 |
| An advertisement from the September 22, 1952 edition of Life Magazine |
Trust science, not conspiracy theories
I've come to the end of my second bout of COVID-19. It first appeared on 08.01.2024, and I was pretty sick for 5 days. I started Paxlovid on day 4. My symptoms gradually eased during the following 7 days -- yes, I had the virus for 12 days. I think the Paxlovid helped because it kept me from getting seriously sick or hospitalized. But it had side effects, including fatigue, dizziness, and brain fog. So, am I better now? Better, yes, but 100%, no!
Each day is a surprise. Today, I feel pretty good. Yesterday, I was severely lethargic and cranky. The day before that, I was tired, anxious, depressed, and had slightly blurry vision. And so it goes—each day is a surprise. This irregularity of symptoms is often called long COVID or post-COVID-19 syndrome. It manifests the symptoms I'm experiencing and others, including headaches, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and more.
It's unfortunate, but some people still don't believe COVID-19 exists. They call it the flu, or they quickly change the subject of the conversation because they don't have an adequate explanation for their lack of faith in science. I don't know where this virus will go from here, but I hope ya'll take heed; it can get ugly quickly.