Omicron anecdata?

[Spryte]

33 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

Quick summary of the probiotic study described in the article linked above:

RCT with 182 participants, given either a placebo or a probiotic (Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG) within 7 days of exposure to a confirmed covid case: 42.9% of placebo group developed symptoms vs 26.4% taking the probiotic (p = 0.02).

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.04.21268275v1

If anyone is wondering, Culturelle is a fairly good probiotic and is mostly Lactobacillus Rhamnosos (I’m not sure about the GG).

We generally switch up our probiotics every time we finish an order, and Culturelle is in the rotation.

[mommyoffive]

Just got this coupon code for Bona Fide Masks

LOYAL20 for 20% off sitewide thru March 13th.

[Spryte]

Y’all. I am screaming inside.

Continuing outbreak at the parents’ nursing home. As of today, 29 residents and 6 staff members in the last 10 days.

Doc said FIL’s case was as severe as it gets without going on a respirator (which doc said he would not have survived). It’s been bad. So he’s into recovery, but no promises about how he will recover going forward. Still on oxygen, but starting to taper steroids tomorrow. 

Just now I got a call from the head nurse. My mom’s sweet roommate has Covid. And the kicker — the isolation wing is full, and there is *no* place to move her! And they can’t put my mom in a different room with a resident who hasn’t been exposed. So my mom, who is negative, has to stay in the room with the Covid positive patient. 

My mom called immediately after the head nurse, and told me she had been out at bingo, and came home to find red notices all over her door. I encouraged her to wear her mask in her room, and crack a window. Stay hydrated. I can’t think what else to suggest. I told her a few people here have shared beds with positive spouses and not caught it, and we talked about wishing her roomie well. 

This is a hopeless feeling.

 

ETA: you know it’s bad when I use the word “y’all.”

Edited March 3, 2023 by Spryte

[Kassia]

Oh, @Spryte, that is just awful.  I'm so sorry.  

[mommyoffive]

19 minutes ago, Spryte said:

Y’all. I am screaming inside.

Continuing outbreak at the parents’ nursing home. As of today, 29 residents and 6 staff members in the last 10 days.

Doc said FIL’s case was as severe as it gets without going on a respirator (which doc said he would not have survived). It’s been bad. So he’s into recovery, but no promises about how he will recover going forward. Still on oxygen, but starting to taper steroids tomorrow. 

Just now I got a call from the head nurse. My mom’s sweet roommate has Covid. And the kicker — the isolation wing is full, and there is *no* place to move her! And they can’t put my mom in a different room with a resident who hasn’t been exposed. So my mom, who is negative, has to stay in the room with the Covid positive patient. 

My mom called immediately after the head nurse, and told me she had been out at bingo, and came home to find red notices all over her door. I encouraged her to wear her mask in her room, and crack a window. Stay hydrated. I can’t think what else to suggest. I told her a few people here have shared beds with positive spouses and not caught it, and we talked about wishing her roomie well. 

This is a hopeless feeling.

 

ETA: you know it’s bad when I use the word “y’all.”

Oh that is so awful for your mom.  I am sorry. 

Have her mask, open the window, Xclear, vitamins for the covid protocol.  Will her roommate mask?  Can you get her an extra air filter? 

Sending good thoughts to your FIL.

[Spryte]

I will ask about sending her vitamins — not sure if we are allowed. 

I have found one positive to the whole situation: since my mom is already exposed and fairly likely to turn positive, she won’t have to change rooms if she gets sick. She can stay in her own room. This is good because she is prone to delirium with changes.

Reframing helps me cope.

Covid sucks.

[KSera]

56 minutes ago, Spryte said:

Y’all. I am screaming inside.

Continuing outbreak at the parents’ nursing home. As of today, 29 residents and 6 staff members in the last 10 days.

Doc said FIL’s case was as severe as it gets without going on a respirator (which doc said he would not have survived). It’s been bad. So he’s into recovery, but no promises about how he will recover going forward. Still on oxygen, but starting to taper steroids tomorrow. 

Just now I got a call from the head nurse. My mom’s sweet roommate has Covid. And the kicker — the isolation wing is full, and there is *no* place to move her! And they can’t put my mom in a different room with a resident who hasn’t been exposed. So my mom, who is negative, has to stay in the room with the Covid positive patient. 

