Consider this a public service announcement: I contracted COVID-19 and survived the virus. Yes, I had COVID. The irony of it all is how I contracted it––at a business meeting discussing a new healthcare venture that I am launching (to my surprise, not from some happy hour). In all seriousness, I am writing this because, for many people, it’s easy to be dismissive about COVID-19. The main culprit here, is that people think because the death rates seem relatively low and comparable to other well-known viruses. I understand this line of thinking because I too subscribed to it; however, after going through the process myself, I have a newfound respect and a deeper understanding of the virus and its impact on our nation. There’s so much to say regarding this experience, but I will try my best to keep it short and straightforward.
The day I contracted COVID, I was surrounded by business partners, colleagues, and strangers; the threat of COVID seemed foreign and distant. I let my guard down and shook hands with a business associate who was unaware at the time that he was carrying the virus. From this one meeting, three of us became infected––by shaking hands with our patient zero.
My meeting took place on a Thursday, and I began to experience slight symptoms Saturday night of that same week. Around 4:00 am Sunday, I was awakened by a bout of chills (but no fever) for about thirty minutes. After falling back asleep, I woke up around 9:00 am with a peculiar feeling. I commented to my wife a few times throughout the day, “Man, I feel strange.” By this time, I was getting minor aches and pains throughout my body, but nothing major. Come Monday morning, I get a call from a new business partner of mine who was at that meeting last Thursday. He asked, “How are you feeling?” and I said, “Not well, why do you ask?” He replied, “Man, I’m pretty sure that you have COVID.” He is one of the three of us that contracted COVID from that one contact at the meeting, and strangely all three of us would experience the same symptoms and same recovery time.
On Wednesday, it was confirmed, as I had tested positive for COVID. By Thursday of that week, the aches and pains had intensified greatly. For the next several weeks, I had no sense of smell, and any food that I was able to eat tasted like a spoonful of salt; no other subtle flavors, just pure salt. I suffered from a fatigue that zapped every ounce of my energy for the next 20 days; prior to this the word “fatigue” was not even part of my normal vocabulary. Another interesting thing to point out, I was fever-free the entire time I had the virus.
I learned a few lessons from my experience with COVID, which I hope you may find useful.
Takeaway 1:
COVID is nothing like the Flu: The aches, pains, and fatigue are nothing like the Flu. For some reason, many people like to compare the two as if they are similar––let me inform you––the two have nothing to do with each other. Whenever I had the Flu, I could still move around even though I had a fever, aches, and pain; heck, in years past, I’ve even worked-out with a Flu thinking it would help me “sweat it out”. With COVID, my energy level was so depleted; I found myself unable to move or do anything for days; there was a mental fog to match this fatigue the entire time. I had countless people offering me advice from those who never actually had COVID-19, from the perspective of the Flu. Friends, the bottom line is that there is no one remedy or no cure for COVID- 19 (as of the date of this posting), and there is still a lot of unknown. Let me know also say that I know of people who did test positive for Covid-19 and also had some Flu and Common Cold related symptoms; that was just not the case for the four of us in this occurrence.
Takeaway 2:
A healthy immune system may be a useful weapon against this virus, and in my opinion, is truly the best bet that you may have. According to the University of Maryland Medical System, there are no medications or supplements that prevent or cure the coronavirus. Still, there are steps you can take to strengthen your defenses. I regularly take supplements, but since this experience., I’ve tripled down on my supplements game, not necessarily from a volume perspective, but from a quality and strategy perspective. In addition to great supplements and nutrition, a new part of my regimen moving forward will be to detoxify my liver on a much more regular basis. It makes a difference, especially for those of us that enjoy our happy hour.
Takeaway 3:
Your body knows it is fighting something it has never fought before. This is perhaps the strangest thing to describe, so much so that I even struggle with sharing this because it sounds odd and perhaps even kooky; however, your body knows that this virus is foreign. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s as if your body is confused and caught off-guard, learning how to navigate this virus to combat it. You can somehow feel the battle that every organ and all of your body’s systems organizing and fighting. It’s like there’s this knowing inside you that you need to hope and pray that your own body will beat the virus. Again, I know this sounds off, but I know of no other way to say it. I’ve spoken to other people recently, and they’ve felt the exact same phenomena and also the reluctance to share it; this made me a little more comfortable in sharing.
