7 ms·

I've been really worried about whether COVID has affected my brain. I had very mild loss of smell and flu like symptoms (I contracted COVID before the vaccine w

I've been really worried about whether COVID has affected my brain. I had very mild loss of smell and flu like symptoms (I contracted COVID before the vaccine was available). I also had what felt like brain fog as well afterwards. I'm fine now, but I often spend time worrying about whether I've had a drop in cognitive functions post-COVID. I hate that it's impossible to really gauge how it affected my brain. My brain is my most important work asset (I'm a SWE) and I hate the idea of losing a few IQ points to COVID that could diminish my ability to create.

hammock 5y ago
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- bluSCALE4 5y ago
  Lol, realized your first comment was rude eh? (He originally asked how brain fog related to the article)
- etherael 5y ago
  Why? They said they already had it which means they'd now have natural immunity. What would be the point of getting a vaccine for something you're already immune to? Am I missing something here?
  - hammock 5y ago
    We aren't sure how long natural immunity lasts for.
    - mzvkxlcvd 5y ago
      well the amazing vaccine at best works for 4 months, if that. considering i've recently had covid with minimal issue, i'll take my chances with natural immunity.
    - nradov 5y ago
      Immunity is not a binary condition. It's not as if immunity, whether produced by vaccination or recovery from infection, lasts a certain period and then stops. While I would encourage everyone eligible to protect themselves by getting vaccinated, all the scientific evidence we have from similar viruses indicates that recovery from infection produces a significant level of cellular immunity lasting as long as the patient's immune system remains basically healthy. Concerns about waning immunity were mainly based on antibody levels, but of course those aren't very important. https://peterattiamd.com/covid-part2/ https://peterattiamd.com/covid-part2/
    - kbelder 5y ago
      It may be short term, but it's probably as long or longer than the immunity from the vaccine. That's an argument for scheduling repeat vaccinations... but it needs to be looked at in the context of a lifetime. A recurring shot every year or few years may be feasible. Every three months is not.
  - memish 5y ago
    - TAKEMYMONEY 5y ago
      That's why Big Pharma still forces us to get a Chicken Pox vaccine every year! Oh wait, they don't? You can still get infected with SARS-CoV-2 even if you have before, and you should still be vaccinated. https://www.science.org/content/article/more-people-are-getting-covid-19-twice-suggesting-immunity-wanes-quickly-some https://www.science.org/content/article/more-people-are-gett...
      - memish 5y ago
        If you're old or obese, yes. If you're young and healthy, no. As for Big Pharma, it's strange so many people are defending an industry well known for committing crimes against humanity. In recent history. The opioid crisis is still playing out, for one.
        TAKEMYMONEY 5y ago
        > If you're young and healthy, no. ...unless you have concern for spreading disease. Some only think of themselves. > it's strange so many people are defending an industry That is strange, who are these people defending the industry at large? I'm recommending getting vaccinated against diseases, not the Sackler family. This is a comment thread about COVID.
        memish 5y ago
        You're right, that's veering off topic. Back to Covid. The vaccine doesn't stop spread. We've known this for a long time now, but here's a fresh example just last weekend: Seventy-two people have tested positive for Covid-19 after having attended the Gridiron Dinner in Washington last weekend, including members of the Biden administration and reporters. Gridiron Club President Tom DeFrank said Sunday that the group had reported 72 cases out of the hundreds of people who attended. New York Mayor Eric Adams, who was also at the dinner, tested positive Sunday. It was the first Gridiron Dinner since 2019, before the pandemic, and guests were required to show proof of vaccination, DeFrank said. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/67-attendees-test-positive-covid-high-profile-dc-dinner-rcna23763 https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/67-attendees-...
