October 12, 2020

"'I Feel Like I Have Dementia': Brain Fog Plagues Covid Survivors/The condition is affecting thousands of patients, impeding their ability to work and function in daily life."

The NYT reports.
It’s becoming known as Covid brain fog: troubling cognitive symptoms that can include memory loss, confusion, difficulty focusing, dizziness and grasping for everyday words....
“There are thousands of people who have that,” said Dr. Igor Koralnik, chief of neuro-infectious disease at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, who has already seen hundreds of survivors at a post-Covid clinic he leads.... Leading theories are that it arises when the body’s immune response to the virus doesn’t shut down or from inflammation in blood vessels leading to the brain.... 
“It is debilitating,” said Rick Sullivan, 60, of Brentwood, Calif.... “I become almost catatonic. It feels as though I am under anesthesia.”... 
When [Erica] Taylor, 31, contracted the virus in mid-June, she thought she’d need only a brief break... One morning, “everything in my brain was white static,” she said. “I was sitting on the edge of the bed, crying and feeling ‘something’s wrong, I should be asking for help,’ but I couldn’t remember who or what I should be asking. I forgot who I was and where I was.”... She resumed working in early August, but her mind wandered and reading emails was “like reading Greek,” she said. By September, her employer urged a 13-week leave. “They finally landed on ‘You’re going to have to step away,’” said Ms. Taylor, who requested to volunteer for the nonprofit while on leave but was told no. “I’m gutted, to be honest.”

Much more at the link. Very disturbing stories. I hope this will be read and understood by those of you who've taken to saying that you hope you just get the disease and so you can get past it.  

And what if President Trump were experiencing symptoms of this kind. Would he admit it? I don't think he would. Perhaps he wouldn't even admit it to himself, but I'm pretty sure he'd tell us he feels great, tippy-top.

141 comments:

David Begley said...

Don’t speculate about Trump.

What if Biden got Covid and then recovered? Would he admit to brain fog?

traditionalguy said...

Ah, the stigma “crazy” coming from a medical record. Quite a two edged weapon the Dems have got themselves there. But will a vaccine do the same to its targeted population?

PB said...

No mention of the scale of the problem. Seems relatively small in occurrence. Probably like the hoo-haw about the child unique symptoms thing that popped up a few months ago but got dropped because it had no traction.

Whenever reading the NYTimes, try to keep Gel-Mann Amnesia in mind. With all the absolute false crap they've published over the years, particularly the last 4 years, WHY would you expect this piece to be true or relevant to the larger matter of Covid19?

PB said...

Maybe Biden had Covid19 and has brain fog?

James K said...

"Thousands" is still a really small number in a country of 330 million people, tens of millions of whom have tested positive for the virus. Leave it to the NYT to fan the panic flames--just 3 more weeks and they'll have done their jobs.

michaele said...

I read this headline yesterday and immediately thought, of course, time for the media to put a negative spin on Trump being a Covid survivor. Is there nothing about the man that they won't try to plant a seed of doubt about. This obsession for destroying Donald Trump has become very dangerous for the future of our country. It's such a damn shame.

AlbertAnonymous said...

Well, it’s the New York Fucking Times...

At best it’s misleading to push a narrative. But the scale slides through unverified garbage all the way to downright lies.

Dad29 said...

Well, Dave, the Democrat Party has established a 'brain-fog' marker with Biden.

Luke Lea said...

From a previous piece by the same reporter:

"The study looked at the records of the first 509 coronavirus patients hospitalized, from March 5 to April 6, at 10 hospitals in the Northwestern Medicine health system in the Chicago area.

These patients stayed three times as long in the hospital as patients without altered mental function."

So we are looking at a (small?) subset of people with the virus. What percentage of the total?

Birkel said...

I like hypothesizing about things too.
I especially like doing so when I have no particular insights.
Just like you, Althouse!

As for getting the disease, what do you propose is the option?
DNA studies show that many viruses have changed our DNA in the past.
We know that.
It's factual.

But now we believe (I do not mean "we" in the transitional sense) that we can control viruses, the climate, our chromosomes when it comes to gender.

Let's pretend.

Birkel said...

David Begley:

How would Joe Biden know whether he had "brain fog"?
Does the fish know it is wet?

pacwest said...

Setup.

Lucien said...

So they have anecdotal stories that out of the millions who have had this disease, there are thousands who experienced this condition — I.e. less than 1%. So therefore it follows by implied leftist logic that Trump must be suffering from the same (what happened to “‘raid rage”?).

And Althouse is ready to lap it up because . . NYT!

tim maguire said...

How convenient that the NYT decides now that getting over COVID isn’t good enough, that the effects linger until...well, until Biden gets it or November 3 whichever comes first.

Gretchen said...

Funny the NYT runs this story right after Trump gets Covid. Millions of people had Covid, if there is such a syndrome, they say thousands have it,which makes this a rare occurrence if there is any truth to it all all, The NYT is no longer a reliable source. Trump did 2 hrs on Limbaugh as well as multiple interviews and a rally. There are no reports of his inability to form coherent sentences. Biden had short appearances and called for a $15 million dollar minimum in wage, pulled his mask off to cough etc.