Takeaway 4:
Everyone loses when we politicize Covid-19. It’s no secret that both political parties have politicized and even weaponized this virus to no end. Whether it’s using coronavirus as a cover to sneak across irrelevant policy changes or whether it is belittling it so much in an attempt to make it a paper dragon, both of these methods are wrong. This is a real virus, and if we are not cautious, it can wreak horrifying consequences. I urge you, friends, to drop your political beliefs on this topic and practice compassion instead. Keep in mind that the idea that comparative death rates are the only determining factor in designating Covid-19 as a danger to the public is grossly inadequate. Covid-19 is a new virus with no history and no cure; secondly, because it grows non-linear as a multiplier, there’s a risk that we can cross a certain line or mix if you will – a mix of mass X velocity, which would equal a momentum that could run away from our infrastructure and capabilities. Politicizing the Covid-19 virus – robs us of our ability to adequately address the problem and it robs us from our ability to accurately address the derivative problems that it creates for a family, it robs some of the ability to show compassion towards their fellow man.
Takeaway 5:
The term “mild” is relative to not getting hospitalized or needing a ventilator to help with breathing. I’m still a relatively young man, and the other two gentlemen who contracted it with me are even younger. One of which is thirty years old and the epitome of perfect health; however, none of that mattered because we all took about the exact same recovery time and went through many of the same symptoms. Moreover, we lost an entire month of productivity. According to the CDC, we’re part of the group with “mild symptoms,” imagine that, mild symptoms, and we’re out of commission for an entire month. Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful for only experiencing mild symptoms, but “mild” is a misleading term. My heart breaks for people who get hit hard or who are older and get hit. I also think about those who get hit and do not have close family, resources, or a support system to help them through this. My bottom line here – I’d rather have the flu five times in a row than go through what I went through with the Covid-19 virus and the “mild symptoms” that I dealt with for three weeks and was out for a month.
I know this virus impacts people differently. From it’s nothing (like my friend), to some that are in and out of it in 5 or 6 days (my niece), others take longer, and of course, others tragically do not make it (just yesterday I got word of an old friend about ten years older than me who died suddenly from the virus with all major organs shutting down)––and the symptoms are all over the map. Again, I know it’s different for everybody – but the fact that there’s no way of knowing how you will react or respond to it should only add to the seriousness of it (IMHO).
As a person of Native-American descent, I was especially concerned for myself––and I continue to be ultra-concerned for the Hispanic and Black groups within my community of loved ones. According to the CDC, non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native people have a hospitalization rate of about 5.3 times that of non-Hispanic white people. COVID-19 hospitalization rates among non-Hispanic Black people and Hispanic or Latino people were about 4.7 times the rate of non-Hispanic white people. There’s good speculation as to why this is––but it’s still mostly unclear.
In closing, I want to go back to the earlier comment about the Covid-19 death rate and how it should not be the barometer to determine whether or not this is a real threat or if it’s even a real thing – yes, shockingly, many still believe that it’s not even real. Consider that Covid-19 is best described as a “slippery slope,” meaning that one minor action or inaction can lead to a cascading series of events with major consequences; furthermore, once this chain of events starts, the rate at which these events occur will increase faster and faster in a non-linear manner as is the case with “viral growth.” Because it is an unknown entity, you cannot compare it to other known entities wherein the parameters are well known, and there exists an eco-system to manage and deal with the same. Covid-19 does not afford that same luxury – it encompasses both things that we know we don’t know and also something that we don’t know that we don’t know.
I hope some of this insight is useful in any event, but please feel free to inbox me or ask me any questions, and I’ll answer them.
To my friends who have lost loved ones to this virus, my prayers remain with you; may your loved ones continue to Rest in Peace.
