What the hell happened?
After my last walkabout I got home and got sicker after my first 5 mile walk this year. Progress! Then... no progress. It is now a couple of weeks later after being unable to do much and losing ground daily on my walkabouts. Now I'll have to start building up to 5 miles...ALL OVER AGAIN AND I''M NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT!
I tested posted for covid for the 3rd time, two days after my last walkabout. I didn't think it was covid. Again. I'd gone to get a blood draw regarding my changes in long covid this year and I think that's where I caught this, I should have worn a mask. I mentioned that the the VA Nurse (see below) and she said, yes, I saw you did that and was going to say that may have been where you caught it.
That was a week or so of discomfort. What I've now been calling the most fun version of covid of the three bouts I've had (it's not fun). So I called the VA Nurse and he sent me to local urgent care to get Paxlovid via a VA program called "Mission Critical Care" ("You can use that 3 times").
So I took Paxlovid, three pills in each blister pack twice daily for five days. The day before I finished the meds, something else started. I'd had trouble getting my sinuses open, especially the top ones in my forehead, always a problem and I know that after only 2-3 days it can cause a sinus infection.
I finally was getting over it when saline flushes brought out blood from my sinuses over a few days...meaning I had a sinus infection. That's when I called the VA nurse again. She said it may be "Paxlovid Rebound" or covid rebound. 1 in 10 (10%) of people taking Paxlovid get this. Lucky me.
I thought maybe the sinus issue just caused a sinus infection, so take some antibiotics (which I avoid as I do tranquillizers and pain meds), and I'd be good. But she said let's hold off, see what happens, then take a test the day after I finished the Paxlovid.
I did. She had said not to be surprised if I tested positive as I probably would. I did not. So that's something. I've had all the covid shots, long covid twice, so would this new round of covid start me with a new round of long covid, again? April 1st was my 2 year anniversary of this last long covid experience. I'd hoped it would be done within 18 months like the first time, or 2 years. I mentioned the long covid to the VA Nurse who didn't know much about it.
This is an issue I've run into since I first contracted long covid in February 2020, health care professioanls know very little about it. Which was why I wrote a book on it, Suffering "Long Covid". I'm amazed still today how few are informed on it. It may only be 10% of those who were infected with Covid, but that's still actually a lot of people.
What happened? The VA Nurse said Paxlovid might keep me from getting long covid and may shorten the infection, but that even if I got covid rebound it's worth having taken it. I have not been feelin any long covid since taking the Paxlovid. THAT was hopeful!
I'm very hopeful that long covid may now end. But will it? Over 3 years of long covid off and on? I'm ready to be done with it, emotionally exhausted about it all.
So I now just have a sinus infection apparently and I'm waiting to see if I need to call the VA Nurse again for the antibiotics, which I'd like to avoid if saline flushing my sinuses works, I'd be good with that but if I continue feeling sick, sinus headache upon waking every day as today again (not yesterday when sinuses were clear), then I'll need the antibiotics.
The good side of all this, as I couldn't do anything but watch TV these past two weeks was that I saw some great shows.
"Sugar", just started on Apple+
"Fallout", on Amazon Prime from the video game I have over 700 hours into helping me get out of long covid in early 2022 and led to my producing my greatest award winning documentary, "Pvt. Ravel's Bolero". Loved the show, can't wait until series two comes out.
I'd already watched the 30 ep Chinese version of "Three-Body" on Amazon Prime and newer ("Game of Thrones" producer related) "3-Body-Problem" on Netflix. Just wanted to give them a call out.
"Marcella", on Netflix was fun. 3 seaons.
Tried season 5 of "Virgin River" on Netflix, I uncharacteristically liked that show but this season is killing me. Maybe because it's a Christmas season but I can't get into it. Sometimes it just takes getting through a few episodes though, so we'll see?
New, "Shogun", that was fun.
"The Girls on the Bus", very fun.
"The Hunt", very enjoyable about finding Lincoln's assassin.
Just started, "Franklin" with Michael Douglas, starring. Like it very much.
So, time will tell how things go with this current respiratory infection as we watch the further demise of international lowlife Donald Trump in our country's first criminal FPOTUS trial of a career criminal authoritarian, our first to have run for POTUS, and who actually, ludicrously got it.
We were lucky his first time. If he gets another he'll try to end America and be more effective at it in now having those around him who are not protecting America and are very into evolving an authoritarian country.
Hopefully we're stronger than that, we are more aware of what a lowlife Trump is, he's lost many of his MAGA, and hopefully we won't lose the democracy these people hate so much.
My older MAGA brother being one of them, the only one in our family where we all grew up democrat and a union (Teamster) family. I've been an independent most of my life, voting for the best candidate. The GOP in recent years and Donald Trump ended that, pushing me necessarily into partisanship. Something I find disgusting, binary thinking, and anti-American.
But we must fight against a GOP whose motto appears to be through actions: "Profit and power at any or all cost to any or all others, as long as it's not US." Corporate Thought at its worst. This is Russian level stuff, China level stuff.
Better times are coming though, people.
We cannot afford to descend into a Trump inspired Putinesque mire of RINOistic hate and division and despair.
And with that... I wish you all great success and health! Until next time!
Cheers! Sláinte!
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