I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this—and with such vulnerable resources to draw on! Please know that your columns are hugely valued by me and many others for whom you provide a vital reality check in what has become a crazy-making world in infuriating denial. I hope you can continue to find the strength to keep walking, writing, and speaking truth to power. ❤️🙏🏻
Julia, you are not alone. Although I have managed to evade infection and am fully vaxxed, I live with the fear of infection and the consequences of always being isolated, always masking, always terrified of severe illness and death. I wish that I could take away your pain and the pain of millions of others. I am only grateful that I am retired, live alone and can control my interactions with others far better than people who are forced to go to school or work, where they are derided or forced into removing their masks, be it by peer pressure or legally. For that is my greatest fear. That either by law or by some random attacker I will be forced to go maskless. I have nightmares about this. In the meantime, please continue with your valuable work, if and as best as you can. You are greatly appreciated.
I hear you big time. They say with ME/Long COVID, do half of what you feel like you can do in order to keep your current level of functioning and not get worse.
I have ME/CFS, and have been deeply afraid of contracting Covid specifically because I have always assumed that since I already struggle with many of the same symptoms that Long Covid sufferers do (especially severe post-exertional malaise), I would be far more likely to experience a post-viral worsening of symptoms--or God forbid, even acquire new ones--if I got Covid. At this point in the pandemic my continued concerns and precautions are considered somewhere between eccentric and just crazy by most of the people I know, but I consider them life-preserving. Your experience with the onset of Long Covid closely mirrors the onset of my ME/CFS, with crashes (periods of feeling horrible like I had been poisoned or had the worst flu or hangover you could imagine), and then brief periods of feeling well again, even almost back to normal...and then quickly triggering another crash just by going to work, or doing physical tasks and chores that had always been easily doable for me, or doing my normal exercise routine. It actually took me a long time to even recognize what was happening with that physical exertion trigger, because it was so far outside my realm of experience and I had never even heard of a malady that could cause exercise intolerance. This cycle repeated itself until I went into a crash that never ended and my worst symptoms became my baseline for the next few years. These shocking new physical limitations (that no one really believed in) forced me to quit my job and radically rearrange my life. I wasn't diagnosed with ME/CFS until 3 years later, at which time I read all the literature that said trying to power through symptoms and push yourself was not just awful to endure, but downright dangerous, because it could make you permanently worse. I wish more than anything that I had known about that danger at the time. If I had, I might be more functional today. So I'm writing this to share that warning, something I think all new Long Covid sufferers probably need to hear, and my sympathy. Take care as best you can.
i subscribed today when i saw that you live in dc in the paid post preview. i am also in DC, also 38, and trying to avoid covid and spread the clean air/masking/ventilation gospel. sending solidarity your way
Thank you for this resonant piece. I've appreciated your writing for a long time but this has turned me into a paid subscriber. Tomorrow is the 2 year anniversary of my first of three infections that have changed life radically for me and my family. We just got home from a family vacation and COVID was an unwelcome rider on our daily rollercoaster of fun/stress, of connection/tension, of ease/strife. Between my limited energy and the surge in cases that made exhausting precautions non-optional, the strain on my teens/young adults and my spouse broke my heart and caused numerous conflicts and meltdowns. I don't really know where to put my anger and grief but of course I'll find a way to turn it into a growth and learning opportunity at some point because LC makes you resilient AF. Anyway, thanks for the timing of this post. At least I don't feel alone! I'm so sorry for what you are going through and I am wishing you easier days ahead.
So, Julia. I did not know you had yourself become part of foghead nation. I wrote a blog piece a little while back about that. I would send you the link to it but I think you are the one of these bloggers I subscribe to who does not like people posting links, especially to their own stuff.
I am one of the few people in the urbanized world who has gone through four years without a covid infection. I dread when I finally catch it.
I am currently working on something about the way covid is effecting the Olympics. No new records being broken. Former top athletes performing way below par. But first I want to actually watch the Olympics.
Go and have a look at either one. My main topic is not the pandemics, however. Or sporting events.
Most of my stuff is geopolitics, and the need to end the Atlanticist hegemony. Then, a reconstruction of the Atlanticist countries along post capitalist lines.
I am a very big Panda hugger.
So, if you want to know how the war between Sars Covid and Homo Sapiens is going, keep reading Julia Doubleday. She is the best around on that topic.
Welcome to the world of Long Covid, Julia. The good news is that it sees that around half the people recover within a year (that's why the numbers don't simply escalate upwards at great speed).
Your infection has not affected your brain luckily! Keep writing!
Okay, Julia and friends. As promised, here is the link to my new post about the Olympics. The stuff about the effect of Covid is at the end. It was as I thought it would be. https://timrourke.substack.com/p/about-the-olympics
I'm really sorry Julia. Your writing is invaluable and you have so much to offer the world. It is really unfair that we're being forced to be infected just to live life and do what we'd like to do. I'm glad you're starting to feel better and sorry you've been suffering like this.
