Notices by Buffy the Psych Prof (drpsybuffy@mstdn.social), page 2

Saw a friend today who got COVID in late November. She is having tachycardia when she lays down and she also constantly has a sensation that her lungs are being squeezed. She is now on albuterol treatments and oral steroids. Sje is falling asleep by 7:00 every night. This is a woman who has been a powerhouse of energy since the day I met her. She looked straight at me today and said, “I was healthy before COVID.”

I told her about the hearing on Long COVID yesterday—she had no idea. Told her the rate of long COVID in people who get it—she had no idea. She’s always thought my extreme caution was just health anxiety, but now, unfortunately, she knows it was for good reason. That so few people know the true risk of COVID is criminal.

“Covid's cognitive aftermath might be akin to accelerating the brain's aging by 20 years. This is not about alarmism; it's about facing reality. We're not dealing with mere speculations anymore; we're seeing concrete evidence emerging.” -Dr. Sean Mullen

We need to be having serious conversations about how we are likely to see the impact of this in the future, especially considering how often young people are getting infected.

https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-3818580/v1

I purchased a Far UVC light direct from UVWave Tek and have been using it in my counseling office since October. I also purchased a personal sized Far UVC light that I take with me if I have to do something in someone else’s office. I have been exposed to COVID twice now, once in my own office and once in a one-on-one meeting with another therapist. I escaped infection both times, as far as I know (I did test multiple times over the next 10 days but we know RAT tests aren’t always valid).

I also have a high powered HEPA in my office. Right now I’m taking the big light home because my daughter is home from college and is choosing to work without a mask and socialize with friends. I turn it on in the family room when she’s home and spending time hanging out, and I move it as necessary or use the personal one if we are eating together. Additionally, I have HEPA purifiers in every room. Yes, this has been expensive but I feel it’s worth it.

My daughter and her boyfriend are hosting a New Year’s Eve party at his tonight (not big, but several people) so we’ve agreed to masks in the house for a bit when she gets home. This is my life now. Some will call me crazy, or a hypochondriac, but I just feel like I’m adapting to the reality that has been created in my efforts to not be a victim of long COVID. I already have one autoimmune disease, I don’t want another one.

But it’s also more than that. I’m single, I live alone (when my daughter’s at university). I don’t have family in the area I can rely on for help should I become incapacitated. I am the sole provider of helath insurance for me and my daughter. I’m the healthcare guardian of my disabled aunt. I have two beloved dogs that are 70 lbs. each and I also need to be well for them. Taking these steps—as extreme as they may seem to others—is RATIONAL in my situation. Period.

Telling people who are adapting as best they can that they are mentally ill or irrational is epic gaslighting. What’s irrational is pretending that everything is normal. We’ve been told over and over again that we can’t expect others to care about us or change their behavior but yet when we become proactive and engage in behaviors that *will* protect us, we’re made fun and told to get therapy. It’s so absurd. So I’m just going to keep on doing what works for me, regardless. 🖕🏼✌️

@MisuseCase @mmlvx This is….disturbing

More confirmation that COVID harms the brain. But, it’s just a cold, right?

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-42320-4

@Nonya_Bidniss I have a chronic illness and have had to care for people with chronic illnesses, so I’ve told people I know who aren’t COVID- cautious that it’s a lot harder of a life than you think, but it just doesn’t sink in. I’ve heard “I’d rather live my life now than worry about out that” and I just think, “you say that now…” 🤷♀️ and honestly, if they don’t care about themselves, ok, fine—but it’s their lack of caring about infecting others that FUCKING INFURIATES ME

I just read multiple social media posts from different folks saying that children are not harmed by COVID *at all* and that there is zero evidence that masks work—and I don’t think these are just trolls. I think these are average folks who genuinely believe this. I know that some people only get their information from FOX, but it’s still quite jarring to see how disastrously ignorant people can be, and how stubborn they are to new info. I’m a goddamn psychologist and it still shocks me.

Public health has been a spectacular failure and we will all be paying the price in the years to come.

@mmlvx @MisuseCase I only saw one nurse wearing a mask when I visited my sister in the hospital. Everyone else was unmasked, despite rates of COVID, flu, and RSV being very high in our areas. ERs are packed, with waits lasting hours. But you know who were wearing masks? The cleaning folks. Every housekeeping type employee I saw was masked. *How many of them cannot afford to miss a day of work?* Our society is so awful in so many ways.

My sister was in the hospital for over a week and I saw her yesterday and she was complaining of a terrible headache that started in the hospital. I suggested she consider that she might have contracted COVID while there—she looked annoyed. Ppl just prefer to pretend COVID isn’t an issue anymore. I wore an N95 mask when at the hospital and also when I saw her yesterday. I can’t even trust those closest to me to give a shit about *themselves*, so they definitely don’t care about others

@MisuseCase she was annoyed that I suggested it was COVID and that she should test and put on a mask, not annoyed because it might have been COVID.

Anyone who says he will be a dictator for a day has no intention of being a dictator for only a day

The phrase “immunity debt” is going to be directly responsible for the massive drop in life expectancy we will continue to see https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1730800968999079992.html

I see stuff like this all the time. "How French women remain so beautiful." "European women age better than American women." Yeah, well, they have readily available healthcare. And more help (especially in France) after having a baby. They get maternity leave. They have more vacation time. There's assistance with elderly care for when they have to care for parents. America hates women so much they make their lives hell & then blame them for aging badly https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/what-french-women-get-right-about-aging-well

Someday people will be absolutely fucking marveling at all the opportunities there were to stop Trump from getting on the ballot—legitimate reasons—and yet judges were too afraid to do it. Acting like things are normal while we slow motion slide into fascism. It’s bizarre as hell. Like does no one remember their history teacher saying that authoritarians are always elected and then there’s no more elections? What has the fucking point of teaching about fascism been?!? This is nuts