My mom called immediately after the head nurse, and told me she had been out at bingo, and came home to find red notices all over her door. I encouraged her to wear her mask in her room, and crack a window. Stay hydrated. I can’t think what else to suggest. I told her a few people here have shared beds with positive spouses and not caught it, and we talked about wishing her roomie well. 

This is a hopeless feeling.

 

ETA: you know it’s bad when I use the word “y’all.”

Oh, that is dreadful, Spryte, I’m sorry. Your take is probably the best one, since she’s probably already exposed at this point. Perhaps she will have enough immunity to escape it 🤞. 

[Harriet Vane]

@SpryteI’m so sorry! That’s really awful.

[Ausmumof3]

1 hour ago, Spryte said:

Y’all. I am screaming inside.

Continuing outbreak at the parents’ nursing home. As of today, 29 residents and 6 staff members in the last 10 days.

Doc said FIL’s case was as severe as it gets without going on a respirator (which doc said he would not have survived). It’s been bad. So he’s into recovery, but no promises about how he will recover going forward. Still on oxygen, but starting to taper steroids tomorrow. 

Just now I got a call from the head nurse. My mom’s sweet roommate has Covid. And the kicker — the isolation wing is full, and there is *no* place to move her! And they can’t put my mom in a different room with a resident who hasn’t been exposed. So my mom, who is negative, has to stay in the room with the Covid positive patient. 

My mom called immediately after the head nurse, and told me she had been out at bingo, and came home to find red notices all over her door. I encouraged her to wear her mask in her room, and crack a window. Stay hydrated. I can’t think what else to suggest. I told her a few people here have shared beds with positive spouses and not caught it, and we talked about wishing her roomie well. 

This is a hopeless feeling.

 

ETA: you know it’s bad when I use the word “y’all.”

That’s terrible! Are you able to supply her with a portable hepa filter at all? I guess it depends on the nursing home rules etc.

[Spryte]

1 hour ago, Ausmumof3 said:

That’s terrible! Are you able to supply her with a portable hepa filter at all? I guess it depends on the nursing home rules etc.

I can ask about that. I’m going to bet that we aren’t allowed to visit in her room, but maybe I can take it to the nurses and ask them to set it up.

Man. This feels pretty rotten, I’m just waiting for my mom to turn positive. She says the roommate is really coughing. They are separated by a curtain only.

I waver between being accepting and wanting to call and demand something better — but there isn’t any other option. The positive number is up to 32 residents and they only have 90. Of course they don’t have enough single rooms. Gaaaah.

[Kassia]

What a nightmare, @Spryte

[Corraleno]

<head desk>

Excerpts from this article:

"[Montana] House Bill 645 would ban individuals who received the COVID-19 vaccine from donating blood, making it a misdemeanor with a $500 fine to donate or accept blood from vaccinated donors. The bill would also ban people who have had a diagnosis of “Long COVID,” medically defined as “postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 due to chronic 27 SARS-CoV-2 viral infection.”

... Proponents said the bill, a continuation of anti-vaccine legislation that passed last session, was about medical autonomy and the right to receive blood from donors who had not been vaccinated against COVID-19. “We hear these two words ‘safe and effective’ a million plus times. Does that make them true?” said bill sponsor Rep. Greg Kmetz, R- Miles City.

... Proponents included Rep. Lola Sheldon-Galloway, vice-chairwoman of the House Human Services Committee, which heard the bill on Friday. She repeated claims made in the film “Died Suddenly” that were debunked prior to its release.  She said the vaccine caused issues with blood flow, citing her brother, a mortician.

Other proponents said that blood recipients should not have to worry about adverse effects in an emergency situation. “I’m one of many who believe in the God given right of medical freedom, which is having access to genetically unmodified blood during a time of need,” said Jo Vilhauer from Miles City. “This is a vital part of health autonomy.”

... Chief Medical Officer for the American Red Cross in the Western U.S. Dr. Walter Kelley said this bill would “decimate” blood supply in Montana as 80% of the state has received at least one dose of the vaccine. “This bill will put patients’ lives in jeopardy, and this bill needs to be removed,” Kelley said.

