It has been eight days since my release from captivity, and I am still trying to figure out how to live life on the outside… I feel like I’m drifting through the days, a proverbial leaf on the wind (RIP Wash…), and the days are just passing me by.
It’s hard to get back to normal when normal went on hiatus at the beginning of the year. I still struggle to move around the house, though things are slowly improving there. I’m still super weak and don’t have the strength to do much of anything, let alone the stamina. Going from throwing heavy iron around to barely being able to move has been a huge blow, mentally, for me. I’ve always been independent (Cindy might say co-dependent…) so having to lean on others is difficult.
I think the hardest part so far has been having to learn to ask for help. I feel helpless, borderline useless. I know it will take time to get back to a level of independence that allows me to not feel this way, but… It’s difficult.
Fred Rogers once said “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” I’m learning that the helpers are all around and willing to jump in and do. It’s been good for my tired, cynical heart.
The helpers have come out, and several friends, neighbors, and even strangers have stepped up to help Cindy and I through the recovery process with work around the house to help get us prepped for the winter. A call to the local neighborhood for help shoveling the heavy snow from Tuesday led to the guy that owns the auto shop around the corner to stop over and plow us out, completely unexpectedly. He refused money, so he got beer.
I’m still here. I still have a long road ahead of me. My doctor said it’s 4-5 days or so of recovery for every day hospitalized in some cases, though with Covid it may be months before things are back to normal. Some of my new Covid-survivor friends have said it was anywhere from 4-6 months for them, even without hospitalization or with milder cases than what I went through. I am hyper-aware of any aches/pains in my body now, and super paranoid about blood clots now. The last thing I want to do is wake up dead due to a pulmonary embolism, or worse, have a stroke because of a rogue blood clot. Talking with my doctor, he told me what to watch for, symptom-wise. I’m not having any symptoms, but every little new weird feeling has me on edge. I am dealing with random bouts of “brain fog”... I can be in the middle of something and completely lose track of what I was doing. About 20-30 minutes later, I can figure out where I was and pick up where I left off. This has happened to me about 2-3 times a day for the last several days. It’s driving me a bit crazy.
That’s it today… I’m doing OK. I just need to figure out how to stop “drifting” through the days and take charge again… But do so slowly, and with help.
Good to hear you're doing better. Dwell on that. not the "not back to 100% yet" part. Yes, it'll take a while. If my 78 y/o mother in law can do it, so can you.
I know the whole concept of asking for help is alien to you, as it is to most guys. But it's like asking for directions. When you really need help, don't let your pride get in the way. That's really what's hurting the most right now. So remember that lots of people love you, and even "strangers" think you're worth helping. All those times you've done for others? It's payback time. And I bet your ledger is still on the plus side, and will be for quite a while.
It has been eight days since my release from captivity, and I am still trying to figure out how to live life on the outside… I feel like I’m drifting through the days, a proverbial leaf on the wind (RIP Wash…), and the days are just passing me by.
It’s hard to get back to normal when normal went on hiatus at the beginning of the year. I still struggle to move around the house, though things are slowly improving there. I’m still super weak and don’t have the strength to do much of anything, let alone the stamina. Going from throwing heavy iron around to barely being able to move has been a huge blow, mentally, for me. I’ve always been independent (Cindy might say co-dependent…) so having to lean on others is difficult.
I think the hardest part so far has been having to learn to ask for help. I feel helpless, borderline useless. I know it will take time to get back to a level of independence that allows me to not feel this way, but… It’s difficult.
Fred Rogers once said “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” I’m learning that the helpers are all around and willing to jump in and do. It’s been good for my tired, cynical heart.
The helpers have come out, and several friends, neighbors, and even strangers have stepped up to help Cindy and I through the recovery process with work around the house to help get us prepped for the winter. A call to the local neighborhood for help shoveling the heavy snow from Tuesday led to the guy that owns the auto shop around the corner to stop over and plow us out, completely unexpectedly. He refused money, so he got beer.
I’m still here. I still have a long road ahead of me. My doctor said it’s 4-5 days or so of recovery for every day hospitalized in some cases, though with Covid it may be months before things are back to normal. Some of my new Covid-survivor friends have said it was anywhere from 4-6 months for them, even without hospitalization or with milder cases than what I went through. I am hyper-aware of any aches/pains in my body now, and super paranoid about blood clots now. The last thing I want to do is wake up dead due to a pulmonary embolism, or worse, have a stroke because of a rogue blood clot. Talking with my doctor, he told me what to watch for, symptom-wise. I’m not having any symptoms, but every little new weird feeling has me on edge. I am dealing with random bouts of “brain fog”... I can be in the middle of something and completely lose track of what I was doing. About 20-30 minutes later, I can figure out where I was and pick up where I left off. This has happened to me about 2-3 times a day for the last several days. It’s driving me a bit crazy.
