Long COVID, Food Insecurity & Medicaid
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Long COVID
Many people who get COVID recover and go on with their lives fairly normally. However, about 6% of adults do not recover as quickly as others and have what is called Long COVID.
Symptoms include cough, fatigue, muscle and joint pain loss of smell or taste, brain fog, sleeplessness and many more. Here is a full list from the CDC.
Often patients are advised to start exercising to get their bodies back in shape. A fair number of those patients report extreme fatigue and brain fog or confusion especially after exercise. This is far beyond any usual tiredness or soreness that can accompany a trip to the gym. These symptoms of exhaustion, or post-exertional malaise as it's called, are a hallmark of long COVID and similar complex illnesses like chronic fatigue syndrome or ME/CFS.
Now research published this month in Nature Communications gives new weight to that assessment. By taking biopsies from long COVID patients before and after exercising, scientists in the Netherlands constructed a startling picture of widespread abnormalities in muscle tissue that may explain this severe reaction to physical activity.
Researchers have found that mitochondria are starved for oxygen. Those are the cells power plants. No wonder people are tired and confused. Moreover, there are micro clots that have been found in the muscles. A South African study found that these are likely to have shown up due to damaged vascular systems that are transporting less oxygen. Here is a link to a good overview by NPR.
I want to make a point here and that is often medical professionals dismiss fatigue and muscle pain as purely psychological. Well it just ain’t so. Some professionals indicate that a more gentle return to exercise is warranted and to be patient. Apparently this can take quite some time. No medications have been identified to assist yet. More to come.
PS New variant of COVID is making the rounds - make sure you’re vaccinated.
Medicaid Unwinding
It seems like just a few days ago I was writing that 13.3 million of us have lost our Medicaid insurance post pandemic. The KFF estimate is now 14.377 million and of course, about 70% of those were removed for procedural issues, like paperwork errors, about 10 million of us.
There really isn’t a positive side to this story because this is one area that Universal Healthcare fixes right away.
The only positive I see is that at 26.989 million were successfully re-enrolled.
Summer Lunch Money for Children
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Wednesday that nearly 21 million children will receive expanded grocery benefits this summer across all but 15 states.
The USDA said summer 2024 will be the first launch of its new permanent grocery program for children, called Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer. States will give eligible families $40 per month for each child under this new program, which Congress approved in 2022
“Summer grocery benefits are becoming a reality for many communities across the nation and for tens of millions of children who will receive the nutrition they need to grow, learn, and thrive,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said.
Thirty-five states, five territories and four Native American tribes opted into the program for this summer. The USDA said the program would cover approximately 70 percent of the eligible children in its inaugural launch, and that it hopes to continue expanding.
Fifteen states did not opt into the program, with many Republican state officials saying that their state did not need the funds or that they did not have the capabilities to run this program.
Those states include Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont and Wyoming. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) suggested that the state did not need the program, pointing to high rates of childhood obesity as a reason why they should not expand grocery benefits for children. That is is just a shameful comment.
At least one Republican governor who chose not to participate said they did not believe in welfare.
ACTION
If you live in Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont and Wyoming let your legislators and governor know that a little help can mean a lot to hungry children. Their contact info is in the Resources Section.
Something like - “My name is {name{ and I am your constituent in zipcode {zipcode.}. I just learned that our state will not access the federally provided Electronic Benefit Transfer program that will provide some food assistance to needy and hungry children. I want you to turn this around and help those children. You were elected to be help all the people of our state. Here’s your chance. Thank you.”
RESOURCES
Healthcare Advocacy (Us)
Website
Our Newsletter resources including reproductive healthcare
Healthcare Advocacy Reading List
Find My Elected Officials
Contact the White House https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Contact State and Federal Representatives
By phone: (202) 224-3121
By email: democracy.io
Important Healthcare Resources
League of Women Voters Healthcare Reform Toolkit
Organizations to Contact
National Nurses United Medicare4All
Physicians for a National Health Program
One Payer States
Healthcare Now
Reproductive Health
NARAL - Pro Choice America
Charley. chatbot abortion resource - make sure to use a secure incognito browser if you live in a state that has banned abortion
Planned Parenthood
Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline has references about where to procure abortion medications. They also assist women in the process of self managed abortion or miscarriage by phone or text and will respond in an hour. Details and hours of operation at their website.
United State of Women Reproductive health page (bottom of the page) has important resources such as medical support, access to Telehealth, prescriptions by mail, and legal support references.
Practice careful communications - The Digital Defense Fund has a number of tips to keep texts, calls, and internet use private. Here is their site.
If you need financial help with an abortion try abortionfunds.org
Claims Denials and Appeals & What to Do
Appeal a Healthcare Decision
Appeal/Negotiate a Hospital Bill
Disinformation Management
Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency
Save Democracy
Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jessica Cravens
RESISTBOT
Link to the RESISTBOT site to learn more
Link to Chop Wood, Carry Water RESISTBOT write up
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There’s a lot of variation in what may help manage long covid symptoms. In my case, creatine supplements reduced my fatigue. Didn’t get rid of it, but definitely helped. Too much creatine can cause problems, so it is something to investigate not rush into.