Medical Staff Shortage Delays Further Tests & Covid Again

Well, it seems there are no rheumatologists available in my area… I’ve had 3 phone calls and several emails as the Community Health clinic where I see my doctor tries to find me someone to take me on as a new patient. They’ve been trying to line something up for me for DAYS, essentially. It might be that the closest I can get to find someone is downtown Seattle! Which isn’t easily do-able for a number of reasons, mostly lining up a ride, but also paying for parking.

But… at least I have people looking for me. I thought I’d have to do it myself, but then I keep getting calls from the clinic as they tell me they’ve checked here and there already for me, which is nice! I was told I have to have it figured out within 90 days so I had yet to jump on it, because– oy! I’ve been either busy or flaring.

Speaking of which–!

Last week, Cat, myself, and my cat Jazz all had cold symptoms and… yeah, you read my title, right? I’ve learned that a “dead area” in the middle of my tongue that can taste fat or “umami” stops being able to taste for days to weeks whenever I catch Covid again (and, with my system, I catch it every time, when most people have no fricking idea they have it!) Well, middle of last week I stopped being able to taste the same, but it was more subtle this time, in fact– Cat and I were talking and figured it out just this weekend.

The “for sure” part would be if I got light sensitivity and migraines afterwards and– I got a migraine yesterday (and am on the brink of one today) right after the last of my cold symptoms disappeared. Once more, bright light fucking hurts like hell.

OKAY! So… it appears I’ve figured out exactly whether or not I catch Covid every time I do now, and I’ve been catching it about once every 3 months (last time was January, before that October/November, before that July).

Cat’s symptoms meant an oddly elevated blood sugar reading, some congestion (ears/eustachian tubes this time) plus just feeling “off” and depressed/grumpy. Going by previous experiences, she should be feeling perfectly fine again later this week, and she’s already feeling better.

Meanwhile, I’ve been thinking and theorizing…

Apparently, Covid’s outer protein-case mimics many types of tissues in the body and can trigger autoimmune diseases by getting the body to attack itself while trying to get rid of Covid. With my weird immune issues from long Epstein-Barr, it would make sense that the possible lupus is actually NEW on top of my other long-term medical issues. This year marks the 40th year since I caught mononucleosis and never got better ever again… But the migraines and things that line up with lupus symptoms have only been around in the last year and a half since I first caught Covid (after being immunized and boostered!) from that group of bikers at the restaurant I went to in the summer of 2021. I could get angry at myself except… well– I would have probably triggered lupus one of the following 5 or 6 times I caught Covid later! It was unavoidable because even with masking in public, with Cat riding mass transit, I would catch it in my own home, so… inevitable and unavoidable really. All the boosters now (and only available as mRNA vaccines) are running 3 to 6 months behind the actual virus replication rates, so… I catch the new versions of the virus before a vaccine is even available for them.

Regardless, what’s done is done and now I have to address the fallout.

I had a bad feeling Covid was going to screw me somehow, and it seems likely that’s true. Survivable, but at a lower level of functioning. Oddly, it may have saved my skin in other ways since it’s not easy to prove long Epstein-Barr, but another condition triggered by Covid like Lupus would be. A blessing in disguise…?

All in all, though, I’d rather have my health!