Thread by @sagetoko

I looked at a calendar this morning and realized that it’s April 3rd. Thread.

I have #LongCovid: more details of my story are in my pinned thread, linked below. My constant migraine started when I woke up on Ocober 3rd, so today is my six-month anniversary. Lots of feelings. /1

https://twitter.com/sagetoko/status/1366109531323781125

@bennessb in her as-always infinite wisdom somewhat prepared my for this by asking earlier this week if I mark chronic illness anniversaries, and how. Then, I mostly thought about how I interact with the anniversary of my knee surgery, which returned me to walking and dancing. /2

Like I said, I had a lot of feelings on looking at April 3rd on a calendar this morning. But I’m choosing to (try to) focus on how much better I (currently) am than I was in the fall, and how much less pain I’m in day to day, and how much more I can do. /3

Yes, there are still many limitations to what I can do, especially without causing exacerbations of the migraine that is my primary but by no means only Long Covid symptom. But for today, that’s not my focus. Today I went on an adventure, and enjoyed the sunshine and flowers. /4

Tomorrow I’ll likely be paying the price for the choice to go on my adventure, and the day after, and the day after that. But I stand by my choice to do it, and I think I’ll have been right that it was worth it. /5

Longer term, it remains true that no one can tell me how my neurological and other symptom will progress, because, again, this is a novel disease (though I think it’s likely a close relative of ME/CFS, I look forward to and will participate in research giving us more answers). /6

I am halfway vaccinated and looking forward to my second shot, and glad to see many of my chronically ill friends being able to receive theirs as well, after much advocacy for #HighRiskCovid19 and #HighRiskCA individuals to have vaccine access and equity. /7

At the same time, global Covid-19 trends are deeply concerning, and I am worried about the rise of more transmissible, deadly, and vaccine-resistant variants at a time with decreasing anti-pandemic efforts by governments. /8

Many of my friends and loved ones are #HighRiskCovid19, and it pains and infuriates me to continue to see them dismissed in policy and moral discussions around pandemic decision-making worldwide. #DisabledPeopleToldYou, and if y’all had listened, everything would be better. /fin

#NEISvoid