The Gamers Arms

There have been quite a lot of cases in our office the last couple of weeks since we've all been forced back to desk jobs and every restriction of desk distancing and keeping numbers per area with masks enforced have all been totally abandoned. And funnily enough every time the mass HR email goes out saying how many new cases we've had today they footnote it by saying "our offices are safe". It's absolute crap. I've seen the general level of hygiene of most of the staff, none of them care at all about spreading anything anymore and the level of desk cleaning and sanitisation that goes on from the contracted cleaners is totally laughable. It'll get a wipe with a wet cloth and then they move on.

Unsurprisingly I am now sick as hell. Started feeling pretty lethargic yesterday evening and within 3 hours I had a fever and every part of me ached like crazy. I've booked a PCR test and am off today feeling similarly rough, particularly around my chest where it feels really inflamed whenever I take a breath.

Two weeks back in the office and I've got the worst illness I've had in two years.

The lethargy has got me in its grasp today, but thankfully I've had no chest or breathing issues. I'm surprised that it's taken until now for me to get it as I've been working in Sainsbury's throughout the whole pandemic, and I can confirm that people are disgusting. For every considerate person, there would be multiple fools not giving a shit about anything.

Thankfully, I got the job. No more face-to-face with the public, here I come!

Congratulations mate!

Nice one, well done!

Mantis wrote:Two weeks back in the office and I've got the worst illness I've had in two years.

I'm increasingly convinced that becoming a hermit is a viable and not entirely stupid option. I went out for a few drinks on Friday (my first real venturing out and about in public since October) and inevitably I've got a cold. Thankfully not covid (tested negative yesterday), but annoyingly I guess this is what happens when you mostly isolate for 2 years and your immune system has no exposure to whatever's developing out in the wild.

Hope you feel better soon!

Do you not have any lateral flow tests, Mantis?

I am currently covid positive as well. I caught it last week, probably on the train. I've seen many people coughing without a mask on so it was inevitable, really. I'm amazed that I lasted this long without getting it tbh. I have been getting trains and trams most working days over the last year. My symptoms were not that bad - like a medium-bad cold. Sore throat, cough, general 'crap' feeling, a little bit achey, headache. I first tested positive on Thursday and my LFT today shows a faint line, so hopefully should be alright by tomorrow or the weekend.

Wrathbone wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 10, 2022 8:09 am

I'm increasingly convinced that becoming a hermit is a viable and not entirely stupid option

As a fellow hermit these days, yeah, it's nice to not have to worry too much about this sort of stuff.

Pew-Pew wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 10, 2022 8:42 am

Do you not have any lateral flow tests, Mantis?

I was under the impression that you're not meant to take them when you're already showing symptoms. I've had a PCR arrive by post which I've just sent off.

Slightly better today anyway at least.

Mantis wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 10, 2022 12:55 pm

Pew-Pew wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 10, 2022 8:42 am

Do you not have any lateral flow tests, Mantis?

I was under the impression that you're not meant to take them when you're already showing symptoms. I've had a PCR arrive by post which I've just sent off.

Slightly better today anyway at least.

Nope, not true at all. If anything lateral flow tests are only really useful at the points where you're most infectious (usually coinciding with symptoms). PCR tests are much more sensitive and detect the virus outside of the most infectious time too.

For example, here is my series of lateral flow tests:

I was not aware of that.

Well I've got a bunch of lateral flows so I took one just now and it looks like I am covid positive. Thanks, work. -_-

Last weekend I was at a ~100-person event which had entry requirements of either your COVID passport, or a negative LFT submitted through NHS within 48h of attendance. Then Monday evening I went to a gig which did the legal requirement of absolutely fuck all.

I got pinged by the NHS app on Tuesday but felt 100% fine. Did a test anyway and what do you know? Positive. Wednesday onwards I had symptoms and I'm still a bit ropey now. Mostly just like a cold, but with horrible temperature fluctuations and tons of sleep 'cause I'm so tired. Haven't got the dry hacking cough or anything though, so that's some solace.

Today, the wife tested positive and is showing symptoms. Our kid continues to seem fine and the tests agree.

Ho hum.

Last year I took up running to try to get in better shape, did the Couch to 5K thing and while I hated the actual running itself, I saw a real change as a result and was very pleased. The only problem was a nagging pain in my right heel, but I figured it was liveable and I would ignore it.

Turns out that was a bad plan. The pain was right insertional tendinopathy from my Achilles tendon, exacerbated by bone spurs. The pain went quickly from liveable to flare-ups happening every month that put me on crutches each time. Fast forward two steroid injections and a number of scans, and two weeks ago I had an open debridement of my right achilles - basically slice my heel open, split my achilles tendon in half and remove it from my heel, cut off the bone spur, put everything back together.

The result has been more pain than I have experienced before. Prolapsing a disc in my back hurt more in the moment, but man this really hurts. Taking lots of pain meds and they barely touch it. Still, cast is now off and into an air-boot for the next 6-8 weeks.

I can however categorically say that Orange Donald, there ain't no such thing as temporary bone spurs!

Well on the plus side you won't have to take part in the Vietnam war now, so that's a positive.

Jesus Snowy, that's brutal.

I always knew this healthy living/keep fit malarkey was bad for you.

Speedy recovery fella.

Cheers mate, can almost put my weight on my foot now so on the mend (although still bastard sore). I did have a funny text conversation with my boss last week, and she asked how it felt. "Honestly, like someone cut my foot open, removed my Achilles then screwed it back into place"