That’s it today… I’m doing OK. I just need to figure out how to stop “drifting” through the days and take charge again… But do so slowly, and with help.
I enjoy your writing. I think it helps us, as much as it helps you. And isn't that what writing is all about?
Good to see you posting. Just try to remember that every case - every person - is different. I know a couple of people who only had "moderate" symptoms. (If you can call extreme exhaustion, screaming headaches, and no sense of smell or taste "moderate") And I also have a friend who is in ICU at her local hospital. I've also heard about several "friends of friends" who, sadly, didn't make it. Everyone is different. But yeah... this thing is a really special circumstance. We've never seen it before. We never know how it's gonna act. Just try to progress at your own speed. But it DOES sound like youi're out of the woods.
Me? I'm going to continue wearing my mask when I'm in close proximity to people - at least multiple people - and will try to not do anything that will expose me (or anyone else, I suppose) unnecessarily.
Take care, man.
[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 10-23-2020).]
Me? I'm going to continue wearing my mask when I'm in close proximity to people - at least multiple people
As will I. Everyone gets it from someone else. I do not want nor do I have the right to be that 'someone else'.
If the current daily new cases average of 60,000 continues the rest of 2020, by Jan 1, there will be an additional 4,080,000 cases in the USA. If the current 7 day moving average of 805 new deaths/day USA continues for the rest of 2020, another (approx) 54,400 people will die by Jan 1 2021, totaling over 283,680 Covid19 deaths in 11 months. (1st US covid death was reported to have occurred in early Feb 2020)
IHME's projected US death toll for the same period is significantly higher.
In 2019,there was an estimated 38,800 traffic fatalities in the USA. In 2019-202 flu season, (7 months long) an estimated 22,000 died from influenza. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/abo...2022%2C000%20deaths.
We have had next to nothing since last spring, but numbers jumped this week, starting with a church and spreading to a school, and the county isnt screwing around with isolation violators anymore. 5 grand a day.
Dunno how I'm gonna get around this one. I've had a smokers cough (symptom) for 20 years, and a nasal drip since I took a hoof to the back of the head in 2008.. another "symptom".
[This message has been edited by MidEngineManiac (edited 10-23-2020).]
Dunno how I'm gonna get around this one. I've had a smokers cough (symptom) for 20 years, and a nasal drip since I took a hoof to the back of the head in 2008.. another "symptom".
Maybe don't try to get around it? Wearing a mask costs you nothing. The cough and nasal drip aren't anyone else's business if you are Covid negative, and paranoid people can be paranoid all they want.
The light at the end of the tunnel ain't always an oncoming freight train, stay positive and keep moving forward.
------------------ Rams Intelligent people speak because they have something to say, fools speak because they have to say something. Consider that before telling anyone what's on your mind.
My wife told me to grow up. I told her to get out of my fort!
The sensation of lightning shoots through the nerves in my lower legs or hands and causes me to twitch. A sharp sensation, as if a large needle was being violently inserted into the foot or leg or hand, piercing deep into the muscle. They come out of nowhere.
It started gradually at first, then with more regularity. I experience these several times per day, though last night and today has thankfully been free of them so far.
The headaches have returned with less regularity than prior to my hospitalization. They seem to start around 6PM or so, or I’ll wake up with it and it will just sit in the background all day, reminding me that no, it was just getting a drink in the kitchen, it would never leave me… Mocking me.
The Brain Fog, as it is called, is along for the ride and I’m struggling quite a bit with it. I feel as if I’m losing my mind some days, and it’s frustrating. I made a porchetta roast the other day in the sous vide, and it turned out beautifully. I tossed it on a wire rack placed on top of a baking sheet, and then put it in the oven under the broiler at 550 degrees to crust up the outside a bit. And then I got hit with a bout of the fog. When I reached into the oven to pull the pan out, I did so without oven mitts or pot holders. Fortunately, I came to my senses with my fingers about half an inch away from a baking sheet that was waiting to sear my fingers so badly that the top layer of skin would stick to the pan and tear away as I ripped my hands away from the pain. This scared me enough that it sent a jolt of adrenaline through my body, and I had the shakes for a short while after. I am having pain in my ankles/knees/hips/shoulders/elbows, and my rib cage feels like I have been in a ring with Mike Tyson for three rounds whenever I move. It’s definitely in the ribs/muscles and not deeper. The pain is like a smoldering campfire towards the end of the evening, glowing coals with no flame until I move. Then, it flares up when you stir the coals. I. Hurt.
