I got COVID, again! (First Blog...Days 0-4)

My first experience with a covid-19 infection was in February 2021, almost 8 months after receiving my booster shot for covid. My symptoms then were mild. My last vaccination was in November 2022.

The starting week of July 29, 2024 (Monday), a colleague of mine said that he had covid, but now he tested negative. He was back to work in 5 days, shaking people hand and all. Another colleague of mine I think caught that virus, but kept his daily routine chatting with people (including me) for hours (in less than a 6-foot distance). He never tested himself, nor was he planning to. I saw this colleague for three days (Monday-Wednesday), talking, chatting, laughing, for a total of some three hours. Needless to say, I too caught the virus and here is my story so far (days 0-4).

Day 0, Friday, August 2, I went to work as usual. In fact, I arrived to work as usual early by 6:30 a.m. By 1 p.m., I felt fatigued, so I decided to drive home (some 35 minutes away). That afternoon I was so tired and I went to bed early, not feeling well at all.

Day 1, Saturday, August 3, My wife told me to take the antigen-covid-test that we had at home, around 10 a.m. It was positive, and the sample line was much wider and denser red than the control line. It appeared within 30 seconds. I slept most of the day and felt "like a truck had hit me." In fact, a truck hit my car while driving in May of this year, and I felt fine, but that is another story to tell. I also began to take 1,000 mg of vitamin C along with vitamin D gummies and zinc. I also started spraying saline solution in my nostrils. That helped tremendously.

Day 2, Sunday, August 4, My muscle ache almost completely gone and replaced by runny nose. By the end of the day, the runny nose was accompanied with cough. I never smoked, but my cough sounded like I smoked 3 packs a day. So far no fever, no headache, and no sore throat. However, I could not sleep at all because of the cough.

Day 3, Monday, August 5, The Sunday's symptoms continued. I called my doctor at 9 a.m. in the morning and texted them to request Paxlovid. I also called my pharmacy and was promptly told, "this med is on backorder for months." Needless to say, I could not get the med. Paxlovid is only effective if taken within the first 5 days of infection, and definitely helps if you have bad symptoms. Mine were borderline bad. I discovered a bag of menthol lozenges that I bought a couple years ago. They helped to sooth my cough. Still, no headache, no fever, and no sore throat.

Day 4, Tuesday, August 6, I am writing this blog in the evening. The runny nose has almost all gone, the frequency of cough is also reduced, and no new symptoms have appeared. I feel much better today. I continue using the vitamins/minerals and the nasal saline mist. To be continued...

 

Is there an inverse relationship between vitamin D and LDL/HDL ratio? Mine is inverse!

An inverse relationship between blood Vitamin D level and the LDL/HDL ratio. As shown above, as the concentration of vitamin D increases the LDL/HDL ratio decreases (a good thing to happen).

Is there a positive linear relationship between blood vitamin D level and total serum cholesterol? These are my data!

It appears that when my vitamin D level was high my serum cholesterol level was also high, and vice versa. I wonder if there is a real, known relationship between the two? 

Vitamin D Deficiency and Insufficiency

Vitamin D deficiency has been defined by the Institute of Medicine and an Endocrine Society practice guideline as a level of serum 25-OH Vitamin D less than 20 ng/mL. The Endocrine Society went on to further define Vitamin D insufficiency as a level between 21 and 29 ng/mL.

Fenugreek

Two important vitamins are found in Fenugreek. These are Vitamin A and Vitamin D.

Vitamin D: "N of 1"

You probably heard the statistics professor telling you that you should never believe in a study done on a single person. Well, unless the single person is yourself. I plotted my Vitamin D level before, during, and after I stopped taking Vitamin D supplements (5 - 10 million units/day). As you notice from the graph the level started low, increased steadily during my supplementation, and then dropped significantly after I stopped taking it. May be I should start again taking the supplement. Vitamin D is important for calcium absorption from the small intestine and was shown to have protective effect against certain types of cancer.

Is Weather a Factor for Prostate Cancer?

Population studies have shown that men who live in dry, cold weather counties in the US have a higher risk for developing prostate cancer. An earlier hypothesis on living in these areas of the country and developing prostate cancer was to link it to lower blood vitamin D level. However, researchers are proposing that perhaps pollutants in the environment degrade slower in a cold weather region than in a warmer climate permitting the pollutant to affect the prostate health in a more intense way leading to cancer.

Vitamin D and Lymphoma

A recent study from Mayo Clinic showed that patients with lymphoma had a worse prognosis if their Vitamin D level was below normal. Acceptable levels for Vitamin D are in the range of 32 to 100 ng/mL.

Vitamin D

A 10-minute exposure to direct sun (hands and face) daily normally provides the needed daily requirement of vitamin D. Exposure to sun through glass does not produce vitamin D. Clinical studies have shown that the majority of people are deficient in this vital vitamin. Vitamin D is essential for intestinal absorption of calcium as well as assimilating calcium into bones. Some believe that this vitamin also plays a role in the immune system. Consult your physician for proper dosing with this vitamin, as high amounts of vitamin D can result in toxicity and other serious adverse events.