Amy vs. Forces of Evil

Episode 23 of the Nevertheless, Persisting: Life. Love. Long COVID. podcast, hosted by Dr. & Mr. Amy Blackstone, titled "Amy vs. Forces of Evil" was published on July 25, 2025 and runs 43 minutes.

July 25, 2025 ·43m · Nevertheless, Persisting: Life. Love. Long COVID.

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Summary

Dr. Amy reads a piece from summer 2024 about her fight with an enema, Catholic hospital policies, shabby science, and JD Vance. The Forces of Evil were strong that summer and we've got shit to say about it! We've even got a few solutions to share which, as always, we expect will go ignored. Tune in, commiserate along, and perhaps the camaraderie will get us through. We can always hope.AMY VS. FORCES OF EVILLet’s never do this week again.For me, it started with a day trip to Beth Israel in Boston to get poked and prodded for my on-going participation in the NIH’s RECOVER-VITAL clinical trial. Go, science! The people at Beth Israel are just about as kind as can be so score one for humanity. But the trip is exhausting, expensive, and (in my case, at least), it turns out that while PAXLOVID might be well and good for acute COVID-19 symptoms, it does jack squat for long COVID symptoms unless you count inducing hypothyroidism and wreaking havoc on other blood test results as outcomes worth counting. And those only count if I actually took PAXLOVID which we don’t know because it’s a double-blind study.Score so far: Amy-0, Forces of Evil-1, Humanity-1. Life can suck it.Phase two of the week began the next day when I found myself doubled over in pain on the floor of the shower, simultaneously pooping and puking (it’s a long story). Throw in an at-home enema for extra shits (pun intended) and giggles and we’ve got ourselves a party, people! I’ll spare you the photographic evidence.Tally card: Amy-0, Forces of Evil-11, Humanity-1. Life can RAWT IN HELL, JAX.Continuing further into phase two, we move from the shower floor to the emergency room where we’ve got a drunk guy in handcuffs screaming racist shit at the top of his lungs, a lady in a dress with no undies writhing on the floor (I’m telling you it wasn’t me and that’s my story and I’m sticking to it), a guy with an arm dangling from his motorcycle jacket in supernatural sorta way, and a kid bleeding from a real doozy on his knee remaining calmer than any of the so-called adults in the room.Continues at https://amyblackstonephd.substack.com/p/amy-vs-forces-of-evilIntro music: Humoresque by Antonín Dvořák from Suzuki Flute School Volume 3; Played proudly and poorly by Amy BlackstoneOutro music: Moon Over Ruined Castle by Rentarō Taki from Suzuki Flute School Volume 1; Played proudly and poorly by Amy BlackstoneFor more information, go to amyblackstonephd.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode Description

AMY VS. FORCES OF EVIL

Let’s never do this week again.

For me, it started with a day trip to Beth Israel in Boston to get poked and prodded for my on-going participation in the NIH’s RECOVER-VITAL clinical trial. Go, science! The people at Beth Israel are just about as kind as can be so score one for humanity. But the trip is exhausting, expensive, and (in my case, at least), it turns out that while PAXLOVID might be well and good for acute COVID-19 symptoms, it does jack squat for long COVID symptoms unless you count inducing hypothyroidism and wreaking havoc on other blood test results as outcomes worth counting. And those only count if I actually took PAXLOVID which we don’t know because it’s a double-blind study.Score so far: Amy-0, Forces of Evil-1, Humanity-1. Life can suck it.

Phase two of the week began the next day when I found myself doubled over in pain on the floor of the shower, simultaneously pooping and puking (it’s a long story). Throw in an at-home enema for extra shits (pun intended) and giggles and we’ve got ourselves a party, people! I’ll spare you the photographic evidence.

Tally card: Amy-0, Forces of Evil-11, Humanity-1. Life can RAWT IN HELL, JAX.

Continuing further into phase two, we move from the shower floor to the emergency room where we’ve got a drunk guy in handcuffs screaming racist shit at the top of his lungs, a lady in a dress with no undies writhing on the floor (I’m telling you it wasn’t me and that’s my story and I’m sticking to it), a guy with an arm dangling from his motorcycle jacket in supernatural sorta way, and a kid bleeding from a real doozy on his knee remaining calmer than any of the so-called adults in the room.

Continues at https://amyblackstonephd.substack.com/p/amy-vs-forces-of-evil

Intro music: Humoresque by Antonín Dvořák from Suzuki Flute School Volume 3; Played proudly and poorly by Amy Blackstone

Outro music: Moon Over Ruined Castle by Rentarō Taki from Suzuki Flute School Volume 1; Played proudly and poorly by Amy Blackstone

For more information, go to amyblackstonephd.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.