On 30 December, 2021, my throat started hurting and I began repeatedly sneezing and I realised I was getting some kind of cold. I was staying in a house with countless other people, some of them possibly 'vulnerable' (although all three times vaccinated). Panic gripped me. What if I killed someone by infecting them with the scythe-wielding virus that has stalked us all for over two years now?
Luckily, someone had a test kit, and it turned out I was not suffering from the monster. All the same, I went on feeling rather awful, coughing and feeling generally fairly out of sorts. I did tests from time to time and each one came back negative. It must be hypochondria, I thought, dragging myself through the days, functioning well below normal, my appetite diminished - (although, being me, I ate on steadfastly, regardless) - listless and increasingly feeling that life was barely worth living. Occasionally, I'd do another test, just to see if I'd been got by the virus - it is supposed to be so catching and so dangerous, after all.
Finally, this Monday, having once again tested negative, I sent my doctor a tentative email: I didn't have the virus so I understood that she might not want to be bothered with me, but I had been feeling rather lousy, for some unknown reason, for more than a month. She graciously slotted me into her schedule later that day.
I arrived at her office full of apologies. I didn't want to bother her, when there was a real illness about, but somehow, despite not having THAT illness, I did still feel sick.
Bronchitis, it turned out. That was the problem. Contrary to what I'd begun to believe, there are other things that can make you unwell - and, by the time I went to see her, it had got quite bad.
Three cheers for antibiotics. Boo to tunnel vision. Hurray that I at last feel vaguely on the mend.
One forgot early on how much stuff there is going about in the usual winter that will make one feel rotten. In the spring of 2020 a friend hurried to get an antibody test: he was sure that he'd had COVID, that he was therefore immune, and could travel to see his elderly mother without infecting her. He had not had COVID, he had simply had one of the usual wintertime bugs.
ReplyDeleteExactly. I also had the idea that nothing else was severe except the dreaded...
DeleteI have tried a couple of times to comment from my telephone on your blog. I don't think there's anything wrong with your set up, just my competence, but I would like you to know that I was reading it and enjoying it and even may have had some attempt at witty responses.
Thank you for your good words.
DeleteWhom the gods would destroy, they first render mad. Whom the gods would render mad, the first set to debugging web interfaces.
Very funny. You may be able to judge whether any of this is feasble:
Deletehttps://russialist.org/jrl-newswatch-biden-has-been-presented-with-options-for-massive-cyberattacks-against-russia-the-options-presented-include-disrupting-the-internet-across-russia-shutting-off-power-and-stopping-tra/
Computer security is only ever so secure. Very likely the US could inflict a good deal of damage. It is of course possible that Russia could retaliate in kind. The penetration of US business and government computers through the SolarWinds hacks last year was substantial, and as far as I know it occurred under Russian sponsorship, if not through a Russian government agency.
DeleteSolar Winds is a wonderful name.
Delete