seems to make the point that masks work, but mask mandates don't work. Just food for thought.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/22/opinion/letters/masks-mandates-covid.html

Robert

I just had a heart cath. I’m in the clear there. But I take an immunosuppressant for Ulcerative Colitis.

It’s difficult to know Prat. Those are questions I’ve been asking myself since this crazy thing began. “What’s real?” It’s always seemed to me as if it depended on who the source was.

I have this thing one could call “stealth mode”. Anytime there’s been a bad stomach virus going around I’ve always gone “stealth”. That simply means I’m always aware…and live accordingly.

As far as being on an immunosuppressant in regard to COVID, I went downright invisible. Scared to death. All gastroenterologists I’ve spoken with (from FL to TN) has told me, “As long as you keep current with the vaccines and wear a mask in public, you’re good to go”). But that was back when the bad spikes were occurring…on the first and second waves. (Or “spikes”?).

Now they’ve changed the tune somewhat…to…”Stay current on the vaccines and you’ll be fine”.

My little sister is obese…to the point of…having to gasp for breath to speak. (We’ve all met people that fat). She’s had it twice…the second time just 3 weeks ago and she’s never been vexed. She was fine. (She has more faith than I do lol).

I’ve never had it. But I’m wondering if we all might not get it at some point…despite our best efforts not to?

As for myself…if or when I ever test positive…Paxlovid is absolutely on the menu.

I’ve only heard of one person in my outer circle of friends who had no pre-existing conditions (and he was in his 40’s)…who got the bug, went to the hospital, and died. But I’ve personally known of several who had pre-existing conditions and sailed right through it.

I know none of this answers your questions because I have the same ones. And I’m not sure anyone can answer them. Getting the virus will be where the rubber meets the road. And at that point, all of our questions will be answered.

(TBH…I do not believe COVID will be the demise of either one of us. Even if we catch it.

island time said...

I know none of this answers your questions because I have the same ones. And I’m not sure anyone can answer them. Getting the virus will be where the rubber meets the road. And at that point, all of our questions will be answered.

(TBH…I do not believe COVID will be the demise of either one of us. Even if we catch it.

Thanks IT
First, i'm so glad you are clear after the heart cath
Second, you're right, none of this answers my question, its agonizing. Thats becasue there is no answer. I think i realize that if i got it, being fully vaxxed and boosted, I'll probably be fine. But theres always that chance....ugh.
Third, glad you responded, it reminds me, we need to touch base and get together. I'll reach out or you do the same.

IT - My wife is immunocompromised from cancer drugs and finally got Covid from somewhere a few months back. She did not feel well with headache, achy, small cough, and low fever, but she also felt bad after every Covid shot and the Shingrix vaccine in a similar manner. Since she failed the test late on Friday, getting medical attention to get the Paxlovid pills was a major headache. She recovered fine but it was a helpful reminder about the risk of getting any sickness when you are older and ignoring it. She was the health aide in an elementary school and was exposed to every disease known to man so she felt her immune system was supercharged. She does not feel that way anymore after a few years of retirement.

The mask thing has really become sort of a scandal and we all attributed too much to their limited ability to really prevent anything on the larger scale. The craziest part was the outdoor mask recommendations. Most medical people understand that now although I still see some masked people down by the university walking around.

Do what you want and don’t be too stupid about it. Winning the softball game and going to the bar to celebrate the victory might still not be such a good idea.

I have a prostate and cancer and High blood pressure. When it is my time it is my time and I refuse to live in fear. I have had Covid twice I have been Jabbed and boosted twice. I
Won’t be getting anymore boosters and I am done with face diapers. If I am requested to wear one at DR. Appt. And dental appt. I will but other than that…… nope