I learned of Dr. James Lyons-Weiler (PhD) through Facebook friends sharing about a then-occurring "statehouse" conference in Ohio. 

The group putting on the conference was focused on vaccine rights and medical freedom of choice.  It was early 2018, and I was about to settle in and watch the winter Olympics opening ceremony.  

Instead, I binge watched the YouTube channel's videos of the conference.  The conference had a focus on "Big Jim", who had gotten a vaccine required of his work as a hospital nurse, which unfortunately for Jim and his loved ones, became an undeniable adverse event.  What exactly his symptoms were, however, Dr Jack sorted out in a profoundly enlightening presentation.

It reminded me of my mid 1990s symptoms, occurring after a vaccine required of me to be at the University as a student on my way to being an occupational therapist.  In my case, I was run up as suspected M.S., but no myelin was in the fluid upon spinal tap/ lumbar puncture.  I was, literally, shrugged off by the neurologist.  I'd realize it maybe could have been a case of mistaken identity, and I actually could have been diagnosed with Guillion-Barre. 

To be fair, at the time of the vaccine I was also in cadaver anatomy, and would get symptoms during class, until I found my way around the mis-information the instructor had given us about respirators. Cumulative insults, too much for the body to bear. 

Riding my bicycle home from the class, which met doubly long each day for half the usual number of days during summer (1994), downhill at first, then uphill to the suburbs where my new home bought by my significant other who had thought I was "the one", I was fine. 

Getting off the bike to walk up the steps and hit the garage door opener from inside the house proved a problem, however.  Six months later my ice skates on the ice I'd grown up skating on Evergreen Lake left me like a dog with long nails on a waxed floor. 

I'd recover a lot of function, even Rollerbladed and mountain biked for several years after I reversed the symptoms.  Some symptoms, I thought after all these years had been permanently resolved.  I'd created Lumigrate in 2007-9 in order to provide solutions to people like me, but with less time, energy and money than it had taken me. That was my intention when I set out, and it's still my hope it continues to contribute. 

Ever so impressed with Dr. Lyons-Weiler, newfound to me in 2018, I'd contact him, "Dr. Jack" as his closer or longer-term people refer to him, and get permission to include him in the Forums of Lumigrate.  That was, as I write this in December of 2021, almost four years ago.  This is a photograph I chose from his Facebook at the time, which I liked for a variety of reasons, and got his permission to use on Lumigrate. 

Covid, as we all know, came along out of China in 2019, with most of us becoming aware in early 2020.  My friend since kindergarten's 60th birthday fell just as the mandates for staying home were issued; mine came three weeks later.

I thought, as I celebrated alone on the floor next to O'Rio watching something on a screen as I ate whatever "special meal" I made myself, similar as when I watched Dr Jack in 2018 from the floor next to O'Rio in Denver while getting him some life-saving, low cost and effective treatment north of Denver, how my lifestyle since 2015 had gradually prepared me for what most were having to experience suddenly.  I was so thankful.

I'd want to know how to best fare if I were to catch it.  I'd take actions. 

I'd want to protect my clients.  I'd take actions for that, too. 

I'd wonder how I'd do when -- not if, but when -- I caught it.  I'd want to catch it at the least inconvenient time for me to not be able to see my clients, as they were dependent on my help in some cases.  I'd mostly not want to be a "vector" and give it to them.  Covid Mardy, I did not want to be. I got my wish! 

On December 7, 2020, my schedule had me assisting two women, 20 miles apart, who were waiting to get into memory care assisted livings.  Many know that date to recognize "Pearl Harbor Day".

The afternoon client's daughter had asked me to relieve her of the burden of the 12 year old yellow labrador retriever, who I'd never really engaged with when I'd go to help in the home.  I'd taken them O'Rio's equipment, foods and medical suggestions, as he had passed on the first day of autumn, and they needed much the same care and equipment.  I'd go home between houses/ visits, to change clothes.  I was becoming more cautious as Covid crept closer in the neighborhood and family members of the earlier client that day.  

On the 11th, as my new dog, who I renamed Tres (3 in Spanish, 3 is a charm) stayed home, I'd go to the first house again and see the woman, as I did every day -- it was her day to be discharged from home health therapies as she would be going to memory care on the 14th.  She wasn't stable, but didn't seem "sick", just unstable.  Therapies came as planned, after I left, and discharged as planned, despite having a clear change in status.  By the time I returned on Saturday, she was clearly ill.  I'd get permission from the POA to call the ambulance.  With full confidence, I went home to Tres, telling him about how we'd get to know each other well as I was needing to quarantine due to clearly being exposed to Covid.  

But the hospital didn't accept her as an admission.  Nobody but I could help her at her home, so back I went.  Up the steps I lifted the oxygen concentrator, injurying my hip and my back in the process; the vendor wasn't allowed to go closer than dropping off out front.  He was pleasant, he petted Tres, who I'd needed to walk, since I was going to be leaving him alone at home until I could get back to care for his needs. I'd return him home and await the call the ill woman was on her way.

She was brought home by the only family member that didn't knowingly have Covid at the time -- who, like me, would be ill with it subsequently.  A neighbor came to help us carry the walker and the semiconscious woman up the stairs -- I'd checked, the POA had tried to fight the lack of admission but was told there was no reason to admit her.  I felt betrayed by our system, and like we were in a war zone and I simply had to be a citizen and pitch in, sacrificing as you would any emergency.  

The woman would die, having been found to have Covid on a more reliable test after the quick test had given false negative when first sent by ambulance.  When I was told of her passing, I myself was two days past the turningpoint when I thought I might need to risk seeking local urgent / emergent care. 

I turned the immediate life-threatening lung symptoms around, thankfully. I'd lost 15 pounds in three days, my gastrointestinal system seemed to have been reset to baby-ness, and I had to work my way from nursing iced tea with lemon and honey to other foods.  My tastes progressed in child-like form. It was months before I was tolerating what I normally ate, and I'd paid the price for the intake I'd taken in.  My weight gain, well beyond the 15 pounds lost, was likely in part due to not being able to walk much -- I was upside down, once again.

Many of the symptoms from long ago came back and were worse, in some cases, than before!  Neuropathy, tinnitus, vertigo, fatigue, pain in my right heel, and "fibro fog", as it used to be called when I was diagnosed as such. 

What a strange bug Covid is, and was for me, and still is for me and everyone surrounding ......  A year later, as I write this, I'm still not the same as I was on 7December2020.  I am continuing to improve though. The first person I spoke with after the fever subsided heard me say "I'm going to have to approach this like I did the health collapses I had in the past, and it will take a month or more to be mostly better, and a lot longer to get back to my baseline.  I'm 60 now, not in my 30s, so .... I don't know....."   

Coincidences of timing, I'm a fan of, so I appreciated that it was on the one year anniversary of this turning point in my life -- getting Covid and a very special dog all in the same day -- Dr James Lyons-Weiler provided an update, this time about censorship on YouTube, and I felt it was time to provide an updated topic on Lumigrate. 

The highlights: