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Timely Tales from Time On The Planet...




THE LONG HAUL
A Montana Photographer Copes with Covid

Self Portrait of Philip Granrud traversing Montana wilderness pre-Covid

Please meet Philip Granrud,
a 41-year-old photographer from Kalispell, Montana.
Since January of 2020, he's had Covid-19, not once, but twice.
An avid outdoorsman, who once famously photographed
a hiker hiding from a grizzly bear on a narrow cliffside trail,
Philip is "a long hauler,"
meaning his system is still being attacked
long after others have recovered or died.
Having contracted mononucleosis 20 years earlier,
Philip knows to eat well and take care of his health.
He was not prepared for Covid.
During this record-hot summer of 2021,
we share some of his journey.









 



















Facebook Post
Sept. 13, 2020
Looking forward to going back to my happy and confident self soon! ...Just need to push on like always.


Oct. 8, 2020
[When] I severely lost all my sense of taste and smell [this past January], I knew I had it.... I got tested anyway. Glad I did....

I thought I could handle this better, especially with all my amazing remedies. January's symptoms were so acute and severe; after a week and a half, I started to question if I was going to die or not. Silver knocked it down quickly, right at the point where I couldn't breathe anymore and my head felt like it was going to explode and I was ready to be taken to the ER....
Took me a month to recover.

Silver wasn't as effective this time.... Duration has been even worse, but not quite as acute, but close."


Oct. 14, 2020
Actually pretty stable today. But wow I'm weak! I took this...super seriously and hit it with every remedy and trick I know of. I'm usually better than a hospital. My chest really hurts and I'm as weak as a kitten. This is such a strange feeling I'm not used to. I have a bunch of mutations that can turn me into something quite different.

































Nov. 21, 2020
I'm sick again and it's bad. Is 2020 over yet?


Nov. 25, 2020
In hindsight now, I was a total fool to think I had some immunity to it after last winter, and that it would be smooth sailing for me to finally catch up with everything this year. Now I feel like I'm going backwards.


Dec. 11, 2020
Feeling super thankful for FB Groups! Been listening to and talking to 100's and 1,000's of people who are going through the same thing I am, around the country and world. Huge plus to not feel so alone in this, and this is so invaluable for my research!  Definitely seeing why underlying conditions are such a huge deal for viruses now.




































April 13, 2021
Post-Covid almost six months and a long way to go still! ...Every week, and sometimes every day, my symptoms change and new things pop up, or old things come back...
...Especially frustrating given that last summer...I was feeling better than I have in at least a decade, thanks to how far I had come with my health and medical stuff! So I don't want to say I was cocky, but definitely feeling confident in the direction that my life was going. Seriously, after beating Covid once, and making huge gains..., the last five-plus months have just become more and more surreal....


May 1, 2021
One of the most frustrating parts: Most tests come back as normal but there's all sorts of stuff going on in the brain, spinal cord, and blood.



















Philip
(above image) several years before Covid.


May 31, 2001
Really impressed with the ingredients in the Moderna Vaccine. And, yea, that vax really helped me for a couple weeks. But it feels like it's worn off. I have reservations with a lot of vaccines, both when they are done, especially certain ones with kids, and the ingredients. But after I a tetanus shot...and I felt better then I have since I was a kid, I started studying that stuff more, and realizing the benefits of certain vaccines. And then hearing how the Covid Vaccines are helping countless Long Haulers, all my studies are going to be focused on this stuff.


June 14, 2021
Just about 100% convinced the virus has been active inside me this whole time... Usually comes in weekly cycles.... Exhausted. Mentally and physically. I'm slowly losing the war.... Can't eat food anymore. My body treats everything like a virus now. I've lost so much hair and muscle. I have some other avenues to pursue. I just really wish doctors and medical researchers could really hurry up with their research and knowledge.
























Jul. 24, 2021
New fire here in the Flathead. I'm bummed to see all these fires this last decade. Wind storms and fire and drought and development are really changing the landscape rapidly. Felt great to just be outside. Had an unexpectedly amazing night.






Aug. 7, 2021
...It's pouring rain in Glacier Park!  It took more energy then I was expecting, but when I saw the smoke clearing at 4 am, I had to get in on that clean air.


I was really winded very quickly and tired. The smoke really affected me more than even I realized, because even after it cleared, I can hardly hike more than a couple miles and that was a struggle. But I've got to think that things are eventually going to get better from here. This is definitely good info for my medical research and it really was nice to get away again.

























 


Now....
Let's see more of Philip Granrud's photographic art, including his many bears!

Self Portrait of Philip Granrud during the long haul after Covid 19
Philip Granrud
Self Portrait 2021


Let's Go!











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