DeepSummary
The episode begins with a discussion about the impacts of long COVID on wellness. Kavita Patel and Maya Feller talk about the diverse range of symptoms experienced by long COVID patients, including fatigue, cognitive impairment, and autoimmune issues. They highlight the challenges doctors face in treating these patients due to the lack of approved medications and the novelty of the condition.
ICU physician Dr. Wes Ely joins the conversation, sharing his experiences caring for long COVID patients at Vanderbilt University. He discusses the moral injury faced by healthcare workers during the pandemic, and the need to acknowledge the suffering of long COVID patients. Ely emphasizes the importance of listening to patients and trying unconventional treatments, as there are no proven therapies yet.
The hosts and Ely delve into the public health crisis of long COVID, with millions of people across socioeconomic backgrounds affected. They discuss the challenges faced by uninsured or underinsured patients, the lack of support from the government, and the risk of suicide among long COVID sufferers. Ely stresses the need for nationwide survivorship programs and highlights the invisibility of the condition, which makes it harder for others to understand the suffering.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Long COVID is a significant public health crisis affecting millions of people across socioeconomic backgrounds.
- Patients with long COVID experience a diverse range of symptoms, including fatigue, cognitive impairment, autoimmune issues, and more.
- There is a lack of approved treatments and medications for long COVID, posing challenges for healthcare providers.
- The invisibility of long COVID makes it harder for others to understand and empathize with the suffering of patients.
- Greater support, acknowledgment, and nationwide survivorship programs are needed for long COVID patients.
- Healthcare providers must listen to patients and be willing to try unconventional treatments in the absence of proven therapies.
- The moral injury and trauma experienced by healthcare workers during the pandemic should be acknowledged and addressed.
- The risk of suicide among long COVID sufferers highlights the urgent need for support and resources.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “What we have on our hands is a public health crisis which has not been adequately defined by the medical community or our leaders in government, etcetera. We're dealing with almost an underbelly of society that crosses cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. So rich people, poor people, black people, white people, children, old people, anybody is at risk to get this problem.“ by Wes Ely
- “I feel like within myself that I have to keep on swimming. I'm in the deep end of the pool and if I don't keep swimming, I'll sink to the bottom and I'll drown.“ by Bill Jennings
- “These people have nothing to really lean on for curative treatment. Nothing. Zero. Zero FDA approved medications for the treatment of long COVID. This must change. It's not beyond the might and the prowess of American medicine to solve this problem. It's absolutely not.“ by Unknown
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Episode Information
Well, Now
Slate Podcasts
3/20/24