When I swallow, knives cut my throat.
I cough and sometimes can’t stop. That’s frightening.
I caught COVID.
Dodged it three years. But this week, I suddenly felt lousy, and a home test said: “positive.” The thermometer said: 101.8.
No big deal, I thought. Almost everyone gets COVID. Lots of people say it’s no worse than a cold.
I’m multi-vaccinated and boosted. My fever’s not super high. I’m fit. This will give me a chance to lie around.
But then came the knives to my throat, and the cough that makes it hard to breathe.
Darn. This is much worse than any flu I’ve had. I feel miserable. It hurts so much to talk that I just text.
I think, “COVID still kills several hundred Americans every day.” Will I be one? I do feel like I might die. But COVID mostly kills old people. Wait, that’s me!
Actually, I’m very old. 76. I didn’t think about being so old last week when I rode my bike and played volleyball. I felt like a kid. Now everything is different.
Half of American men don’t even make it to 73. I forget that when I feel good.
I check what hospital I should go to if I have trouble breathing. My doctor calls in a Paxlovid prescription.
Day 2
Paxlovid leaves a nasty metallic taste. Someone is mining silver in my mouth.
Ibuprofen knocked my fever is down, but it’s still above normal. The knives and strangling cough are still there.
Will I die? Short of that, will I have to go to the emergency room? Will they put me on a ventilator? I’m scared of that. I shouldn’t have looked it up on Google.
Google makes everything scarier. Will I get long COVID? Have brain fog? Get COVID pneumonia? I’ve got to stop Googling.
But at least I’m not getting worse.
Day 4
I’m getting better! Crisis over!
Every swallow still hurts, but my cough no longer scares me. I no longer fear I’m going to die.
Thank you, Paxlovid!
Was it Paxlovid that made the difference? No way to know. But three cheers for America’s much-vilified free market. Pfizer invented and produced this drug in just a year.
Pfizer did tests in which Paxlovid reduced deaths so much that the company was advised to stop the clinical trials and just give subjects the drug.
Still, the Food and Drug Administration wouldn’t let the rest of us take it for another three months.
Government kills people by delaying approval of life-saving drugs.
Yes, we want to be sure any new drug is safe, and delaying months is a big improvement over the 10 years they usually take. But it’s still too long!
My brother’s potentially life-saving drug, gelsolin, has been inching through the review process for almost 10 years.
The FDA’s delays are a reason drugs cost so much.
At least during the pandemic, the FDA loosened regulations to get some medicines to people faster. Great.
But of course, once government is involved with anything, lots of things become more difficult.
Health and Human Services decided that they would distribute the pills.
One result: I can’t get Paxlovid delivered from my local pharmacy.
CVS says it delivers, but their phone system hangs up when I ask for that. I send my son to pick it up.
The cost? Zero dollars, proudly printed on the label.
When government pays for things, common sense often goes away.
Paxlovid comes with 19 pages of detailed … instructions?
There is nonsense like “important notice related to privacy,” telling me to sign and return a paper to CVS acknowledging “I have received CVS/Pharmacy Notice of Privacy.”
That’s another government complication, a HIPAA privacy rule. Government’s obsession with paperwork and rules deters medical research and forces all of us to lie, (c’mon, you’ve done it), claiming we read fine print almost no one reads.
I’m glad I’m not dead. I’m grateful to Pfizer for creating Paxlovid. I’m grateful I live in America.
But more and more, I hate the intrusions of our ever-growing government.
Photo by Polina Tankilevitch
I’ve had it thrice. First was ugly…very bad flu. The second and third? Not quite a normal cold. Not vaxxed. Probably never will be. Living a healthier lifestyle is key for most. And our system too often produces the opposite. That said, some otherwise healthy people did perish, but it looks like most died because of the treatment protocols (go home, isolate, hydrate, return if breathing is difficult) allowing the disease to progress. And then the in hospital treatment (ventilators) made it worse. That was the result of an authoritarian bureaucracy. Plenty of doctors said it was wrong. They were silenced and punished.
