Clearing the Fog

Early in the Covid-19 pandemic, the shocking mortality figures obscured the fact that death is not the only adverse outcome associated with the virus. Today, as many as 30 percent of Covid-19 survivors still experience symptoms long after their acute illness has passed, with problems especially prominent in the areas of cognitive and mental health. For many people, known as long haulers, this struggle with Long Covid has irrevocably changed their lives. They have lost their ability to work, attend school, or look after their children, and often feel misunderstood by family and friends. Their once-full lives are now filled only with doctors' appointments that seem more and more futile. This devastating condition can shatter dreams, end relationships, and take away hope.

In Clearing the Fog, neuropsychologist Dr. James C. Jackson offers people suffering from Long Covid and their families a roadmap to help them manage their "new normal." He focuses on cognitive impairment and mental health issues, showing the ways in which they can manifest and disrupt, and offers suggestions for how and when to seek professional evaluations, discusses proven science-based treatment options and strategies, provides information on navigating health care systems and disability insurance, and offers wisdom, validation, and hope as patients wrestle with their new diagnosis. In addition, Dr. Jackson shares his own experience with chronic illness, relating to long haulers with vulnerability and compassion. Through vivid and moving stories as well as hands-on guidance, Clearing the Fog will help long haulers understand their current situation while offering multiple ways to address it, make sense of it, and move through it with the goal of thriving instead of merely surviving.
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