I'm sure it's not covid! Seems unlikely with your vaccination and your precautions. But you'll feel relieved when you get the test results back. I hope you feel better soon!

Alisande, be sure to let us know. I'm not seeing anything in your description of your precautions to make you suspect Covid, so we'll just turn that corner if needed. If you are one of the tiny percentage who has inadvertently picked it up after vaccinating and being mega careful....I'd say run back out, buy a lottery ticket ;0)

After being isolated for so long your immune system is weak. The immune system needs exposure to antigens on a regular basis to function at its peak. You could of got anything.

Hope your test is negative

Hope it's nothing of real significance for you.

Are pollen counts up where you live? Grass pollen is high here and I have a little congestion and itchy eye. Supposedly tree pollen is not up but my Mango is blooming so that might be the culprit. (I never used to have any allergies)

Yeah, as a country child my immune system probably got a workout. Playing in the dirt, cow pasture, etc.

Dropping onto my hands and knees to drink from the creeks back in the hollows below the pastures and outhouses.

Covid, well, that's a new one. I wouldn't want to build an immunity to it by being exposed to it. Not at my age and state of (non)health. Hopefully, that's what the vaccine was for. :)

I am hoping that you have not acquired one of the new strains but just seasonal allergies. I had to smile at your description of the veggies as that would be me except probably most would magically appear in my basket as I was checking out.

I am surprised you came down with anything being double-masked and isolated. The flu statistics this year were way down because of the masking and isolation. Isolation doesn't deplete your immune system. I do grocery shop but it's in and out and not going in aisles where there are other people despite having the vaccine. I don't double mask now but wear one cloth one with a filter. Hope your test IS rapid and negative.

The test was negative. Yay! But of course now I wonder what I do have. I'm actually surprised I picked up anything with all the precautions continuing. At first I thought the chest congestion might be the mild bronchitis I've gotten during a couple of previous winters. But they weren't accompanied by all this wheezing and shortness of breath. Not to mention the red throat.

But I'm relieved. Not ready to see my grandsons though, as I don't want to give this to them either.

Thanks for all the supportive comments! Bookwoman, that's an enlightening article. I was among those who thought my immune system had nothing to do for a year so it probably got lazy. And Maifleur, the vegetables magically appeared in my basket too. It happened quickly. :-)

Good news. Glad it's negative. It IS surprising since I would think germs could not penetrate your double masking. Now I'm off to the store double-masked.

Thank you bookwoman for correcting that misinformation.

Richard, no pollen here that I'm aware of. We're not even fully rid of our snow cover yet, and more is expected tonight. However, it could be some kind of allergy. Goodness knows I have enough of them, and I've said from the start that I don't feel sick. Allergies can come in all sorts of forms. I'll have to think about what I might have started doing or eating recently.

There is always things blooming during the winter but the most common are maples, elms, and willows. If you have witch-hazel in your area it should be blooming.

I'm very glad you're covid-free, Alisande. Last April and this Jan/Feb I developed asthma at certain times of the day; I've never really had it before. I believe I had a bit of a sore throat as well, which made me nervous. I had a covid test, which was negative. For some reason, I seem to have a worse time with allergies this year than I have in my life. My house is not dust-free.... ;)

Well, my daughter just told me her allergies always act up this time of year. Of course, she's a mountain biker and skier. Her mother is just the opposite; with Raynaud's, I stay indoors until the weather gets considerably warmer than it is right now. However, I noticed my wheezing and shortness of breath has been worse when I'm outside. I thought it was because I was exerting myself, but perhaps there's another explanation.

Sjerin, that's interesting about your asthma. Asthma is what I feel like I suddenly developed. "Not dust-free" doesn't begin to describe my house at any time of year. Old farmhouse with rough hemlock plank walls and no sub-floors . . . on a dirt road. Add in "random housekeeper" and we have a perfect (dust) storm!

wunderground(dot)com gives a pollen forecast/report.

Mine is: https://www.wunderground.com/health/us/fl/vero-beach/KFLVEROB217?cm_ven=localwx_modpollen

I'm glad it was negative. You must have been given quite the fright.