  - nimih 5y ago
    > What would be the point of getting a vaccine for something you're already immune to? The immunity can wane and the virus can mutate[0]. Same reason you would get a shingles vaccine or a yearly flu shot. [0] Admittedly, this isn't relevant to COVID-19 yet as the vaccine hasn't been updated AFAIK, but it's probably useful to keep in mind going forward when evaluating your own personal situation/risk, and when trying to understand public policy decisions.
    - etherael 5y ago
      I can understand if it mutates to the point of circumventing the original immunity and there's a new vaccine variant to address that specific mutation but as you yourself point out, that doesn't apply here, so I don't get it?
    - nradov 5y ago
      That is misinformation. While there can be benefits to vaccination after infection, recovery from infection does produce durable cellular immunity in the vast majority of patients. Antibody levels always wane over time, but there's more to immunity than antibodies. https://peterattiamd.com/covid-part2/ https://peterattiamd.com/covid-part2/ I encourage everyone eligible to protect themselves by getting vaccinated but the reasons to get a COVID-19 vaccine have really nothing to do with the reasons to get a shingles vaccine. Shingles is caused by the varicella herpesvirus which remains dormant in the body even after the acute infection has cleared. That virus works in a completely different way than SARS-CoV-2.
      - nimih 5y ago
        Given that I don't know anything about how antibodies and T-cells and all that jazz work and I don't plan on listening to a 2:40hr podcast to learn what some dude on the internet thinks about it, all I can say is that there appears to be research demonstrating that the COVID-19 vaccine has real benefit to people who already contracted the actual virus[0], which make's my government's advice that folks in that situation still get vaccinated[1] seem pretty reasonable. [0] https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7032e1.htm?s_cid=mm7032e1_e&ACSTrackingID=USCDC_921-DM63289&ACSTrackingLabel=MMWR%20Early%20Release%20-%20Vol.%2070%2C%20August%206%2C%202021&deliveryName=USCDC_921-DM63289 https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7032e1.htm?s_cid=mm... [1] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html
  - wccrawford 5y ago
    I read a study the other day that showed that the third best thing for Covid protection is vaccination. The second best is having had it already. And the best was both. Even if you've already had it, getting the vaccine as well drastically reduces your chances of being serious ill with Covid. And it's free, so why not get that extra protection?
- mzvkxlcvd 5y ago
  i'm not convinced. my whole family got it a couple weeks ago. me and my kids are all unvaccinated, we had very mild cases. my wife was vaccinated and was basically bedridden for 2 weeks.
  - karlshea 5y ago
    Consider that your wife may have died instead, and you and your kids happen to be in the 80% that it barely touches. It’s actually wild to me at this point given the extremely clear data readily available that you are still “not convinced” though. Amazing!
    - nradov 5y ago
      While I encourage everyone eligible to protect themselves by getting vaccinated, deaths in that age range are extremely rare. The CDC estimated the overall infection fatality rate for people in the 18-49 age group at 0.08%. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/burden.html https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/burd...
      - brimble 5y ago
        Hospitalization rate's somewhat higher, and last I checked vaccine drops that to like 10% the unvaccinated rate. That's not death, but being hospitalized isn't exactly fun, and can be damn expensive. Agreed that risk of death, even unvaccinated, is pretty low if you aren't fairly old and don't have significant other factors that put you at higher risk.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