This is more projection from the left, Biden is mentally incompetent so they now say Trump is. Hillary colluded with RUssia so they said Trump did, Biden his a racist so they say Trump is.

vermonter said...

This is battle space prep as evidence that Trump should be removed from office.

Narayanan said...

without details about how they were treated the question remains if due to covid or treatment side effects

Patrick said...

I have no doubt these people believe they have foggy brain caused by covid, just as I have doubt that the a person under the spell of hypnosis can believe she is a dog.
There is no show without the media's hypnotism act.

Jaq said...

The NFL and NHL have concussion protocols where they give all players a baseline test, then if they take a knock on the noggin, they can’t play until they haver recovered to their known baseline. Given this reality, that’s probably a good idea for anybody in an executive position. Of course that would mean that an IQ proxy would be in the medical records giving a pretext to “leak” something possibly made up. It would be interesting to do one on Joe Biden, who has had his skull opened up and his brain operated on. It would be interesting to compare to a pre-aneurism test on him.

Jaq said...

"What if Biden got Covid and then recovered? Would he admit to brain fog?”

"Once air touches the brain, you are never the same” and air has touched Biden’s brain.

320Busdriver said...

My neighbor thinks this is all a ruse. Sent me an email re: some Rappoport guy who says the cdc doesn’t have the virus isolated. I send him back links showing that virus has been isolated. He then says there’s no proof it makes you sick. No doubt there’s shady crap going on cdc and otherwise, but how do you reason with someone who might believe this is a worldwide hoax.

Jaq said...

"There is no show without the media's hypnotism act.”

"Deny, deny, deny.” William Jefferson Blythe Clinton

rehajm said...

I'm not a doctor but would speculate symptoms are more prevalent in pluripathological patients suffering Trump Derangement Syndrome, especially those patients with a basic understanding of Presidential polling data metrics...

Bruce Hayden said...

“ And what if President Trump were experiencing symptoms of this kind. Would he admit it? I don't think he would. Perhaps he wouldn't even admit it to himself, but I'm pretty sure he'd tell us he feels great, tippy-top.”

And what if their candidate is so far into dementia that he can’t tie his own shoes? What if he is elected, and gets the infamous 3 am call? What if China extorts North Korea to launch misses against an American base, such as in Guam, as they are rumored to be doing? Whi is going to give the orders to retaliate?

First, they thought that Trump was going to die. Nope. Then that he would miss the rest of the campaign in quarantine. Nope. Went home a couple days later. Still contagious. Probably not. Making his own antibodies now. Trump has brain fog? No evidence of that whatsoever. This attack has the advantage that it seeks to pull Trump down to Biden’s level of mental inacuity.

The thing to keep in mind is that this is the NYT, which means that this is political propaganda. Pure and simple.

John henry said...

Not good if true. But I wonder if this is just another Anti-trump ploy? "HE HAD KUNG FLU AND HIS BRAIN US FOGGED!!!"

It's the NYT so I am automatically skeptic.

Also, we've had (allegedly) 8mm cases of kung flu reported. Plus millions more never reported.

And there are "thousands" of instances of brain fogging. Doesn't sound very common.

If we assume "thousands" means 3m out of 8mm that is 0.03%

John Henry

John henry said...

Not good if true. But I wonder if this is just another Anti-trump ploy? "HE HAD KUNG FLU AND HIS BRAIN US FOGGED!!!"

It's the NYT so I am automatically skeptic.

Also, we've had (allegedly) 8mm cases of kung flu reported. Plus millions more never reported.

And there are "thousands" of instances of brain fogging. Doesn't sound very common.

If we assume "thousands" means 3m out of 8mm that is 0.03%

John Henry

Matt Sablan said...

I bet this release on the heels of the new 25th Amendment push is just a coincidence.

Temujin said...

By the time I comment on this, someone else will have already mentioned that the Democrats have put Joe Biden up for President knowing full well that he is mentally impaired. So much so that they keep him hidden, with limited teleprompter-aided appearances, or faux zoom meetings with pre-sorted and approved questions.

No need to posit if Trump has this. We know Biden is already impaired and that has not stopped the entirety of the establishment government/media/academia complex from putting everything they have into getting him placed in office.

As for those with this debilitation, it sounds awful. On a side note, it sound a bit like what I go through prior to and just after the onset of a migraine.

Bruce Hayden said...

“ These patients stayed three times as long in the hospital as patients without altered mental function."

“So we are looking at a (small?) subset of people with the virus. What percentage of the total?”

This would suggest that someone who went home after a couple days feeling fine, was virus free and antibody positive a day or two later, etc, really is just fine.

gilbar said...

"cases" in Wisconsin (and 38 other states) are "skyrocketing"
Most of the United States is under "mask mandates", people that aren't "mandated" are still wearing masks.

serious question
huh? wha? There seems to be a DIRECT Correlation between mask use, and GETTING covid
Is THIS the intention? When people like TiFNV demand "mask mandates"... are they TRYING to kill us?

gilbar said...

Nine months into masks and lockdowns

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

ItS nEver OvEr! Be sCarEd foREveR!!!!

