What's harder than caring for a PWD? Caring for one when you both have Covid

tigersmom

Well, here I am in a place where I never hoped to be. On Friday morning, DH started sniffling and coughing. I called his daycare to cancel, and watched him. On Saturday, he was so weak he could hardly climb stairs, could not get on and off the toilet, and was extremely confused. In 27.5 years of marriage, I have never seen him that sick. I tested him for Covid (that was fun) and he was positive. With the Saturday afternoon help of his doctor (bless him) I was able to start him on Paxlovid that evening. He is 75. I have never been as frightened as I was that day. By Sunday, he was much better and is on the mend. Of course, on Sunday I started sniffling and tested positive. Started Paxlovid myself Monday morning. We have each had six vaccines. I suspect he picked this up at daycare, though of course it could have been anywhere. The hard part of now is that he has no awareness that either of us is sick. Isolation is a foreign concept to him; all he wants to do is walk outside. I am still running a slight fever that stubbornly refuses to come down. The scary part for me was how hard it was for me to handle him when he couldn't do things. DH is 6 feet tall and broad-shouldered. He only weighs 156, but he is a big guy. I am 5 feet 5.5 and 95 pounds. Up until now, his strength has been flawless (he is a martial artist). But this was a really frightening preview of what's coming down the road. And now I'm worried about what happens when he returns to day care. No one keeps a mask on there, including him. It's just not possible. For sure he's not going back before his 11 days are up. Sorry for the rant, but geez. What a month it's been.

M1

Wishing you both a quick recovery. And I'm sure the sheer size difference gives you pause, as well it should.

Ed1937

With both of you having covid, that has to be something you can't find in the user manual for dementia. I'm sorry it is so hard, but at least it seems he is on the road to recovery. I hope you are too.

Jeanne C.

That's a lot to deal with. I hope you both feel better soon.

ImMaggieMae

I can’t imagine how awful that must be. It’s hard enough caring for someone with dementia, but with Covid on top of that it’s hard to even imagine. Doubly scary that you both got sick after having all of your vaccines. I keep hearing people on tv saying that Covid is over. Yet I’m hearing lately of so many people getting it. When is this going to stop? I hope you both feel better soon.

Jgirl57

Yikes! I hope you are feeling better soon.

JeriLynn66

Feel better soon.. praying for you both ❤️

White Crane

Praying you feel better soon. I know how hard it is to deal with when your husband is a big guy and you are a small woman. My DH weighs 200 lbs. and I weigh about 90. Sending hugs.

White Crane

Joydean

Praying you both feel better soon! My dh is a a big guy too and I’m a small woman and I’m always afraid he will fall and I know there’s no way I could get him back up. Hope you are able to get some rest!!

tigersmom

Thank you to everyone for your sympathy and your prayers. They are very much appreciated! The good news is that we are both much, much better. DH says he's not sick (he has anosognosia about this, too) and my fever is finally gone. And Ed, you are so right -- there sure was no manual to look up how to care for a PWD with this when you are sick yourself! My advice to anyone else who finds him or herself in this position is to keep tests on hand, test early and get that Paxlovid prescription ASAP. DH returned to baseline in less than 24 hours on that drug, and I had pretty much the same experience. And it's cheap. Younger people or people without dementia may be ok just letting the illness run its course, but the quick turnaround this treatment gave us was a lifesaver. I hope that none of you ever have to experience this, but if you do, it's really good to act quickly.