Long Covid left me with a 6-month headache, permanent cognitive impairment, compromised executive funtioning, left me with symptoms mimiking severe ADHD, but most of all, the memory loss has been the most disburbing. It hasn't gotten better after 3 years. On the lighter side, it took away my ability to enjoy wine or any alcohol. As someone who lived in Italy for a long time, wine is culture and its been a loss. The VA has been singularly useless in help. A friend reminded me a few weeks ago that my depression and listlessness occurred after I was so sick w/ Covid. It changed my life.
I've had Long Covid for about 3 years. I've noticed gradual (very slow) improvement over the past 6-8 months and the brain fog has recently started to lift. My energy level is still very low and I spend most of my time in bed, but I am beginning to hope that I may return to normal within the next year or so. It's good to hear that the medical community has started to recognize it as an actual condition.
It’s always a treat to hear from Jeff. Thank you for the Covid update. I wasn’t sure long Covid was an actual diagnosis..until I became symptomatic. And I’m a MD, so I’m glad it’s getting medical recognition.
Good to see an MD gets it! Please check out @PutrinoLab over at Mount Sinai - they've been doing fantastic work on not only Long COVID, but also POTS, ME/CFS, Lyme Disease, and other chronic conditions.
Long Covid symptoms fit right into my 25 year long experience with fibromyalgia. Additionally, my first two Pfizer shots gave me an incredible 24 hour boost! I felt like a normal person. I’ve told two doctors. I hope science makes a huge leap in treating autoimmune disorders/(?) soon!
Ditto. And I have not done Covid tests or vaccines. Went to ER for first Covid episode. Researched got multiple consults for vaccine option and unequivocally physicians thought my lengthy history of viral situation cfs autoimmune status actually meant opt out of vaccine. I had contrary blood clotting and red flags on bloodwork after first Covid.. Really glad I monitored it from what I understood about my own layers of viral issues. I did not get caught up in second guessing myself. I trusted my intuition. The ongoing research has validated things and hope for treatments. I was very interested in how many do not know if they have Covid or not. For me each variant is very apparent and distinct. I go through symptoms for a few hours or sometimes intermittently a few days later. I masked indoors until November 2023. I ceased to have a reaction to presence of virus upon going indoors at stores. This was a gradual thing depending on how well ventilated places were and how heavily trafficked. My long Covid status gradually abated but the trade off is my preexisting conditions more or less took its place..able to go indoors places and socialize..but health is more tenuous. Being 68, too..when my first viral episodes began after measles German measles mumps viral pneumonia and mono..the latter at age32. So a lifetime of this!
@@MK-ih6wp the vaccines for measles German measles and mumps became available about one year after I had contracted them. My younger sister received all the vaccines! I also felt poorly after one of polio vaccines..received before and after I got sick with the various viruses. No vaccines for viral pneumonia or mono. I did not vaccinate for Covid. I generally become aware I have contracted each variant as it comes along. I had red flags on blood work after initial Covid which is why I was advised to wait on vaccine. I did well with flu shots until I had Delta variant. Tolerated but took a few weeks to feel okay. It’s the immediacy with which I pick up these viruses that is noticeable. My tolerance seems to be similar to those who vaccinate. But the idea someone needs to vaccinate to clue in their immune system to Covid is unimaginable to me. I am in perpetual overload! 🙃
@@MK-ih6wp interesting about viral pneumonia..my pediatrician i was 12.. said I was likely to get repeated bouts of the virus as that was typical . But I never got it again and in fact my mother had it a few winters in a row and i did not. However the following Spring I came down with a worse malaise than I had had at age 10 in the spring. And so began the encroaching problems with limited energies mostly during and summer. Decades later I realized it was correlated with sunlight and Vitamin D ever since. I self manage as physicians take no interest. I went to taking it daily round the clock and very beneficial.
I lost 60-70% of my smell, and I really hope that comes back. It's been well over a year now and I've been fully boosted throughout. Got it from an older female Covid denier sitting behind me at a play, on my 63rd birthday nonetheless 😞
My heart breaks for those with long covid. I have post viral syndrome from neuro invasive West Nile (basically long-haul WNV). It’s so awful. I’m so glad to hear doctors are believing people. Viruses are no joke. I’ve been disabled for 12 years so yes, careers are derailed by a virus.
