A Concerned Scientist on Nostr: Last night my wife kind of blew my mind. We were discussing COVID and how certain ...
Last night my wife kind of blew my mind. We were discussing COVID and how certain people around us don't seem to notice, at all, their physical and/or mental declines over the last few years. She said, "Didn't your appendix burst shortly after you had mono?"
It took me until this morning to fully wrap my head around this and do some research. It's rare, but known in scientific literature for appendicitis to occur after mononucleosis.
Slight aside, but relevant to COVID nonetheless. I went to my doctor with terrible stomach pain before my appendix actually burst and was told "There's a viral stomach flu going around. Go home until it passes." He never even saw me. He had the lady at the front desk tell me that. I only survived it because I had a roommate at the time who found me, in a puddle of my own blood-vomit(sorry for the TMI), in our shared bathroom who rushed me to the hospital. I blacked out in a bathroom and woke up in a hospital room without an appendix.
I've also mentioned previously that I had what would now be described as brain fog after mono, and I literally didn't have the vocabulary or understanding to discuss it with anyone I knew at the time. I was a young, intelligent scientist who was suddenly struggling and I just faked it. Maybe bounced around different jobs a little more than I would have otherwise, and pretended I was fine for a long time. At least until I was, actually, well enough.
Be kind to the people who don't see it, even if it's hard sometimes. Noticing these things in yourself can be difficult. Sometimes you don't even notice for 30 years, apparently.
It took me until this morning to fully wrap my head around this and do some research. It's rare, but known in scientific literature for appendicitis to occur after mononucleosis.
Slight aside, but relevant to COVID nonetheless. I went to my doctor with terrible stomach pain before my appendix actually burst and was told "There's a viral stomach flu going around. Go home until it passes." He never even saw me. He had the lady at the front desk tell me that. I only survived it because I had a roommate at the time who found me, in a puddle of my own blood-vomit(sorry for the TMI), in our shared bathroom who rushed me to the hospital. I blacked out in a bathroom and woke up in a hospital room without an appendix.
I've also mentioned previously that I had what would now be described as brain fog after mono, and I literally didn't have the vocabulary or understanding to discuss it with anyone I knew at the time. I was a young, intelligent scientist who was suddenly struggling and I just faked it. Maybe bounced around different jobs a little more than I would have otherwise, and pretended I was fine for a long time. At least until I was, actually, well enough.
Be kind to the people who don't see it, even if it's hard sometimes. Noticing these things in yourself can be difficult. Sometimes you don't even notice for 30 years, apparently.