Come on Althouse. Don’t fall for this shit.

R C Belaire said...

Trump is an Obama-like blank slate. "Bring whatever hate you have for the Orange Man and we can construct a narrative to fit it!"

Jaq said...

We know that COVID can cause low oxygen levels in the blood and we know that low oxygen levels in the blood can cause brain damage. We also know it causes blood clots, which brains do not like. Of course the New York Times dragged Trump into it without evidence, like always, but it’s not to say that it hasn’t happened to other people, it’s very likely that many people are suffering from this, and of course we need to know the scale. It’s like that childhood inflammatory syndrome that COVID causes, it affects about one in a thousand children who get the disease. In other words, it’s something that we are going to have to live with, but life goes on. I thought it was pretty telling that people were advocating opening the schools "WITHOUT MASKS!” I think was the quote, before we even knew the scale of that one.

I should have known that denial would be the main response. It’s getting to the point where I am beginning to question my doubts about global warming’s severity, given that so many of you don’t understand the science at all and are merely indulging denial, maybe I am too. Denial seems to be a pretty widespread and contagious disease of the mind.

Lewis Wetzel said...

Althouse, I hope that you realize that the NYT story is a collection of anecdotes.
The writer could have given us more information, like the medical diagnosis of these patients with "covid brain fog," how common it is, how the "covid brain fog" patients compare with others in their age group who suffered severe bouts of non-covid flu.
This would be real information that we could use to form an reasoned opinion.
The author chose not to do so.
So then the intelligent reader wonders why the author chose not to give us this information.
And the conclusion we should reach is that would not help tell the story she wanted to tell.

Bob Boyd said...

And what if President Trump were experiencing symptoms of this kind.

Why do you think they published this story at this time?

Even if Trump did have CBF, no one would believe it because the boy has cried wolf too many times.

Shouting Thomas said...

Stoicism is good.

Panicking and screeching about life is bad.

This is true no matter how bad the current circumstances might be.

And current circumstances are pretty good. People aren’t dying en masse. Everybody’s who’s infected is recovering.

Everybody calm down and be stoic.

Mike Sylwester said...

I hope this will be read and understood by those of you who've taken to saying that you hope you just get the disease and so you can get past it.

I hope this video will be watched by those of you who've taken to saying that COVID-19 should justify crazy policies.

Jaq said...

I see Insty is still fantasizing that there is something like herd immunity to Coronavirus. Sweden’s numbers are climbing rapidly again to pre “herd immunity” numbers. Hopefully they take notice and stem it somehow.

Browndog said...

Let me know when someone publishes a profile on a single person that recovered fully from covid, let alone the tens of millions.

Since the media is very content with giving the impression that once you have covid you'll always have covid, anything they write can fuck right off.

Jaq said...

I can’t wait for the New York Times piece interviewing brain surgeons about the effects of brain aneurisms. That will be coming, I am sure.

Jeff Brokaw said...

This would have far more credibility if it also included the mental health impact on the tens of millions who had zero health consequences but had their jobs taken from them by government mandate.

A friend ours lost her twenty-something son to an OD after his job was taken from him. Doctors and mental health experts are sounding dire warnings of the lockdown consequences on people who were thriving before March 2020.

So my rebuttal would be: tell the NYT to go fuck themselves, sideways, unless and until they report on the downside of lockdowns. The choices are: report on *all* the bad stuff, honestly, and regardless of who it helps politically, or just STFU already.

I’ve had enough “all covid all the time” gaslighting bullshit.

Bob Boyd said...

There are people out there who have CBF and TDS.

MayBee said...

Remember when they banned silicone breast implants because a lot of women said it gave them lupus?
And when they banned flavored vaping liquid because it caused young people to die of collapsed lungs--- from when they used black market THC-laced vaping products?
Remember when eggs were considered high-cholesterol and very bad for you?
Remember when we were told the way to remain healthy was to eat a high-carb, low-fat diet?

Yeah, we hear bad medical advice all the time from the people who embrace science. This one seems timed to make people more scared of something they were becoming less scared of.

Not saying it can't be true. But it can also be not totally true.

Equipment Maintenance said...

I'm 60. I had the Covid. I'm fine, no lingering effects. I've had worse colds. Your mileage may vary.

Browndog said...

Further, if you think democrats are going to lift their lockdowns and voluntarily give up their newfound totalitarian powers after the election ....you don't know democrats.

stevew said...

I'm starting to agree that exploring this sort of thing, along with the 25th Amendment talk by Pelosi and friends, is preparation for removing Biden once he is elected. Watching Biden convinces me that he is a puppet put in place because they believe he is best able to win versus Trump. I can't square the Harris nomination though, the Democrats cannot be planning for her to take over as POTUS when Biden is removed, can they?

MadisonMan said...

There are thousands of people who have that
I'm skeptical of science reported by the narrative-pushing Press.

Masscon said...

A disability ploy perhaps by the claimants? Has there been a disease in the last 30 years that didn't spawn some type of difficult to prove syndrome? Disability insurance is a popular drug.

rehajm said...

