Getting Sick While Immunocompromised With NMOSD

I caught Covid AGAIN, but after the Covid craze calmed down! I started a new job, and I was working around 35 hours a week. I had time, and it was summer, so I needed the money. As someone with a suppressed immune system, I risk my health every day going into work. I serve over 100 people a day, and anyone can pass their illness onto me (contagious diseases, of course).

Balancing daily precautions with my NMOSD needs

However, I’m still human, and I need to get on with my life. I can’t shelter myself from ever becoming unwell, but I can take precautions to avoid it.

The precautions that I take at work include keeping a safe distance from people and washing my hands every so often. Other than that, I really can’t do much.

Anyway, one of my coworkers was unwell for a few weeks but hadn’t taken work off as she thought she would be okay. But one day she was really sick and took the day off. She took a test, and she was positive for Covid.

Early warning signs and atypical covid symptoms

Fast forward, a few weeks later, she came back and was okay, but then I started to feel unwell. It wasn’t unwell like having a temperature or the usual symptoms of having Covid. It was feeling like I needed to vomit, my appetite was gone, my heartbeat was through the roof, and I was generally fatigued. My back was really sore, and as weird as it sounds, I have a certain back pain when I catch Covid. I don’t get back pain otherwise.

Managing the viral progression on Rituximab

I kept working, but as time went on, the symptoms got worse, and then the usual symptoms of COVID came along. Which for me were a sore head, temperature, sore throat, a cough, and body chills. I lost my sense of smell and taste as well, so I just avoided eating because it was uncomfortable for me. This time around, COVID did not hit me as hard, even though I’m on Rituximab, and I think that is because I have had it so many times now.

My strategy for recovery and sinus relief

The only thing that really bothered me was the cough I had, as my lungs were sore from it, and I was not able to smell or taste. I took some painkillers the first two days of being positive with Covid but after that, I didn’t.

The only thing I did every day to speed up my recovery was put some Vicks in a bowl of hot water and steam my face in it to open up my sinuses. The only thing that took a while to heal was my blocked nose and cough, but other than that, I was okay after a week.

Reflecting on the shift in public COVID attitudes

It’s crazy to see the change in attitude when it comes to COVID now; it’s treated as a normal cold around here. I took some days off work to recover, and after a week or two, I was back to normal. The shops don’t need to close if an employee tests positive; you just keep working as usual. I remember when if an employee caught Covid, the whole shop would shut down for isolation.

Have you noticed an uptick in illness since starting an immunosuppressant? Tell us your story!