Hi, Kara! I am in that number regarding long covid. I have so much to offer as a designer, yet am no longer able to commit to a full time gig. Thinking of our days working together at BCC on the literary magazine. Sending my very best regards. Denise Pilar Yver BCC '80.
as often as covid comes through New Orleans, I get "boosted," by whatever the current variant happens to be. The booster vaccines tend to run behind whatever is current. Also; I have noticed that my lymphocytes have been very low (way below the bottom of the range,), which has reduced my ability to fight off infection, including each new round of the virus.. Each new round brings another mess of months with long covid. As I come out of that and start getting my strength and life back, another round of a fresh variant arrives. Extremely frustrating.
kara, i appreciate any mention anywhere of long covid. i’ve had it since the beginning, when vaccines weren’t yet available. so, after about 4.5 years, i’m still stuck with gi, cognitive, endurance, and fatigue problems. it’s difficult. people’s inattention to long covid and not believing it exists make it much harder.
Louie's last response was the best: I didn't even know there was a new vaccine. How many people don't know there's a new one. . . Thanks, Louie, for making this most important point!
I am a nurse in Southwest Wisconsin, we are having a big Covid spike here. seems to be folks who have traveled this summer, some very, very ill ( home sick from work for a few days, feel bad, weak, for another week or so ) past due on booster. also spiking in Nursing Homes as well. New Covid booster comes here to Walgreens on September sixth and I am running to get it!
My mom says don’t jinx it but I’ve not gotten Covid yet either. And this is despite being in hospital ERs for hours with two parents who were repeatedly sick in the last two years, once isolating in a small ER room with my mom who had a 103deg temp. I sat with her for 7 hours while we waited for a bed. We were both vaccinated. I have had four vaccines. Skipped the last one. Will probably get this one. I believe my mom has long covid. If messed up her cardiovascular system… and I have friends who have it. It’s horrible.
@@Hdc2390 Nah. I actually had symptoms many times. Tested each time and it was negative. You may be right that I may have had asymptomatic covid but I HIGHLY doubt it. I tend to get sick very often and it's usually with a cold or what feels like a cold. I am one of those people who gets colds often. My immunity is not high. If I had Covid, believe me, we'd know. I am just one of those people who may have specific immunity against Covid. My endocrinologist wants me to undergo some testing at some point.
Hi Kara. Please give my regards to Jeff (he was an attending of mine when I was completing my residency back in the 90’s). Love the podcast - your son is remarkably insightful.
I caught the entire podcast on apple and I thought all three guests were brilliant contributors. Dr. Swisher gave a short factual update on Covid vaccines; George educated us on his long haul Covid battle and Louis was sharp, funny, and carried his own weight on the show. This Scott-free summer was exceptional (better than last year) and I heard Scott say on ProfG, (paraphrasing here) "I wish Kara would stop bringing her kids on the podcast" Louis was refreshing and brought insight as to how the youth are viewing today's events. Can we have Scott Free 2025?
Thanks for covering. The largest cohort of longcovid sufferers are healthy women 25-45 who had a mild case of covid(!). That's CDC data but they are doing no public messaging on the risk
My sister has long COVID. I had it for the first time in July. We've both been diligent about limiting unmasked indoor exposure risks and are up on our shots. Sigh. Anyway. I'm in my mid 30s and I harangue everyone in my circles to stay on top of their shots. I'd already marked my calendar to get the new one in September. Glad to have my 3 month wait confirmed!
So sorry to hear about your sister! Some of my best friends have had their lives upended by Long COVID, and it really sucks. Even people who've been really careful for the last 4.5 years have had a hard time avoiding the current variants because they've evolved to be super infectious. A lot of people don't know about 50% of people who are exposed to COVID get an asymptomatic case, too, and find they've got health issues but don't know why. They can even end up exposing others because it'll stick around and multiply inside their cells, like shingles! Did you know the vaccines aren't designed to be "sterilizing," aka, to *prevent* you from catching COVID? They're only designed to reduce hospitalization, and death, from Covid. Though the new 2024-2025 formula Novavax immunization the FDA just approved is closer, and barely causes any side effects. That's why I wear an elastomeric respirator mask (like Dentec ComfortAir NXMD or GVS Ellipse), or at least an N95 respirator, whenever outside the house. And I ADD protection by using good filtration like Levoit filter boxes (or make your own filter cubes) inside, and open the windows whenever I can to increase ventilation. Masking and filter boxes are great for being able to breathe well during wildfire smoke events, too. Mine *really* helped last summer!
