Karen_L

Just today I picked up an article about impacts of Covid on the brain. “One of Long Covid’s “Worst Symptoms Is Also Its Most Misunderstood” is about so-called “brain fog.” It’s sobering. From the article: 
A neuro-oncologist at Stanford thinks Covid damages the brain without infecting it directly. She and her team showed that “when mice experience mild bouts of COVID, inflammatory chemicals can travel from the lungs to the brain.”
 
We all know how much lung cancer likes the brain…the parallels between brain mets and Covid are interesting. 
I can’t begin to imagine the long term damage Covid does to the lungs. I do not need to be coping with anything more than lung cancer. No concerts for me, for sure!
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2022/09/long-covid-brain-fog-symptom-executive-function/671393/
 
 

LilyMir, 
Thank you so much for sharing. It helps me ground my instinctive response with perspectives from a scientific viewpoint. I've passed your info to my husband and will pass on attending concerts this season. 
Karen

Tom, Lou, Judy, Pstar,
How helpful your comments are. It's interesting to see how differently we are all approaching it.
I wish there were more clearcut guidelines. Recently on vacation, a friend was pushing for all of us to go out to dinner. I said I'd go, but only if it were outside. A whole commentary ensued about air circulation and open windows, until I shut it down. I thanked our friend and then said, "I do not eat in restaurants. Period. As I said, I'll be happy to sit outside." 
Tom, I appreciate how you must miss concerts. Lou, I think it's the high-risk places that are of greatest concern to me, too. 
Long Covid scares the pants off of me too, Judy. It sounds like my husband and I are handling things much the same way as you and yours, except mine is getting itchy to do what he loves. I've decided against returning to my work with teachers this year. I can't imagine not doing it, but when the paper runs a story about how anyone with a kid in school will get Covid and how to deal with it, I'm pretty persuaded. 
Thanks!
 
Karen

My husband is asking if I would like season tickets to performances of a small orchestra. The venue is a very old large church: soaring ceilings, balcony and main floor seating. We usually sit in the balcony overlooking the stage. 
Obvs, Covid, especially long Covid, is a concern. I have been very very conservative in my activities. I attend meetings and church only via Zoom; I do *not* eat in restaurants unless outside. I do attend soccer games in the huge stadium here, but they check vaccination cards before admission and I wear a mask the entire time. 
My husband is incredibly supportive, but he misses hearing live classical music terribly and would love for me to accompany him.
 I’d love to know what your parameters are for doing things in the Covid world. What are you doing? Not doing? What advice have you received? What advice would you have? Any thoughts would be welcome. 
I’m vaxxed and boosted to the max, FWIW.
Thanks in advance,
Karen

No changes to what was there post-treatment (i.e., that pneumonitis walloped my right lung), but nothing new  is going on.
Ain’t it grand to be boring?!

Great news. Congrats! 

I am so happy to hear this, Karen! Congrats to you!

That's brilliant news Karen 

Awesome news Karen! So happy for you.

Karen,
Clean scans are always worthy of celebration!
Stay the course.
Tom

Time to "party hardy" Karen.  Enjoy good news when you get it, heaven know we all deserve it.
Lou

No changes to what was there post-treatment (i.e., that pneumonitis walloped my right lung), but nothing new  is going on.
Ain’t it grand to be boring?!

No changes to what was there post-treatment (i.e., that pneumonitis walloped my right lung), but nothing new  is going on.
Ain’t it grand to be boring?!

No changes to what was there post-treatment (i.e., that pneumonitis walloped my right lung), but nothing new  is going on.
Ain’t it grand to be boring?!

No changes to what was there post-treatment (i.e., that pneumonitis walloped my right lung), but nothing new  is going on.
Ain’t it grand to be boring?!

No changes to what was there post-treatment (i.e., that pneumonitis walloped my right lung), but nothing new  is going on.
Ain’t it grand to be boring?!

Indeed boring is grand, warm congrats!!!

Dear @LilyMir, I so relate to all that you are feeling. The waves of grief and anxiety seem to have a life of their own, don’t they ? For me, the grief can be triggered by seemingly small things.
I would not be able to live with this cancer without my counselor. I call him CancerShrink.  He is helping me to integrate the facts of cancer, my treatment, the changes to my life, and to learn to make a new, meaningful life.
You are carrying so much worry. I hope you’ll think about finding yourself a support person. 

Dear @LilyMir, I so relate to all that you are feeling. The waves of grief and anxiety seem to have a life of their own, don’t they ? For me, the grief can be triggered by seemingly small things.
I would not be able to live with this cancer without my counselor. I call him CancerShrink.  He is helping me to integrate the facts of cancer, my treatment, the changes to my life, and to learn to make a new, meaningful life.
You are carrying so much worry. I hope you’ll think about finding yourself a support person. 

@LilyMir From one post-nasal dripper to another, that post-nasal cough can be a pesky thing. A real nuisance! 
I have no idea how long it takes for Tag side effects to show up. I do know that, if I let it, my imagination can turn any new body thing into a side effect or evidence of progression. Then I remind myself that sometimes I just have post-nasal drip, you know? Or, even if it were to be a side effect, so what? Do I need to know that in order to address the symptom?  
You've got this, LilyMir. You can do it. Deep breaths....

@LilyMir From one post-nasal dripper to another, that post-nasal cough can be a pesky thing. A real nuisance! 
I have no idea how long it takes for Tag side effects to show up. I do know that, if I let it, my imagination can turn any new body thing into a side effect or evidence of progression. Then I remind myself that sometimes I just have post-nasal drip, you know? Or, even if it were to be a side effect, so what? Do I need to know that in order to address the symptom?  
You've got this, LilyMir. You can do it. Deep breaths....

Aw, I'm so sorry. Are you the only one who got Covid? It seems so random sometimes. And, your experience is exactly what I want to avoid. I'll keep an eye out for brainfog, but I think you're good, at least today. 😉
K

@Julie_k, sounds like you're going through some stuff. 🤕 May I suggest you copy what you've written, above, and start a new post? (That way, we'll be able to give you a welcome to the group that's all yours! ) We'd love to hear more about your path to that surgery, too. 
Glad you're here, even though I'm sorry you need to be. 
Karen

@Julie_k, sounds like you're going through some stuff. 🤕 May I suggest you copy what you've written, above, and start a new post? (That way, we'll be able to give you a welcome to the group that's all yours! ) We'd love to hear more about your path to that surgery, too. 
Glad you're here, even though I'm sorry you need to be. 
Karen

I second Marilyn-- you're not very far out from a big surgery and fatigue is surely at work in your situation. If you are "paying for" jogging, you might do well to let go of that for now and focus on walks. Research indicates that, counterintuitively, exercise actually can help us deal with fatigue, but it needs to be exercise appropriate to your circumstances and overall health. 
I was very active and physically fit before my dx. Circumstances had me on steroids for many months. Bless my pulmonologist -- he understood I would go crazy without some kind of exercise. Because I have always used a heart rate monitor with exercise, he gave me very specific heart rate parameters and released me to walk. I started by walking to the corner. That was a very big deal. The day I talked 2000 steps, I felt like I should get an Olympic medal. It's only gotten better from there-- I'm doing long bike rides again and seeing real progress in being able to manage hills. 
Try to take it easy on yourself. Recovery takes time....
And, welcome here!