Generally I am OK when I am stationary, but having to get up and move through the house is like having had all of my joints replaced by an auto mechanic press-ganged into surgery and then being told to get up and walk off the pain.
Ibuprofen hasn’t touched any of it, but the acetaminophen seems to have helped a bit today.
My fever has not come back, and my oxygenation is getting better when I get up and move, so I do not feel like I am struggling as bad as I was. I’ll take this as a good sign that I am actually over the Covid virus now and just dealing with the after effects that affect some people.
I have been pretty quiet about this stuff around the house. I know Cindy will worry, and I don’t want her to. She knows I’m hurting, none of it is getting worse than it was, it’s just… There.
Today is day 30 since my symptoms started, 28 since I tested positive for this “scamdemic”... 14 since I was released from the hospital. I’m sick of being sick. I’m tired. I’m frustrated. I’m… Existing right now...
Hang in there. It's undoubtedly tough and difficult to deal with but life has always made it hard for us and these days are no different. (easy for me to say I know... )
It is strange how it affects some SOO much worse than others. I have a theory, but it is just that. Stay strong, keep the mind busy and there will be light at the end of the tunnel. Best wishes.
It is strange how it affects some SOO much worse than others. I have a theory, but it is just that. Stay strong, keep the mind busy and there will be light at the end of the tunnel. Best wishes.
As do I...there isn't nearly as much known about the virus as initially thought, which shouldn't be surprising since this particular coronavirus is a new one. https://www.hopkinsmedicine...rus-affect-the-brain
And no, it's not 'the flu' (and never was) and no, it didn't 'all go away Nov 3' as so many have been predicting for months and months.
Deaths per day in the U.S. have soared more than 40% over the past two weeks, from an average of about 790 to more than 1,100 as of Wednesday, the highest level in three months.
That is still well below the peak of about 2,200 deaths per day in late April, in what may reflect the availability of better treatments and the increased share of cases among young people, who are more likely than older ones to survive a bout with COVID-19.
But newly confirmed cases per day in the U.S. have rocketed more than 70% over the past two weeks, reaching an average of about 127,000 — the highest on record. And the number of people hospitalized with the virus hit an all-time high of more than 65,000. https://apnews.com/article/...f5193f3d55e37ffc8351
[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 11-13-2020).]
...and no, it didn't 'all go away Nov 3' as so many have been predicting for months and months.
But newly confirmed cases per day in the U.S. have rocketed more than 70% over the past two weeks, reaching an average of about 127,000 — the highest on record. And the number of people hospitalized with the virus hit an all-time high of more than 65,000.
Yup. You beat me to it.
Masks help to prevent infection. It's common sense. Otherwise, why would health care workers be wearing them?
Chris. I hope you are doing well.
[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 11-13-2020).]
It wasn't (just) Trump that was saying it for all those weeks and months.
There were (and still are) a BUNCH of otherwise seemingly intelligent adults outside the political crowd that originated and helped to spread that ridiculous notion.
I posted this on November 6th. I have had a couple of set backs since then. I nearly burned the house down last night due to brain fog, and putting dinner on the stove before going upstairs to read a book for two hours.
I overdid it this past Sunday trying to get the snowblower mounted on the tractor without any strength or stamina. The next day, all of my nerve pain came back along with the joint pain. Headaches continue every day, I still have no strength, I'm stuck at 80% or so of lung capacity so I run out of breath just moving around the house... I am officially a month out from the hospital, and I'm still having issues off and on, which means I'm now potentially a long hauler...
Here's the update from November 6th, when I was naive and thought I was finally on the outbound stretch.
Chris’ Covid Chronicles
It looks like we’re coming in for a landing after a very bumpy flight… There’s still opportunity for things to go sideways really quickly, but, one way or the other it will all be over soon.
I am cautiously optimistic that the plane will land without further issues.