Guys, the NYT and its employees rendered themselves indisputably unserious with their handling of the Tom Cotton op-ed. You do not need to take them seriously any more. And you don't really need to pay all that much attention to them, save for the fun dunks.

-Molly Hemingway

Dude1394 said...

But Biden already has dementia.

Wince said...

Sounds like Biden’s new “crack epidemic”.

MadTownGuy said...

This phenomenon has already been noted in connection with viral infections.

Viral infection leading to brain dysfunction: more prevalent than appreciated?

But now it's being used by the NYT to gain up more fear. But now, of course, it's news. That phenomenon has also been noted at the NYT, by cogent observation of its writers' MO.

Bruce Hayden said...

“ The NFL and NHL have concussion protocols where they give all players a baseline test, then if they take a knock on the noggin, they can’t play until they haver recovered to their known baseline.”

Not just those sports. A guy in my annual male bonding back country ski group had that job 20 years ago at the SLC Olympics (I was in a patent firm there at the time, and he stayed with me) for bobsled and luge type events. He only had to shut the run down once, for a woman who crashed, went back to the start, and tried to run again. The entire course was apparently shut down until he could get to the start, and clear that woman to run.

He had wanted, of course, to work, as a doc, on the skiing events. All of his boys ski raced through high school. Etc. But those jobs went to the politically connected physicians in the SLC area. I learned that from my landlord there, who was one of them, and did have one of the coveted ski racing jobs. Still, this friend had a great time working the Olympics. The volunteers Got to keep a whole outfit for working the Olympics. Most were, I believe, blue and white (it’s been 20 years). The docs got red and white. Very rare and distinctive. That alone probably made the trip worthwhile for him.

Jersey Fled said...

Trust your lying eyes. I listened to about 1/2 hour of Trump's virtual rally on Rush the other day, and all that I can say is, we should all be so impaired.

Then I listened to Biden propose a minimum wage of $15 million an hour.

KP said...

I had this after taking Coumadin for 6 months. I had low iron and liq magnesium. Took too long to figure it out, but I'm fine now. And it was WAY before Covid.

Marcus Bressler said...

There's nothing like The Hostess reading the president's mind and projecting what he would do. Now do Biden. If you can find a brain to read.

THEOLDMAN

PB said...

Stop. Think of what is happening today. Barrett hearing. She had Covid19. They speculate if she has brain fog and is not suitable.

exhelodrvr1 said...

If Biden gets Covid will it take his brain-fog away?

MayBee said...

And I agree, Althouse, that Trump would not say he was feeling that way. I can't imagine any politician who would. I didn't pay enough attention to Ted Kennedy before he was diagnosed with his brain tumor, but John McCain was definitely exhibiting signs during hearings before his diagnosis was announced.
Politicians love power, and admitting you are feeling foggy-headed doesn't lend itself to keeping power.

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

I thought this would one of those posts where Althouse reads the news site comments to locate the first idiot that associates the topic with Trump. I guess in a way, it is.

cacimbo said...

I am stunned that Mizelle admits to making errors ordering medical tests. Maybe AL is different but in NYC half her patients would already be calling their lawyers to figure out what they could sue her for.

cacimbo said...

The only long term complaint I have heard from friends who had corona is one woman whose sense of taste is still not 100%.

Martin said...

Just like a really bad case of the flu... less a "normal" year than severe pandemics like the Asian flu and Hong Kong flu.

In "The Great Influenza" the author, John Barry, discusses the lingering mental and cognitive effects that a good number of people suffered aven after the acute respiratory and physical symptoms were resolving. He speculates that in Spring of 1919 Woodrow Wilson did not experience the minor stroke usually attributed, but a case of the Spanish Flu, and after he was no longer acutely ill he started holding meetings again, and gave in to Clemenceau and Lloyd George on points that a month before he had been adamant about.

I trust that Trump's medical team is aware of the possibility of cognitive issues and is monitoring him for them, and will advise him and other top officials if they see anything. And, if they deem it appropriate, hold a presser. I also trust that if they advise Trump of a problem, he will act accordingly.

dmoelling said...

This is a rare but usual side effect of many viral infections. Most of the ones you would see prior were various Epstein-Barr viruses, but some of the large variety of Herpes infections can do this as well. MD's who treat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (now SEID in medical world) see this frequently and have remarked that the COVID variety is very similar. Pretty nasty but not exclusive to this Pandemic by any means.

Like all things COVID-19 related, some calm and non-hysteric perspective is required.

Fernandinande said...

It feels as though I am under anesthesia.”...

The Chinese cooties might also acts as an analgesic; "A ‘silencing’ of pain via subversion of VEGF-A/NRP-1 signaling may underlie increased disease transmission in asymptomatic individuals."

Very disturbing stories.

You can prove anything with wonderful, wonderful anecdotes from news sources whose accuracy and honesty we trust, like the /snortsnort nyt.

BTW, regular ol' flu and colds also cause "brain fog", and might even lead to dementia and Parkinson's - the MSM just doesn't advertise the fact.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

Considering how contagious wuhan is - like the common cold - we will probably all get it at some point.

sorry.
sucks to be us.

James K said...

I should have known that denial would be the main response.