Sorry you caught it. Glad you are better. I, for one, am done with the shots. Did not get the third shot after my first two. Not comfortable putting it in my body. I had Guilliam Barre’ years ago. “Science”, this time around, said that was not a concern or issue with these shots. I finally gave in after months of hounding from media, not my doctor, and got the two. Shortly after the second shot, I started seeing/hearing reports of Guilliam Barre’ actually was happening. Not to mention the “sudden death” via heart issues that seemingly are tied to these shots. I’m not telling anyone to not get them, but like I choose not to. I was warned by my doctors back in 1982-83 to not get a flu shot and this ranks right up there for me.
Glad you made it through without complications, and now, with natural immunity, at last!
Glad you’re doing well and that Paxlovid worked for you to make you better. Thanks for the insight, will keep it handy if I run into that problem.
Hope you’re back to 100% soon.
Love your work John. Hope you feel better soon. I really encourage you to look up the vitamin protocols. It’s typically Vitamin D, Zinc, and Vitamin C. Very heavy doses for a short time. It does really work. Was just sick myself (not sure it was COVID, I won’t test), but it only lasted a total of 3 days. Then I was pretty much normal. The vitamins work. Give them a try.
Hang in there John. I hope you don’t have too many lingering effects.
Glad you made it through John. My wife and I both caught it around New Years when we had to go to the hospital (masked) to help tend her brother. Any mask that does not create a seal against your skin is laughable for prevention of exposure to anything (farts come to mind). Neither of us were vaxxed and both are in good health. The first thing we noticed was a headache, sniffles and minor body aches. We tested positive about a day after the first symptoms. We noticed coffee had no odor or taste. We stayed in the house for the next week and tested again. She was negative. I was still positive and finally went negative at 10 days after testing positive. It was a like a middle of the road cold for both of us. The one thing that I will never forget is this odor I detected right after I was positive and for the next few weeks. It came and went. Nothing in our house has this odor. My wife did not sense it. I thought it might have been me so I showered frequently but it still came around. I’ve never smelled this odor in my 63 years and will never forget it. It reminds me of smelting iron tinged with garlic. There is a steel mill about 4 miles from us and we’ve lived here 26 years and never have smelled the smelter odor unless we drove to the mill. Again, glad you made it through Sir. Thanks for the decades of doing what you do. I’ve been paying attention
I had this for the first time last year went over 2 1/2 years w/o getting it. Then went fishing with a friend and he got it then the other friend got it and then it was me. Doctors wouldn’t see me they sent to the emergency room and $3500 later I had paxlovid. I was scared because I’m over 65 with asthma but I didn’t trust the government nor the media because of there constant hypocrisy. So I wasn’t vaccinated nor boosted. The paxlovid was weird and so was the Covid at first although testing positive I didn’t feel bad so I delayed taking the medication 2days later I was very sick and started taking it. I started feeling better about 3-4 day later and then it came back hard almost worse than the initial symptoms. The whole time I was taking lots of vitamin C D and zinc I mean lots of it! I have always taken vitamins but in 2020 I took 3-5x what I was previously taking. Not sure if this is why I resisted it for so long but convinced that it helped me get better in 10-12 days.
Glad you’re alive John. I also haven’t had COVID, and I’m still not convinced who is lying to me, but I think someone is lying. Either that, or the government is just ridiculously stupid. Well, honestly, I always think the government is stupid, but now I fear it’s stupid and the power-grabbers are the true government. I’m more afraid of one-party rule than of COVID. People will come and go (we always have) but liberty and freedom needs to continue for posterity.
Get better!
The first time I got Covid, which was seven months after I got vaccinated it was mild was basically over with it in two days as far as feeling crummy the second time I got Covid it took a little longer to get over it maybe four days and that one left with a two week Covid cough but other than that I would say it’s mild to moderate in that case and again I only got vaccinated once and that was in September 2021 with Jay and Jay
Hope you feel better. All the best!
