{"id":32124,"date":"2025-08-25T21:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T02:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/?p=32124"},"modified":"2025-08-25T16:31:19","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T21:31:19","slug":"covid-finally-catches-me-and-related-covid-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/2025\/08\/25\/covid-finally-catches-me-and-related-covid-news","title":{"rendered":"COVID FINALLY CATCHES ME AND RELATED COVID NEWS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I knew there was a predicted summer uptick of COVID, but I\u2019d been hoping that after 5 \u00bd years of this that maybe I\u2019d miss it during my current incarnation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No such luck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I received a message from a longstanding patient who had been in the office earlier in the week with what seemed to both of us a mild cold. It had worsened. She had tested positive for COVID at an Urgent Care Center and was taking the antiviral Paxlovid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This then explained my tickly cough and progressively worsening sore throat. My BinaxNOW Home Test was \u201cpositive\u201d, so I phoned in Paxlovid for myself. Of course, there were product shortages all around the north side but my pharmacist managed to locate one at a not too distant Mariano\u2019s. My wife, in her feeble attempt to avoid my infection, sent me off to my weekend cabin, which was just fine with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had always told patients with COVID to take their first Paxlovid dose literally at the pharmacy for best results. Since this particular strain of the virus manifests itself mainly as the sore throat from Hell, swallowing three large dry tablets sitting in my car was a bit of a challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also stocked up on cough syrup, chicken soup, throat lozenges, and Aleve. In the back seat, some books, DVDs, and plenty of food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask any Primary Care Provider: Paxlovid is pretty amazing. That same evening I actually felt 50% better. The next morning, 75% better and I went on a nice hike in the woods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paxlovid is a five day course of treatment and you must take it for all five days. Unless you have health insurance, it\u2019s outrageously priced ($1,400). However, there are a vast array of discount coupons and rebates on the Paxlovid website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the meantime, as I finished up my own Paxlovid and feeling pretty much back to normal, my wife calls to report she has a sore throat and has tested positive. I phone in Pax for her and start heading home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLong\u201d COVID<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve written several Health Tips on Long COVID which is considered a truly major epidemic worldwide. Every fifth person who gets COVID, even relatively minor manifestations (like mine) can experience one of the 100 (!!) protracted symptoms of Long COVID.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The commonest of these are fatigue, cough, brain fog, lightheadedness, depression, problems with taste and smell. Long COVID symptoms can be very debilitating and unfortunately for patients, diagnostic lab tests are all negative. The most common sentence patients with long COVID hear: \u201cWe can\u2019t find anything wrong with you. Maybe you\u2019re just depressed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This lack of \u201cpositive\u201d tests will, of course, impair their ability to get any disability benefits from their employer or even medical leave of absence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, after five years of COVID research, we do have more of an understanding about what\u2019s occurring with long COVID:<\/p>\n\n\n\n