I had Covid and can’t work now

So, after my posts in early December about that inept temp agency, I came down with Covid-19. Scariest 14 days of my life as I had all the symptoms but was never hospitalized or ventilated.

Just stayed at home and got over it that way. The weirdest part was when i would steam my face, and thick, white, rubbery mucous would hang from my nose about 30 minutes later. Steaming my face with a boiled pot of water was the only way I could get that mucous out, b/c I was not able to leave my apartment. I lost my sense of smell and taste (still gone) and had the nausea, the vomiting, the diarrhea, the crushing fatigue, the all over body aches, chills, but my temperature never went above 100 F. I had a sinus infection and now mild bronchitis. And I still have weird leg pain in both of my thighs and some exhaustion.

Anyway, the reason I’m posting in the work and careers section, is that another temp agency had lined up a 5 week temp job I was supposed to start next week, where I’d work in a college campus bookstore, helping get college students their textbook orders. That job requires you to stand for 8 hours and the bookstore only allows for one 25 minute lunch break.

So, I knew with Covid-19, that I could not keep this temp job lined up, so I emailed the recruiter to cancel. So she canceled me but now she refuses to find me a sitting temp job, like doing data entry or other word processing, which would not require me to stand for 8 hours at a time.

I think that’s unreasonable. This is what i hate about temp agencies. Their bottom line is making money from their client. And temps are a dime a dozen, right? But I also have to protect my health. I just had Covid-19 for Pete sake. I am not 100% yet. I still have a cough and leg pain and get exhausted just driving to the grocery store or bank now.

What should I do?

What if you ask the store directly if you can sit on one of those tall stools at the register instead of standing due to having complications due to covid? Or if you could have break every two hours? The other thing is what if you bring doctors note to your recruitment agency or directly to the store? I think this standing business is ridiculous. I like how grocery store clerks sit in England. I don’t understand why we make people stand. Like what’s the point?

I am sorry about covid. It’s awful. When my daughter and my future son in law had it, she lost sense of smell and he lost sense of taste. It went on after they already felt ok and other symptoms were gone. Awful. So sorry

The problem is, that you have to walk up and down multiple aisles to pick out the textbooks, so I couldn’t sit down at all. Plus, the bookstore “temps” aren’t the ones to ring up the books. Just go get the textbooks and bring to the register, drop off, then go back and fill more textbook orders.

The problem is temp agencies and their clients are inflexible. If it were a full time job, then maybe there’d be some leeway. But temp jobs unfortunately don’t work like that. It’s ok. If I can find a data entry job that would be ideal.

Sorry to read that your daughter and her fiancé had Covid too.

They got it because they thought it would be ok to take a train and go out of town in the middle of pandemics. Not particularly smart move.

I am actually shocked that students still get books this way. Especially now during covid! I thought it would be all online or maybe order ahead and pick up a stack. Or that books would be all digital. It’s been awhile since I was in college last time and I assumed things changed. Doesn’t sound like a good set up.

Good luck with data entry job, fingers crossed that you’ll get it soon!

That wasn’t smart for your daughter and her fiancé to get on a train during a pandemic. I agree with you. These people who fly, take the bus, or train right now are asking to catch Covid. Especially the idiots who just *have* to get married *right now* and invite over 10 people to their wedding.

I mean, they just aren’t using their brain are they? I caught Covid just by going to and from my apartment to the grocery store and gas station. That’s literally all I’ve been doing since March. And I still got Covid. So yeah, I hope your daughter and her fiancé can see the error of their ways. I hope they are recovering well, but gosh, what a stupid move on their part. They knew better but clearly weren’t thinking it through.

Well, students have to pick up their textbooks if they choose the hardcover or softcover, and not digital textbooks. Also, the problem with e-books that are on reserve for students in the school library, is that only one student at a time, can check out the course e-book.

Not everyone can access the e-book at the same time. Each student has to check it out with their library card. And only has it available to them a few hours. Or, they can pay for it out of pocket from Amazon, the e-book.

Anyway. I have bronchitis now. My sinus infection traveled down into my lungs (as it tends to do for most people) so another 10 days of misery is ahead of me. I just want to be done with this. I have a prescription for Amoxicillin and will likely take that even if my bronchitis is viral and not bacterial.

I have my inhaler too. If its viral, I can resort to taking Singulair or Prednisone steroid to help with breathing. I have taken Prednisone before with no problems; if I take it early in the morning, I will be able to still fall asleep at night. But if I take Prednisone after 8 a.m., I’m screwed as it will keep me up for 24 hours.

I am hoping I can find a sit-down data entry job. That’s my hope. I just need to make it to March without any more respiratory illnesses (unrealistic, I know).

My daughter and her fiancée had it in a spring when pandemics first hit when the information wasn’t as widely available and people didn’t really know all the facts. Well, live and learn. To quote you they “didn’t use their brain”. At least they weren’t like those “idiots” hahaha who get married and they did cancel/postponed their wedding, originally planned for this fall.

Did you just lose your job but worked from home since March until now? Very confusing how you never left the house except for groceries for most of the year? Are you retired, on unemployment or on disability?

I had a job but lost it when Covid hit. Well, it was announced that it was a pandemic. So common sense dictates, “hey there’s a pandemic we should probably not travel anywhere until we have all the information.” And still now, 10 months into the pandemic, over 84 million people traveled by plane for the Christmas holidays. Meanwhile, those of us following the rules still get Covid. It really irritates me.

It doesn't sound so weird to me, since that has been the situation for many people I know, including me and my husband. In my case I was already working from home. The first virus case was identified here on March 3rd and by a week later his whole government agency went to telework. Even the court system (he is a lawyer) has been holding hearings using Zoom since March. Other friends in jobs ranging from phys ed teachers to a secretary for the Fine Arts Museum have also been working from home. A lot of people I know in the US are doing the same.

Like my friends, we order a lot online and only run errands in person when that's the only option. We've gone through lockdown periods where only essential businesses were allowed to open, and we were only supposed to go out twice a week, so we were pretty much obligated to manage things through online ordering. Things have been loosened somewhat now, but considering you have to wait in line to pretty much get into any store due to capacity restrictions, we still don't like going in person if it is avoidable.

I hope a sitting temp job comes your way soon.

I also have problems finding a job after contracting the coronavirus.
The disease was complicated, I even lay in the hospital for 2 weeks. I was discharged last month, and my life is not the same as it was before the illness. I feel very bad, I find it difficult to breathe, it is difficult for me to move, it is difficult for me even to climb the stairs. I take a lot of pills, but it seems to me that they do not improve my condition much.

I left my previous job because I had to work physically there, and I can't do that. And it is difficult to find another job now because I have little experience.
So I'm looking for alternative ways to make money online on various freelance sites. https://mr.bet/ also helped me a lot, I got good money there.

Oh of course ton of people work from home.

I am very much aware.

I myself had to work from home in the spring for few months and then we worked from home for a month again from November 18 to December 18 per governors order

My daughter and son in law both work from home from the day one. My stepdaughter works from home. All my friends work from home right now.

My husband and I are essential and have no option to work from home.but of course that’s what many people do.

I was just surprised to hear that OP didn’t leave the house as she never said she worked from home at any point, I was under impression that job loss was recent. When she explained that she lost her job when Covid first hit and hasn’t left the house since, it made sense to me. She must be on unemployment then. Hopefully it is being extended for people. And we might have second stimulus check, maybe

Isn’t Mr Bet online casino? Gambling? That’s what it used to be @herbal tea or is it something different now?

Divine1966 - thanks for clarifying. That makes more sense.