Fatigued Podcast

Are you having difficulty locating a vaccine appointment? Do you wish there was a website that contained information for ALL your local pharmacies instead of having 20+ individual tabs open for each one? Well look no further! www.vaccinespotter.org is the one-stop shop for all your vaccine appointment needs! "A tool to help you track down COVID-19 vaccine appointment openings at your state's pharmacies. Updated every minute. Rather than searching around on each pharmacy's website, we'll automatically scan the pharmacy websites and show you any available appointments we can find on one page."

And today we interviewed the guy behind all of it: Nick is a regular guy with a big heart and has put his software engineering skills to good use. When he heard his coworkers' frustrations about finding appointments for their elderly loved ones, he knew he could help. A month later, vaccinespotter.org is up and running and helping hundreds of people access their dose of the Fauci-Ouchie. This feel-good story is a lovely reminder that there are good people out there...which has inspired us to focus this month on people who have pivoted and helped others amidst the pandemic. Stay tuned!

We round out our Parosmia Series with Gemma who experiences parosmia and it's equally evil twin: phantosmia. For those who don't know, phantosmia is an olfactory hallucination that makes you smell things that aren't there. For Gemma it's a persistent smell of cigarette smoke (which was one of her least favorite smells to begin with). It makes mealtime unbearable and alienates her from sharing that time with her beautiful family. However, she's brilliant at turning lemons into lemonade: when she first tested positive for Covid, she made a public facebook post of her symptoms to help other people recognize the virus in themselves. Fortunately she was able to prevent friends from sharing the virus with vulnerable family members! She wrote to us after spoke to her, "I also had messages from 2 lovely ladies from Florida and Georgia asking for advise. I was glad something positive came out of me catching the virus and sharing my symptoms to help others. I was surprised my post reached america from england." It's nice to see social media helping others in a time like this. 

In our fourth episode, we talk with Anissa - the self-described "cook of the family" who can barely bring herself to eat anything besides peanut m&ms. She spoke to us about how parosmia disconnects her from the rest of the world: she can't eat enough to keep up her fitness regimen, celebratory & holiday meals once full of connection and memory are uncomfortable, and she is left with the question "am I stuck like this?" 

In spite of her frustration, she has found a wonderful outlet: photography. "It's kind of replaced all of the energy I would put towards like working out and, and whatnot." Her work is beautiful, so go check it out on Instagram @anissalatifphotography! Happy listening!

Chrissi Kelly is the founder of AbScent, a UK-based charity that is dedicated to providing support and trusted information to those affected by anosmia and other smell disorders. After her own struggles with smell loss, she has committed herself to the advancement of smell training and research. We found her perspective enlightening and, while we aren't personally experiencing parosmia, we imagine this conversation might provide some clarity and encouragement to those afflicted by this uncomfortable phenomenon. The main takeaway? Consider parosmia an injury, not an illness, and be patient with yourself as your body mends and heals.

AbScent website: https://abscent.org/

Compared to Brooke's episode on Tuesday, this episode is a great example of "same virus, different stories." In the second episode of our Parosmia Series, we talk to Marilyn who had some of the weirdest and worst symptoms of Covid... yet never received a positive test. Not one. Without a positive test can she still claim to have had Covid? How else can she explain the acrid metal taste she felt in her mouth every time she consumed onions? Or the heaviness in her chest when she tried to breathe? We talk about how unsettling it is to be betrayed by your body and Raymond shares why it's important to get a second opinion if you don't feel heard by your doctor.

On another note, Caroline tries her hand at parody songs about the pandemic and they are not great.

For more help with Parosmia check out the links of the organizations below:

AbScent is a UK registered charity supporting people who are experiencing the distressing effects of smell loss. AbScent offers information, support and practical advice for people living with smell disorders. https://abscent.org/ (On March 15th we are releasing an episode with Chrissi Kelly, the founder of AbScent, who will share more about her research and studies into smell disorders.)