I haven't seen denial here. I've seen people pointing out that it is rare, which means that (a) it is highly unlikely that Trump suffers from this; and (b) the case for destroying the mental health and livelihoods of millions of people in the vain hope of preventing the spread of a virus is still absent.

Fernandinande said...

The NFL and NHL have concussion protocols where they give all players a baseline test,

The Wonderlich?

TheThinMan said...

So far, everyone who got Covid and recovered has had to endure life in lockdown like the rest of us. If there was a truly scientific study done with a control group, I’m sure you’d see the same percentage of both groups feeling “brain fog.” That’s because if you’re stuck inside all day and night for six months, you can’t do your usual routines and you quadruple your screen-watching time, how is your brain NOT going to be negatively affected?

Since Trump got over this supposed killer plague so quickly and easily and made the panic porn industry look foolish, this them fighting back to keep people scared and, as a bonus, help get rid of Trump.

Darrell said...

Maybe China used Biden's foggy brain to help concoct the virus to begin with. That was the real reason for the payments to Hunter. We're all Joey Fingers now.

Darrell said...

What if Nate Silver has the China Brain Couf and that explains his polling?

Iman said...

It’s becoming known as Covid brain fog: troubling cognitive symptoms that can include memory loss, confusion, difficulty focusing, dizziness and grasping for everyday words....

How can they differentiate these symptoms from those suffered by your average, garden-variety lefty? Biggest bunch of simpering, mincing mooks evah.

Laslo Spatula said...

Joe Banks : I still have a problem. I have a brain cloud.

Patricia : A brain cloud... what is a brain cloud?

Joe Banks : It's - well, maybe I should get a second opinion.

Patricia : You didn't get a second opinion on something called a brain cloud? I mean what are you, a hypochondriac?

I am Laslo.

chuck said...

And what if President Trump were experiencing symptoms of this kind.

That's what the NY Times wants you to think. And they succeeded.

Vonnegan said...

I didn't read this one, because I don't generally read the NYT. But the last one of these articles, in The Atlantic, was very telling: almost all the "long Covid/brain fog" patients were middle-aged women, and something like 2/3 of them had tested negative for Covid, some repeatedly. I suspect this is more of the same: already mentally ill people who desperately want to suffer from the illness du jour. "Look at me! Look at me!" These people need help - but not for "Covid".

Jupiter said...

"And what if President Trump were experiencing symptoms of this kind. Would he admit it? I don't think he would. Perhaps he wouldn't even admit it to himself, but I'm pretty sure he'd tell us he feels great, tippy-top."

The NYT hoped you would think that. That's why they invented these people, and these lies about them.

ga6 said...

Disability pensions beckon. You will soon see a raft of TV commercials from Disability Law firms listing symptoms which one should list to qualify for free lifetime tax free payments..

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

This is a well known medical phenomenon. My wife experienced it while undergoing interferon treatment. It eventually subsides. It’s no reason to inflict further pain and suffering in Americans yearning to get back to work and in school.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

I.e. it was referred to as “chemo brain” by doctors and nurses we worked with ten years ago.

Patrick Henry was right! said...

The plural of anecdote is not data.
This is person in the street reporting from the newspaper that supported Stalin, published race hoaxes and, most recently pushed the Russia hoax, which has divided us more than you understand.
Shame.

stlcdr said...

Serious respiratory diseases often leave people compromised for the rest of their lives. Daily activities can leave you seriously crippled, or dead.

By distorting the outliers, politicians and the media prevent us from making quite reasonable risk analysis decisions, getting on with our lives and improving society.

hombre said...

Well of course! My daughter is a supervisory hospital worker who has never heard of this “fog.” By now we all know people who have recovered. Are they foggy?

But after all, Trump might have it, even if it is imaginary, so the NYT must cover it as they covered the Russia collusion and and the takeover by white supremacists.

The leftmediaswine are destroying this country with their unmitigated bullshit!

Joe Smith said...

This is fear-mongering in regards to Trump.

If Trump suffered from any of this it would be readily apparent...the man is on TV for hours every damn day.

Sounds like a lawyers' group prepping for a future class action lawsuit.

mockturtle said...

The NYT and Commissar Pelosi are setting the stage for imposing the 25th Amendment.

mockturtle said...

Anyone else listened to/watched this epic rage storm by Keith Olbermann? I'm convinced TDS is a real disease and far worse than 'brain fog'. Olbermann rant

narciso said...

https://meaninginhistory.blogspot.com/2020/10/virtue-versus-fear.html#more

Jaq said...

I thought of that movie too, Lazlo. Maybe now Tom Hanks really has a brain cloud. This seems to be something that affects people who were seriously ill for an extended period of time with COVID, which rules out Trump right there. Once the treatments that Trump enjoyed can be rolled out to the country at large, these kinds of things will mostly go away as relates to COVID, is my guess. For now, I don’t want to catch it, thank you very much, given that unlike the flu, it confers no long term immunity. If it did, I would probably take my 95% plus chance of getting out of it without serious complications just to get on with life completely, instead of this sort of getting on with life that I am doing.

whitney said...