- xtracto 5y ago
  I'm just going to add some anecdata for people to weight when they are taking this decision: The covid AZ booster gave me an ischemic stroke (Lacunar TIA, detected by MRI, confirmed by my Neurologist). My GP got only one Pfizer vaccine and got myocarditis. She decided not to get any subsequent vaccines. There's plenty of anecdata cases of people having bad significant reactions to the vaccines all over the internet. As they say, the probabilities are low, but if you happen to be like me, who believed in the statistics and get shafted... well probabilities are meaningless to me now.
  - rootusrootus 5y ago
    > The covid AZ booster gave me an ischemic stroke How did you draw a causal link between the two? Anything other than post hoc? > My GP got only one Pfizer vaccine and got myocarditis. She decided not to get any subsequent vaccines. Another post hoc? There have been actual studies we can look at, rather than making decisions based on what randos on the Internet claim to be true.
    - xtracto 5y ago
      I did not draw anything. My vascular Neurologist gave me the diagnostic after looking at my MRI, A LOT of tests, including blood, ecocardiograms (form outside and inside my body), ecographies and more. You are completely right, I don't care about what a random "rootusrootus" user in the internet says, I trust my Vascular Neurologist and his diagnostic after actually reviewing my case. Now I am taking baby aspirin for the time being until I can see how my case progresses. If I cared, I could offer to share my Neurologist contact info. But I really don't.
      - rootusrootus 5y ago
        I wasn't making a claim. Just curious if you had something other than ideology to back up a bold claim. Clearly not. You ought not to spread misinformation, but I can hardly stop you. The fact that you claim to have two separate antivax doctors is enlightening enough by itself.
JTon 5y ago
I'd try to frame the experience as a sunk cost (i.e. cannot be changed) and try not to quantify it. Instead focus your energy on developing your skills and keeping yourself healthy going forward. Easier said than done of course.
- micromacrofoot 5y ago
  Yeah exactly. This is your life now, and worrying about any possible impact it had isn't going to change anything about the impact and how it affects you now. All you can do is move on the best you can.
  - mrtesthah 5y ago
    It might be worth understanding the mechanism of damage in order to self-attempt reparative therapies (however theoretical or experimental). For example: Dr. Terry Wahls‘ Anti-MS diet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc&feature=emb_title https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc&feature=emb_titl... Or BDNF-boosting strategies. Or strategies such as IF to tamp down overactive microglial cells that afflict nearby neurons with inflammation. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jmv.26984 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jmv.26984 https://jneuroinflammation.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1742-2094-11-85 https://jneuroinflammation.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.118...
    - avgcorrection 5y ago
      Why anti-MS diet?
      - mrtesthah 5y ago
        While it seems rare for covid to cause MS itself, there might be a link between neuroinflammation and demyelinating damage. https://www.msard-journal.com/article/S2211-0348(20)30400-4/fulltext https://www.msard-journal.com/article/S2211-0348(20)30400-4/...
sod 5y ago
There are people with a stroke, removed tumor or other brain injuries who recover (e.g. see Simone Giertz on yourtube). Don't underestimate the ability to adapt. Maybe you lost a few points. Maybe not. Maybe you didn't even fully utilize your brain anyway and with a few tricks you easily blow past your capabilities from before covid. Just listen to a few "Huberman Lab" podcasts about cognitive function and the brain. I know worrying can be a vicious cycle. Trying to improve is the best you can do to grab yourself out of it.
- antisthenes 5y ago
