Billy Hanlon

It’s true. A flu can give you POTS/MCAS/EDS/MECFS, all acronyms you’ll wish you never knew.

7 of the Worst Things You Can Do During Cold And Flu Season Plus, what doctors recommend to help safeguard your health.

SELF: '7 of the Worst Things You Can Do During Cold And Flu Season'

'Dr. Steven Lamm internist & director..NYU Langone...also points out that it’s not just long COVID—people can get “long influenza” as well...they will have mental fogginess, excessive fatigue..'

www.self.com/story/cold-f...

Tattoo ink induces inflammation in the draining lymph node and alters the immune response to vaccination | PNAS Despite safety concerns regarding the toxicity of tattoo ink, no studies have reported the consequences of tattooing on the immune response. In thi...

New @pnas.org
"This work represents the most extensive study to
date regarding the effect of tattoo ink on the immune response and raises serious health concerns associated with the tattooing" including reduced response to Covid vaccination
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Study maps 8 long-COVID symptom patterns in adults

CIDRAP: 'Study maps 8 long-COVID symptom patterns in adults'

'The study, led by a team at Massachusetts General Hospital, followed 3,659 participants..from the National Institutes of Health Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Adult Cohort.'

www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/stu...

Why acute infections can lead to neurodegeneration Researchers are uncovering the mysteries of why early-in-life acute infections can lead to neurodegenerative diseases in later years.

Infection Connections: How past microbial incursions can lead to neurodegenerative diseases
stanmed.stanford.edu/infections-l...

Fatigue in Post-COVID-Condition is accompanied by hypoperfusion of right-occipital areas Background and purpose A proportion of individuals recovering from COVID-19 continue to experience persistent symptoms, including fatigue and cognitive difficulties — a syndrome commonly referred to a...

From Germany:

Fatigue in Post-COVID-Condition is accompanied by hypoperfusion of right-occipital areas

journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

"A significant inverse association was present between fatigue (assessed by the WEIMuS-score) & CBF in the right middle and inferior occipital gyrus”
#LongCovid

I am so terribly sorry. I often think about how MECFS must be for the experience-lovers, the adventurers, the physically adept, the people who were superb users of their bodily faculties. I know I am one of the lucky ones, a homebody introvert who loves looking at my beautiful stuff all day.

I’ve always felt unattached, even overwhelmed, by stuff (material items). I loved a good closet clean out, like ditching dead weight. I just wanted experiences. The irony of being shut up inside my house by this illness, surrounded by stuff, kept away from experiences is… really something. #MECFS

People in the UK with #ME and #LongCOVID can complete the Big Survey, which is run every five years. There is a separate survey for under 17 year olds. The deadline is 27th January 2026. You can complete the survey online or on paper.

#LongCovid costs the world economy $1 trillion each year. #CovidIsNotOver https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/long-covid-takes-1-trillion-global-economic-toll-each-year-analysis-suggests

A whole page of books by people with #MECFS!! (My book is not here bc it’s been on my todo list for like… 8 months to get it added 🤦‍♀️) #BookSky #ChronicIllness

Get some books!

chronic.market/chronic-illn...

"your labs look fine." me: [woman hissing]

The fact that asymptomatic Covid cases can lead to Long Covid IMO probably leads to more people attributing illness to vaccine complications than what could actually occurring, when the underlying problem could be a Covid infection.

Do you know if outreach has been made to ARPA-H or Jason Roos (whether from The Sick Times or others), @mileswgriffis.bsky.social? I assume yes, but wanted to ask

Less than 20% of Long COVID trials involving exercise even mention post-exertional malaise - The Sick Times An analysis by The Sick Times find that less than 15% of Long COVID clinical trials testing the benefits of exercise or cardiopulmonary rehabilitation measured post-exertional malaise, according to th...

The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org : Less than 20% of Long COVID trials involving exercise even mention post-exertional malaise

thesicktimes.org/2025/11/21/l...

Experts say testing exercise is “money down the drain” and won’t advance understanding of Long COVID.

#LongCovid #PEM

Artistic depiction of ME symptoms by a woman who has the disease, showing a woman slumped over with exhaustion in a river of blue and orange. The text reads, “The Sick Times. Less than 20% of Long COVID trials involving exercise even mention post-exertional malaise. By Simon Spichak.”