Numark, senior vice president of a blood collection nonprofit, said there’s no way to test for the components outlined in the bill, including “gene-altering proteins, nanoparticles, high-count spike proteins from long COVID-19, and other DNA chemotherapies," among other COVID-19 related restrictions. “There’s no test to do that, so we would not be able to comply to determine whether people have received it or not,” he said."

[KSera]

1 hour ago, Corraleno said:

Excerpts from this articl

Utter insanity.

[mommyoffive]

COVID pill is first to cut short positive-test time after infection (nature.com)

[Ausmumof3]

3 hours ago, Corraleno said:

<head desk>

Excerpts from this article:

"[Montana] House Bill 645 would ban individuals who received the COVID-19 vaccine from donating blood, making it a misdemeanor with a $500 fine to donate or accept blood from vaccinated donors. The bill would also ban people who have had a diagnosis of “Long COVID,” medically defined as “postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 due to chronic 27 SARS-CoV-2 viral infection.”

... Proponents said the bill, a continuation of anti-vaccine legislation that passed last session, was about medical autonomy and the right to receive blood from donors who had not been vaccinated against COVID-19. “We hear these two words ‘safe and effective’ a million plus times. Does that make them true?” said bill sponsor Rep. Greg Kmetz, R- Miles City.

... Proponents included Rep. Lola Sheldon-Galloway, vice-chairwoman of the House Human Services Committee, which heard the bill on Friday. She repeated claims made in the film “Died Suddenly” that were debunked prior to its release.  She said the vaccine caused issues with blood flow, citing her brother, a mortician.

Other proponents said that blood recipients should not have to worry about adverse effects in an emergency situation. “I’m one of many who believe in the God given right of medical freedom, which is having access to genetically unmodified blood during a time of need,” said Jo Vilhauer from Miles City. “This is a vital part of health autonomy.”

... Chief Medical Officer for the American Red Cross in the Western U.S. Dr. Walter Kelley said this bill would “decimate” blood supply in Montana as 80% of the state has received at least one dose of the vaccine. “This bill will put patients’ lives in jeopardy, and this bill needs to be removed,” Kelley said.

Numark, senior vice president of a blood collection nonprofit, said there’s no way to test for the components outlined in the bill, including “gene-altering proteins, nanoparticles, high-count spike proteins from long COVID-19, and other DNA chemotherapies," among other COVID-19 related restrictions. “There’s no test to do that, so we would not be able to comply to determine whether people have received it or not,” he said."

It really feels like heading back to the dark ages 

[TCB]

@Spryte so sorry about your Mom!

I saw an article about a study showing that even a curtain between beds can reduce spread. It seems like it would be really good to get a Hepa filter right near her. A Corsi Rosenthal box is easy to make yourself but is a bit big and bulky if there isn’t much room.

I also saw a recent study showing the benefit of using a mouthwash with a certain ingredient if you’d been exposed. I’ll try and find the link.

 

[TCB]

My dd has just had Covid for the first time. She was really sick and felt terrible for a number of days. She also ended up with a perforated eardrum after a few days so that has added to everything. Today is day 17 since she first developed symptoms and she is experiencing a lot of muscle fatigue in her whole body.

Does anyone have any suggestions for anything to try to help that?

[HomeAgain]

13 minutes ago, TCB said:

My dd has just had Covid for the first time. She was really sick and felt terrible for a number of days. She also ended up with a perforated eardrum after a few days so that has added to everything. Today is day 17 since she first developed symptoms and she is experiencing a lot of muscle fatigue in her whole body.

Does anyone have any suggestions for anything to try to help that?

A lot of rest.  Seriously.  If she can rest her body, she should.  It's telling her something.

The memories of youngest ds came up in my memories this week.  It was 3 weeks after first symptoms, and he had gone from being an average skater to not being able to stay on the ice, doing slow laps, for more than 10 minutes.  He was done.  We had him wear a smart watch and monitored him closely.  Every time his heart would start to elevate, we sat him down and had him take deep breaths.  It took another month before he was somewhat okay physically and 8 months before his brain began to return to normal.

