If you follow this stuff closely, as I do, then you’ve probably noticed that over the last week, a sudden and deep schism has opened up between the two groups of doctors and researchers that have Biden’s ear.

One group is telling Biden to continue to push vaccinations, get masks and test equipment out, and keep an eye on the horizon. These researchers and doctors, are referring to data coming out of South Africa, Scandinavia, and northern Europe, the earliest hard hit Omicon areas that show that while Omicon may be as contagious as hell, it is not as deadly, and in fact may have a life span. Researchers look at numbers in terms of new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths falling sharply, believing the virus may be burning itself out. They feel that with the lag time, the US could be seeing relief my March or April.

The other side, of which Dr Fauci is a staunch supporter, are counseling Biden to learn to live with and manage Covid and Omicon. Certainly we will eventually get it gone, but not until The last American left has recovered from the disease. The halcyon dream days of herd immunity are over, the GOP fucktards gave it free rein for far too long.

Speaking personally, put me in Column B with Fauci and the Moo Shoo Chicken. You guys know how almost sinfully proud of how Teri and I have dotted every i and crossed every t to stay safe. Hell, I don’t walk out the door without my seeing eye human, which means I step outside at most twice a week.

Yeah, that. Teri showed symptomatic for Omicon on Monday morning, when she got up, and I showed symptomatic on Tuesday. The speed of our onset, and the virtual identity of the symptoms led Teri to call our pharmacist, who confirmed it sounded like onset symptoms. Sore scratchy throat, clogged and runny nose, cough, congestion, muscle aches, and a headache. I like hot sauce on mine, so I added in that tight, stretched feeling across the cheeks and forehead when you feel like you have a fever..

Teri is 7 years younger than me, and minus most of my co-mobidities, so fortunately she had a fairly easy go. She self treated with Nyquil and Tylenol. She went to bed early on Monday and Tuesday nights, stayed quiet, and by Wednesday night was pretty much back to normal.

I wasn’t quite so lucky. By preference I self treated with Dayquil and Tylenol, and went to bed early on Tuesday night. At about 2 am on Wednesday, I woke up, groaned, and sat up, which made me dizzy, That’s not good. I sat there for a moment and then turned my upper body to shake Teri’s shoulder to tell her to call an ambulance, something was wrong. But then I stopped myself and thought.

I got up, went to the bathroom sat on the edge of the bed and put on a pair of ankle socks to keep my feet from freezing, and laid back down. And then the shaking started. The inside of my body felt like i was in a lobster pot, but the outside felt like I was staked naked on an ice floe. I literally couldn’t control the shaking in my arms and legs, nor the chattering of my teeth, which went on for over 3 hours.

Wednesday doesn’t exist for me. When I staggered out into the living room to my recliner, I was a character from AMC’s Walking Dead. I don’t think I caught 15 complete minutes of news per hour on MSNBC from 10 am until 8 pm when Teri switched over to play KH3. I slept, tried to relax my aching muscles, and waited it out. And today I’m back at about 85%.

And while it is both disappointing, as well as disheartening to know that you can do every fucking thing right, and still catch this viscous bastard, there are also some silver linings in that dark cloud, and I want to share them with you.

First, the doctors are right, the vaccines work. Researchers say that people who are fully vaxxed, as well as boosted, if they do get a breakthrough Omicon infection, average 1-2.5 days of minor to moderate discomfort, almost certainly at home. Teri bloomed on Monday, and by Wednesday night was pretty much back to normal. I bloomed on Tuesday, and while I wouldn’t call my symptoms mild, at no time was I at risk of going to the hospital. People who are unvaccinated can more likely expect 5-7 days down and out, much more likely in a hospital, with much greater discomfort. I’ll take that trade off.

Second, the vaccines perform exactly as intended. Having grown up with severe allergies and respiratory issues, suffocation is an almost clinical paranoia for me. The mere thought of laying on a hospital bed, gasping for air like a trout on the bottom of a boat made me religious about taking every precaution. And I got it anyway. But while both Teri and I coughed like hell for more than 24 hours, it was all from the drainage running down out throats. At no time did either one of us wheeze, spasm, or rattle with congestion when we coughed. The cough trout up the mucus. The vaccines did their job, fighting the virus in the bloodstream, instead of letting it get into the lungs, which is the kill zone for Covid. Those who are unvaccinated cannot expect to be so lucky.

And finally, the way I look at it, Teri and I are lucky, we’re now uber vaccinated! we’re double vaxxed, boosted, and now we have, at least for a while, additional natural immunity from having beaten that little fucker. And with comes the peace of mind in knowing that you have all of the angels in your corner. That is my golden ray of sunshine for all of you who have done the right things. You can get through this.

