Four years ago, in September 2019, I was stricken down with a mystery virus. It was ghastly, and I’ve whined about it more than once on the pages of this blog. I’m as recovered as I’ll ever be. And frankly, I’m as recovered as I need to be, to get on with life the same way as I ever did. But I’m not the same. Even four years on, there are lasting effects. My lung capacity isn’t what it was. I always need a glass of water by my bedside, to placate a throat which dries very fast. My memory is perhaps not quite so sharp. There are occasional, minor, flare ups of the ulcerative colitis caused by the virus. But most of all, the infection aged me. It put five years on me. Maybe more. Who knows, for sure. Oh, and it has made me a bit whiny. I refer you again to the posts I’ve previously written. But anyway, in summary, I have been experiencing Long Mystery Virus.
A few months after my illness, Covid came and allowed hundreds of millions to feel my pain. Tens of millions fared worse. Billions had a lesser, but less than pleasant, experience. Untold numbers of people have since struggled to varying degrees with Long Covid. Nearly four years on from that, anti-vaxxers are still clinging on to pandemic, trying to keep it going in some way. They cite the lingering health issues, immune system damage and excess deaths around the world as proof of vaccine injury. Ignoring the fact that viral infections are rather famous for leaving lingering health issues, immune system damage and earlier-than-planned deaths in their wake. I can so testify to the first two effects. I’d like to dodge the third.
There’s a final symptom to both Long Mystery Virus. My version of it, anyway. Nostalgia. Social media’s algorithms have picked up on it too, feeding me a constant stream of videos and what-not from the ‘good old days’. I find myself particularly enjoying the old BBC Xmas idents. Perhaps this nostalgia symptom is unique to myself. Perhaps it’s shared with Long Covidians too. Who knows, for sure. The world had almost always looked better in hindsight. Survivors bias, and all that. But it does seem to me that civilisation itself has rather suddenly ‘aged’ over these last few years.
Just a few days ago, a jingle came into ear shot that does truly bring back good memories for me. Dare I say, this tune is ‘peak nostalgia’. The theme tune to the television series Globe Trekker. I loved those shows. I’d often come home from work in the very late 90’s and first half of the noughties, turn on the tv and watch an episode or two as the shows intrepid travellers showed me somewhere new in the world. They inspired more than one of my trips. Those were good times indeed. And that happy ditty is the theme tune to that time of my life. Bravo Justine, Megan and Ian, wherever you may be now.
The Mexile 
Not that I’ve always practiced early visits to the MD when I get a bug but it seems prudent as I get older. I was skiing with the men about ten years ago, put up with a lung infection to the point where it did permanent damage .
I contracted covid, did not go to the MD. For one thing, he wanted no part of seeing me, wanted me to go to the hospital…That would have been the end of me, what with how little they knew about treatment at the time and their willingness to ‘try’. My doctor did call in an inhalant lung treatment drug that did a world of good on my discomfort but it made my heart beat way too fast. Drugs will kill ya.
With the lung infection on the ski hill, I was afraid I’d be confined to a hospital and have to redo my travel plans home-a big error because a few days of antibiotic on my return killed the infection, the damage was done.
A lesson learned.
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Same, although I learned to get to the doc a bit quicker after a bacterial bout of tonsillitis in 2017. Tonsillitis is shockingly unpleasant for such a common ailment, and the quicker you get a few antibiotics down you, the better. Alas, the 2019 bout was of a viral nature. I chugged a load of antibios to no effect.
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Norm & Gary: Stew and I had only a very slight brush with Covid, but our famous gardener Felix came down with it while working under the radar in Texas. Because of his illegal status he couldn’t take any time off, go to the doctor etc. But his sense of smell never fully came back. Occasionally he can’t smell at all. Stew’s brother, a vehement anti vaxxer, got a pretty serious case of Covid which caused all sorts of symptoms including hair loss. He said the horse medicine ivermectin “kept him out of the hospital”. And so it goes.
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My bout of covid, when it finally came, was rather mild. Which is a good thing.
My sister – never the brightest of sparks if truth be told – is an antivaxxer. And not even the death of her best buddy (also an antivaxxer, obvs) from covid would get her to ponder the wisdom of some of her health related decisions.
