CV and mad panic behaviour

[PaulP]

Not exactly sure who "they" are, that said vaccines stop you from getting covid. I never heard anyone reputable, be they medical professionals or politicians, who said those words. I remember hearing that getting the vaccine is your best chance of prevention, not that in and of itself, it is prevention.

[dodge]

Anti-vaxxing k@#nts!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WHSVOVLmNY
If you don't mind, I'd rather have the choice not to be your friend!

This was written in the 50s, but not released until the 80s.  I loved Tom Lehrer when growing up, along with Flanders and Swann.  A few of my faves are Be Prepared, Vatican Rag, Poisoning Pigeons in the park, The elements. 

Back to Covid - it is really weird how it affects everyone really differently, although the elements seem to be the same.  Also really weird how it is vastly different within a family.  Hope all get better quickly.

[Thryleon]

It seems there are a lot of different experiences with this thing.
I'm one month post positive.
The first day was the worst (chills and fever) after that I got access to some anti-virals and the symptoms cleared up pretty quickly.
Then about a week later the cough, which hadn't been too bad, started to get a bit worse, and is still hanging around.
I re-tested on around days 10 and 14 (two weeks).
There was still a faint second line on both occasiions.
I tested again this morning, after developing a few sniffles over-night, and I'm clear (must be a day-care head cold from the grandkids).

There will no doubt be a lot of follow up research on the effects of the virus.
One interesting one may be the 'covid fog'.

I like to do a lot of online quizzes and puzzles.
Trivia stuff-History Geography, Science, Entertainment etc.

I was doing a quiz the other night that required me to match the names of movie stars to their photographs.
It's the kind of task I usually have little trouble with and usually get them all or miss on  one or two.

In this quiz there were 20 photos of fairly well known stars.
I ended up missing 8.
They were 8 I knew very well and included folks like Val Kilmer, Morgan Freeman and Anthony Hopkins.
I could see them in their films, but the names just wouldn't come to me before I ran out of time.
It was really frustrating and I suspect it's similar to the way folks with Alzheimers must sometimes feel.
Knowing but not able to verbalise it.

I had a similar problem later with a flag quiz.

Now here's the strange part.
It seemed to only happen with 'image' matching....picture/ name, flag/ country
On a general knowledge quiz around the same time I had no trouble with written questions.

The other strange thing is that if I were to repeat that 'film star' quiz today I'd have no trouble...I can even remember most of them now without looking at the quiz.
It's like the covid deleted an information block or processing unit from the brain and then the quiz task rebooted it and corrected the error.
Weird.

To quote a very much used argument to debunk a lit of things, correlation doesn't equal causation.

I suspect the majority of covid positive people are acutely aware of it, and as a consequence attribute things to it.

I have a persistent cough at the moment despite not having tested positive, or having even been sick.

Is it covid?  Or is this normal and im like that?

Not sure.  I have my days when my memory works well.  I have my days when I can't remember simple terminology.

The factors could be illness, or it could be stress from seeing your footy team cough up a game from a winnable position or it could be covid fog.

You know the fog that has seen everyone reaching for a treat or a coffee or a tea at 3.30 every day since i can remember?

Im not yet 40 but close enough.  Have noticed the last few years this has been getting worse.  Is it lock down?  Is it the stress of a pandemic?  Did I get cpvid that caused it?  Or am I just getting on a bit and feeling my mortality?

Or is it simply what happens to people.  People are variable in their performance.  Brain works well some days and not so well the other.  I imagine that a proper neuro doctor would be able to explain why covid fog can't be a symptom of covid because they should effectively follow a change in physiology to match the degradation of memory but you would only be able to benchmark against a before and after brain scan which limits the pool to people already having neurological issues and ergo can't really draw any meaningful data. 

[Lods]

To quote a very much used argument to debunk a lit of things, correlation doesn't equal causation.

I suspect the majority of covid positive people are acutely aware of it, and as a consequence attribute things to it.

I have a persistent cough at the moment despite not having tested positive, or having even been sick.

Is it covid?  Or is this normal and im like that?

Not sure.  I have my days when my memory works well.  I have my days when I can't remember simple terminology.

The factors could be illness, or it could be stress from seeing your footy team cough up a game from a winnable position or it could be covid fog.

You know the fog that has seen everyone reaching for a treat or a coffee or a tea at 3.30 every day since i can remember?

Im not yet 40 but close enough.  Have noticed the last few years this has been getting worse.  Is it lock down?  Is it the stress of a pandemic?  Did I get cpvid that caused it?  Or am I just getting on a bit and feeling my mortality?