  > There are people with a stroke, removed tumor or other brain injuries who recover (e.g. see Simone Giertz on yourtube). Don't underestimate the ability to adapt. Maybe you lost a few points. Maybe not. Maybe you didn't even fully utilize your brain anyway and with a few tricks you easily blow past your capabilities from before covid. Stuff like this is not helpful. Unless you've personally had brain trauma, you probably don't understand what it's like to live with constant brain fog, and to spend extra time understanding abstract concepts that used to be easy. It adds up and wastes your free time. There are no positives about it. > I know worrying can be a vicious cycle. Trying to improve is the best you can do to grab yourself out of it. On the other hand, this is helpful. Because worrying about something you can't change can only make it worse. What helped me personally is adjusting my expectations (and expectations of others) and just living my life day to day, trying to enjoy it as much as possible.
  - xtracto 5y ago
    I got a microstroke (lacunar TIA) as a result of the Astra Zeneca COVID booster (3rd vaccine I had, two others were pfizer). You are right how people cannot imagine the impact it has on oneself. Headaches, inability to focus, head pressure, anxiety, among other things. The struggle is real, including the fear of getting a full blown stroke at any moment.
  - GordonS 5y ago
    > you probably don't understand what it's like to live with constant brain fog, and to spend extra time understanding abstract concepts that used to be easy. It adds up and wastes your free time. I have CFS, and the brain fog really is absolutely awful. Just around 5 years ago, I was at the top of my game, and could accomplish in one day at work what would take a team of colleagues a week to do. Now... gods, everything just seems to take me forever! I'll think "that'll take me an hour", and I'm still working on it days later. I keep catching myself staring at the screen like I'm in a trance, and yak shaving to avoid more complex tasks. I frequently forget what I was even doing. It's hard to describe, but it's like my thought process has slowed to a crawl - my "inner monologue" remains normal, but everything else is just slow as hell. It's really difficult to focus on tasks. 5 years on, and I still overestimate my abilities; it just feels so alien still. It's pretty much ruined my life, so yeah, don't underestimate brain fog.
Tao331 5y ago
Write code and document it with a dumber version of yourself in mind.
rob74 5y ago
I got Covid (Delta) in November despite being vaccinated. I guess you can call it a "mild case" - I felt sick for 1-2 days, then weaker than normal for ~ ten days. But I did have complete loss of smell - interestingly enough I could taste food just fine, but I could put my nose (which wasn't clogged up or anything) into a jar of ground coffee and wouldn't be able to smell a thing. No cognitive impairment though. And, if you read the article, it doesn't say anything about "brain damage" either, just "Olfactory Tissue Degeneration and Microvasculopathy" (which could be roughly translated as "nose damage", I guess) - no idea why it was submitted with this title.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
dham 5y ago
You can't go through life and give up whenever a thing might not go your way. Think about a person who had a chunk of their brain removed, or lost their legs. They could sit down and feel sorry for themselves or push through and make something of it. Also you might be experiencing some kind of medical anxiety due to media constantly bombarding you with Covid side effects 24/7. If they did the same with the Flu you would see they have very similar effects.
lifeplusplus 5y ago
Same and I've seen a definite change.. I went from enjoying hands on competitive fps games to just watching dumb comedy and anything more makes me sleepy. I'm going it will get better but if not well people in the future will just pity us ... Had brain fog, lost the "drive", still good at complex problem solving but somehow feel unable to relate to it like part of me gets it and other is completely clueless and too tired to even bother
avgcorrection 5y ago
Such a HN take.