I'm a 68 year old former athlete and active gardener/hiker. Ive had all COVID+ boosters. I have not had COVID. Soon after becoming aware of the universal leveling quality aspect of it, I realized how much empathy for those with "unseen" or unstudied things - like autoimmune issues - was possible via so many actually experiencing long COVID. Have you found this mass presentation of issues in long COVID are causing openings of empathy in the larger collective?
I think who really knows but, everyone not wearing a mask probably has had an asymptomatic infection. I say that bc the vaccine doesn't prevent infection or LC and it's so contagious and airborne. Making this virus political really has hurt the American people bc they have no idea what this virus can do pushing people out and not mandating mitigation is a shit show. The kids are not all alright and the biggest lie was that they were not affected by it how is that possible when we know nothing about this virus and learning in real time. Horrible!!
The 68 and have had all the shots and will get the new one when available. Had one mild Covid case two years ago. Please consider getting another shot. My sister was exactly like you, she had the first few shots then slacked off. She had Covid earlier this year and said she had never felt so sick. She started Paxlovid immediately and recovered quickly with no LC.
Re: Kara is a Unicorn …or like the Ben Richards (Christopher George) character from the TV show The Immortal. 🤔 Sorry, I know this is a serious topic, I’m just am exhausted with this bug(s)…
Long Covid left me with a 6-month headache, permanent cognitive impairment, compromised executive funtioning, left me with symptoms mimiking severe ADHD, but most of all, the memory loss has been the most disburbing. It hasn't gotten better after 3 years. On the lighter side, it took away my ability to enjoy wine or any alcohol. As someone who lived in Italy for a long time, wine is culture and its been a loss. The VA has been singularly useless in help.
A friend reminded me a few weeks ago that my depression and listlessness occurred after I was so sick w/ Covid. It changed my life.
Did you take the vaccine?
@@allytay208- go away, pathetic anti-vaxxer. This is a science based discussion.
I've had Long Covid for about 3 years. I've noticed gradual (very slow) improvement over the past 6-8 months and the brain fog has recently started to lift. My energy level is still very low and I spend most of my time in bed, but I am beginning to hope that I may return to normal within the next year or so. It's good to hear that the medical community has started to recognize it as an actual condition.
CoQ10 and Lipoic Acid are on the NIH as a potential intervention, as well as Immunoseb and Immunbio and Palmitoylethanolamide.
It’s always a treat to hear from Jeff. Thank you for the Covid update. I wasn’t sure long Covid was an actual diagnosis..until I became symptomatic. And I’m a MD, so I’m glad it’s getting medical recognition.
Good to see an MD gets it! Please check out @PutrinoLab over at Mount Sinai - they've been doing fantastic work on not only Long COVID, but also POTS, ME/CFS, Lyme Disease, and other chronic conditions.
Long Covid symptoms fit right into my 25 year long experience with fibromyalgia. Additionally, my first two Pfizer shots gave me an incredible 24 hour boost! I felt like a normal person. I’ve told two doctors. I hope science makes a huge leap in treating autoimmune disorders/(?) soon!
Ditto. And I have not done Covid tests or vaccines. Went to ER for first Covid episode. Researched got multiple consults for vaccine option and unequivocally physicians thought my lengthy history of viral situation cfs autoimmune status actually meant opt out of vaccine. I had contrary blood clotting and red flags on bloodwork after first Covid..
Really glad I monitored it from what I understood about my own layers of viral issues. I did not get caught up in second guessing myself. I trusted my intuition.
The ongoing research has validated things and hope for treatments. I was very interested in how many do not know if they have Covid or not. For me each variant is very apparent and distinct. I go through symptoms for a few hours or sometimes intermittently a few days later.
I masked indoors until November 2023. I ceased to have a reaction to presence of virus upon going indoors at stores. This was a gradual thing depending on how well ventilated places were and how heavily trafficked.
My long Covid status gradually abated but the trade off is my preexisting conditions more or less took its place..able to go indoors places and socialize..but health is more tenuous. Being 68, too..when my first viral episodes began after measles German measles mumps viral pneumonia and mono..the latter at age32. So a lifetime of this!
@@mercywilliams2698 just curious if you were vaccinated against those diseases prior to contracting them? Or did your vaccines wear off?