Peace Out

 

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16 COMMENTS

  1. I too haven’t let up on taking all the precautions we were told to take when Covid ramped up. I too have risk factors, so even if Omicron doesn’t tend (tend being the operative word) to result in serious illness requiring hospitalization it’s no sure thing that symptoms would be mild for me. Or even moderately bad like they were for you. I’m glad you (and Teri) are apparently though the worst of it. However, Omicron isn’t the only variant still out there. Delta is still lurking, and we don’t know if even those of us who are double vaxxed and boosted & even like you have now had Omicron are as protected as we hoped. So keep taking precautions. I intend to!

  2. I agree with you, that this will not go away all at once. I think there will be fits and starts as we go. This disease has shown that it’s here for the long term. Hubby got sick last week Thursday and he is recovering, while for me today is my day of being really sick. Just like you said, for those of us that are vaxxed and boosted, it’s like a cold or flu.

  3. I’m delighted you are both on the mend! My spouse and I are battling that right now. We’re both seniors with co morbidities. We’re both triple vaxxed and have only left the house since the beginning to gather supplies and only while being appropriately masked. My clogged throat and cough began Saturday night, 1/8 and Sunday, I was death warmed over. Monday I tested and Wednesday the email said, “Congratulations!”. My spouse began his cough Wednesday morning. “Uber vaxxed”? Our across the street neighbors were among the first in this city to contract the original COVID. They are twenty-five years our junior (mid forties) and in good health. He was hospitalized for ten days, out of work for over a month and donated his plasma to treat his wife and others. She was in the hospital for 63 days and on physical and respiratory therapy for nearly a year. Both have also been vaxxed and BOTH have this, now. I’m not so positive about the effectiveness of “uber vaccination”. Yes, it’s like a crappy cold or flu, but how often will we get to enjoy this annually?

  4. So glad you’re both okay. Same for my wife and me. She’s immunocompromised so, except for eating outdoors at restaurants a few times last summer when things were “safer,” we have been out only for doctor appointments and for me to do some shopping once every few weeks since March of 2020 (mostly with a full face shield and mask). I am even more paranoid now. Had to go to the dermatologist the other day for what I thought were precancerous growths and had to weigh Omicron versus cancer before going. It was precancerous so I’m glad I went, but now I’m waiting to see if any Omicron symptoms develop. (We’re in upstate NY and Omicron has run wild.) This is no way to live. And to that, I say fuck you trump, fuck you GOP, fuck you COVID/mask/vax deniers. None of this had to happen.

  5. Glad to hear you made it, Murf! Even more glad to hear the vaccines AND boosters are doing the job they were supposed to. Far as I know, I’ve still dodged the bullet on all this but the odds on me doing this forever aren’t great in TN. Still, your report definitely gives me hope.

    • As I understand the definition of ‘vaccine,’ it is suppose to prevent a disease. These don’t. Where are our common senses? Pretty soon we’ll have a vaxx station on every corner, much like Starbucks, and our immune systems will be dead! Our family went through the covid, which I wouldn’t wish on anyone, and we had the cocktail infusion, which we think lessened the severity of the illness. There are so many opinions our there one doesn’t know what to believe. My doctor said that since I went through the covid without vaccination (caught it before a vaccine was available), I probably didn’t need a booster because of natural immunity. Good luck. I know everyone wants to keep living.

      • There are some factors you’re overlooking. First of all, vaccines have been proven to work and quite well for many diseases including Covid-19 but none have ever been 100% effective. Think of it this way – you can be the most careful driver in the world with exceptional eyesight, situational awareness and super fast reflexes but still get caught in in a car accident. Shit happens. Second, breakthrough infections can happen with any vaccine but tend to result in less severe illness, as is proving the case with the Covid vaccines. Or a few of them (including the most common ones approved for use in the U.S.) at least. Then there’s the fact that even people who have had Covid-19 can get it again, particularly a while after having had it as immunity wanes. We are seeing that with the current Covid vaccines as well – the antibodies wane/drop off over time. Boosters, as with other vaccines may well become one of those things we have to adjust to.

        Finally and perhaps most importantly Covid-19 is a coronavirus. Contrary to what many believe it is not THE coronavirus. It is another version, and a deadlier (in addition to being highly contagious) version of a class of viruses called coronaviruses due to their structure with all the mushroom headed spike proteins on them. Did you know the common cold is a coronavirus? The problem with these types of viruses is how efficiently they mutate, plus the fact that they are viruses instead of bacteria and therefore much more difficult to kill. Antibiotics don’t do jack to viruses, and anti-viral drugs are a mixed bag. They tend to mitigate the effects on the body rather than actually kill off the viruses they treat.

