Prolong and Winding Road

“My doctors were confused when I wanted them to be alarmed. After many tests returned inconclusive results, they told me that I was probably just stressed and should take a break from work. Or I should try to push through and exercise. Or maybe I should start anti-anxiety meds.” That experience will sound familiar to anyone who’s suffered from a chronic set of ailments (often referred to as a “syndrome”) that doctors can’t quite explain and therefore can’t fix. And most doctors don’t want to deal with patients with prolonged, unfixable problems. After a while, others stop having sympathy for the constant problems, too. People don’t like to think about mysterious, chronic symptoms, even though those suffering can’t stop thinking about them. This already depressing reality can be even worse when it comes to Covid, another topic people are sick and tired of hearing about. Giorgia Lupi in the NYT (Gift Article): 1,374 Days: My Life With Long Covid. “In the past three years, I have: Experienced and tracked more than 21 symptoms, consolidated here into 13 colored categories. Seen 46 doctors at 233 doctor appointments. Had my blood drawn 59 times. Done 12 X-rays, 15 M.R.I.s, four CT scans, one PET scan (some of them admittedly very beautiful to look at), a tilt table test, an electromyogram, a skin biopsy, a carotid ultrasound, microclot and neuroinflammation tests and more. Been to the emergency room six times. Participated in four research studies and one clinical trial. Had 81 procedures done (injections, infusions, nerve ablations, immunotherapy) to try to reduce my symptoms. Tried 63 medications and 95 types of supplements (some of which have been harmful). Tried several diets (no gluten, no carbs, low histamine, paleo-autoimmune, low glycemic index). Tried weekly physical therapy and acupuncture, osteopathic and chiropractic treatments, cranial sacral therapy, pain reprocessing psychotherapy and brain retraining, health coaching, cardiac rehab, lymphatic massages and more. And spent tens of thousands of dollars on medical bills.”