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Sorry to hear that the mystery bug has had long-lasting effects.
Off topic, but exciting news… After putting my house in Ohio up for sale just two days ago, I have already received a very good offer. If all goes well, I should be in Mexico permanently by the end of October.
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I had read that you’ve bought your place, and got your email this morning. Every now and again, I try and leave a comment on your blog. Alas, the commenting system does not like me. I don’t know why. Congrats on your move anyway. I’m jealous.
We may yet meet in CDMX one day for a coffee. It’s long overdue. I’ve recently discovered that I may be able to get Mexican citizenship rather easily. Much more easily than used to be the case. I just need to apply for a TR spouse visa next time I’m there. Wait two years, and then apply for naturalisation. There doesn’t appear to be a requirement that I remain in the country.
What experiences are you having, visa wise?
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I got my two-year temporary residency visa when I was there in August. Let me warn you that it is a time-consuming and aggravating experience in Mexican bureaucracy… four trips to the Instituto Nacional de Migración in Polanco and hours of waiting. None of it can be done online. I will email you and describe the entire process.
As for commenting on the blog, did you ever try using “anonymous” or “name / URL” instead of a Google account? I cannot even respond to comments using my Google account on my own blog. I choose “name / URL” and type in “Retired Teacher” as my name.
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I remember the aggravation of hetting my old residency visa back in the noughties. I wouldn’t have imagined for a moment that the bureacracy had changed. I’ll likely try and do it in the Yucatan. I’d like to get it done while the going is good though and before someone in power decides that the whole thing is too easy…
I’ll give the commenting a go.
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One of my wife’s best friends or should I say two because they are twin sisters got Covid. One sister didn’t get it but the other did, now they do not live together but the second girl lost feeling in both legs, one arm and several fingers on the other hand. Her kidneys and liver shut down, she spent several months in intensive care but is on the mend now but she could have died. She is part of a university study group in Ireland. She could walk with difficulty but has had issues with balance etc although it has now been several years it looks like she may be stuck with whatever she has now. She may never regain what she had before. It must be odd driving your car but not able to tell if you are braking too hard from the pressure in your feet!
I’m sort of baffled by these anti-vaxxers though to be honest! One of my family’s ex members was vehemently against getting her own child vaccinated against normal school jabs going so far as attempting home schooling rather than risking getting what we all consider protection against the usual diseases such as TB and Polio, MMR etc. She went ape sh!t during Covid going so far as to going maskless so they could both get it and get over it in the normal way like the flu, total lunacy! As they say it’s the coughin’ that kills you and the coffin that carry’s you, luckily she came to her senses and didn’t succumb but we presume she still didn’t get her jabs..
Perhaps it’s the perception, that because it’s the drug companies in the US are implementing drug treatments they can’t be trusted. Let’s face it the amount of advertising on American TV is repulsive to say the least, it’s non stop, X minutes of warnings of the after effects if you should take “xyz” to cure your apoplexy at every ad break. Talk about auto suggestion, a pal of mine lived and worked on an American aircraft carrier for many years, he said that everyone got jabbed whenever they were going into a new combat zone, it’s just the way it is!
Maybe it was the way the previous administration’s haphazard approach to denying anything was wrong and then lying about it and then promoting a veterinarian cure for horses and bleach? It’s enough to put you off your rice crispies..
Perhaps seeing as we have become more educated erudite even, some less so than others and what with charlatans promoting snake oil and other quack remedies people can’t see the wood for the trees anymore! Sleight of hand and skullduggery appears to be the modus operandi these days, nothing appears to be what it seems!
I sincerely hope you get better Gary, perhaps it will be incremental, unfortunately we’re all just getting older and can’t bounce back like we used to! I was never one for drinking copious amounts of water however these days I drink several quarts a day. I’m parched just thinking about it.
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The pharma/advertising industry in the US is nuts. It’s totally illegal here to try and ‘sell’ prescribed drugs, as it should be.
As for me, I don’t think it’s about getting better, per se. I’m fine really. The mystery virus has just added a few years to my age and done a bit of damage. Nothing that causes me any struggle. But just enough that I notice it.
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