[kbutton]

2 hours ago, TCB said:

My dd has just had Covid for the first time. She was really sick and felt terrible for a number of days. She also ended up with a perforated eardrum after a few days so that has added to everything. Today is day 17 since she first developed symptoms and she is experiencing a lot of muscle fatigue in her whole body.

Does anyone have any suggestions for anything to try to help that?

Magnesium? Epsom salt baths?

[KSera]

2 hours ago, TCB said:

My dd has just had Covid for the first time. She was really sick and felt terrible for a number of days. She also ended up with a perforated eardrum after a few days so that has added to everything. Today is day 17 since she first developed symptoms and she is experiencing a lot of muscle fatigue in her whole body.

Does anyone have any suggestions for anything to try to help that?

Antihistamines seem to be helpful for some people and are used for treating long Covid. Hydroxyzine might be ideal, but an OTC antihistamine has helped people also. It’s an easy one to try at least to see if it helps. 

[Harriet Vane]

5 hours ago, TCB said:

My dd has just had Covid for the first time. She was really sick and felt terrible for a number of days. She also ended up with a perforated eardrum after a few days so that has added to everything. Today is day 17 since she first developed symptoms and she is experiencing a lot of muscle fatigue in her whole body.

Does anyone have any suggestions for anything to try to help that?

A dear friend of mine is a physical therapy assistant and athletic trainer. She is emphatic that resumption of activity or exercise must be "low and slow" post-covid. My layman's understanding is that there's so much inflammation and damage that pushing before healing the damage just results in more damage. 

My other purely anecdotal thought is that covid brings inflammation throughout the body, so doing anti-inflammatory measures may be helpful. That may explain a little of why antihistamines help some people.

But I'm not an expert at all. Just my two cents, in hopes that it's helpful.

 

[BeachGal]

13 hours ago, TCB said:

My dd has just had Covid for the first time. She was really sick and felt terrible for a number of days. She also ended up with a perforated eardrum after a few days so that has added to everything. Today is day 17 since she first developed symptoms and she is experiencing a lot of muscle fatigue in her whole body.

Does anyone have any suggestions for anything to try to help that?

Some ideas…

No strenuous exercise. Walking, stretching might be okay but only if it doesn’t cause a crash. Don’t try to push through.

Rest and sleep a lot.

Reduce or eliminate fructose and other simple carbs.

Take a lysine pill daily for awhile if there are any signs of a viral reactivation.

Might want to look into taking serrapeptase or lumbrokinase. Lumbro is probably safer. Double Wood is more affordable than Boluoke but the latter is considered the best of lumbro that’s for sale.

Get a red/near infrared light and do two sessions per day once in the morning and then about 12 hours later. On the torso and back, naked, sitting a few inches away. I’d try to get the light high enough so it hits the thymus as well. Ideally, for each session you’d do 10” of the chest and then 10” of the back but even 5” each side would help. Don’t overdo time because it has a sweet spot. More is not necessarily better but more would mean an hour or hours per session. Turn on both the red and NIR light buttons. NIR light goes deeper into the body but red light is pretty potent, too.

Dr. Seheult did a video explaining how all this works. He is a big fan of light therapy and has several other videos about it. If you want to look at the studies, he links them under the title below the video. You have to click on “…more” and they’ll appear in the sidebar.

https://youtu.be/e6xj14QYsoc

This Hooga (Wisconsin company) is a sturdy device that is well made and reasonably priced. We have a large Joovv device and also this Hooga. All of our kids have the Hooga as well. Both are very good but the Hooga is less expensive. You might be able to find an online coupon code for them. They often have them.

https://hoogahealth.com/products/hgpro300

I don’t lurk over there anymore but on Reddit, Research_Reader had interesting advice. She was dealing with multiple reinfections and long Covid. If she’s still there on the longhaulers forum, you could read her old posts or ask her questions. She was very helpful to others.

I hope your daughter starts to feel better very soon.

[mommyoffive]

Long Covid Weekly #35: Brainstem Changes, Omicron vs Delta & More! (substack.com)

[mommyoffive]

[Corraleno]

5 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Long Covid Weekly #35: Brainstem Changes, Omicron vs Delta & More! (substack.com)

One bit of very good news in that report is that Omicron seems  much less likely to cause Long Covid compared to earlier variants.