@@MK-ih6wp the vaccines for measles German measles and mumps became available about one year after I had contracted them. My younger sister received all the vaccines! I also felt poorly after one of polio vaccines..received before and after I got sick with the various viruses.
No vaccines for viral pneumonia or mono.
I did not vaccinate for Covid. I generally become aware I have contracted each variant as it comes along. I had red flags on blood work after initial Covid which is why I was advised to wait on vaccine. I did well with flu shots until I had Delta variant. Tolerated but took a few weeks to feel okay.
It’s the immediacy with which I pick up these viruses that is noticeable. My tolerance seems to be similar to those who vaccinate. But the idea someone needs to vaccinate to clue in their immune system to Covid is unimaginable to me. I am in perpetual overload! 🙃
@@MK-ih6wp interesting about viral pneumonia..my pediatrician i was 12.. said I was likely to get repeated bouts of the virus as that was typical . But I never got it again and in fact my mother had it a few winters in a row and i did not. However the following Spring I came down with a worse malaise than I had had at age 10 in the spring. And so began the encroaching problems with limited energies mostly during and summer. Decades later I realized it was correlated with sunlight and Vitamin D ever since. I self manage as physicians take no interest. I went to taking it daily round the clock and very beneficial.
I lost 60-70% of my smell, and I really hope that comes back. It's been well over a year now and I've been fully boosted throughout. Got it from an older female Covid denier sitting behind me at a play, on my 63rd birthday nonetheless 😞
My heart breaks for those with long covid. I have post viral syndrome from neuro invasive West Nile (basically long-haul WNV). It’s so awful. I’m so glad to hear doctors are believing people. Viruses are no joke. I’ve been disabled for 12 years so yes, careers are derailed by a virus.
Kara, is everyone in your family intelligent, loving, and hip? Very impressive
Thank you for discussing long covid!!!!!
Hi, Kara! I am in that number regarding long covid. I have so much to offer as a designer, yet am no longer able to commit to a full time gig. Thinking of our days working together at BCC on the literary magazine. Sending my very best regards. Denise Pilar Yver BCC '80.
as often as covid comes through New Orleans, I get "boosted," by whatever the current variant happens to be. The booster vaccines tend to run behind whatever is current. Also; I have noticed that my lymphocytes have been very low (way below the bottom of the range,), which has reduced my ability to fight off infection, including each new round of the virus.. Each new round brings another mess of months with long covid. As I come out of that and start getting my strength and life back, another round of a fresh variant arrives. Extremely frustrating.
kara, i appreciate any mention anywhere of long covid. i’ve had it since the beginning, when vaccines weren’t yet available. so, after about 4.5 years, i’m still stuck with gi, cognitive, endurance, and fatigue problems. it’s difficult. people’s inattention to long covid and not believing it exists make it much harder.
Going through this and menopause, I'm grateful I have a sense of humor. It sucks...really sucks.
Same here!
Louie's last response was the best: I didn't even know there was a new vaccine. How many people don't know there's a new one. . . Thanks, Louie, for making this most important point!
I am a nurse in Southwest Wisconsin, we are having a big Covid spike here. seems to be folks who have traveled this summer, some very, very ill ( home sick from work for a few days, feel bad, weak, for another week or so ) past due on booster. also spiking in Nursing Homes as well. New Covid booster comes here to Walgreens on September sixth and I am running to get it!
My mom says don’t jinx it but I’ve not gotten Covid yet either. And this is despite being in hospital ERs for hours with two parents who were repeatedly sick in the last two years, once isolating in a small ER room with my mom who had a 103deg temp. I sat with her for 7 hours while we waited for a bed. We were both vaccinated. I have had four vaccines. Skipped the last one. Will probably get this one. I believe my mom has long covid. If messed up her cardiovascular system… and I have friends who have it. It’s horrible.
Asymptomatic
@@Hdc2390 Nah. I actually had symptoms many times. Tested each time and it was negative. You may be right that I may have had asymptomatic covid but I HIGHLY doubt it. I tend to get sick very often and it's usually with a cold or what feels like a cold. I am one of those people who gets colds often. My immunity is not high. If I had Covid, believe me, we'd know. I am just one of those people who may have specific immunity against Covid. My endocrinologist wants me to undergo some testing at some point.
Hi Kara. Please give my regards to Jeff (he was an attending of mine when I was completing my residency back in the 90’s). Love the podcast - your son is remarkably insightful.
