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Michael Smith

@skibu.bsky.social

Long Covid has annihilated me. Disabled musician. Created tech behind transit data companies Swiftly and NextBus. Person behind robotaxi.news & helpBluesky.me . Co-founder of Walk SF. The War on Cars will be won by @safeStreetRebel !

695 Followers  |  1,947 Following  |  337 Posts  |  Joined: 15.11.2024
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Posts by Michael Smith (@skibu.bsky.social)

Kuon is an integrative care doctor. Means drugs are a smaller part, and mostly other things like SGB, diet changes (worked really well!), sleep. But still doing LDN and colchecine for my heart.

26.08.2025 04:58 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

That’s indeed complicated! Dr Liu actually recommends that patients go to Anchorage, his home base, for two weeks and get like 7-10 of them. Sounds exhausting and too much for me currently. So I get one every few months. Effect not as strong now, but I’ll get more.

26.08.2025 04:54 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

By the way, Dr Kuon wrote a good book called the Ling Covid Solution.

26.08.2025 04:50 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

At this point I think I’ll just stick with Dr Kuon. But I might need more help in the future. What is your Kaiser Dr’s name though?

26.08.2025 04:48 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

I’ve had 4 dual sided SGBs with Dr Luke Liu. He does a weekend clinic in San Jose area about once a month. I highly recommend him, much better results, but $1k per side. And he was highly recommended by my UCSF long covid expert Dr Carla Kuon.

26.08.2025 04:45 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

I heard about the clinic and tried into get in but they told me no new patients. And then I heard about an unofficial one started by some doctors but they too weren’t taking on new people.

When did you start with your Santa Clara doctor?

26.08.2025 04:37 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

That’s exactly the kind of long covid Dr you want, someone both knowledgeable and willing to try lots of things.

26.08.2025 04:35 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

They did a SGB for me for long covid but only because I figured out how to ask for one. Turns out it has to be prescribed by one of their neurologists. So you have to find one who is willing to order one for you.

And I was disappointed with the results. Key is that the doctor was newish to SGB

26.08.2025 04:30 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Kaiser doesn’t have a long covid clinic. And when you need to deal with symptoms they might send you to a cardiologist or neurologist, but those docs don’t know long covid. So I’m still with Kaiser but see a long covid specialist outside of Kaiser.

26.08.2025 04:26 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0
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Can you haul a brass band on bikes to accompany your #BikeBus to school? For the third time, yes.

Big thanks to all our volunteers and musicians!

20.06.2025 14:50 β€” πŸ‘ 319    πŸ” 80    πŸ’¬ 8    πŸ“Œ 22

The many birds are especially pissed off about this blatant misrepresentation of how animals commute!

16.06.2025 18:59 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
 Bad AI SciFi art

Bad AI SciFi art

 Bad AI SciFi art

Bad AI SciFi art

But their website is so awesome. Check out these renderings. Truly sunrise in America!

And one of their goals is β€œElon-level ambition is the bar”

16.06.2025 03:07 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Though I’m just joking. The runways actually ane important for the awesome flea market is. Plus transit agencies use it for bus driver training.

16.06.2025 02:56 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Umm, maybe should just let the idiots try it. I don’t think they know that it’s crappy landfill that floods during king tides. I don’t think data centers work that well when all soggy.

16.06.2025 02:56 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Anybody know about (Uncanny) Frontier Valley??

16.06.2025 01:52 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Asapast exec of Cubic I can say with confidence that 1) this is Cubics fault; 2) facilitated by the MTC; 3) due to Cubic having been bought by private equity and screwed; 4) and there is no technical limitation. It all
Could have been done right. But it clearly wasn’t.

10.06.2025 17:01 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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S.F. pedestrian dies after being struck by driver in SoMa A driver struck a pedestrian near 10th and Harrison streets in San Francisco, officials said.

