My Brush With the Angel of Death

From 1 to 3 December 2022 I was hit by Very Sudden Total Disability, a side effect of pneumonia. The efficiency of my arms and legs went down to 2%. My arms were so weak I could not pull the covers over myself in bed. I could not get out of bed, or even sit up.

Your takeaway to benefit from my tough experience

1. If you have sounds in you lungs that are gurgly phlem sounds then begin to check you temperate and pulse oxygen several times per day.

2. If your temperature goes to 99 degrees F, or your pulse oxygen drops to 94% that is much like getting a “traffic” warning or a “terrain” warning if you are a pilot — you MUST immediately respond with skill and diligence until the matter if fully and finally resolved.

3. In the meantime, leave your front door unlocked so that Emergency Medical Techs can get into your house easily if you decide to issue an emergency call of “HELP”.

4. Make sure your thermostat is set so that your room temperature will stay above 74 degrees at night.

5. I have red marks on my face and head from where it bounced off the floor several times in attempts to escape from my bed with arms too weak to do a push up or a pull up. If you want to avoid breaking your neck, it may be best to stay in the bed for 3 to 7 days until the pneumo clears up.

6. You can mitigate the blood oxygen problem slightly bu using an iron supplement.

7. Keep some food and some water by your bed.

8. I have been on many long marches, and yet my three days was a hellish experience. I knew I would pull through, because of strong genes, past experience, and an iron will. This could easily have killed the average person.

9. Sudden means you go to bed, and everything is fine. Halfway through that night your arms are so weak you can’t pull the covers over you. Total disability means the only muscles that still work at all are the large muscles in the back and neck. You can’t even roll over.

10. I have written a book on mitochondrial DNA (ISBN 9798769744402. Survivors can pass along their stories, I do not know if this is related to Covid in any way. I want people to use my experience and learn from it.

11. I am in a highly disfavored category in corporate media, so 10 to 15 people will see this post.

12. Live long and prosper. Long live the First Amendment. Be well, do good.