hammock 5y ago

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
bluSCALE4 5y ago
Lol, realized your first comment was rude eh? (He originally asked how brain fog related to the article)
etherael 5y ago
Why? They said they already had it which means they'd now have natural immunity. What would be the point of getting a vaccine for something you're already immune to? Am I missing something here?
- hammock 5y ago
  We aren't sure how long natural immunity lasts for.
  - mzvkxlcvd 5y ago
    well the amazing vaccine at best works for 4 months, if that. considering i've recently had covid with minimal issue, i'll take my chances with natural immunity.
  - nradov 5y ago
    Immunity is not a binary condition. It's not as if immunity, whether produced by vaccination or recovery from infection, lasts a certain period and then stops. While I would encourage everyone eligible to protect themselves by getting vaccinated, all the scientific evidence we have from similar viruses indicates that recovery from infection produces a significant level of cellular immunity lasting as long as the patient's immune system remains basically healthy. Concerns about waning immunity were mainly based on antibody levels, but of course those aren't very important. https://peterattiamd.com/covid-part2/ https://peterattiamd.com/covid-part2/
  - kbelder 5y ago
    It may be short term, but it's probably as long or longer than the immunity from the vaccine. That's an argument for scheduling repeat vaccinations... but it needs to be looked at in the context of a lifetime. A recurring shot every year or few years may be feasible. Every three months is not.
- memish 5y ago
  - TAKEMYMONEY 5y ago
    That's why Big Pharma still forces us to get a Chicken Pox vaccine every year! Oh wait, they don't? You can still get infected with SARS-CoV-2 even if you have before, and you should still be vaccinated. https://www.science.org/content/article/more-people-are-getting-covid-19-twice-suggesting-immunity-wanes-quickly-some https://www.science.org/content/article/more-people-are-gett...
    - memish 5y ago
      If you're old or obese, yes. If you're young and healthy, no. As for Big Pharma, it's strange so many people are defending an industry well known for committing crimes against humanity. In recent history. The opioid crisis is still playing out, for one.
      - TAKEMYMONEY 5y ago
        > If you're young and healthy, no. ...unless you have concern for spreading disease. Some only think of themselves. > it's strange so many people are defending an industry That is strange, who are these people defending the industry at large? I'm recommending getting vaccinated against diseases, not the Sackler family. This is a comment thread about COVID.
        memish 5y ago
        You're right, that's veering off topic. Back to Covid. The vaccine doesn't stop spread. We've known this for a long time now, but here's a fresh example just last weekend: Seventy-two people have tested positive for Covid-19 after having attended the Gridiron Dinner in Washington last weekend, including members of the Biden administration and reporters. Gridiron Club President Tom DeFrank said Sunday that the group had reported 72 cases out of the hundreds of people who attended. New York Mayor Eric Adams, who was also at the dinner, tested positive Sunday. It was the first Gridiron Dinner since 2019, before the pandemic, and guests were required to show proof of vaccination, DeFrank said. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/67-attendees-test-positive-covid-high-profile-dc-dinner-rcna23763 https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/67-attendees-...
- nimih 5y ago
  > What would be the point of getting a vaccine for something you're already immune to? The immunity can wane and the virus can mutate[0]. Same reason you would get a shingles vaccine or a yearly flu shot. [0] Admittedly, this isn't relevant to COVID-19 yet as the vaccine hasn't been updated AFAIK, but it's probably useful to keep in mind going forward when evaluating your own personal situation/risk, and when trying to understand public policy decisions.
  - etherael 5y ago
    I can understand if it mutates to the point of circumventing the original immunity and there's a new vaccine variant to address that specific mutation but as you yourself point out, that doesn't apply here, so I don't get it?
  - nradov 5y ago
    That is misinformation. While there can be benefits to vaccination after infection, recovery from infection does produce durable cellular immunity in the vast majority of patients. Antibody levels always wane over time, but there's more to immunity than antibodies. https://peterattiamd.com/covid-part2/ https://peterattiamd.com/covid-part2/ I encourage everyone eligible to protect themselves by getting vaccinated but the reasons to get a COVID-19 vaccine have really nothing to do with the reasons to get a shingles vaccine. Shingles is caused by the varicella herpesvirus which remains dormant in the body even after the acute infection has cleared. That virus works in a completely different way than SARS-CoV-2.