[prairiewindmomma]

23 hours ago, TCB said:

My dd has just had Covid for the first time. She was really sick and felt terrible for a number of days. She also ended up with a perforated eardrum after a few days so that has added to everything. Today is day 17 since she first developed symptoms and she is experiencing a lot of muscle fatigue in her whole body.

Does anyone have any suggestions for anything to try to help that?

I found some relief from NAC. I also took a lot of Epsom salt baths. It took a while, though. I don’t know that I have fully bounced back from October, TBH. I just get tired more quickly. I agree with low and slow resumption of activity.

[Ausmumof3]

“Findings: Of 1323 randomized trial participants, 1125 consented for long-term follow up, and 95.1% completed >9 months of follow up. The median age was 45 years (IQR, 37 to 54), and 56% were female (7% pregnant). The median BMI was 30 kg/m2 (IQR, 27 to 34). Overall, 8.4% reported a medical provider diagnosed them with Long COVID; cumulative incidence: 6.3% with metformin and 10.6% with matched placebo. The hazard ratio (HR) for metformin preventing Long COVID was 0.58 (95%CI, 0.38 to 0.88; P=0·009) versus placebo. The metformin effect was consistent across subgroups, including viral variants. When metformin was started within <4 days of symptom onset, the HR for Long COVID was 0.37 (95%CI, 0.15 to 0.95).  No statistical difference in Long COVID occurred in those randomized to either ivermectin (HR=0.99; 95%CI, 0.59 to 1.64) or fluvoxamine (HR=1.36; 95%CI, 0.78 to 2.34).

Interpretations: A 42% relative decrease and 4.3% absolute decrease in the Long COVID incidence occurred in participants who received early outpatient COVID-19 treatment with metformin compared to exact-matching placebo.”

[Melissa Louise]

The metformin is interesting. DD1 takes that, and bounced back from her Covid infection really well.

Dd2 has just had it for the second time 😞 I am extremely worried about her. She only just recovered from her Delta infection in the last few months, and I think her immune system is likely compromised by stress, as she's going through a a very distressing break up of a long term, live in relationship.

Reading the above suggestions for supplements etc with interest.

I wish my kids would go back to masking.

[SHP]

Why parents lied about their Children’s covid status.

"Among the many reasons parents gave for the most popular was "I wanted to exercise my freedom to do what I want with my child," followed by "My child did not feel very sick" and "I wanted my child's life to feel 'normal.'"

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/parents-lied-children-covid-status-coronavirus-study/?dc_data=4165335_samsung-browser-us&utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=taboola_news&jd=V1_-8048761009909120414

 

 

And people wonder why I have tryst issues

[mommyoffive]

Do masks work? - by Jenn Dowd - News from Those Nerdy Girls (substack.com)

[mommyoffive]

People’s CDC COVID-19 Weather Report - People's CDC (substack.com)

The Weather: While transmission levels dropped slightly from last week, 86.54% of the population is living in areas with substantial or higher transmission.

[Acadie]

On 3/6/2023 at 3:19 PM, Corraleno said:

One bit of very good news in that report is that Omicron seems  much less likely to cause Long Covid compared to earlier variants.

I apologize, I haven't read this. But is it good news if the percentage is lower, but most people are getting Omicron variants multiple times? Does it translate to fewer new folks with LC, or a smaller percentage but more people affected?

I'm not seeing good news in our circles. We know a dozen young athletes who can no longer run or play sports, another dozen young people who have asthma or other breathing issues, and two teens with kidney damage post-Covid.

About 3/4 of this appeared after Omicron. 

 

[Matryoshka]

9 minutes ago, Acadie said:

I apologize, I haven't read this. But is it good news if the percentage is lower, but most people are getting Omicron variants multiple times? Does it translate to fewer new folks with LC, or a smaller percentage but more people affected?

I'm not seeing good news in our circles. We know a dozen young athletes who can no longer run or play sports, another dozen young people who have asthma or other breathing issues, and two teens with kidney damage post-Covid.