I caught the entire podcast on apple and I thought all three guests were brilliant contributors. Dr. Swisher gave a short factual update on Covid vaccines; George educated us on his long haul Covid battle and Louis was sharp, funny, and carried his own weight on the show. This Scott-free summer was exceptional (better than last year) and I heard Scott say on ProfG, (paraphrasing here) "I wish Kara would stop bringing her kids on the podcast" Louis was refreshing and brought insight as to how the youth are viewing today's events. Can we have Scott Free 2025?
Louie is absolutely delightful! Scott should be worried about being replaced!
21 months into Long Covid. The worst thing is some people haven't heard of it.
Thanks for covering. The largest cohort of longcovid sufferers are healthy women 25-45 who had a mild case of covid(!). That's CDC data but they are doing no public messaging on the risk
My sister has long COVID. I had it for the first time in July. We've both been diligent about limiting unmasked indoor exposure risks and are up on our shots. Sigh. Anyway. I'm in my mid 30s and I harangue everyone in my circles to stay on top of their shots. I'd already marked my calendar to get the new one in September. Glad to have my 3 month wait confirmed!
So sorry to hear about your sister! Some of my best friends have had their lives upended by Long COVID, and it really sucks. Even people who've been really careful for the last 4.5 years have had a hard time avoiding the current variants because they've evolved to be super infectious.
A lot of people don't know about 50% of people who are exposed to COVID get an asymptomatic case, too, and find they've got health issues but don't know why. They can even end up exposing others because it'll stick around and multiply inside their cells, like shingles!
Did you know the vaccines aren't designed to be "sterilizing," aka, to *prevent* you from catching COVID? They're only designed to reduce hospitalization, and death, from Covid. Though the new 2024-2025 formula Novavax immunization the FDA just approved is closer, and barely causes any side effects.
That's why I wear an elastomeric respirator mask (like Dentec ComfortAir NXMD or GVS Ellipse), or at least an N95 respirator, whenever outside the house. And I ADD protection by using good filtration like Levoit filter boxes (or make your own filter cubes) inside, and open the windows whenever I can to increase ventilation. Masking and filter boxes are great for being able to breathe well during wildfire smoke events, too. Mine *really* helped last summer!
I would love to see the episode, "how pregnancy derailed the career path of millions" 😮
You can hate everything about Casio-Cortez, but one comment resonates a little. “Every billionaire is a policy failure.”
I'm a 68 year old former athlete and active gardener/hiker. Ive had all COVID+ boosters. I have not had COVID. Soon after becoming aware of the universal leveling quality aspect of it, I realized how much empathy for those with "unseen" or unstudied things - like autoimmune issues - was possible via so many actually experiencing long COVID. Have you found this mass presentation of issues in long COVID are causing openings of empathy in the larger collective?
Come on, you can say Long Vax. Try.
So are people still getting long covid with new variants? And is the "new long covid" not as severe as the "old long covid" ?
How do you know if you've never had Covid?!
I believe there is a blood test that shows if your system has actually dealt with it. Not certain what it is... Google it, I will.
I think who really knows but, everyone not wearing a mask probably has had an asymptomatic infection. I say that bc the vaccine doesn't prevent infection or LC and it's so contagious and airborne. Making this virus political really has hurt the American people bc they have no idea what this virus can do pushing people out and not mandating mitigation is a shit show. The kids are not all alright and the biggest lie was that they were not affected by it how is that possible when we know nothing about this virus and learning in real time. Horrible!!
68 year old Covid recently. Mild symptoms. No vaccine in 2 years
The 68 and have had all the shots and will get the new one when available. Had one mild Covid case two years ago.
Please consider getting another shot. My sister was exactly like you, she had the first few shots then slacked off. She had Covid earlier this year and said she had never felt so sick.
She started Paxlovid immediately and recovered quickly with no LC.
Don’t gamble with your health and life, Mary. It’s just not worth the risk.
Fool me once and I almost expired.
Most “long covid” symptoms are also symptoms of anxiety. Hmmm.
"The Journal" ??? Which, precisely?
Any thoughts on the latest vaccine approved by the FDA from Novavax?
Re: Kara is a Unicorn …or like the Ben Richards (Christopher George) character from the TV show The Immortal. 🤔 Sorry, I know this is a serious topic, I’m just am exhausted with this bug(s)…
😷🤧