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This is going to sound strange but I am pretty sure that if I did not have a J Pouch and was not getting Remicade, I would not have found out I tested positive for Covid as quickly as I did today.

Late Sunday and yesterday, I developed what seemed to me like symptoms of a routine cold.  The only thing that seemed unusual or amiss is that I was sneezing unusually frequently and very aggressively, as if my sinuses really, really did not like what was inside them (which turned out to be Covids).

Late yesterday I made an appointment at one of Yale's drive up testing stations for this morning at 8:30 a.m. I have probably had at least 20 Covid swab tests at Yale's stations and all of them came back negative-never tested positive before in 2.5 years.  I expected this test to be negative as well, so I went to work as usual.

I then got a call from the infusion center, which Yale also runs, at around 11:15 am.   The conversation went something like this:

Yale employee: "Hi! I am calling from the Yale infusion center! We wanted to see if we can reschedule your infusion scheduled on Monday November 14 to some time the following week?"

Me: "Why?"

Yale Employee: "well, you tested positive for Covid so we need to reschedule it at least another week out. Could you tell me some dates that are good for you?"

Me: "This is the first I am hearing that I tested positive for Covid.  I will need to call you back with dates because I have some other things to do first, namely, call the people I have been in contact with the last few days, not to mention my coworkers since I have been at work the past couple days."

Yale employee: "OK, call us when you have some alternate dates."

This call happened at around 11:15 a.m.  I still do not have any email from Yale over their "MyChart" app confirming the positive test.  I suppose that is coming, probably some time tonight.  But if it were not for the fact that I had a Remicade scheduled on Monday, November 14, I would have been at work all day, and probably would have exposed my coworkers (I work with a small law firm staff of about 12).

Meanwhile, I am feeling OK.  Just having some cold-like symptoms and a little bit fatigued.  I am hoping I will test negative by next Monday and can get my Remicade the following week.  I am on a 6 week cycle, and pushing it out to 7 probably will not be an issue.  But another week with no Remicade after that, and things could get dicy.

This made me consider how many testing facilities call people once they get back a positive test, as opposed to the usual email of test results.  Lives can be saved, perhaps, if people are given notice and a chance to isolate themselves and minimize their exposures to others.  I believe that if I did not get that call when I did, most of my office would have been exposed to my Covid.  I was fortunately in my office behind a closed door the whole morning before getting that call from Yale.

Last edited by CTBarrister
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This is somewhat comical and very annoying: Yale false alarmed me. My PCR test result at Yale arrived on MyChart this morning and it was negative. I called the infusion center and asked for an explanation. They told me nobody there called me. However I got 5 phone calls from that number before I finally answered and a young woman advised me I tested positive and my infusion had to be bumped. I then gave myself an antigen test which was also negative. For good measure I did a PCR retest at one of Yale's testing stations today. Results are pending, but I have now had 2 negative tests in 24 hours and a false verbal report of a positive result.

Meanwhile, my Remicade infusion was "uncancelled" and is now once again scheduled for Monday. I then had to apologize to 20 people I had contact with Sunday and Monday, friends, family members and coworkers, all of whom were tested and tested negative.

I never thought I would be happy to have a common cold, but I am!

Last edited by CTBarrister
@Scott F posted:

Medicine seems uniquely positioned to give us genuinely crappy great news sometimes. I once had kidney surgery to remove a “suspicious mass” found incidentally on a CT scan. The mass turned out to be benign, which of course was great news (except for the surgery I’d have been better off without).

A friend of mine had his gall bladder unnecessarily removed for the same reason, a suspicious mass that later turned out to be benign on biopsy.  He was furious and wanted to bring a malpractice lawsuit, although he never did.

In my case, no unwanted surgery, but I was out of work for a day and a half and did not get as much accomplished as I wanted to, and about 20 friends, family and coworkers went and got needless Covid tests, all of which were negative.  I suppose that if I had been positive and had infected any of the 20, especially my 85 year old father, it would have been more upsetting, but that is very little consolation to soothing my irritation for having colossal amounts of my time wasted, not to mention all of the others.

Still Standing,

Thanks for your post. I am also glad that I do not have Covid and didn't have to call my PCP to get an Rx for Paxlovid. In 7 years of getting Remicade infusions I only had an infusion delayed once- in April 2019 I developed viral pneumonia, which was diagnosed on an x ray showing fluid in my lungs. My GI doctor said I had to be at least a week without symptoms before they would put me back on schedule. I also had to get a second x ray showing the pneumonia was gone. I think I was delayed around 2 weeks, then went back on my normal 6 week cycle.

Chiming in here....

I've been on Remicade since 2015 and have been very careful re Covid, living like a hermit mostly, not easy on the marriage.  Finally got Covid 3 weeks ago after a trip.  Had a rough 5 days with but it never got into my lungs and my oxygen saturation levels never fell below normal range.  Headache, body aches, loss of smell and night sweats for two weeks.  I'm over it now after 4 weeks, but lost 10 pounds, mostly I think because food is not very appealing when your sense of smell is absent, which is slowly coming back.   Anyway, glad a survived Covid as it has freed me from my Covid anxiety.  I've had worse flu experiences than this infection and very glad that my immune system seems to still be functioning reasonably well for an old guy on Remicade.  BTW timing worked out and I didn't miss an infusion.

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