To everyone else, don’t let your guard down and don’t get too comfortable; trust me, you don’t want to deal with this no matter how young or healthy you are. Even those with Superhero DNA who have the virus but are asymptomatic: keep in mind that you can still get others around you infected – these may not be so lucky and suffer more dire consequences.
Stay diligent and stay safe. Godspeed.
Consider this a public service announcement: I contracted COVID-19 and survived the virus. Yes, I had COVID. The irony of it all is how I contracted it––at a business meeting discussing a new healthcare venture that I am launching (to my surprise, not from some happy hour). In all seriousness, I am writing this because, for many people, it’s easy to be dismissive about COVID-19. The main culprit here, is that people think because the death rates seem relatively low and comparable to other well-known viruses. I understand this line of thinking because I too subscribed to it; however, after going through the process myself, I have a newfound respect and a deeper understanding of the virus and its impact on our nation. There’s so much to say regarding this experience, but I will try my best to keep it short and straightforward.
The day I contracted COVID, I was surrounded by business partners, colleagues, and strangers; the threat of COVID seemed foreign and distant. I let my guard down and shook hands with a business associate who was unaware at the time that he was carrying the virus. From this one meeting, three of us became infected––by shaking hands with our patient zero.
My meeting took place on a Thursday, and I began to experience slight symptoms Saturday night of that same week. Around 4:00 am Sunday, I was awakened by a bout of chills (but no fever) for about thirty minutes. After falling back asleep, I woke up around 9:00 am with a peculiar feeling. I commented to my wife a few times throughout the day, “Man, I feel strange.” By this time, I was getting minor aches and pains throughout my body, but nothing major. Come Monday morning, I get a call from a new business partner of mine who was at that meeting last Thursday. He asked, “How are you feeling?” and I said, “Not well, why do you ask?” He replied, “Man, I’m pretty sure that you have COVID.” He is one of the three of us that contracted COVID from that one contact at the meeting, and strangely all three of us would experience the same symptoms and same recovery time.
On Wednesday, it was confirmed, as I had tested positive for COVID. By Thursday of that week, the aches and pains had intensified greatly. For the next several weeks, I had no sense of smell, and any food that I was able to eat tasted like a spoonful of salt; no other subtle flavors, just pure salt. I suffered from a fatigue that zapped every ounce of my energy for the next 20 days; prior to this the word “fatigue” was not even part of my normal vocabulary. Another interesting thing to point out, I was fever-free the entire time I had the virus.
I learned a few lessons from my experience with COVID, which I hope you may find useful.
Takeaway 1:
COVID is nothing like the Flu: The aches, pains, and fatigue are nothing like the Flu. For some reason, many people like to compare the two as if they are similar––let me inform you––the two have nothing to do with each other. Whenever I had the Flu, I could still move around even though I had a fever, aches, and pain; heck, in years past, I’ve even worked-out with a Flu thinking it would help me “sweat it out”. With COVID, my energy level was so depleted; I found myself unable to move or do anything for days; there was a mental fog to match this fatigue the entire time. I had countless people offering me advice from those who never actually had COVID-19, from the perspective of the Flu. Friends, the bottom line is that there is no one remedy or no cure for COVID- 19 (as of the date of this posting), and there is still a lot of unknown. Let me know also say that I know of people who did test positive for Covid-19 and also had some Flu and Common Cold related symptoms; that was just not the case for the four of us in this occurrence.
Takeaway 2:
A healthy immune system may be a useful weapon against this virus, and in my opinion, is truly the best bet that you may have. According to the University of Maryland Medical System, there are no medications or supplements that prevent or cure the coronavirus. Still, there are steps you can take to strengthen your defenses. I regularly take supplements, but since this experience., I’ve tripled down on my supplements game, not necessarily from a volume perspective, but from a quality and strategy perspective. In addition to great supplements and nutrition, a new part of my regimen moving forward will be to detoxify my liver on a much more regular basis. It makes a difference, especially for those of us that enjoy our happy hour.