I'm pretty sure this is a troll on Ann's part. She can't be so credulous she fell for this right?

mikee said...

If Trump had a brain fog, it likely would have shown up during his two hour long, live interview on Rush Limbaugh's show this week. Not so much as a cough, let alone a Bidenesque descent into aphasia or malapropism.

I would work many unpleasant jobs for $15,000,000 an hour. I guess Joe got confused over hourly wage scale because it only took Hunter an hour or so to get that much from the Chinese.

frenchy said...

And I'll bet this is more common in states that have legalized cannabis.

minnesota farm guy said...

I am not buying what these people are selling. I prefer the comment above that 6 months of lockdown is going to turn anyone's brain to mush.

Paddy O said...

I hear the Waponis are looking for people to jump into a volcano.

mockturtle said...

Whitney asks: I'm pretty sure this is a troll on Ann's part. She can't be so credulous she fell for this right?

Well, she continues to read the NYT...

Michael K said...

First and most important, this is the NY Times.

Second, Trump was given the immune serum plus Regeneron so his time of infection was shortened. The "brain fog" might very well affect those who were on respirators or who had thrombosis events.

Third, the timing is a giveaway.

Mary Beth said...

Anyone else listened to/watched this epic rage storm by Keith Olbermann? I'm convinced TDS is a real disease and far worse than 'brain fog'. Olbermann rant

10/12/20, 9:54 AM


Since the man blamed Palin for the Gifford shooting, I think he should take responsibility for the Denver shooting. Olbermann said Trump supporters should be eliminated, the shooter may have decided it was time to start.

Mary Beth said...

My neighbor thinks this is all a ruse. Sent me an email re: some Rappoport guy who says the cdc doesn’t have the virus isolated. I send him back links showing that virus has been isolated. He then says there’s no proof it makes you sick

There were people who said (still say?) that about HIV/AIDS.

Masscon said...

Tim in Vermont says...

I see Insty is still fantasizing that there is something like herd immunity to Coronavirus. Sweden’s numbers are climbing rapidly again to pre “herd immunity” numbers. Hopefully they take notice and stem it somehow.

Here are the numbers...https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/sweden/

I challenge you to show where the numbers are "climbing rapidly again to pre "herd immunity" numbers" and take a look at the number of deaths. It's been 1 or 2 deaths per day since the last week of August. I'm not really seeing the concern here.

dgstock said...

Pretty high incidence of general somatic complaints, e.g., fatigue, “brain fog”, nonrestorative sleep, exercise intolerance, and generalized muscle pain, currently going by the labels Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ Fibromyalgia/ Myalgic encephalitis, in the populace at large. Sometimes preceded by viral infections, sometime accompanying chronic medical conditions. Lots of intercurrent anxiety/depression which may be a precipitating or exacerbating co-condition.

PM said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rit said...

Our host needs to be more cautious. I genuinely fear for her safety as nearly every day she posts photographs of sunrises. Do you know how many times photographers have fallen to their deaths or suffered catastrophic injuries while engaging in such risky behavior? It is a lot, and the syndrome is worldwide. No one with a camera and a penchant for the outdoors in tricky lighting conditions is safe. So many very disturbing stories. I hope this will be read and understood by those of you who've taken to engaging in such a pointlessly dangerous activity. Stop now, before the odds catch up with you.

Aggie said...

Yes it's a worrisome and under-explained side effect for some people.

"And what if President Trump were experiencing symptoms of this kind. Would he admit it? I don't think he would. Perhaps he wouldn't even admit it to himself,...."

I'm sure Nancy has been praying for him again. But instead of worrying how he feels, and maybe backing your way into endorsing all this 25th Amendment foolishness, why not listen to what Trump says and evaluate how he delivers his thoughts, and come to your own conclusion - and then share it with us?

He sounded pretty good to me, rarin' to go, cognitively sharp and on top of his issues. He admitted that COVID knocked him down, but the treatments he's had have brought him back quickly, something that has been observed in many other cases - early treatment works wonders.

Gospace said...

"Laslo Spatula said...
Joe Banks : I still have a problem. I have a brain cloud.

Patricia : A brain cloud... what is a brain cloud?

Joe Banks : It's - well, maybe I should get a second opinion.

Patricia : You didn't get a second opinion on something called a brain cloud? I mean what are you, a hypochondriac?


Joe vs. the Volcano, first thing I though of reading "brain fog".

tim in vermont said...
... For now, I don’t want to catch it, thank you very much, given that unlike the flu, it confers no long term immunity. If it did, I would probably take my 95% plus chance of getting out of it without serious complications just to get on with life completely, instead of this sort of getting on with life that I am doing.


It's a virus- and you get long term immunity out of it like you do toe very other virus- that strain, with no mutations. There is no proof or any evidence otherwise. In fact, there's a lot of evidence that many of us have T-cell immunity from previous coronavirus colds. Once again, the numbers from the Diamond Princess told us everything we needed to know. In an absolutely ideal situation for virus spread, only 700 of 3711 people got covid, <20%. Not very impressive for a super duper contagious virus that's extremely easy to get as soon as you take your mask off, is it? Either it's not very contagious, or a lot of those 80% had pre-existing immunity, or a combination of both.