About 3/4 of this appeared after Omicron. 

Ugh.  I just happened upon a YouTube video, updating on a YouTuber who hadn't posted in a while, apparently because although young, healthy, fit, thin and looks like in her 20s or early 30s (had just gotten married), got Covid and now about a year later (so it was probably Omicron?) her Long Covid is actually getting worse and she is only able to lie in bed with the shades drawn.  It's heartbreaking.

 

[KSera]

9 minutes ago, Matryoshka said:

Ugh.  I just happened upon a YouTube video, updating on a YouTuber who hadn't posted in a while, apparently because although young, healthy, fit, thin and looks like in her 20s or early 30s (had just gotten married), got Covid and now about a year later (so it was probably Omicron?) her Long Covid is actually getting worse and she is only able to lie in bed with the shades drawn.  It's heartbreaking.

 

Oh my word, Physics Girl?!! I had no idea. I love her videos. How absolutely horrible 😥. Thank you for sharing. 

[Corraleno]

4 minutes ago, Acadie said:

I apologize, I haven't read this. But is it good news if the percentage is lower, but most people are getting Omicron variants multiple times? Does it translate to fewer new folks with LC, or a smaller percentage but more people affected?

I'm not seeing good news in our circles. We know a dozen young athletes who can no longer run or play sports, another dozen young people who have asthma or other breathing issues, and two teens with kidney damage post-Covid.

About 3/4 of this appeared after Omicron. 

 

Given how many people have gotten omicron, the good news in the linked report is that a smaller percentage of them are getting long covid compared to previous variants, even though the total # of people with long covid may increase just because of how widespread it is. But it would be so much worse if the odds of getting long covid from omicron were as bad as, say, Delta, with a variant as incredibly contagious and immune-evasive as the current omicron variants.

I'm so sorry about the teens you know, that is scary. I wish public health officials were much more vocal about the importance of resting and returning to activities slowly. But I guess that would not be popular with businesses (even though having a significant % of workers with long covid is obviously a worse economic outcome in the long run).

[Acadie]

1 minute ago, Corraleno said:

I'm so sorry about the teens you know, that is scary. I wish public health officials were much more vocal about the importance of resting and returning to activities slowly. But I guess that would not be popular with businesses (even though having a significant % of workers with long covid is obviously a worse economic outcome in the long run).

I should've said among them is my college-age daughter, a 3-season athlete who can no longer run, much less compete.

She's been willing to share her experience (which many with Long Covid understandably aren't) and worked this fall with her college to develop a panel featuring students with LC, faculty research, and info on symptoms and prevention.

But she heard last week that higher-ups in the administration have nixed the panel. They don't want Long Covid visible on campus. 

She might be able to form a student support group instead, a dean said, but best not to reference Long Covid. How about post-viral illness, which is broad enough to include many other things? 

This is a highly competitive college in Northeast, known for considering character and kindness in applicants, and for saying that the diversity of student experience increases the awareness and intelligence of all.

@Corraleno, you're a board member I deeply respect, and I have no beef with you.

But our government and public health response has sold out our children's long term health to corporate interests, and that I cannot forgive. I don't see a subtle shift toward a slightly lower percentage of cases making a difference.

The pinnacle of human achievement isn't getting and spending. And sweeping things under the rug is not the most evolved human response. I shudder to think how my generation will answer when our adult children ask why didn't you tell me? And why didn't you protect me? 

Yale and Wash U have robust faculty research on Long Covid that they feature in alumni publications. We can be smart, and emotionally aware and still look at this.

[KSera]

41 minutes ago, Acadie said:

@Corraleno, you're a board member I deeply respect, and I have no beef with you.

But our government and public health response has sold out our children's long term health to corporate interests, and that I cannot forgive. I don't see a subtle shift toward a slightly lower percentage of cases making a difference.

Fwiw, that’s not how I read her post. I thought she was saying while it may be a lower percentage, it’s a lower percentage of a much bigger number overall (which is likely to mean a greater number of people affected). 
 

That’s nuts that a college would not be allowing people to give visibility to long Covid.

[Corraleno]

44 minutes ago, Acadie said:

@Corraleno, you're a board member I deeply respect, and I have no beef with you.

