Okay. I am officially an incompetent idiot. I take the blame.
My 90-yr-old mother who has late mid-stage dementia has gone to the hair salon every Friday for over 60 years! Of course, she has had several hairdressers in that time and she didn't go when salons were shut down for Covid.
When the salons opened again, I debated whether it was worth the risk to take her to the salon. The owner assured me that they were taking all precautions, temperatures were taken at the door, masks were required, etc. So, in a moment of weakness (and Mom's dirty hair!) I decided to take her back to her standing appointment each Friday.
All went well until last Thursday, 12/24/20. Appointment went fine. Of course, you can't socially distance from someone working on your hair, so the stylist was right on top of Mom. I was also in the small area where her station is and about 3 feet away from her.
Saturday, 12/26, I get a text from Mom's hairdresser telling me her roommate had Covid and was hospitalized. Then she said she was retiring and Mom needed to find a new hairdresser. Needless to say, I was concerned that I only had sketchy details. When did her roommate get Covid? Had this hairdresser come to work after being exposed to her roommate with Covid and exposed all her customers? I felt sure the owner of the salon would contact me. So far, that has not happened.
Instead, one of the other hairdressers in the salon texted me today and told me that Mom's hairdresser (Donna) had tested POSITIVE for Covid! I can't say I was surprised but was freaked out by the news. The salon informed us that we could not come back for 14 days and that we needed to be tested for Covid.
In my opinion, the salon should close for a deep cleaning. Their clientele is 90% elderly, most using walkers or in wheelchairs. Talk about a vulnerable group!
I emailed Mom's PCP and I hope to hear back from him on Monday. He will most likely say to quarantine and if any symptoms develop, call his office. Guess that's all we can do. Mom has had a cough for 30 years, so I can't go by that. She does not have an appetite, likes to sleep for hours on end and never has much energy. How am I supposed to recognize symptoms? I will check her temperature several times a day, I guess.
In hindsight, I should NOT have taken her to the salon in the first place. That is on me. I guess we will know more in a few days if symptoms develop for either of us. I pray we don't get this awful virus!
The day before we were to have our Covid test, Mom fell while trying to sit down in her recliner while pushing her walker to its resting place against the wall at the same time. She overextended and fell! I was in a different room, and luckily, she remembered my name and yelled for me. I found her laying on the carpet of the family room on her side. Apparently, she tried to break her fall with her right hand/arm and most likely sprained her wrist. There was some swelling and bruising and it was too painful for her to use to grip or do anything with her right hand (she is right-handed.) So....she was not up to getting in the car to go for the Covid test. I tried to get Dispatch Health to come check her out, but could not get an appointment with them for at least 3 days! Wow! They have become very popular here.
However, it has now been 16 days and neither of us have or have had symptoms. I check her temp and O2 sats regularly and, so far, so good. When I put the pulse oximeter on her, I have to remind her to breathe! She tends to hold her breath. It registered 87 one time and I had her take a couple of deep breaths and it went to 98! She is not having trouble breathing. Also, her nails are very long which is not ideal for the oximeter. Her right hand is fine now and she is back to using it like nothing ever happened.
We are both on the list to get the vaccine. It is very interesting here in Fort Worth, TX. when it comes to getting the vaccine. Some people who signed up via the online portal on Dec. 29 were immediately notified and set up with a vaccine appointment the very next day! It is being administered through the County Public Health Department. Mom and I both received confirmation of our registration, but so far, no notification of an appointment. They say you have to be patient because, in my experience, government usually screws things up! Case in point, neither one of us has received the "stimulus' check!
Oh...and I forgot to say that, on top of everything else, Mom developed a UTI! The PA at her doc's office put her on cefuroxime. The pills are huge (like Bactrim) and he is giving her the highest dose (500mg) twice a day for ten days! Everything I read online says the recommended dose is 250mg for 5 days. I am concerned that the PA got it wrong.
It's always something!
Definitely don't beat yourself up and hoping that in the end it just turns out to be a scare for you with no illness! Lesson learned as well!
For me, it's being proactive. The "rules" in every state change so often, that it's best to use the "worst case" set of rules. I limit exposure to anyone else, keep "outings" limited, and wear a mask. So far, so good. I needed to stay healthy as I am the one who managed everything for my mother. If I was down for the count, my bros are clueless!
We live in an area that hasn't been majorly impacted, but cases are out there, and in recent weeks it has ramped up (state has a nice map, showing each town and how many active cases there are - a second map shows cumulative cases.)
FWIW, mom's facility had strict protocols and only one time, a few months ago, did one staff member test positive. The facility is IL/AL/MC, and while they discourage going out unnecessarily, people in IL and AL can go out, but have to stay isolated, for the most part, when in the building. MC can't lock the residents in their rooms, so interaction with "outsiders" is even more limited. Despite that one positive test, not one resident or other staff member got sick or tested positive.
Hope all is well for you, your family and esp your mom!
"So he makes $300 and has to waste $95 on the stupid test."
My understanding is that the tests should be free, or at the very least, covered by your insurance. Some people currently don't have insurance, so it should be covered by whatever rules gov't put in place!
I was able to get a test done through CVS at no charge to me. Most likely they charged my insurance.
I would question this charge for the test!