The severe neuropathy in the hands and feet is fading, with only minor twinges now and then. The last real scream-inducing pain was last week, so it’s getting better by the day. Additionally, the general joint achiness is also gone, other than in my hips, with the right hip being the worst by far. I attribute this to the same issues I had at the height of my gym routine when I was lifting super heavy and didn’t stretch out my IT bands after leg day. It’s time to break the foam roller out again and start working that. It's going to hurt worse before it gets better.
Breathing is better than it was when I first got out of the hospital, but I’m still a ways off from being 100%. It seems as if the rapid improvements I was making have tapered off and now I’m on the long road back to getting where I was before. I still struggle around the house sometimes, but that is to be expected. I still have no strength, but again, expected.
Right now, the symptoms I am left with are severe fatigue and headaches. I spend most of the day with a desire to crawl in bed and sleep, but I force myself to stay up until at least 9PM. The insomnia is gone, and now I have swung the other way, struggling to keep my eyes open from about noon on most days. I get up and move around to counter this and it usually helps. The headaches are manageable with Ibuprofen, but they're always sitting there, waiting for me. (Edit Still have the brain fog, nothing I can do about that right now, but someone suggested I do most of my big stuff in the morning, and I find that works well for me.
So that’s it. The fasten seatbelt light is on, I’ve been told to put up my tray table and turn off my electronic devices (NEVER!), and I have to quickly chug the last of the Mai Tai I begged the flight attendant to make for me… But, I think I’m through this. Thank you all for following my (Dramatic Voice) Adventures. With. Coviiiiiid!
So that’s it. The fasten seatbelt light is on, I’ve been told to put up my tray table and turn off my electronic devices (NEVER!), and I have to quickly chug the last of the Mai Tai I begged the flight attendant to make for me… But, I think I’m through this. Thank you all for following my (Dramatic Voice) Adventures. With. Coviiiiiid!
I want to thank everyone for their contribution and opinions. Even if they differ from my beliefs, I recognize that to get through these troubling times we need to hear each other's concerns and inputs.
I’m six weeks out from my release from the hospital, and I’m doing pretty darned good.
It’s been several days since the headaches faded, I haven’t had any nerve pain in the hands or feet for a couple of weeks now, and I’m feeling better overall.
It’s super easy to overdo it, and sometimes I’ll find myself gasping for air pretty hard while working through something that involves physical exertion. I attribute most of that to the lungs, but I believe it’s finally starting to lean back over the “I’m just fat and haven’t been to the gym in 2 years” side of the gauge… My trip to Hy-Vee on Thursday to pick up our pre-cooked meal was definitely lungs more than anything else when I finally got back to the car and had to sit there for five minutes to catch my breath, but for the most part I’m able to get around now.
My current issues are brain fog and just being exhausted all the time. Most days I want to get out of bed, use the restroom, and then crawl back into bed immediately and continue sleeping. Instead, I force myself to get up and “go to work” in the home office with a can of Monster, and that helps me perk up for a couple of hours.
The brain fog is not getting any better, but I do have some good days and some not good at all days. Several times over the last four or five weeks I have had to go looking for my cell phone, usually some time after lunch. It’s gotten to the point where I check the fridge or freezer first, cause that’s usually where I find it, next to something I pulled out for lunch. I washed my water bottle the other day with hot soapy water, and then set it down on the counter and squirted some Mio into it… While it was full of hot soapy water. I didn’t realize what I had done until I was back at my desk with a bottle of water that smelled suspiciously like soap.
I’m hesitant to complete some of the home projects I need to get done sooner, rather than later. I have two light switches that have failed and I need to replace them and get them linked back into the automation system, but I don’t think it is a good idea for me to start playing with electricity when I can’t even remember putting my cell phone in the freezer with the vegetables.
I keep doing stupid things because of it, and it’s beyond frustrating… But it’s a part of life right now, so I have to learn to live with it. Cindy has been a saint through all of this, only threatening to euthanize me once if I didn't get my **** together. The dangers of being sick and living with a veterinarian while you have a sizeable life insurance policy.
Anyway, I’m doing OK now, so this will be my last “about my Covid journey” post unless something happens to cause a set back.
Please stay safe. Wear your mask, wash your hands, socially distance, and if you can avoid going out at all, do so.
[This message has been edited by Synthesis (edited 11-27-2020).]
I’m six weeks out from my release from the hospital, and I’m doing pretty darned good.
It’s been several days since the headaches faded, I haven’t had any nerve pain in the hands or feet for a couple of weeks now, and I’m feeling better overall.
