There hasn't been an overwhelming amount of interest in this story, so I will make the rest of it short. After being discharged from Stanford, I went through the specialists at PAMF. The cardiologist cleared my heart, stating the tachycardia and shortness of breath was not heart-related. Did the zio monitor to verify no irregularities. By then the tachycardia was improving anyway.
Next up was infectious disease. In New York and in other urban areas that have had huge numbers of COVID cases, doctors understand that a positive virus and/or antibody test are not the only indicators that a patient has COVID. They have seen many patients that did not test positive on the tests. Out here, most infectious disease doctors, particularly at the beginning of June, had only seen the hospitalized pneumonia cases, the expected presentation. Their experience with patients was to get a positive test, hospitalize the critically ill, look for antibodies as they recover, and get positive antibody tests. His opinion was I did not have COVID. It was obvious I was sick, so he went over my health background, and tested me for numerous other diseases I did not have. That was a waste of time and money, as nothing was found.
The neurologist was one of the worst doctors I have ever seen. He did a 30 second exam, stated he looked at the Stanford work up, and nothing was found. He then said I probably had low serotonin and offered to prescribe Zoloft "to make me feel better."
This was a short conversation. I'm a professional, and do not lose my temper with other professionals. I did this time. I got up and left.
Since then, I have seen the primary care doctor once. She was alarmed at my condition. I have lost 15 percent of my body weight, have trouble walking, and have the skin of a 75 year old. She ordered more blood work, and offered to refer me back to Stanford neurology.
My condition continues to worsen. The symptom list grows. I am weaker and less able to function. The visiting nurse is concerned as well. Over the last two months, I have cleaned up the estate paperwork. I will continue to press for better care, but I don't hold out much hope of getting it. Thousands of people in the support groups are in the same situation.
The irony is that in Britain, very few people were tested. Diagnoses were presumptive. People are being treated based on symptoms, not on faulty tests. In this country, having a positive test, virus or antibody, determines how you are treated. A lot of people will suffer and die as a result.