But our government and public health response has sold out our children's long term health to corporate interests, and that I cannot forgive. I don't see a subtle shift toward a slightly lower percentage of cases making a difference.

I think I was not communicating clearly if it came across that I was diminishing the significance of long covid. I absolutely agree with you that both government and corporate interests are downplaying a very serious issue and that much more needs to be done. I am so sorry for what your daughter is going through, my son is also a varsity athlete and long covid and myocarditis have been huge worries for me, because I know there's so much pressure to get back to practice and back to class and just tough it out. The fact that her university won't even let her mention "long covid" in a support group is appalling.

I also want to clarify that the rate of long covid with omicron isn't just "slightly lower" — according to that study, it's less than 1/2 the rate of Delta and less than 1/3 the rate of Alpha. Obviously that's no comfort for those who already have it, or even those who will be among the unlucky ones who still get it from omicron, but it's a significant reduction and when you think of 330 million people being exposed to omicron, that's potentially several million fewer cases of long covid.

 

[Ausmumof3]

7 hours ago, Acadie said:

I apologize, I haven't read this. But is it good news if the percentage is lower, but most people are getting Omicron variants multiple times? Does it translate to fewer new folks with LC, or a smaller percentage but more people affected?

I'm not seeing good news in our circles. We know a dozen young athletes who can no longer run or play sports, another dozen young people who have asthma or other breathing issues, and two teens with kidney damage post-Covid.

About 3/4 of this appeared after Omicron. 

 

Eek

but thank you for my weekly reminder as to why I keep masking even when it sucks 😞 

[mommyoffive]

House Select Subcommittee, GBD, and revisionism (substack.com)

[mommyoffive]

[mommyoffive]

[mommyoffive]

Indoor air is full of flu and COVID viruses. Will countries clean it up? (nature.com)

[mommyoffive]

A break from Covid waves and a breakthrough for preventing Long Covid (substack.com)

[mommyoffive]

U.S. Considers Vaccinating Chickens Amid Bird Flu Outbreak - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

[Corraleno]

3 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

House Select Subcommittee, GBD, and revisionism (substack.com)

The fact that anyone can claim, not just with a straight face but with feigned indignation, that the lunatic authors of The Great Barrington Declaration were right all along and we should have just "let it rip" — when Alpha was circulating, there were no vaccines, bodies were being stacked in refrigerated trucks, and hospitals were totally overwhelmed even with all possible mitigation measures — is just beyond comprehension. And it does not bode well for the next pandemic.

 

Edited March 8, 2023 by Corraleno
missing word

[Corraleno]

The recent study on metformin's effectiveness in preventing long covid (especially if given within 4 days) made me wonder if berberine (an OTC supplement) would also be effective against covid, since studies have shown it to be as effective as metformin for T2 diabetes.

So I searched to see if any studies had been done on berberine, and found this extremely thorough (and very very technical) summary of the research on berberine's effectiveness against a whole host of viruses and it's potential application for covid:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10787-022-01080-1

Although there haven't been many studies specifically on berberine and covid, the ones that do exist are positive, and there are many more studies on berberine with other viral illnesses; the linked article goes over the specific mechanisms by which various viruses cause damage and the ways in which berberine interferes with those mechanisms and mitigates the damage. A lot of it is frankly over my head — like I may not know what the "ABC pathway" is, but the authors say that X study showed this is the mechanism by which covid (or other viruses) cause Y problem, and Z study shows that berberine effectively blocks that pathway.

Given the importance of starting metformin as quickly as possible with covid, and the fact that it can take days to even test positive let alone get a doctor's appointment, I'm definitely adding berberine to my "covid kit," along with NAC. The article suggests 1-1.5g/day, and most brands seem to sell capsules in the 1-1.2g range.

[Harriet Vane]

49 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

The recent study on metformin's effectiveness in preventing long covid (especially if given within 4 days) made me wonder if berberine (an OTC supplement) would also be effective against covid, since studies have shown it to be as effective as metformin for T2 diabetes.