Bookwoman, sorry I couldn't get back to you sooner. I had company tonight. If you read most articles they say being isolated for SHORT periods of time does not hurt the immune system, but nobody is saying what a short period of time is. Your immune system need pathogens to work properly. For years doctors have been warning people about the dangers of being overly clean and sanitized. Not to use anti bacterial products. Now is is common and I hope i am wrong, but I feel we will be paying the price for this in the future with super bugs. The covid virus is soft shelled and can be killed with plain soap and water or alcohol based wipes if soap and water is not available. We should not be sterilizing everything we come in contact with.

You may not agree, but that is your prerogative.

https://blog.ochsner.org/articles/germs-and-why-we-need-them

https://health.usnews.com/wellness/articles/hygiene-hypothesis-could-more-dirt-and-germs-boost-your-health

Oh I completely agree about the sterilizing. I believe very much in plain soap and water and have never used anti-bacterial soap, spray, etc., nor have I ever wiped down groceries since Covid started. But that has nothing to do with your statement that your immune system becomes weak if it's not exposed to pathogens. (Exposure as a child is a different matter, as one of your links discusses.)

This sentence from the other link is misleading at the end: "Keeping things clean is smart, but going crazy using antibacterial hand soaps and overusing antibiotic medications is actually killing off the microbes that can help strengthen the immune system." The reason not to use those products is because they can contribute to resistant strains of bacteria, not because the bacteria somehow strengthen your adult immune system. You're conflating two ideas, one accurate and one not.

After getting two Covid shots, your immune system is obviously working. You either have allergies or picked up some other bug outside. Why don't you get a strep test if your throat is very sore?

I wouldn't worry about your immune system. We can all pick up other types of bugs every time we go out.

Jane

We have been having terrible allergies here. The tree pollen is extremely high. Everything is covered in yellow pollen! All of the various pollen counts are up. Getting sick this time of the high pollen counts is the norm unfortunately.

Immune systems are low for all those hidden away the way you have been. It doesn't surprise me at all the littlest thing is challenging your system. Yes we were kept safe from *19 by all the masking/isolation etc. but it was not without consequence!!!

Could it have been a side effect of the vaccine? I have heard they can come weeks later.

I love how everyone has become so "knowledgeable" about medicine these days 🙄

https://medical.mit.edu/covid-19-updates/2020/06/social-distancing-and-immune-system

Mdln, I have an oximeter, and I checked my oxygen saturation a couple of times. It ranged from 96 to 99, so that was good.

Jane, my throat isn't sore at all anymore. I haven't looked at it this morning, but yesterday it was still oddly red, especially on the left side. I haven't come up with a theory to explain it, but as always I'm open to suggestions!

How soon after your second dose were you feeling unwell? It could just be side effects of the vaccine. Some people do report feeling sick after getting either the first or second dose and it usually only lasts about 24 hours.

Whatever the cause, I'm glad your sore throat is getting better.

Allergies have me feeling terrible right now. Itchy eyes, itchy, stuffy nose, sneezing, scratchy throat, no fever. I assume tree pollen is the culprit. Seasonal allergies affect different people in different ways. and that may have been what you had. I'm just glad it wasn't Covid.

DRINK! I've been surprised at how much better my sinuses are once I started concentrating on drinking more water. Even my cuticles look better.

Hasn't helped my kidney output, but at least there's been some benefit. I still feel as though I must have some rare female equivalent to the prostate! haha Can't get ultrasound until April 1.

I'm glad your throat is better Alisande, and that you've checked your oxygen levels. I had no allergies at all when younger. Now I do (and I'm probably more guilty of the dusty house than you, dusting hasn't been high on my list right along with Spring cleaning yet). I know trees and their pollen are a trigger for me....

Chisue, that's a reminder I really needed--thanks!!

Morz, I'm glad to know I'm in good company. In these difficult times it's important to do things that are more fun than dust removal. :-)

"Immune systems are low for all those hidden away the way you have been."

Does this have a credible source or is it nonsense? I can make a good guess which it is.

"Immune systems are low for all those hidden away the way you have been."

Does this have a credible source or is it nonsense? I can make a good guess which it is.

Definitely nonsense.

Arkansas Girl, weeks later? Do you remember where you heard that? When I experienced some fatigue four days after my second shot I looked up delayed reaction, and the only thing I found was a reference to four or five days, especially for those who reacted with a rash.

In my case it would have been about two weeks, and then the reaction lasting over a week. That seems unlikely, but thanks for the thought.

Debby, it started about two weeks after the second shot but it's still going on a week later.