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Highly Sensitive People: Would You Like An Analysis of COVID-19 From A fellow HSP?

As a highly sensitive person, I’m scared about what’s going on with the corona virus and have many questions about it. Here’s a realistic analysis of COVID-19 from fellow highly sensitive person, Mona Moore.

Don’t be tired of hearing about the Corona Virus……

As a Health Care Professional of 35+ years, I feel a responsibility to try again to make my friends and their friends understand. I am a level headed, independent and intelligent person. Please listen to the reality of this crisis……COVID-19 is not political. It is a Disease. Science is always a work in progress. Science is what gave you medicines, information and procedures to SAVE your life. I am 68…..not THAT old but old enough to have witnessed the outcomes of progressive medical science. People have life-saving cardiac bypass surgeries and heart transplants routinely now but they weren’t established yet when my dad died. You can’t pick and choose when to listen to medical science. For godsakes, be grateful for the researchers, scientists, doctors etc that are doing all they can to HELP you in spite of being called party to conspiracy theories and hoaxers. Doctors, Nurses, Coroners are not all banded together to pad the death count and cases. I am offended by this idea being casually spread around after working shoulder to shoulder with health care professionals holding your hands, comforting you and saving your lives. Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s. Focus your POLITICAL concerns to politicians. Focus your HEALTH concerns to health care professionals and their research.

Points to ponder:

The world has not faced a disease quite like this since polio.
Copied from a friend of a friend in the medical field who really gets it.
Apparently, a lot of people think that there are only two outcomes for COVID-19 infections.
1) You die.
2) You recover and you’re just fine.
Therefore, they’re ONLY focused on the mortality rate, not the morbidity rate.
See, we’re learning about this virus in real time. It’s not “the scientists were wrong.” It’s “the scientists are still actively gathering data as we go.” And one type of data being collected has to do with the types and rates of complications from this virus.
Plenty of people who survive are looking at long recoveries and permanent disabilities. We don’t even know what long-term effects will show up in a year or more.

So here are some of the KNOWN complications in people who survive:

1) Serious lung damage, even in people who seem asymptomatic.
2) Permanent brain damage from strokes.
3) Permanent muscle damage from clots and lack of blood flow.
4) Permanent organ damage, multiple organs. Kidney failure is a big one, and even if they get some function back, there’s damage.
5. Neurological deficits from brain inflammation and swelling.
6. Loss of the sense of taste and smell. (You’ll survive, but imagine having no sense of taste whatsoever. You might literally never enjoy food again. We have no proof that the sense will return.)

That doesn’t even begin to address the fact that we have no idea what OTHER long-term effects might show up as time goes on. We’re likely going to start seeing a cluster of symptoms that will become known as “Post-COVID Syndrome.” Based on the known physiological effects of the virus, I’m going to guess it will include chronic pain, neurological problems, autoimmune-like symptoms, and COPD-like symptoms even in non-smokers. We could see a rise in people with kidney failure, liver failure, and other organ problems. Some viruses stay “hidden” in the body, so we might even have people who outbreak spontaneously. We don’t know.

And that’s just it – WE DON’T KNOW. So while some people are willing to gamble their lives against what they THINK are small odds, they’re not actually playing with the full details of the game.

Okay, so our fictional character we’ll call Bob is about 40 years old. He’s feeling like he’s in the prime of his life. He has a wife, 2.3 kids, a dog, and a mortgage. Maybe Bob has a 2% chance of dying if he catches the virus. (First of all, that’s NOT a gamble anyone should be willing to take.) But he’s not good at assessing risk, so he thinks a 2% chance is worth the risk to go to a concert. Or the bowling alley. Or the bar. Or whatever. But Bob doesn’t realize that his chances of also having a long-term medical problem is WAY higher than 2%. Maybe it’s 25%. Maybe it’s 50%. We’re gambling with unknown odds, but there’s definitely a high risk of complications. But Bob doesn’t care, so he goes to the bar. He catches COVID-19. He survives, but he’s had a stroke. Or he lost his leg. Or he’s got major lung damage. He can’t work anymore. He can’t play with his kids. His disability payments aren’t enough to support his family and pay the bills. His life is wrecked. But hey, he’s alive, right?

That’s the reality that too many people have completely ignored in this whole discussion.
Oh, and in case you think it’s hyperbole… the US Army has banned COVID survivors from joining. Think about that. Feel free to share by copy/paste.