Unknown said...

BTW, 'the plural of anecdote is data' Raymond Wolfinger, poly sci prof

mockturtle said...

Let's ask roughcoat. He had the virus. Roughcoat, are you out there???? Is your brain foggy????

Cheryl said...

I just really can't believe this. Now, the anxiety of living under this crazy lockdown stress, the guilt from getting COVID that some people are happy to heap on those who get sick, the stress of nothing being normal and everyone being wrong, those things I CAN believe are causing brain fog. It happened to me last Christmas when I was trying to manage a huge variety of things that were really beyond my control plus regular Christmas stress.

And I say that as someone who had COVID last month.

argasdoc said...

“Can influenza cause neurological problems?
Severe complications of influenza can involve the lower respiratory tract (pneumonia), heart (myocarditis), and central nervous system (encephalitis, myelitis, meningitis, febrile and afebrile seizures, Guillain-Barré syndrome, cerebellar ataxia) and can lead to death”
So we should all freak out over influenza and many, many other viruses that can cause in a certain percentage of people that come down with any given virus.

Big Mike said...

And what if President Trump were experiencing symptoms of this kind. Would he admit it? I don't think he would. Perhaps he wouldn't even admit it to himself, but I'm pretty sure he'd tell us he feels great, tippy-top.

Trump claims to be eager to get back on the campaign trail. If he has brain fog we will know soon enough. Probably you should be watching Trump campaign events, Althouse, instead of the idiots on the Senate Judiciary Committee. More edifying, I am certain.

gilbar said...

tim in vermont said...
Sweden’s numbers are climbing rapidly again to pre “herd immunity” numbers.


except, that they're NOT
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/sweden/

Robert Cook said...

"How convenient that the NYT decides now that getting over COVID isn’t good enough, that the effects linger until...well, until Biden gets it or November 3 whichever comes first."

It is not news that a sub-set of COVID patients suffer with a variety of lingering effects after they get over the so-sick-they-must-be-hospitalized phase, effects that are variously debilitating. This is simply a new one being described.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Dr. Igor Koralnick? Sounds like more Russian interference in our elections.

FullMoon said...

"And what if President Trump were experiencing symptoms of this kind. Would he admit it? I don't think he would. Perhaps he wouldn't even admit it to himself, but I'm pretty sure he'd tell us he feels great, tippy-top."

Couldn't pretend he didn't have it. Like old people who cannot recall a familiar name, word, or phrase and pause while trying to remember,or try to think of alternate.

MayBee said...

Chemo brain is also a real thing, yet I don't think I would tell anyone undergoing Chemo that they had to step down from POTUS.

Would you?

FullMoon said...

As positives go up but hospitalization and death do not follow, fear of virus must be sustained.

alan markus said...

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...
I.e. it was referred to as “chemo brain” by doctors and nurses we worked with ten years ago


With the unmet goal to maintain Ruth Bader Ginsburg's ability to fog a mirror until a Democrat is elected, were there ever concerns about her having "chemo brain"?

mandrewa said...

Covid-19 can cause widespread blood clotting. This is why people who get it really bad have trouble breathing. It's not because they aren't getting oxygen into their lungs, but because too many of their lung capillaries not picking up that oxygen.

There are multiple more in depth explanations of this hypothesis at MedCram on Youtube or at www.medcram.com.

One can imagine the same thing happening in the brain's capillaries and accompanying brain damage.

But our brains have amazing recuperative powers so I doubt it's permanent.

But it should be obvious that this doesn't happen to most people that get infected with Covid-19 since it would be obvious if that were the case given the huge number of people that have been infected.

The problem is estimating how many people are actually affected this way. We know it's a relatively small percentage but we don't know how many exactly.

I highly doubt this happened to Trump since if he even got close to such a state he would still be hospitalized and he would probably sound like Joe Biden at his worst.

But it's easy for the left to manipulate people with this information or misinformation. The misinformation is the implication that this is happening to some huge number of people or that it would be credible that this has happened to Trump. I imagine Ann Althouse has waded through an immense amount of verbiage, given what she reads, implying that this is the case or might be the case.

The main reason I don't read the New York Times, and the like, is that I dislike being deliberately lied to. People make mistakes all the time and put out erroneous information routinely. But normally it isn't deliberate. It is quite another level when you are being deliberately deceived.

Robert Cook said...

"The plural of anecdote is not data."

There's a word for that, which popped into my head and which I thought I had just invented after reading this comment, until I looked it up and discovered it already exits:

Anecdata

wild chicken said...

Is just found out an old friend and bandmate is recuping from covid. 71, non smoker, never obese. Hosp for three days.
He still can't talk.

That's the first one i know personally.

alan markus said...

Speaking of "chemo brain", back when Biden's early AM media lids were called, I saw a post where the dates had been listed in September.

An oncology nurse had noted that the pattern of those dates correlated to someone receiving infusion therapy. Lids were established mostly on Tuesdays/Thursdays/Saturdays. Media lids had not be called on Mondays, Wednesdays, or Fridays.

Sebastian said...