        Because it is so highly contagious and many times more deadly than the flu, PLUS the fact that so many have been resistant to getting vaccinated (not just in the U.S.) AND that in many well-populated countries there hasn’t been enough vaccine available to begin with Covid-19 has ideal conditions in which to both continue and mutate into different strains. Some are more deadly than others, but one thing that seems to be apparent is that those who are vaccinated are less likely to require hospitalization, and all the expense (including those cocktails you mentioned which cost WAY more than a set of vaccine shots!) that entails. (Regarding hospitalization, one thing that doesn’t get talked about enough is the in-person doctor visits that are better in many cases than virtual ones, and treatments – even outpatient ones – that hospitals have to put off due to being overwhelmed with Covid cases. Sometimes for example people with heart attacks or other acute conditions DIE because it takes to long to get them to a hospital that can treat them!).

        You are sadly mistaken in your belief of having natural immunity. As a matter of fact, there’s been a story in the news recently about the #1 tennis player in the world and the controversy over him playing in the Australian Open. Here’s a relatively young, WORLD CLASS ATHLETE (and tennis players have to be in great physical condition to compete) who gets the benefit of all the best conditioning and nutrition. His recent bout in December was his SECOND time having Covid! If someone like that (and he’s not the only one – a pro athlete) to have their “natural immunity” wear off what makes you think you are so special? Think that over. Carefully. Please. Not just for your own sake, but for that of family, friends & co-workers and strangers you encounter who for LEGITIMATE medical reasons can’t get the Covid or for that matter other vaccines.

      • No, vaccines do not prevent infections. None of them do. What they do is train your immune system to jump on a nascent infection so fast that it is beaten before you know it happened. That’s the best case scenario. Some are less effective than others. One just got approved against malaria that only reduces illnesses by 40%, but against malaria, that’s a big deal. It has to be combined with other public health measues like mosquito netting, as before, to save as many lives as possible.

  6. Murph…..hold your horses just a bit. This is also a waxing / waning virus. My family fully vaccinated. Daughter brought it home almost 2 weeks ago Saturday. From a dungeons and dragons marathon that all had tested negative to be able to come. But one guy two days later full on Covid. (She has 5 auto-immune diseases and 2 tachycardia syndomes.) Cough, head congestion, headache, fever, sore throat. She’s still coughing/head congestion as is hubby who started showing symptoms 1/4 – Monday.

    1/4 I felt crappy. Started the Vita D therapy recommended by our doctor, etc. Naps and as much sleep as possible and tons of juice and tea. 3 days later felt pretty good. This week, Monday….felt crappy again for 2 days and still low-grade kind of fatigued but funcitoning.

    I agree with you whole heartedly. We are GLAD that we finally got it and see how our daughter is able to deal with it. That was our fear. IMO, without the vaccine she would end up in the hospital and worse.

    Non/vax sister called last night, hearing we had Covid. She got the delta variant in September and was sick for over a month. She has long-term covid. Losing hair, still coughing. Her comment to me…..”I don’t trust the long-term effects of the vaccine.” Stupid is as stupid believes.

  7. Glad to hear you and Teri are on the mend and sorry you both had to go through this. I’m also triple vaxxed and am now on Day 4 of Omicron. No need to go to the hospital but the first three days were no fun at all. Mostly same symptoms you had and this morning I felt much better until about noon. Now it’s back to bed for a while. Am self-isolated and it’s a good thing my local grocery store does home delivery. The liquor store does not.

  8. MD HERE: Good piece MURPH
    HERE IS MY FB HEADER:
    BELIEVE IT .. everyone will get #COVID19 #OMICRON .. or next one.
    WITH #OMICRON only the #Unvaccinated #DIE.
    Here is how PolitiZoom blogger MURPH reports his case.

    I have D who is ER DOC SAC .. but got Omicron from boyfriend who knows who gave it to him but he won’t say. (Probably family)
    SO FAR SOUNds LIKE VACCINATED GET
    ‘bad,bad FLU’
    UWVirology says peak in US will be JAN 19. This is a HOT variant and will burn out soon
    …..only killing #UnVaccinated luckily.

    I also stay in hubby out and about. I am now 40 d from Open Heart Surgery.. and I got Herpes Zoster from that! (so be sure you are vaccinated against Herpes Simplex and get boosters too)
    DO NOT WANT OMICRON .. will be stronger for next one and await dose of UNIVERSAL SARS vaccine USArmy #WalterReedResearch is developing or a set of TAMIFLU like COVID pills!

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