    - nimih 5y ago
      Given that I don't know anything about how antibodies and T-cells and all that jazz work and I don't plan on listening to a 2:40hr podcast to learn what some dude on the internet thinks about it, all I can say is that there appears to be research demonstrating that the COVID-19 vaccine has real benefit to people who already contracted the actual virus[0], which make's my government's advice that folks in that situation still get vaccinated[1] seem pretty reasonable. [0] https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7032e1.htm?s_cid=mm7032e1_e&ACSTrackingID=USCDC_921-DM63289&ACSTrackingLabel=MMWR%20Early%20Release%20-%20Vol.%2070%2C%20August%206%2C%202021&deliveryName=USCDC_921-DM63289 https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7032e1.htm?s_cid=mm... [1] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html
- wccrawford 5y ago
  I read a study the other day that showed that the third best thing for Covid protection is vaccination. The second best is having had it already. And the best was both. Even if you've already had it, getting the vaccine as well drastically reduces your chances of being serious ill with Covid. And it's free, so why not get that extra protection?
mzvkxlcvd 5y ago
i'm not convinced. my whole family got it a couple weeks ago. me and my kids are all unvaccinated, we had very mild cases. my wife was vaccinated and was basically bedridden for 2 weeks.
- karlshea 5y ago
  Consider that your wife may have died instead, and you and your kids happen to be in the 80% that it barely touches. It’s actually wild to me at this point given the extremely clear data readily available that you are still “not convinced” though. Amazing!
  - nradov 5y ago
    While I encourage everyone eligible to protect themselves by getting vaccinated, deaths in that age range are extremely rare. The CDC estimated the overall infection fatality rate for people in the 18-49 age group at 0.08%. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/burden.html https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/burd...
    - brimble 5y ago
      Hospitalization rate's somewhat higher, and last I checked vaccine drops that to like 10% the unvaccinated rate. That's not death, but being hospitalized isn't exactly fun, and can be damn expensive. Agreed that risk of death, even unvaccinated, is pretty low if you aren't fairly old and don't have significant other factors that put you at higher risk.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
xtracto 5y ago
I'm just going to add some anecdata for people to weight when they are taking this decision: The covid AZ booster gave me an ischemic stroke (Lacunar TIA, detected by MRI, confirmed by my Neurologist). My GP got only one Pfizer vaccine and got myocarditis. She decided not to get any subsequent vaccines. There's plenty of anecdata cases of people having bad significant reactions to the vaccines all over the internet. As they say, the probabilities are low, but if you happen to be like me, who believed in the statistics and get shafted... well probabilities are meaningless to me now.
- rootusrootus 5y ago
  > The covid AZ booster gave me an ischemic stroke How did you draw a causal link between the two? Anything other than post hoc? > My GP got only one Pfizer vaccine and got myocarditis. She decided not to get any subsequent vaccines. Another post hoc? There have been actual studies we can look at, rather than making decisions based on what randos on the Internet claim to be true.
  - xtracto 5y ago
    I did not draw anything. My vascular Neurologist gave me the diagnostic after looking at my MRI, A LOT of tests, including blood, ecocardiograms (form outside and inside my body), ecographies and more. You are completely right, I don't care about what a random "rootusrootus" user in the internet says, I trust my Vascular Neurologist and his diagnostic after actually reviewing my case. Now I am taking baby aspirin for the time being until I can see how my case progresses. If I cared, I could offer to share my Neurologist contact info. But I really don't.
    - rootusrootus 5y ago
      I wasn't making a claim. Just curious if you had something other than ideology to back up a bold claim. Clearly not. You ought not to spread misinformation, but I can hardly stop you. The fact that you claim to have two separate antivax doctors is enlightening enough by itself.