"People who are performing these studies are extraordinarily ignorant, and their ignorance is dangerous." - Jaime Seltzer Scientific director of the advocacy group #MEAction

For up to half of people with #LongCOVID, activities like exercise can trigger post-exertional malaise (PEM). Yet Long COVID clinics around the world are offering exercise as treatment while dismissing its serious harms.

Read more from @spichaksimon.bsky.social: bit.ly/4aaDRJW

It’s been a month. And we still don’t know much about Kennedy’s Long COVID consortium. - The Sick Times Preliminary meetings are occurring amid the ongoing government shutdown, while some advocates call for Health Secretary Kennedy’s removal

It's now been over two months, and we still don't have any updates from the federal government on RFK Jr.'s Long COVID Consortium. During the meeting the head of ARPA-H stated they would have plans within "weeks".

thesicktimes.org/2025/10/21/i...

International Long COVID conference spotlights biomarker and mechanism research - The Sick Times The event, now in its third year, also revealed updates about clinical trials and healthcare for the disease.

Our recap of last week's Long COVID International Conference is up now at @thesicktimes.org! Featuring summaries of talks that we found most notable (and a few hints about interesting results that aren't public yet). thesicktimes.org/2025/11/25/i...

Watching, digesting, processing, contextualizing, & writing about these conferences is intense work, but @mileswgriffis.bsky.social and @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social never miss a beat. They're consistently doing journalism that no one else is doing.

Help @thesicktimes.org keep going? bit.ly/49AUf4t

H/T @thesicktimes.org

International Long COVID conference spotlights biomarker and mechanism research - The Sick Times The event, now in its third year, also revealed updates about clinical trials and healthcare for the disease.

The Sick Times: 'International Long COVID conference spotlights biomarker and mechanism research'

'The event, now in its third year, also revealed updates about clinical trials and healthcare for the disease'

thesicktimes.org/2025/11/25/i...

COVID-19 may affect sense of smell for years, Langone study finds - Washington Square News Langone researchers found that people may unknowingly retain a reduced sense of smell years after having COVID-19, according to a report that measured perception of odors, or olfactory functions. Rese...

Washington Square News: COVID-19 may affect sense of smell for years, Langone study finds

'Patients can struggle with their sense of smell years down the line, without noticing the deficiencies'

'..branch of the NIH's RECOVER initiative..on long-term effects of COVID'

nyunews.com/news/2025/11...

just a reminder: if you're too scared to talk to that person with a disability because they're disabled, you're probably missing out on a really cool person/friendship and that's your loss... they already know how important and cool they are.

Can't wait to indulge in some Stranger Things S5 in short order...

YouTube video by Ali Moresco COVID, Neuroinflammation & Alzheimer’s: What Eye Imaging Is Showing, with Dr. Sean Miller, Yale, PhD

'COVID, Neuroinflammation & Alzheimer’s: What Eye Imaging Is Showing, with Dr. Sean Miller, Yale, PhD'

'..Dr. Miller describes how..COVID-19 virus can..trigger..neuroinflammation..Yale Eye Center is identifying amyloid & tau deposits in patients with long COVID...'

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynlS...

YouTube video by The Power of Rare A Science Journalist Speaks about Struggle with Long COVID (Emma's Story)

The Power of Rare: 'A Science Journalist Speaks about Struggle with Long COVID (Emma's Story)'

'Emma Smith, a 26-year-old science and health journalist, shares her long COVID journey...'

H/T to @3mm4sm1th.bsky.social for sharing her story

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiFw...

Millions of people have had to struggle for decades not just with unrelenting disabling chronic illness, but with a medical profession that has done nothing but amplify that suffering and placed every barrier in the way.

Ultimately this is their fault, but they take zero responsibility for it.

This opposition long predates Long Covid, as those illnesses have been denied, dismissed and discriminated by the medical profession.

They're still opposing it. This rings completely hollow coming from them. I can't trust what they say because I can see what they do.

“It is deeply disappointing that we yet again mark another year where the government has failed to recognise Long COVID and severe post COVID-19 complications as an occupational disease in healthcare workers.”

The BMA has long opposed recognition of the chronic illnesses seen in Long Covid.

🚨👀👇