For the last year+ I've been essentially secluded, helping my mom recover from cancer (so far, successfully, but it's a daily battle)
She's >70yo, transplanted, immunosuppressed and recovering from cancer
COVID could be devastating for her
it could be lethal
so we've done everything in our power to keep her safe
I gave up everything. professional, social, personal life to give her a fighting chance
I have ZERO regrets. best decision i've ever made
we almost lost her twice last year. she was so sick and frail her doctors sat us all down and told us to accept it was the end
yet she turned things around. every time. to this day doctors are stunned at her progress
don't get me wrong, she's not running marathons. but her progress is crazy at every level
i'm not arrogant enough to believe i had more than a supportive part. she had it in her. she turned things around. she had enough physical and mental strength left when the best doctors had given up
I merely provided support and company. a fraction of what she's done for me
i guess it's only natural that try as we can we can hardly match the sacrifice our parents made for us and the impact they had on our lives
as luck would have it they never ask for more...
anyway, back to COVID
every time someone calls and we say she's been sick they ask if it's COVID
it's everything BUT COVID.
cancer, repeated episodes of infection and septic shock, near coma, chronic pain, GI issues, ascites, deteriorating kidney function, edema
etc
much of it we couldn't control. consequences of cancer, cancer treatment and immunosuppression. we could only deal with it and give her the best chances of overcoming
in the background of all this mayhem, a pandemic unfolded, and we continuously tried to shield her
we were both vaccinated the very day we became eligible
good start. but not enough, esp. for someone on immunosuppressant meds
we were extremely conservative about outings and visits
all other family members eventually contracted COVID, we were the only 2 who skirted it. our efforts worked. Until last week
Her caretaker was the vehicle. Not a surprise. Most people seem to catch it from their close contacts, often at home. when the guard is down
she had been with us for a couple months, vaccinated and had already had COVID. but Omicron still broke through.
Last Wednesday as she helped us on a hospital run she showed mild symptoms. A headache and a runny nose. nothing dramatic. she often complains of headaches
The same day I tested her at home. positive.
immediately sent her home to isolate. kept distance from my mother. both masked
last Friday, when I tested myself, it looked every bit like a negative except when I stared & squinted REAL hard I could kind of see the faintest tint
everybody else genuinely felt there was no 2nd band but my rational mind knew it was an early positive
i was already keeping a distance and masking at home. i secluded myself completely. during the night the symptoms started. in the morning the test was clear
I've been secluded in a room for 72h
she has so far tested negative every day and is symptom-free
don't ask me how. it's possible the immunosuppression delays the symptoms. it's possible it'll still come. or maybe we just got incredibly lucky 🙏🥲
my symptoms have been mild, basically 1 day that was worse and smooth rest after that. but i couldn't care less
the only thing that breaks my heart is I can't help with my mom's care. i have to watch from a distance or direct people over the phone to care for her
I have another week or so to go. we have family and friends doing what they can. this sucks so bad
up to this point my opinion of COVID, vaccines and the pandemic was solely based on peer-reviewed data. now I have the ancillary anecdote to go with it. FWIW.
I wish I had been even MORE careful, MORE vigilant, shortened our interaction with the source even MORE. It could have saved us massive chagrin
problem is, we can't keep our guard up 100% of the time for years. we did pretty damn well. but not perfect. so here we are
yeah, I'll probably be fine. I'm still (relatively) young, I don't have any significant disease or risk factors yet. Maybe there will be symptoms of long COVID. i guess we'll see
the problem is the collateral damage to those of us who have less defenses and more vulnerability
Based on the data, I'd take 10 vaccines over the virus
based on the anecdote, I'd take 100. all at the same time. with blunt needles
also pisses me OFF that I unwillingly participated in this chain of contagion that helps new strains evolve and propagates this pandemic
with some luck I didn't pass it to anyone else (with every day my mom tests negative that becomes more likely) and I was a viral dead end!💪👍
Please get vaccinated (to protect the few who can't), stay safe, and let's work as a #TEAM
all major problems our species faces nowadays are collective. we row together or we sink together
I do love every single one of you despite all the Twitter horseshit (LOL) stay safe! ❤️
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00:32 brain cholesterol is separate from plasma; most cholesterol in the body is inside cells, not in bloodstream; most cholesterol in blood is in RBCs, not lipoproteins ▶️ so reducing serum cholesterol has little to no effect on cellular cholesterol requirements
00:36 it's not cholesterol in the arterial wall that poses a problem, it's trafficked cholesterol inside lipoproteins (digested by macrophages)
Fiber isn't excreted unchanged as we used to think. It (esp. soluble fraction) is digested by the microbiome, which produces short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) - butyrate, acetate, propionate
"dietary patterns associated with positive outcomes: vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, low- or nonfat dairy, lean meat/poultry, seafood, nuts, and unsaturated vegetable oils and low red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened foods and drinks, and refined
grains"