It’s super easy to overdo it, and sometimes I’ll find myself gasping for air pretty hard while working through something that involves physical exertion. I attribute most of that to the lungs, but I believe it’s finally starting to lean back over the “I’m just fat and haven’t been to the gym in 2 years” side of the gauge… My trip to Hy-Vee on Thursday to pick up our pre-cooked meal was definitely lungs more than anything else when I finally got back to the car and had to sit there for five minutes to catch my breath, but for the most part I’m able to get around now.
My current issues are brain fog and just being exhausted all the time. Most days I want to get out of bed, use the restroom, and then crawl back into bed immediately and continue sleeping. Instead, I force myself to get up and “go to work” in the home office with a can of Monster, and that helps me perk up for a couple of hours.
The brain fog is not getting any better, but I do have some good days and some not good at all days. Several times over the last four or five weeks I have had to go looking for my cell phone, usually some time after lunch. It’s gotten to the point where I check the fridge or freezer first, cause that’s usually where I find it, next to something I pulled out for lunch. I washed my water bottle the other day with hot soapy water, and then set it down on the counter and squirted some Mio into it… While it was full of hot soapy water. I didn’t realize what I had done until I was back at my desk with a bottle of water that smelled suspiciously like soap.
I’m hesitant to complete some of the home projects I need to get done sooner, rather than later. I have two light switches that have failed and I need to replace them and get them linked back into the automation system, but I don’t think it is a good idea for me to start playing with electricity when I can’t even remember putting my cell phone in the freezer with the vegetables.
I keep doing stupid things because of it, and it’s beyond frustrating… But it’s a part of life right now, so I have to learn to live with it. Cindy has been a saint through all of this, only threatening to euthanize me once if I didn't get my **** together. The dangers of being sick and living with a veterinarian while you have a sizeable life insurance policy.
Anyway, I’m doing OK now, so this will be my last “about my Covid journey” post unless something happens to cause a set back.
Please stay safe. Wear your mask, wash your hands, socially distance, and if you can avoid going out at all, do so.
When do you start your heavy weight lifting training again? Stay safe man.
Our Priest came down with the virus back in April. He almost didst make it. He said several times they though he wasn't going to survive. He still gets tired and has to rest. In mass today he said "I did the sign of the cross didn't I?" Then he said yes I think I did." "Covid brain makes it hard sometimes to remember. " So Chris hang in there and take it easy. You will gradually improve.
My ex wife came down with it but her experience was completely different. My adult children told me she was having extreme head aches and to her credit she wrote down everything, date, time, what was going on for several weeks and what she took. I guess the headaches went away but then she was acting goofy and I think the final straw was when she called one of the son in laws at 3:00 am not wanting to talk to our daughter and saying goofy strange stuff. One of my other daughters is a surgeon and they all had noticed their mother was real loony some times. They finally got her into a hospital, one of them that my surgeon daughter does surgery at. They were trying to get her into the psych ward. My daughter knew a lot of people at the hospital and had the head of he psych department evaluate her. He said she wasn't psycho, it was something else. Long story short now after being readmitted several times she is out and they now figure that the virus rather than attach her breathing and lungs went to her brain and caused the problems. She is getting a shot once a month I believe to help her improve and she can not be left alone at her home, so she is being rotated between my 3 daughters homes. She is slowly improving.
This is scary.
Chris take care and take it easy!
Peace be with you
[This message has been edited by solotwo (edited 11-28-2020).]
I'm happy that you are doing better. I hope you continue to improve. It's a strange disease. My supervisor (and her husband) and my team lead (and his wife) have both had it. It has proven to be relatively minor for them, in the grand scheme of things. OTOH, a friend of ours has been on a ventilator for a couple of weeks now. I keep checking her FB profile, looking for news of an improvement.
Personally, I'm still trying to not do anything stupid.
I'm happy that you are doing better. I hope you continue to improve. It's a strange disease. My supervisor (and her husband) and my team lead (and his wife) have both had it. It has proven to be relatively minor for them, in the grand scheme of things. OTOH, a friend of ours has been on a ventilator for a couple of weeks now. I keep checking her FB profile, looking for news of an improvement.
Personally, I'm still trying to not do anything stupid.
That's one of the unknowns of any new affliction; how bad any given individual may be affected by it. From a 2 day old post on one of the military discussion boards I frequent:
quote
I'm sure you haven't heard but my wife and I both got the coronavirus and I've been really really sick for the past few weeks my wife almost died from it in fortunately the doctor pulled her through we were actually told he didn't know if she would make it or not she was listed as critical for three days and fortunately did a good turn around and is back home a ways to go but thank God she's still here.