Takeaway 3:
Your body knows it is fighting something it has never fought before. This is perhaps the strangest thing to describe, so much so that I even struggle with sharing this because it sounds odd and perhaps even kooky; however, your body knows that this virus is foreign. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s as if your body is confused and caught off-guard, learning how to navigate this virus to combat it. You can somehow feel the battle that every organ and all of your body’s systems organizing and fighting. It’s like there’s this knowing inside you that you need to hope and pray that your own body will beat the virus. Again, I know this sounds off, but I know of no other way to say it. I’ve spoken to other people recently, and they’ve felt the exact same phenomena and also the reluctance to share it; this made me a little more comfortable in sharing.
Takeaway 4:
Everyone loses when we politicize Covid-19. It’s no secret that both political parties have politicized and even weaponized this virus to no end. Whether it’s using coronavirus as a cover to sneak across irrelevant policy changes or whether it is belittling it so much in an attempt to make it a paper dragon, both of these methods are wrong. This is a real virus, and if we are not cautious, it can wreak horrifying consequences. I urge you, friends, to drop your political beliefs on this topic and practice compassion instead. Keep in mind that the idea that comparative death rates are the only determining factor in designating Covid-19 as a danger to the public is grossly inadequate. Covid-19 is a new virus with no history and no cure; secondly, because it grows non-linear as a multiplier, there’s a risk that we can cross a certain line or mix if you will – a mix of mass X velocity, which would equal a momentum that could run away from our infrastructure and capabilities. Politicizing the Covid-19 virus – robs us of our ability to adequately address the problem and it robs us from our ability to accurately address the derivative problems that it creates for a family, it robs some of the ability to show compassion towards their fellow man.
Takeaway 5:
The term “mild” is relative to not getting hospitalized or needing a ventilator to help with breathing. I’m still a relatively young man, and the other two gentlemen who contracted it with me are even younger. One of which is thirty years old and the epitome of perfect health; however, none of that mattered because we all took about the exact same recovery time and went through many of the same symptoms. Moreover, we lost an entire month of productivity. According to the CDC, we’re part of the group with “mild symptoms,” imagine that, mild symptoms, and we’re out of commission for an entire month. Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful for only experiencing mild symptoms, but “mild” is a misleading term. My heart breaks for people who get hit hard or who are older and get hit. I also think about those who get hit and do not have close family, resources, or a support system to help them through this. My bottom line here – I’d rather have the flu five times in a row than go through what I went through with the Covid-19 virus and the “mild symptoms” that I dealt with for three weeks and was out for a month.
I know this virus impacts people differently. From it’s nothing (like my friend), to some that are in and out of it in 5 or 6 days (my niece), others take longer, and of course, others tragically do not make it (just yesterday I got word of an old friend about ten years older than me who died suddenly from the virus with all major organs shutting down)––and the symptoms are all over the map. Again, I know it’s different for everybody – but the fact that there’s no way of knowing how you will react or respond to it should only add to the seriousness of it (IMHO).
As a person of Native-American descent, I was especially concerned for myself––and I continue to be ultra-concerned for the Hispanic and Black groups within my community of loved ones. According to the CDC, non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native people have a hospitalization rate of about 5.3 times that of non-Hispanic white people. COVID-19 hospitalization rates among non-Hispanic Black people and Hispanic or Latino people were about 4.7 times the rate of non-Hispanic white people. There’s good speculation as to why this is––but it’s still mostly unclear.
In closing, I want to go back to the earlier comment about the Covid-19 death rate and how it should not be the barometer to determine whether or not this is a real threat or if it’s even a real thing – yes, shockingly, many still believe that it’s not even real. Consider that Covid-19 is best described as a “slippery slope,” meaning that one minor action or inaction can lead to a cascading series of events with major consequences; furthermore, once this chain of events starts, the rate at which these events occur will increase faster and faster in a non-linear manner as is the case with “viral growth.” Because it is an unknown entity, you cannot compare it to other known entities wherein the parameters are well known, and there exists an eco-system to manage and deal with the same. Covid-19 does not afford that same luxury – it encompasses both things that we know we don’t know and also something that we don’t know that we don’t know.