Thank you Mona Moore for this thought-provoking and informative information. It’s scary, but we need to know what to expect. It’s important to keep up with the latest information on prevention. This IS serious business!!

Is there anything else that you’d like do add? Would you like to share any personal experience that you’ve had with COVIDF-19? I’m interested in any thoughts or comments that you have.

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This Post Has 15 Comments

  1. CNJ

    While your points are valid, as a fellow HSP who suffers from depression, I am triggered by the rampant alarmism around this illness and around this pandemic.

    Yes, I get that certain populations can die from this illness just as they can from the flu and from pneumonia as well as a host of other respiratory illnesses.

    And I am a strong, staunch advocate of face mask requirements and sanitizing measures.

    And yes, I am a strong supporter of scientific facts.

    But the alarmism and people behaving as if COVID is the “new” bubonic plague is upsetting and is causing more trouble and even costing more lives than COVID itself.

    This rampant fear-mongering and especially peddling the terrible misnomer “social distancing” and pushing for social isolation, especially in the “news,” which I stopped clicking on, has triggered wave after wave of depression for me.

    So, please, please…let’s not contribute to the upsetting alarmism.

    Serious as COVID can be for certain vulnerable populations, the human race is NOT dying off.

    It is just as irresponsible to spread alarmism and fear-mongering as it is to just ingnore COVID.

    We CAN protect ourselves and others against COVID…not by “socially distancing” or remaining huddled at home in isolation, but by wearing our masks and by socially CONNECTING with others.

    Please consider this and try to send more calming messages…thank you in advance.

  2. CNJ

    As an HSP, during close-downs, I am far more fearful of suicides, mass unemployment, alcohol-related and domestic violence deaths that would skyrocket during any more mass close-downs.

    And in the States, if too many people lose their health insurance with their jobs, I fear that our hospitals would be even MORE overwhelmed with people who were unable to fill their prescriptions and ended up collapsing and in the hospital.

    Deaths and lifeling disabilities from a multitude of other causes would dwarf COVID.

    Yes, I am all for reasonable cautions…but not endless fear-mongering.

  3. CNJ

    This should put things in perspective…

  4. CNJ

    More good news as we come closer to a vaccine…unlike flu viruses, coronaviruses are slow-mutating.

    I am trying to hang on to hope…please, don’t lose hope either.

    Hugs

    1. Cliff Harwin

      Hi CNJ,

      Thank you for your input. I agree with you that we don’t need alarmism in this troubled time.
      It’s been frustrating to me that many people aren’t taking this virus seriously. That was the reason for this post.
      My wife and I are in the most vulnerable group. We limit our time and wear masks and social distance whenever it’s necessary for us to go out.
      I also agree with you that’s it’s troubling to hear the hardship of others. We can’t stop living our lives, but for those that aren’t in this vulnerable group, I hope that they can get back to as normal as possible. Here’s hoping that a vaccine comes soon. Do the best that you can and limit your time listening to the news. That’s all we can do. It is depressing, but we can’t make ourselves sick over it.

      1. CNJ

        Thank you for being understanding about this. True that a few…but not “most” people…are ignoring basic, simple precautions.

        But those people featured on the “news” do not comprise the majority of people, even the majority of Americans.

        Even so, we now know enough about Covid that endless “lockdowns” really solve nothing and end up causing even MORE deaths.

        That is the part that is upsetting for me, especially since we are not living in the middle ages of medicine.

        Although they are still having some outbreaks, India and Armenia re-opened slowly because thankfully, they realized that “lockdowns” were costing more lives and their hospitals were being even MORE overrun from other causes.

        I’m glad you are with me on allowing most people to return to their normal lives.

        Yes, definitely you and your wife are taking it easy and protecting yourselves and each other.

        I myself have never liked large crowds, so it’s very easy for me to physically space.

        I’m glad that the WHO stepped up and advocated against the abuse of the misnomer “social distancing,” which implies social and emotional isolation, the last thing anyone needs right now.

        The more correct term *physical spacing* is more fitting.

        I am happy I can physically space in public and my state is doing a wonderful job enforcing face masks and physical spacing in all public places.

        I went to dinner with a dear on the 4th of July and was happy to see everyone wearing face masks and physical spacing between tables.

        And good news…the UK’s Oxford vaccine trials are going very well and the UK government just purchased 90 million doses of vaccines from a couple of pharmacueticals as of July 20, 2020.