He and his wife are about my age but were in better health before this setback than I am in regards to pre-existing risk factors.
Cindy has been a saint through all of this, only threatening to euthanize me once if I didn't get my **** together. The dangers of being sick and living with a veterinarian while you have a sizeable life insurance policy.
...
Your sense of humor has survived intact. I think you're going to be fine.
Chris' Covid Chronicles - Coughing Up the Good Stuff
I'll have you know, my body only tried to kill me once today, and I won!
One of my issues while hospitalized for COVID in October was blood in my spit towards the more serious part of my infection. It went away after a couple of days and the Dexamethasone and Remdesivir treatments when I started feeling better, but I have had a lot of fatigue and breathlessness ever since.
For the last few days, I've been getting pressure and a deep-seated itch in the left side of my chest, down behind the rib cage, and have had some pretty bad coughing sessions which would aggravate the itch.
Today, I sneezed, and felt something twitch in my chest at the itch, which immediately sent me into violent coughing fit. My ribs and stomach hurt pretty badly right now because of how bad it was.
But, and here's where the graphic part starts...
I coughed up an inch and a half long blood clot that looked like a miniature tree. It was super dark, not fresh blood, but almost a purple color mixed with some mucus.
The good news is, I feel like I can take a deep breath for the first time in three months and I don't feel tired all of a sudden. The itch/pressure is gone, and I don't have a need to cough anymore.
The bad news is the psychological damage of seeing that thing come out of me will leave me emotionally scarred for life...
Where I'm at today:
Still feeling fatigued with general achiness that ibuprofen won't touch. Went into the ER the night after the clot came up due to pain in the chest again. Coughed up another clot, smaller in size... Breathing got better. Still old blood in the clot, back on blood thinners. Yay me.
Coughed up another clot, smaller in size... Breathing got better.
Damn.
It's no wonder you've been feeling "fatigued" when it turns out you've got these clots in your lungs. Your O2 absorption is no doubt less than ideal. I suppose though it's good to be coughing them up (and out of your lungs). Let's just hope that new ones aren't being developed.
I remember as a kid, when I'd get asthma (and then often be sick in bed for a week or two with subsequent lung infections), that I knew I'd turned the corner when I'd start coughing up almost solid chunks of dark crap from my lungs. Not among my most favorite childhood memories.
Keep battling, Chris. You'll beat this thing.
[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 01-13-2021).]
Still feeling fatigued with general achiness that ibuprofen won't touch. Went into the ER the night after the clot came up due to pain in the chest again. Coughed up another clot, smaller in size... Breathing got better. Still old blood in the clot, back on blood thinners.
This is one of the things that the 'deniers' that keep claiming it has such a high survival rate don't take in to account. Yes, most people certainly live thru it, but sometimes, at a pretty difficult cost, and I'm not talking about (just) money.
quote
A Texas trauma surgeon says it's rare that X-rays from any of her COVID-19 patients come back without dense scarring. Dr. Brittany Bankhead-Kendall tweeted that, "Post-COVID lungs look worse than any type of terrible smoker's lung we've ever seen. And they collapse. And they clot off. And the shortness of breath lingers on... & on... & on."
"Everyone's just so worried about the mortality thing and that's terrible and it's awful," she told CBS Dallas. "But man, for all the survivors and the people who have tested positive this is -- it's going to be a problem. Bankhead-Kendall, an assistant professor of surgery with Texas Tech University, in Lubbock, says patients who've had COVID-19 symptoms show a severe chest X-ray every time, and those who were asymptomatic show a severe chest X-ray 70 to 80% of the time.
"There are still people who say 'I'm fine. I don't have any issues,' and you pull up their chest X-ray and they absolutely have a bad chest X-ray," she said.
In this photo of a normal lung, smoker's lung and a COVID-19 lung that Dr. Bankhead-Kendall shared with CBS Dallas, the healthy lungs are clean with a lot of black, which is mainly air. In the smoker's lung, white lines are indicative of scarring and congestion -- while the COVID lung is filled with white. ................
She adds, "There is no long-term implication of a vaccine that could ever be as bad as the long-term implications of COVID.""
Still have the brain fog, nothing I can do about that right now, but someone suggested I do most of my big stuff in the morning, and I find that works well for me.