So I searched to see if any studies had been done on berberine, and found this extremely thorough (and very very technical) summary of the research on berberine's effectiveness against a whole host of viruses and it's potential application for covid:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10787-022-01080-1

Although there haven't been many studies specifically on berberine and covid, the ones that do exist are positive, and there are many more studies on berberine with other viral illnesses; the linked article goes over the specific mechanisms by which various viruses cause damage and the ways in which berberine interferes with those mechanisms and mitigates the damage. A lot of it is frankly over my head — like I may not know what the "ABC pathway" is, but the authors say that X study showed this is the mechanism by which covid (or other viruses) cause Y problem, and Z study shows that berberine effectively blocks that pathway.

Given the importance of starting metformin as quickly as possible with covid, and the fact that it can take days to even test positive let alone get a doctor's appointment, I'm definitely adding berberine to my "covid kit," along with NAC. The article suggests 1-1.5g/day, and most brands seem to sell capsules in the 1-1.2g range.

That study is extremely helpful.

I'm curious to hear more about NAC. Can that be taken concurrently with berberine? Do you have a similar study to suggest dosage and efficacy?

Thinking ahead to an upcoming vacation and what to bring in my covid kit. I've got iodine sinus rinse and am taking extra D at the moment. Wondering what I should stock in case we get sick along the way. 

[kbutton]

14 hours ago, Acadie said:

I should've said among them is my college-age daughter, a 3-season athlete who can no longer run, much less compete.

She's been willing to share her experience (which many with Long Covid understandably aren't) and worked this fall with her college to develop a panel featuring students with LC, faculty research, and info on symptoms and prevention.

But she heard last week that higher-ups in the administration have nixed the panel. They don't want Long Covid visible on campus. 

I am so sorry that she has long covid. I am appalled that a college would be okay with pretending it doesn't exist. 

This is exactly how history gets buried and rewritten.

2 hours ago, Corraleno said:

The fact that anyone can claim, not just with a straight face but with feigned indignation, that the lunatic authors of The Great Barrington Declaration were right all along and we should have just "let it rip" — when Alpha was circulating, there were no vaccines, bodies were being stacked in refrigerated trucks, and hospitals were totally overwhelmed even with all possible mitigation measures — is just beyond comprehension. And it does not bode well for the next pandemic.

I figure my husband is toast in the next pandemic. He would've been in this one if we hadn't locked down--there wasn't enough PPE, and we are lucky that droplet protocols were good enough; before it was declared a pandemic, they were instructed to where "space" suits to evaluate patients that might have it, and they didn't have enough of those either.

Prior to the lockdown, we were just trying hard to not think about what was coming. We couldn't do anything about it other than make sure we had supplies and wait for evidence of local spread. We're fortunate that we didn't have high case numbers locally when DeWine instituted the lockdown.

[Corraleno]

38 minutes ago, Harriet Vane said:

That study is extremely helpful.

I'm curious to hear more about NAC. Can that be taken concurrently with berberine? Do you have a similar study to suggest dosage and efficacy?

This is a fairly recent article (12/22) summarizing the research and describing the mechanisms of action:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876034122003021

Most of the research has been in severely ill patients in ICU, using intravenous administration of NAC, with mixed results (it seems the sicker the person is, the less effective NAC is). But the data looks fairly promising for prophylactic and early treatment. Excerpt from the article describing pretty dramatic results when NAC was used prophylactically against flu:

"NAC has been used classically to improve the expectoration in patients with chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis, or cystic fibrosis. The clinical applications of NAC cover diverse pathological conditions involving oxidative stress, ARDS, and certain cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, various mechanisms associate it with other benefits such as boosting the immune system, suppressing viral replication, and reducing inflammation [17]. For example, De Flora et al. demonstrated that the treatment with NAC tablets (600 mg) twice daily for six months vs. placebo had a robust and significant protective effect on local symptoms such a coryza, rhinorrhea, sore throat, catarrh and cough, and general symptoms, especially headache and myalgia arthralgia in patients with influenza and influenza-like episodes [18]. Only 25 % of virus-infected subjects in the NAC group developed flu symptoms, contrasting with 79 % of the subjects in the placebo group."

The article recommends 600 mg 2x/day for mild cases and 3x/day for moderate cases.

Edited March 8, 2023 by Corraleno