I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this—and with such vulnerable resources to draw on! Please know that your columns are hugely valued by me and many others for whom you provide a vital reality check in what has become a crazy-making world in infuriating denial. I hope you can continue to find the strength to keep walking, writing, and speaking truth to power. ❤️🙏🏻
Julia, you are not alone. Although I have managed to evade infection and am fully vaxxed, I live with the fear of infection and the consequences of always being isolated, always masking, always terrified of severe illness and death. I wish that I could take away your pain and the pain of millions of others. I am only grateful that I am retired, live alone and can control my interactions with others far better than people who are forced to go to school or work, where they are derided or forced into removing their masks, be it by peer pressure or legally. For that is my greatest fear. That either by law or by some random attacker I will be forced to go maskless. I have nightmares about this. In the meantime, please continue with your valuable work, if and as best as you can. You are greatly appreciated.
I hear you big time. They say with ME/Long COVID, do half of what you feel like you can do in order to keep your current level of functioning and not get worse.
I have ME/CFS, and have been deeply afraid of contracting Covid specifically because I have always assumed that since I already struggle with many of the same symptoms that Long Covid sufferers do (especially severe post-exertional malaise), I would be far more likely to experience a post-viral worsening of symptoms--or God forbid, even acquire new ones--if I got Covid. At this point in the pandemic my continued concerns and precautions are considered somewhere between eccentric and just crazy by most of the people I know, but I consider them life-preserving. Your experience with the onset of Long Covid closely mirrors the onset of my ME/CFS, with crashes (periods of feeling horrible like I had been poisoned or had the worst flu or hangover you could imagine), and then brief periods of feeling well again, even almost back to normal...and then quickly triggering another crash just by going to work, or doing physical tasks and chores that had always been easily doable for me, or doing my normal exercise routine. It actually took me a long time to even recognize what was happening with that physical exertion trigger, because it was so far outside my realm of experience and I had never even heard of a malady that could cause exercise intolerance. This cycle repeated itself until I went into a crash that never ended and my worst symptoms became my baseline for the next few years. These shocking new physical limitations (that no one really believed in) forced me to quit my job and radically rearrange my life. I wasn't diagnosed with ME/CFS until 3 years later, at which time I read all the literature that said trying to power through symptoms and push yourself was not just awful to endure, but downright dangerous, because it could make you permanently worse. I wish more than anything that I had known about that danger at the time. If I had, I might be more functional today. So I'm writing this to share that warning, something I think all new Long Covid sufferers probably need to hear, and my sympathy. Take care as best you can.
i subscribed today when i saw that you live in dc in the paid post preview. i am also in DC, also 38, and trying to avoid covid and spread the clean air/masking/ventilation gospel. sending solidarity your way
Thank you for this resonant piece. I've appreciated your writing for a long time but this has turned me into a paid subscriber. Tomorrow is the 2 year anniversary of my first of three infections that have changed life radically for me and my family. We just got home from a family vacation and COVID was an unwelcome rider on our daily rollercoaster of fun/stress, of connection/tension, of ease/strife. Between my limited energy and the surge in cases that made exhausting precautions non-optional, the strain on my teens/young adults and my spouse broke my heart and caused numerous conflicts and meltdowns. I don't really know where to put my anger and grief but of course I'll find a way to turn it into a growth and learning opportunity at some point because LC makes you resilient AF. Anyway, thanks for the timing of this post. At least I don't feel alone! I'm so sorry for what you are going through and I am wishing you easier days ahead.
So, Julia. I did not know you had yourself become part of foghead nation. I wrote a blog piece a little while back about that. I would send you the link to it but I think you are the one of these bloggers I subscribe to who does not like people posting links, especially to their own stuff.
Nah, what the hell. You can delete after reading. https://www.competentsincharge.ca/foghead-nation/
I am one of the few people in the urbanized world who has gone through four years without a covid infection. I dread when I finally catch it.
I am currently working on something about the way covid is effecting the Olympics. No new records being broken. Former top athletes performing way below par. But first I want to actually watch the Olympics.
Fit tested P100 or PAPR + HEPA filters everywhere you can. Do what you can pto protect yourself. I also have not yet gotten infected and plan not to.
We basically have no access to medical care, though
That will be an extremely interesting article. Where will you post it?
I will not have it until after the Olympics, obviously. I put my stuff up in two places, as insurance due to all the censorship.
One is with Ghost, the other with Substack.
https://www.competentsincharge.ca/
https://timrourke.substack.com/
Go and have a look at either one. My main topic is not the pandemics, however. Or sporting events.
Most of my stuff is geopolitics, and the need to end the Atlanticist hegemony. Then, a reconstruction of the Atlanticist countries along post capitalist lines.
I am a very big Panda hugger.
So, if you want to know how the war between Sars Covid and Homo Sapiens is going, keep reading Julia Doubleday. She is the best around on that topic.
Thanks for the comment.
Subscribed. Thank you for telling the truth. Wish I could come feed your cat.
Welcome to the world of Long Covid, Julia. The good news is that it sees that around half the people recover within a year (that's why the numbers don't simply escalate upwards at great speed).
Your infection has not affected your brain luckily! Keep writing!
Okay, Julia and friends. As promised, here is the link to my new post about the Olympics. The stuff about the effect of Covid is at the end. It was as I thought it would be. https://timrourke.substack.com/p/about-the-olympics
I'm really sorry Julia. Your writing is invaluable and you have so much to offer the world. It is really unfair that we're being forced to be infected just to live life and do what we'd like to do. I'm glad you're starting to feel better and sorry you've been suffering like this.