Or is it simply what happens to people.  People are variable in their performance.  Brain works well some days and not so well the other.  I imagine that a proper neuro doctor would be able to explain why covid fog can't be a symptom of covid because they should effectively follow a change in physiology to match the degradation of memory but you would only be able to benchmark against a before and after brain scan which limits the pool to people already having neurological issues and ergo can't really draw any meaningful data.

It may be as you say Thry...
But then again it may be that there is an issue with the virus affecting the memory and thought processes of some of us.

The effects of the virus are still largely not understood.
But the 'covid fog' is certainly something that is being looked at.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/what...1030822076

Covid symptoms vary greatly from individual to individual
The length of symptoms also varies.

I can only go on my own experience, and a task I'd normally find realtively easy, and not one I've had trouble with before, became frustratingly complicated.

[Mav]

Probably, you don’t want to read this right now Lods: COVID and the brain: researchers zero in on how damage occurs, Nature.

[Thryleon]

It may be as you say Thry...
But then again it may be that there is an issue with the virus affecting the memory and thought processes of some of us.

The effects of the virus are still largely not understood.
But the 'covid fog' is certainly something that is being looked at.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/what...1030822076

Covid symptoms vary greatly from individual to individual
The length of symptoms also varies.

I can only go on my own experience, and a task I'd normally find realtively easy, and not one I've had trouble with before, became frustratingly complicated.

So, not wanting to be dismissive of Covid Fog, because I have only my anecdotal experiences to draw off, and even that is removed from a positive case by at least a household (most of my extended family have caught it, myself and the wife have been to the best of our knowledge covid free and very healthy over the last few years) these are the exact same things that people state to do to combat mental health issues, as well as being healthier in general:

What might help clear the brain fog?
To help clear the brain fog, I recommend pursuing all of the activities that we know help everyone’s thinking and memory.

Perform aerobic exercise. You may need to start slow, perhaps just two to three minutes a few times a day. While there is no established “dose” of exercise to improve brain health, it’s generally recommended you work toward 30 minutes a day, five days a week.
Eat Mediterranean-style meals. A healthy diet including olive oil, fruits and vegetables, nuts and beans, and whole grains has been proven to improve thinking, memory. and brain health.
Avoid alcohol and drugs. Give your brain the best chance to heal by avoiding substances which can adversely affect it.
Sleep well. Sleep is a time when the brain and body can clear out toxins and work toward healing. Make sure you give your body the sleep it needs.
Participate in social activities. We are social animals. Not only do social activities benefit our moods, but they help our thinking and memory as well.
Pursue other beneficial activities, including engaging in novel, cognitively stimulating activities; listening to music; practicing mindfulness; and keeping a positive mental attitude.

All of it very valid.  I hope only to try and challenge you to think, is this really covid fog?  Or is it simply a result of a body having fought an infection?

Id suggest the latter.

[LP]

Probably, you don’t want to read this right now Lods: COVID and the brain: researchers zero in on how damage occurs, Nature.

This is the part the naysayers do not get, they think it's a cold or sniffles for most people and they'll be OK, but that is just a guess based on sweeping conclusions that after the infection clears you will be back to normal.  But something like polio says hello, a rash for some, a life sentence for others!

FWIW, the it'll be OK if it doesn't kill you is the very same wrong conclusion people make about things going back to the way they were after lockdown. They are oblivious to the way the world has changed, yet it's all happened before back with the Spanish Flu. The world was a different place before and after the Spanish Flu, it's just that the social media naysayers are either ignorant of that fact or just ignore it!

Some percentage of people struggle to accept change, regardless if that change is for the better or worse, they will just always oppose change.

[Thryleon]

Also, keep in mind that psychosomatic is a thing. 

If you believe it, it might be true and you might have brain fog.

from Mav's article:
Early in the pandemic, researchers speculated that the virus might cause damage by somehow entering the brain and infecting neurons, the cells responsible for transmitting and processing information. But studies have since indicated3 that the virus has difficulty getting past the brain’s defence system — the blood–brain barrier — and that it doesn’t necessarily attack neurons in any significant way.

The experts don't agree, and the data will show a variety of outcomes that will drive someone's agenda one way, but I suspect that my covid immunity might simply stem from the fact that I don't really think its that big a deal and ergo, it isnt.


Also, when I read information that is full of qualifying statements, its an assumption with minimal evidence that can somewhat be proven in some cases but not others, and usually speaks from a theory that is yet to go mainstream.  No point even worrying about it until it becomes a known known. 

So long as you still despise Collingwood and barrack for the Blues, Id suggest your brain is fine. 

[LP]

COVID like many other diseases always was and always will be a spectrum of illness, ranging from inconsequential to deadly.

btw., That aspect of COVID is what makes it so very hard to prevent or treat.

[Lods]

So long as you still despise Collingwood and barrack for the Blues, Id suggest your brain is fine.

What's a Collingwood ???