The issue is not whether viral infection has any long-term effects, but whether Covid has significantly worse effects, at higher levels, including in otherwise healthy people normally at low risk--i.e., controlling for comorbidities (in the case of "brain fog," prior mental health)--and how then to protect those who are most at risk, since suppression is a vastly more destructive fool's errand.

FullMoon said...

Video, Biden expeiances brain fog, forgets Romney's name

https://twitter.com/i/status/1315685979668312070

walter said...

"This summer, Mr. Reagan, the vascular medicine specialist, turned the stove on to cook eggs and then absent-mindedly left to walk the dog, Wolff-Parkinson-White, named after a cardiac arrhythmia."
I wonder if he has kids...

walter said...

tim in vermont said..."Once air touches the brain, you are never the same” and air has touched Biden’s brain.
--
Broke the integrity of the "lid"...causing overwhelming olfactory sensations and wandering Boldfinger.

Leora said...

Brain fog is also a symptom of depression which quite frequently follows hospitalization. Trump is clearly not brain fogged.

Anthony said...

BS article not worth bothering with.

mockturtle said...

"This summer, Mr. Reagan, the vascular medicine specialist, turned the stove on to cook eggs and then absent-mindedly left to walk the dog, Wolff-Parkinson-White, named after a cardiac arrhythmia."
I wonder if he has kids...


Just this morning I went over to water my next-door-neighbors' palm trees and, on arriving back in the house, answered the phone [forgetting to set my timer] and then got sidetracked. My neighbor across the street phoned me about half an hour later to let me know the water was running down the street. ;-) Shit happens. And I haven't had COVID, either.

Lewis Wetzel said...

im in vermont said...

I see Insty is still fantasizing that there is something like herd immunity to Coronavirus. Sweden’s numbers are climbing rapidly again to pre “herd immunity” numbers. Hopefully they take notice and stem it somehow.

10/12/20, 7:45 AM


I am afraid the numbers don't bear you out, Tim in Vermont.

jg said...

nocebo. mark my words.

jg said...

more brain fog has been generated due to lockdown + masking + sedentary living than will ever result from the aftermath of illness. any time you're sick you'll feel off for a short time.

jg said...

may as well have an outbreak of 'penis thief' voodoo hexes

I'm Not Sure said...

"With the unmet goal to maintain Ruth Bader Ginsburg's ability to fog a mirror until a Democrat is elected, were there ever concerns about her having "chemo brain"?"

Certainly not from anyone on the left.

effinayright said...

If Trump had "brain fog" after his covid bout wit, millions would have heard him stumbling through his hours chatting with Rush last Friday.

Instead he was relaxed and cogent throughout.

RigelDog said...

As for Our Gracious Host chastising those who say they sort of wish they would get Covid and get it over with, I believe that OGH is ignoring the fact that it's probably not possible to avoid being exposed to this disease in the long run. Her comment sounds an awful lot like the unspoken premise/promise that has kept us locked down for 7 months---that we can make the virus disappear if we lock down long enough.

Jersey Fled said...

And today Biden declared himself a candidate for the Senate. Again.

Big Mike said...

@Althouse, you have "I am skeptical" as one of your tags. Methinks you need to be more skeptical when the Times tries to manipulate you.

Unknown said...

I feel like I am being setup for a trip with wonder luggage

Cheryl said...

RigelDog--My husband and I are both really glad we got it last month. The timing was abysmal but now I can't get it, can't give it, and can take care of others who do get sick (like my parents or in-laws).

I just wish that those of us who have had it would get a pass for testing or mask-wearing. For us it truly is theater. Please don't talk to me about getting it again. There are three documented cases in the world of second infections and none of those are 100% confirmed.

DavidD said...

Oh, c’mon.

They’re just trying to lay the foundation for a narrative suggesting that, while President Trump may think he’s recovered, he’s actually unable to function and must be removed from office.

Sheesh.

Terry Ott said...

If this is a Democrat setup to have Biden step down if he wins, so that someone else takes over … what on Earth explains the placement of Kamala Harris in the on-deck circle as the pinch-hitter who will then be in the lineup. Democrat voters rejected her as a POTUS candidate, bigly. So this baffling, but how does it play out? It’s less baffling if Joe actually WANTED Harris who had called him a racist, but so what? Joe’s a bit illogical these days, and he said his #1 son admired her, after all.

I start speculating ….

The mind boggles as it runs through the bizarre possibilities. For example, post-Biden President Harris puts Obama in place as her VP, or maybe it’s Hillary as VP. Or Gavin Newsome or Cuomo. In any case, the Harris + ???? administration has a former President or “almost President” or an aspiring “future President” close at hand to call the shots. It’s devious, but Biden will have done the trick for the left in beating Trump and then stepping aside as the beloved conquering hero who slayed the orange dragon. Yes, I’m smoking something. But it’s a cigar, honest! Just give me credit that you heard it here first, okay?

eric said...

Women are so gullible about these things.

It's not happening. You're going to be fine. We're all going to be just fine.

Right Man said...

What a well timed story. If the media wasn't so honest I would think this was made up. Like the recent true news story of the 30 year old guy on his death bed lamenting how he didn't take the covid seriously.