Jan 4, 2021
Have you heard of the test for COVID????"
Sorry, but this post is so useless and really dumb, that I can't resist saying HAVE YOU LEARNED HOW TO READ?
FROM OP'S ORIGINAL POST:
"The salon informed us that we could not come back for 14 days and that we needed to be tested for Covid."
Just received a thermometer that takes a temperature without touching the forehead.
Just wondering how many times you can shoot yourself in the head with that thing?
What is the technology used?
I am actually enjoying it. I don't get out all that much lately. 🤔
That salon is a fine example of why we can't get this under control. You should have been notified immediately of the hairdresser's positive test - especially since they know your mom, probably have her phone number if others in the shop texted you. Yes, the shop should undergo a very deep cleaning. All the others who work there have a good chance of coming down with it as well as all the patrons who came during the contagious period.
I am 10 days out from testing positive for Covid and basically am symptom-free. I still have some loss of taste. Too bad it hasn't helped me lose weight. ;-)
My husband has Covid now (pretty sure) and has a bad cough. So far, he is doing OK other than that. Most people, even the elderly with pre-existing conditions, recover. Why some people go on to have major problems is really kind of a mystery.
We will all be hoping your exposure resulted in little or no "viral load," and that you will not get COVID at all but
PLEASE update us on the forum b/c we will all be waiting for your results!
Good luck to you both.
COVID-19 is sneaky and it is hard to tell when you have it. Some people may be sick and have no symptoms. Others get all the telltale symptoms. Most people will be somewhere in between. Realize that any time you come out of your house and interact with others there will be a risk of COVID exposure. Face masks, distancing, and sanitization will decrease the risk but nothing except total isolation will make your risk zero. Total isolation is not healthy for anybody mentally in the long run. So, we take calculated risks... and that is what your mom's visit to the hair salon was. So sorry her hairdresser got COVID. If she and your mother (and you) were taking precautions, your mom's risk of developing COVID is minimal. Of course, she and you should quarantine for 14 days. Take both of your temperatures every day. If mom has a slight temperature elevation (most seniors will not get a high fever), then talk to her doctor about COVID testing.
If she loses her smell or taste, that's suppose to be a sign that's different then a regular cold or flu.
My 96 yr old Dad had a week visit with an out of town sister who tested positive the day after she returned and my Dad didn't get it.
I believe the virus has spread world-wide. WE HAVE ALL BEEN EXPOSED, in spite of the huge preventative measures. Protect yourself and your Mom now by taking daily doses of D3, zinc, B complex, CoQ10 and Melatonin.
Prayers are with you!
huge waste of time money and resources.
governments should step up their game with the vaccines !!!
My doctor told me to immediately start 500 mg Vitamin C, 1000-2000 IU of Vitamin D and 10-25 mg Zinc and us both to isolate for 10 days. I tested negative 7 days after my contact so never had my mom tested. I thought I had been extremely careful due to my daily exposure to my mom, but it happens.
I wanted to address her cough. My mom is 86 and had a chronic cough for more than 10 years. Her and her doctor kept saying it was “allergies”. Her neurologist passed away unexpectedly and one of the first things her new neurologist asked about was her cough. She asked if mom took Lisinopril for her high blood pressure. My mom had taken it for years. Th neurologist asked her primary care doctor to switch to another drug in the same family and her 10 year cough disappeared! She hasn’t had a cough since. I thought I would pass that along in case her cough is drug related. Stay well!
But I am speechless over all of the comments here downplaying the seriousness of COVID.
Really?
My dad died from this in September with none of the "typical" symptoms; my sister and I are so busy helping out Mom through that we haven't had time to grieve.
All of you posting about "needing" to live...Imagine me having to tell my Mom, laying in the ER waiting for the results from her test (positive), that her husband of 61 years had died upstairs, information passed to me by phone by my sister, in a text, since only one of us could be with her at a time.
It's serious.
I made an appointment online for Mom and I to get tested on Wednesday. I'm not sure if it is a self-test (it is a drive-thru location) or if we get the q-tip into the brain test! Either way, it will take up to 72 hours to get results, which means the quarantine will almost be over by then. So far, so good. I will update here with results and any further developments. Thanks again, everyone!
You did nothing wrong. Quit beating yourself up. And please remember that more people that do get the virus, recover from it, than those who die.
Hoping you will update us.
That's the truth.
PeggySue is spot on with her statement about the stylists who were covid positive, wore masks while cutting hair, and NONE of the 160 people they worked on caught the virus.
Try to relax & don't beat yourself up for living life and taking all the precautions you possibly could be taking.
In my husband's case, his coworker never tested positive despite having someone in the house that clearly was. This virus is insane in how it infects some people and skips right on by others.
The best you can do is definitely watch for symptoms, monitor yourself, quarantine, all the things they tell you to do, and especially do not blame yourself. You were taking your mom for a simple pleasure not purposely doing harm. And if everyone was wearing a mask, that is a good start at least - a mask protects you from that person, and the other person from you.
Like many people I've heard and talked to I'm fairly sure I had it in late January/early February when it started emerging (but nobody will really admit that it was here). I couldn't taste or smell, but at that time all my doctor would say was, "Huh, and you DID get your flu shot right?"
Let us know how things are going but don't get overwrought, that won't do yourself any good either.