  5. Amy

    Thanks, Mona, for sharing your perspective on COVID-19. Kudos to all of our healthcare heroes and other frontline workers! Yes, it’s too bad that the pandemic has become politicized when it really has nothing to do with politics. I do my best to keep my head while following the science. It’s great that we are learning more and more all the time on how to effectively protect ourselves from this virus. Even though I am not in an especially high-risk population, I fully understand that there are many unknowns, especially when it comes to the long-term effects of COVID-19. Not everyone assesses risk the same way, but in my case, I would rather err on the side of caution, especially when it comes to my health! While I don’t live in a state of panic or complete isolation, I have made a number of changes in my life to minimize my exposure. I remind myself that this is a temporary situation. There will come a day when I can do all the things I want…like visit with family at in-person gatherings, dine in at a restaurant, or go to a concert. But for right now, my first priority is to protect myself and others. I feel I can live with that…at least for now!

    1. Cliff Harwin

      Hi Amy,

      Thank you for your comments!

      I agree with you that we have to give kudos to out healthcare heroes and other frontline workers. My neighbor is a healthcare hero and she told me that the hospitals are getting busier. My State, Missouri, is one of areas that have the lower cases of Covid-19!!

      I like your attitude about your first priority is to protact yourself and others. Keep doing what you’re doing!

    2. CNJ

      I’m so glad you see that this is a temporary situation, Amy.

      And it’s good to NOT “socially distance” or isolate others.

      I was glad to see the WHO advocate using the term “physical distancing” instead of abusing the alienating misnomer “social distancing.”

      I myself prefer “physical spacing,” which I have always done with strangers in public places.

      I’ve never liked places where strangers are crammed together.

      The CDC has actually discovered that Covid complications are not too different from flu complications.

      Too many people have forgotten that during the days before the flu vaccines, the seasonal flu in NON-pandemic mode was just as deadly as pandemic-mode Covid.

      The CDC has reported that the flu left just as many lasting complications as Covid, a fact that many people forget, especially when they awfulize Covid as the worst illness ever.

      While we still don’t know everything about Covid, we are no longer completly in the dark either as we were back in March.

      We now know how Covid spreads, we know that unlike the flu virus, it is a slow-mutating virus and we now know how to protect ourselves and each other from Covid WITHOUT “lockdowns.”

      We know that face masks do work at protecting others and inhibiting transmission.

      Also…the Oxford human trials are going well and the UK government just secured the purchase of about 90 million doses of vaccines from a couple of companies.

      1. Amy

        CNJ, I will have to respectfully disagree with you on the flu comparison. COVID-19 is much more contagious, and according to the latest research, at least 6X more deadly than the flu. We also don’t have immunity to COVID-19. Even though we lose many people to the flu each year, we do have a vaccine and antiviral medication to treat it with. The flu is also something that comes every season, making it predictable in its patterns and symptoms, and we know it dies off in warmer months. We are still in the early stages of understanding this novel virus and its long-term effects. It has only been with us for 6 months so it’s impossible to understand any lasting impacts. In my opinion, creating a false equivalency between COVID-19 and the flu is a minimization of a very real threat to the public health. It also creates distrust in the professionals who are advising us to take COVID-19 extremely seriously. I agree with you, however, that we don’t need endless lockdowns. Those should be used only when necessary, such as when there is a major outbreak. I think that if most people follow the guidelines, and we listen to the scientists and the data, we have a much better chance of getting the situation under control until a vaccine is ready.

  6. Mona Moore

    Hi Amy! There was some confusion about the article. I only wrote up to Points to Ponder. I do not know who the original author is after that point, however, the info is accurate.

  7. CNJ

    What gets me is when people minimize the flu in their zeal to catastrophize Covid l.

    Thank Heaven we have flu vaccines to mitigate the damage that the flu can cause.

    And thank goodness we are close to a Covid vaccine.

    BOTH illnesses can cause damage and can cause serious illness to the vulnerable populations.

  8. CNJ

    BTW, I also salute the heroic health care workers, who are on the front line along with those tens of thousands risking their health to participate in the one hundred and thirty vaccine trials going on worldwide.

    www dot goodnewsnetwork dot org forward-slash tag forward-slash covid-19

    1. Cliff Harwin

      Hi Again CNJ,

      Thank you for your information!

      Here’s hoping that we can have a Covid 19 vaccine soon! In the meantime we have to use common sense in preventing this virus. Individuals have to protect themselves by any means possible.

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