I hope some of this insight is useful in any event, but please feel free to inbox me or ask me any questions, and I’ll answer them.
To my friends who have lost loved ones to this virus, my prayers remain with you; may your loved ones continue to Rest in Peace.
To everyone else, don’t let your guard down and don’t get too comfortable; trust me, you don’t want to deal with this no matter how young or healthy you are. Even those with Superhero DNA who have the virus but are asymptomatic: keep in mind that you can still get others around you infected – these may not be so lucky and suffer more dire consequences.
Stay diligent and stay safe. Godspeed.
0 and since then, I’ve been able to normalize my A1C count, still on the higher side of normal; however, I am due another full blood test soon and will update everyone then (I am hoping for a 4.9). Simultaneously of course, I’ve dropped 170 pounds. However, I was very busy trying to lose weight and I knew that I had blood pressure issues, but I never really knew the extent of where my heart health was.
As I’ve been on my fitness journey, I’ve certainly improved some of the markers regarding heart health. For example, I’ve improved my blood pressure greatly. I’ve definitely improved my resting heart rate significantly, and my recovery rate when exercising has also improved significantly. However, I have not really done a real scan to look at what kind of damage has been done to my heart until recently. Last week I did a CAC scan which measures and determines how much calcification via plaque has been created in one’s arteries, specifically around your heart. This is also referred to as a “heart scan” and stands for “coronary artery calcium”.
The ranges for this are interesting and I’ve been studying why they vary in the manner that they do. If you score a 0, then that’s perfect with zero signs of calcium present in the coronary arteries – a score of 1 to 10 on this scale, means you are at low risk, or that you have a less than a 10% chance of heart disease. Then, if you score an 11 to 99, you have “mild” calcium deposits, which is still a good score. If you score between 100 and 399 then you are facing a moderate risk of incurring either a heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years. Anything between 400 and 999 is considered “severe” and if you score anything from 1,000 and over, then you have a 25% chance of having a heart attack within a year. So, you can imagine why I found the ranges a little bit difficult to interpret. In any event my score came back at a 128. This means that technically I have coronary artery disease, generically known as heart disease. I have attached both my score, scale and results for your viewing.
I am kicking myself in the ass because I wish I would’ve done this test when I was weighing 465 pounds so that I had something to compare by. Interestingly, for decades now the “experts” have said that you cannot reverse the calcification once it is settled or present in your arteries. You can only prevent it from further worsening. Now, the experts have also said that cholesterol was the driver behind this process and of course we now know that there really is no such thing as good or bad cholesterol; furthermore, we also know that cholesterol has nothing to do with the calcification process in terms of it being the culprit (Click Here to see an informative video on this topic). With respect to reversing the calcification process, newer evidence has come out that it can indeed be reversed. This is not some obscure study that happened at some obscure university in some Eastern European country; these are the words that came out of the head of prevention, Dr. Stephen Kopecky of the world-renowned Mayo Clinic… It doesn’t get more credible than that. Having said that, there are still today many doctors and other “experts” who do not agree with the two above recent findings.
I share all of this information to tell you that I am now embarking on reversing the calcification process that has settled into my body. Because of the radiation exposure when doing the scan, I’m going to wait 6 to 9 months before I do another scan however, we do know today that my score is 128 so we have a benchmark now and let’s see if I can get that score lower over the next 6 to 9 months.
It doesn’t escape me that many people do not like to discuss heart health – mostly because for many of us, it’s a scary topic and creates a sense of anxiety. We live life thinking, out of sight, out of mind – therefore, it can never be a reality. This is foolish talk – I want to state that EVERYONE over 40 years of age should know their CAC score – I scheduled my own scan at Baylor Scott White in Plano and I paid out of pocket – it was only $79.00. Information is power and the more you know about yourself, the more empowered you become – fear not!
Your thoughts, well wishes and prayers are welcomed and coveted… Please and thank you.
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