The Smell and Taste Association of North America (STANA) advocates for funding for research on smell and taste disorders and collaborates with individuals living with these chemosensory disorders, healthcare professionals, and institutions to provide evidence-based education, resources, and networking opportunities.  https://thestana.org/

The Monell Center for Advancing Discovery in Taste & Smell - their mission is to improve health and well-being by advancing the scientific understanding of taste, smell, and related senses. https://monell.org/

We're kicking off Season 2 with a series about parosmia, perhaps the most odd and startling long-hauler symptom to date. Parosmia is dysfunctional smell detection characterized by the inability of the brain to correctly identify an odor's "natural" smell. Instead, the natural odor is usually transformed into an unpleasant aroma, typically a "'burned,' 'rotting,' 'fecal,' or 'chemical' smell".  Pre-pandemic this was a symptom often found in patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment or persons recovering from head trauma. Its current link to coronavirus confounds doctors and scientists as there is no immediate cure.

Brooke is our first guest and she has been struggling with her symptoms for 10 months. It is quite an emotional interview as she breaks down what her day to day life is like living with parosmia. She recounts how she may have gotten it, what she can and cannot consume, and shares resources that have helped her along the way (which are posted below).

AbScent is a UK registered charity supporting people who are experiencing the distressing effects of smell loss. AbScent offers information, support and practical advice for people living with smell disorders. https://abscent.org/ (On March 15th we are releasing an episode with Chrissi Kelly, the founder of AbScent, who will share more about her research and studies into smell disorders.)

The Smell and Taste Association of North America (STANA) advocates for funding for research on smell and taste disorders and collaborates with individuals living with these chemosensory disorders, healthcare professionals, and institutions to provide evidence-based education, resources, and networking opportunities.  https://thestana.org/

The Monell Center for Advancing Discovery in Taste & Smell - their mission is to improve health and well-being by advancing the scientific understanding of taste, smell, and related senses. https://monell.org/

Fatigued Podcast was born out of two friends getting Covid and sharing their experiences.  Listen to learn more about this project, who they've interviewed, how it's helped, and where it's going from here.  Full episodes and links to your favorite podcast players at www.fatiguedpodcast.com

Caroline and Raymond (and an awkward little-sounding voice) say goodbye to Season One.  Our cohosts give updates on their personal Covid stories, tell us about what's coming up in Season Two (launching March 9th, 2021), and why this shift has them excited and not fatigued.

In just 3 months, we've built out a one-stop-shop website and social media pages and Fatigued Podcast has reached thousands of listeners across every podcast platform playable.  We would not be continuing without the supportive messages we receive from listeners like you.  We've said from the beginning that we'd do this until "we get fatigued by it" and, thanks to your support, we ain't there yet!

We continue to hope and hear that these episodes are making a difference now and you can listen to hear how we see them helping in the future as well.  Thank you!

This is our final interview for Season 1 and it's our biggest one to date: we got a chance to interview Dr. Keith Gagnon, an associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry at SIU whose lab has uncovered a U.S.-specific coronavirus variant that accounts for about half of the cases in the nation! He has been featured on many major news outlets as more information about this mutation is uncovered. We were so honored he took time out of his busy schedule to talk to us and frankly he filled us with a lot of hope for the future - while the topic of conversation is scary, we were grateful he was able to explain things in layman's terms. We learned a lot and think you will too!

Stay tuned for our end of Season 1 wrap-up episode and our kick-off of Season 2 as we commemorate the one-year anniversary of the pandemic. There are many great things in store and we can hardly wait to share them with you! 

We can all agree we're in need of a feel-good story right now, so meet Harriet! She has been dedicating her time and energy to helping elderly people navigate the world of technology so they can receive the vaccine. "Anybody would do the same when you hear the people on the other line," she says. From family to strangers, she's helped so many get access to the information they need so they aren't left behind. She also details her hints, tips, and suggestions on how to look for vaccination access! 

Below is the New York Times article that inspired this conversation in the first place:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/04/nyregion/coronavirus-nyc-vaccinations.html

Stay tuned and follow us on social media (@fatiguedpodcast) to hear more about our upcoming changes, news, and updates!