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Old Heart Trouble

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Clarissa

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Speaking of heart trouble, is anybody enough of an old-timer on this blog to remember how I got diagnosed with pericarditis right here by one of the readers? I was having a weird chest pain that I attributed to a pulled muscle but the reader who I think was a paramedic said it sounded like the heart and to call an ambulance. I did, and he turned out to be right.

I wish I had thought of mentioning on the blog when I had COVID shakes but had no idea they were a COVID symptom. They were so brief, though, it didn’t make sense to mention.

15 responses to “Old Heart Trouble”

  1. Pen Avatar
    Pen

    Covid shakes like chills? Usually that’s a sign of a high fever.

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    1. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      I had no fever with COVID, which is what confused me. No typical “flu-like symptoms.” No cough, no headache. I felt this chill deep in my bones and shook uncontrollably. I also felt hungry but when I ate, food gave me a panic attack. I had no idea this was COVID.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. Pen Avatar
        Pen

        Interesting. Mine was more like a really bad sinus infection. Three out of the four people in my family who got it also had no fevers (the one who did only had a low-grade fever). I was really cold all the time but then I was also isolating in a room with an air conditioner fan on blowing below-freezing air into my room. I swear my feet are always cold now because of it.

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      2. Just George Avatar
        Just George

        “I felt this chill deep in my bones and shook uncontrollably.”

        As mentioned a few times on this blog, the virus affects a region of the midbrain called the limbic system.

        Structures within the limbic system are responsible for, among other things, regulating body temperature.

        This would possibly explain your perception of a chill, and shaking.

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        1. Clarissa Avatar
          Clarissa

          This makes a lot of sense, thank you.

          I believe that my very first symptom was that I became very irritable. People who know me in real life know that I’m extremely chill (about everything that’s not political). And then I suddenly started getting really annoyed by little things. So the virus definitely does something hormonal or brain-related.

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          1. Just George Avatar
            Just George

            “So the virus definitely does something hormonal or brain-related.”

            The limbic system also includes structures that are held responsible for various forms of psychosis, and the generation of feelings of anger, fear, irritability, suspicion etc.

            If any of the structures are disturbed – which, logically, would be the case if cells were infected and malfunctioning – then the dysfunction could easily cause changes in those mental states and/or feelings, including heightened irritability.

            By way of corroboration, I have read many reports of infected people becoming extremely angry for small things, while others became indifferent, listless, and apathetic. Sometimes the change was permanent, with reports of changes to the personality many month later.

            One of the most amusing was a report of a lady who had a psychotic episode in the shower and thought that the sponge was going to kill her.

            I have often wondered what she did to the sponge, but have since lost the thread and will never be able to track her down, which is quite terrible imo.

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            1. Clarissa Avatar
              Clarissa

              Ha! I knew it. I flipped out at my kid for putting a lot of sour cream into her vegetable soup, and you should know me to understand how completely uncharacteristic this is for me.

              This really clears things up a lot, so thank you for the detailed response.

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              1. Clarissa Avatar
                Clarissa

                Also, I’m happy to report that I’ve gone back to being my normal chill self since then. I hated what it turned me into.

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              2. Just George Avatar
                Just George

                “…you should know me to understand how completely uncharacteristic this is”

                Yes, from what I have gathered, it is severely out of character for you to comment on, let alone admonish a child for making a personal decision that wouldn’t lead to any harm.

                Detailed responses are no problem. Others provided information to me, which I utilise and disseminate as a way of honouring them, which others down the line continue etc.

                It’s also good to know that you seem to have overcome the virus as well 🙂

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        2. Pen Avatar
          Pen

          This makes sense because I’ve had this episodic brain fog that includes something like aphasia—that would indicate particular damage there.

          Since I know you’re interested, my rash was tinea versicolor, my EMG was normal, cervical spine MRI normal, and brain MRI only found “mild cerebral volume loss.”

          I’ve got followups and additional specialists to see, though. I want to see if I can get some extra thyroid bloodwork.

          Liked by 1 person

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  2. Pen Avatar
    Pen

    Also—I think I remember that. That’s when you were hospitalized, right? It was the middle of summer I think.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      So good to see the real old-timers here. These are people with extraordinary tolerance for rapid ideological change.

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      1. Pen Avatar
        Pen

        So weird to be called an old-timer—I started reading back on Blogger when I was a senior in high school.

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        1. Clarissa Avatar
          Clarissa

          Unbelievable! You practically grew up on this blog. It’s a beautiful thing and I’m honored to have your continued interest.

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  3. el Avatar
    el

    Remember it too. Among other things, it shows that blogging has some unexpected good side effects.

    На злобу дня

    Маленький мальчик в пробирку плевал
    Тест на ковидные гены сдавал
    Быстро разъело пробирку слюной
    В мальчике жил нелегальный Чужой

    Мальчик у дяди вакцину купил
    Спящую бабку вакциной привил
    Бабка утратила зрения дар
    Мальчику дядя продал скипидар

    Мальчику дядя вколол Спутник-пять
    Принялся мальчик Вождя отрицать
    Доктор-шпион потирает ручонки
    Файзер вколол иностранец мальчонке

    Девочка в школу без маски пришла
    Тетя-директор девчонку нашла
    Больше без маски она не придет
    В медкабинете зашит нос и рот

    Маленький мальчик в Рими пошел
    Но квадраткод его не подошел
    Мальчик в кармане нашел пистолет
    Ковидконтроля в сельпо больше нет

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A conservative literary critic and college professor

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