JTon 5y ago

I'd try to frame the experience as a sunk cost (i.e. cannot be changed) and try not to quantify it. Instead focus your energy on developing your skills and keeping yourself healthy going forward. Easier said than done of course.

micromacrofoot 5y ago
Yeah exactly. This is your life now, and worrying about any possible impact it had isn't going to change anything about the impact and how it affects you now. All you can do is move on the best you can.
- mrtesthah 5y ago
  It might be worth understanding the mechanism of damage in order to self-attempt reparative therapies (however theoretical or experimental). For example: Dr. Terry Wahls‘ Anti-MS diet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc&feature=emb_title https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc&feature=emb_titl... Or BDNF-boosting strategies. Or strategies such as IF to tamp down overactive microglial cells that afflict nearby neurons with inflammation. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jmv.26984 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jmv.26984 https://jneuroinflammation.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1742-2094-11-85 https://jneuroinflammation.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.118...
  - avgcorrection 5y ago
    Why anti-MS diet?
    - mrtesthah 5y ago
      While it seems rare for covid to cause MS itself, there might be a link between neuroinflammation and demyelinating damage. https://www.msard-journal.com/article/S2211-0348(20)30400-4/fulltext https://www.msard-journal.com/article/S2211-0348(20)30400-4/...

sod 5y ago

There are people with a stroke, removed tumor or other brain injuries who recover (e.g. see Simone Giertz on yourtube). Don't underestimate the ability to adapt. Maybe you lost a few points. Maybe not. Maybe you didn't even fully utilize your brain anyway and with a few tricks you easily blow past your capabilities from before covid. Just listen to a few "Huberman Lab" podcasts about cognitive function and the brain. I know worrying can be a vicious cycle. Trying to improve is the best you can do to grab yourself out of it.

antisthenes 5y ago
> There are people with a stroke, removed tumor or other brain injuries who recover (e.g. see Simone Giertz on yourtube). Don't underestimate the ability to adapt. Maybe you lost a few points. Maybe not. Maybe you didn't even fully utilize your brain anyway and with a few tricks you easily blow past your capabilities from before covid. Stuff like this is not helpful. Unless you've personally had brain trauma, you probably don't understand what it's like to live with constant brain fog, and to spend extra time understanding abstract concepts that used to be easy. It adds up and wastes your free time. There are no positives about it. > I know worrying can be a vicious cycle. Trying to improve is the best you can do to grab yourself out of it. On the other hand, this is helpful. Because worrying about something you can't change can only make it worse. What helped me personally is adjusting my expectations (and expectations of others) and just living my life day to day, trying to enjoy it as much as possible.
- xtracto 5y ago
  I got a microstroke (lacunar TIA) as a result of the Astra Zeneca COVID booster (3rd vaccine I had, two others were pfizer). You are right how people cannot imagine the impact it has on oneself. Headaches, inability to focus, head pressure, anxiety, among other things. The struggle is real, including the fear of getting a full blown stroke at any moment.
- GordonS 5y ago
  > you probably don't understand what it's like to live with constant brain fog, and to spend extra time understanding abstract concepts that used to be easy. It adds up and wastes your free time. I have CFS, and the brain fog really is absolutely awful. Just around 5 years ago, I was at the top of my game, and could accomplish in one day at work what would take a team of colleagues a week to do. Now... gods, everything just seems to take me forever! I'll think "that'll take me an hour", and I'm still working on it days later. I keep catching myself staring at the screen like I'm in a trance, and yak shaving to avoid more complex tasks. I frequently forget what I was even doing. It's hard to describe, but it's like my thought process has slowed to a crawl - my "inner monologue" remains normal, but everything else is just slow as hell. It's really difficult to focus on tasks. 5 years on, and I still overestimate my abilities; it just feels so alien still. It's pretty much ruined my life, so yeah, don't underestimate brain fog.

Tao331 5y ago

Write code and document it with a dumber version of yourself in mind.

rob74 5y ago

I got Covid (Delta) in November despite being vaccinated. I guess you can call it a "mild case" - I felt sick for 1-2 days, then weaker than normal for ~ ten days. But I did have complete loss of smell - interestingly enough I could taste food just fine, but I could put my nose (which wasn't clogged up or anything) into a jar of ground coffee and wouldn't be able to smell a thing. No cognitive impairment though. And, if you read the article, it doesn't say anything about "brain damage" either, just "Olfactory Tissue Degeneration and Microvasculopathy" (which could be roughly translated as "nose damage", I guess) - no idea why it was submitted with this title.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

dham 5y ago

You can't go through life and give up whenever a thing might not go your way. Think about a person who had a chunk of their brain removed, or lost their legs. They could sit down and feel sorry for themselves or push through and make something of it. Also you might be experiencing some kind of medical anxiety due to media constantly bombarding you with Covid side effects 24/7. If they did the same with the Flu you would see they have very similar effects.

lifeplusplus 5y ago

Same and I've seen a definite change.. I went from enjoying hands on competitive fps games to just watching dumb comedy and anything more makes me sleepy. I'm going it will get better but if not well people in the future will just pity us ... Had brain fog, lost the "drive", still good at complex problem solving but somehow feel unable to relate to it like part of me gets it and other is completely clueless and too tired to even bother

avgcorrection 5y ago

Such a HN take.