The news of yet another death on our streets lands heavily on my heart today. The dominant environment permits and encourages speed, impatience and inattention by motorists who are increasingly driving heavier, deadlier vehicles. www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/p...

27.05.2025 19:47 β€” πŸ‘ 29    πŸ” 11    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 1
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"Long COVID and Stellate Ganglion Block: a Novel Perspective from the Last Frontier" - Luke D Liu, MD This is ""Long COVID and Stellate Ganglion Block: a Novel Perspective from the Last Frontier" - Luke D Liu, MD" by PAMC CME on Vimeo, the home…

Today I had my 5th Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) for my serious #longCovid issues. Main thing is that it helps with my cognitive issues. If you want to learn about SGBs, my doctor, Dr Luke Liu, did a video. The SGB part stats at minute 22. vimeo.com/1084382051/f...

25.05.2025 02:44 β€” πŸ‘ 10    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Great that it has helped with your thinking. That’s the biggest improvement I’ve noticed, too.

And yes, thoracic block is more for issues below the neck. Was hoping would help my heart issues. But it hasn’t. Fatigue still killing me.

11.05.2025 19:17 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

That's great that it has made a difference with your pots!

Everyone is of course different. I have definitely had cognitive improvement. But my last treatment where I got a SGB and a Thoracic Block mostly has just wiped me out. Next time I'm just doing the SGB.

09.05.2025 22:04 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

The 2nd one was done through my HMO. Great pain doctor, but I had absolutely no benefit and the procedure itself was quite painful. So 3rd time went back to Dr Liu and benefits last pretty much the whole month. And this time I also went back to Dr Liu.

19.04.2025 23:32 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Bit complicated. Overall, biggest improvement of all things I’ve tried, particularly for my cognitive issues. Before today I’d say I’m twice as capable as I was was before. But each shot had different effects. First one, by Dr Liu who has done 16k of them, lasted just 5 days, but really good days.

19.04.2025 23:32 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

The Thoracic Block is more rare because
More difficult to do. But it is supposed to help my heart, lungs, and hands.

Will be interesting to see how I’m doing tomorrow. Could be quite exhausted after getting his full
reset of my Sympathetic Nervous System.

19.04.2025 22:36 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Hi #longCovid folks, have r posted in a while. But today I had quite a procedure. A dual Stellate Ganglion Block plus a dual Thoracic block. The SGB is my 4th and is for
My cognitive issues. It increases blood flow to brain, which is why the right side of my head was much warmer after right side.

19.04.2025 22:36 β€” πŸ‘ 12    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 0

Yea, I definitely have PEM. I think the SGB has helped, but notas dramatically as with my cognitive issues.

19.04.2025 22:24 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

Main benefit is to the brain. Really increases blood flow. Results of first one were dramatic for 5 days but mostly wore off. Third one results have lasted a whole month. Some people only need single one. I expect I will get more.

19.04.2025 17:16 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Coincidentally, I’m currently in the exam room waiting for my 4th one. Results are complicated. Really depends on expertise of the doctor. Dr Liu from Anchorage has done 16k of them, and results have been pretty huge. But one by another doctor didn’t help at all.

19.04.2025 17:13 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Note that the island used to be a Muni bus stop. Replacing buses with more cars, autonomous or not, just doesn’t work well.

16.04.2025 17:37 β€” πŸ‘ 9    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Oh, and in my latest #LongCovid news, a package with $300 of immune system supplements was swiped off my front steps. It was only there for 5 minutes. Delivery person didn’t bother to ring my doorbell. Sheesh. Somehow I don’t think the swipers are going to appreciate their ill gotten loot.

28.03.2025 00:22 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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SF's cherished Toronado beer bar has not been sold, real estate agent says A Thursday report stated that Toronado, the legendary cash-only beer bar in SF's Lower Haight, had been sold to a crypto investor. It has not.

Note: I’m definitely dubious about the story of the sale. www.sfgate.com/food/article...

28.03.2025 00:08 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0