Long Covid Diaries: Fall edition.

It’s been twenty-six days since my last covid diaries update. (For my official "covid diaries" see here; here; here; here; here; here; here; here; here; here; here; here; here;  here; here; here; here; here; here; here; here; here; here; here; here; here; here; here; here; here; here; here; here; here;  here; here; here; here; here; here; here; here; here; here; here; and here.) I have had one busy week of travel and socializing Stateside (including a colloquium paper), and ‘two weeks of back to teaching.’

The upward trend has continued. I have had no episodes of noticeable cognitive fatigue, and I am slowly increasing the density of my workload with more back-to-back meetings and socializing. I am also able to be more physically active again. I take several long walks a day. (Below a picture taken during one of my walks.)

I do find my three-hour undergraduate seminar tiring, but in a way that feels more natural. In fact, I haven’t had any bouts of migraine in a few weeks. I am also capable of modest socializing in the evening without having a restless night. (Regular readers may recall that I have had a sleep cycle of 90 minutes through the night.) In general my sleep patterns are much more normal than they have been in nearly four years.

The bottom line seems to be that the beta blockers are working well, and for the first time since my first covid infection I am not constantly tacitly self-monitoring or ensuring that I remain under any thresholds. I still have a modest sensitivity to noise and ‘background clutter,’ but it's not as exhausting. My family has remarked several times that I seem ‘normal’ again. Fingers crossed (feel free to say a prayer or burn incense), but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Today, I’ll get the covid vaccinate, again. So, I hope my reaction is mild. Wish me well.