Please look into the testing of Paxlovid. My doctor told me never to take it and got quite animated at the time. Apparently, they set the criteria, started testing and it wasn’t meeting their expectations. So they stopped the trial, reduced the expectations and tested again, and voila! a miracle drug that does nothing except produce income for Big Pharma. I hope you will look into this and share with us. Love your work, you are basically the only journalist I trust anymore.
You damn fool! Boosters??? Paxlovid??? Your immune system has been compromised, t cells & b cells suppressed by rMNA gene therapy. Please interview Robert Malone, Peter McCullough and Ed Dowd. Maybe you can redeem yourself and help get the truth out.
Who is the author of this? Did you get COVID, Mr. Stossell? Prayers for everyone who goes through this. 🙏🙏🙏
Glad you are ok John. Like you I avoided it for 3 years and then last week it hit me. Feeling much better now.
John, great to hear you are recovering. My first experience with Covid was Jan 2020, pre vaccine. I coughed for a solid week. Couldn’t sleep or eat. After day 3 my torso was so sore from coughing I thought when will this get better? Better after a week but symptoms lingered 3 more weeks.
Keep up the good work, you are my favorite journalist. And your son is quite a talent too!
Mike
I couldn’t agree more, government is the problem not the solution. Government wastes money, complicates everything they get their slimy hands on. They slow down progress on not only life saving drugs but road construction, patents, new anything. As Thomas Jefferson said many years ago, “Government that governs the least governs the best.”
We need to shrink the size and reach of government. Americans want government out of their lives and their pockets.
John , love your work and have a deep respect for your libertarian ideas.
Glad you’re feeling better. Thank god.
On this subject, I believe you’re wrong. If you dig into this issue you’ll find that the Covid vaxes do way more harm than good, especially in young men. And paxlovid is essentially ivermectin with a different name. Ivermectin is pennies per does and paxlovid is crazy expensive.
You should look into Vinay Prassad and his thoughts on Paxlovid and it’s safety profile. A real eye opener….
Best to you. Please keep up the amazing work you do when you’re back to 100%.
I could not agree more. I’m just grateful there are still a few honest journalists out there like you and some of the new generation like Tim Pool etc. feel better my friend.
I am very glad you are ok. I just had it for the 2nd time and it was pretty much a cold. The first time felt like my lungs were literally on fire, and I was down for a week. Then came the months of getting my strength back.
I hope you are at 100% soon. You are greatly valued
My wife and I got it this week for the first time.
Me on Monday, she two days later. I’m 66, she’s 71. The first two days sucked (the knifing pain trying to swallow was the worst). I didn’t go for Paxlovid and after four days was mostly better. Still need a lot of rest. My wife seems to be following a similar course but I’m pushing her to ask for Paxlovid (she’s in great shape but previously had breast cancer).
I thank God, who heals us, for keeping you & healing you. Your voice is still needed…
Got it last year. The starting phase was the same. My GP gave me azythromicyne. The next day it was over.
John, let me first say “YOU SAVED MY LIFE IN NOVEMBER 1999 WHEN YOU DID THE SHOW ON BACK PAIN AND PROMOTED JOHN SARNO’S BOOK “BACK PAIN” … I could tell you more but SIMPPLY PUT, “YOU ARE MY HERO” !!! … Anyway, I’m almost 74 now and had 5 ( not 4, not 3, not 2, not 1 ) but all 5 COVID vaccine shots and on January 5th, 2023, I got COVID … I GOT IT BAD … I HAD IT FOR 4 WEEKS, but “like you” because you saved my life 24 years ago AND I’ve remained healthy, physical and in spite of being an Agent Orange victim from Vietnam I AM A SURVIVOR … I’m over COVID now and my doctor said in January 2023, I’m protected for about 2 months … so I thank God I got through it and had 2 good months not worrying I could get it again, but now, I’m fair game … AND HOPE AND PRAY WE BOTH HANG IN AND HAVE A LOT MORE LIFE TO LIVE !!! Thank-you John Stossel and how is your brother’s bad back today ??? … You talked about your Orthopedic Surgeon Brother who also had back pain but didn’t believe in John Sarno … how did that work out for him ???