“The worst grief in a crash is not being unable to move. It is being unable to be who you are.” From my latest essay, The Inventory of Loss. #LongCOVID #MECFS #PwME #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain #InvisibleIllness #Grief #Disability #Spoonie darthfoo.substack.com/p/the-invent...

A quote from my new piece, The Inventory of Loss. “The grief is ongoing because the illness is ongoing, and new losses arrive as old ones calcify into something you have learned to carry.” darthfoo.substack.com/p/the-invent... #LongCOVID #MECFS #PwME

Some debts are financial. Some are physical. This one is about what chronic illness actually takes, catalogued honestly, without softening it. “You grieve the ability to just feel things without doing math first.” #LongCOVID #MECFS #PwME darthfoo.substack.com/p/the-invent...

HUGE win tonight boys. Let’s win another one in Philly on Wednesday. When we play our game, we’re hard to play against. #LetsGoPens @pittsburghpenguins.bsky.social

You know that feeling when you didn’t hear what you wanted to hear from your doctor? 🙋‍♂️ #LongCOVID #MECFS #PwME

#ChronicIllness, being confined to a bed, and my #PittsburghPenguins losing to the hated #Flyers. I’m depressed. #LongCOVID #MECFS #PwME

The @penguinsnhl.bsky.social have looked terrible. They’re are being out played & out coached. The Flyers have us playing their game. They deserve to win. Tocchet deserves the Jack Adams. Dubas needs to get us faster & younger. I fear that means Geno has to go. We better have an active offseason.

A quote from my piece, The Debt Came Due, about navigating #PEM. “I want to be honest about this because the people who read what I write deserve honesty more than they deserve a tidy narrative about resilience. I am depressed.” #LongCOVID #MECFS #PwME #Depressed substack.com/@darthfoo/p-...

Can’t wait for Monday!! #LetsGoPens

My pain is bad tonight, I can’t sleep. I’m thinking back to my essay about long term #MECFS patients, Those Who Were Already Here. I’m grateful to and devastated for those I’ve encountered from this community. #LongCOVID #PwME #ChronicIllness substack.com/@darthfoo/p-...

A quote from my piece, The Debt Came Due. “There is a version of my life that exists in my memory like a photograph from a trip I’ll never take again. In that version, I wake up and get out of bed without negotiating with my body first.” #LongCOVID #MECFS #PEM #PwME substack.com/home/post/p-...

I’m with #DonaldTrump on this one. Every one of my doctors use this treatment method. #DrTrump

It takes nearly 4 hours round trip to see my #LongCOVID & #MECFS specialist. Beth moves her patients around to make it happen. Yesterday, my doctor was frustrated with me, and she earned it. I’ve been selective about her recommendations. She reminded me why that’s dangerous. I won’t forget it. #PwME

Boys showed up HUGE tonight. When this team plays its game, nobody can stop us. Let’s lock in, finish strong, and own Round 1. Only downside? My ugly, patchy as fuck beard is coming back. #LetsGoPens @pittsburghpenguins.bsky.social

IT. IS. TIME. Welcome to the 2026 edition of The Beast. ◽️ 402 profiles ◽️ 2,700 rankings ◽️ 45,000 verified measurements ◽ 300,000 words It’s the world’s most detailed NFL Draft guide, from @danebrugler.bsky.social. www.nytimes.com/athletic/int...

The Wednesday morning @dejankovacevic.bsky.social DAILY SHOT OF #PittsburghPenguins podcast can be found right here on Bluesky:

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A quote from my piece, The Debt Came Due, about the current #PEM crash I’m navigating. “I find purpose in helping others. It is the through-line of my entire professional life, from child protective work to retail management.” #LongCOVID #MECFS #PwME substack.com/home/post/p-...

“There is a particular cruelty in being too sick from a disease to advocate for awareness of that disease on the day set aside for exactly that purpose.” substack.com/home/post/p-...

A quote from my piece, The Debt Came Due. “There is a version of my life that exists in my memory like a photograph from a trip I’ll never take again. In that version, I wake up and get out of bed without negotiating with my body first.” #LongCOVID #MECFS #PEM #PwME substack.com/home/post/p-...

Migraine. Burning nerves. Can’t be upright. Moving feels like fighting double gravity. This is a normal Sunday with Long COVID and ME/CFS. There is nothing inspiring about it. It just hurts. #LongCOVID #MECFS #ChronicIllness #InvisibleIllness #PwME

Deep in a #PEM crash at the moment. Not upright, barely eating, flat on my back resting and recovering. Will this ever get better? #LongCOVID #MECFS #PwME

Having some déjà vu...another one for BLowe!

FIRST HOMER OF THE SEASON GOES TO BRANDON LOWE!

Crashed after some activity last week. Since Saturday can't get out of bed, can't stay upright, can't stay awake. It's been days. I know everyone is different but I just need to hear from people who've been through this. How long? #LongCOVID #MECFS #PEM #PwME

Am I the only person who clicks to the original source when seeing a recap article on news aggregators? #Media

Spent #LongCovidAwarenessDay in bed, unable to stay upright. Missed the moment, but not the meaning. To every patient navigating this illness, and especially to our caregivers: I see you. All of you. Be well. #LongCOVID @longcovidsos.bsky.social @longcovidadvoc.com @longcovidsupport.bsky.social

Crashed hard, been gone weeks. Severe post-exertional malaise. Not resting by choice, resting because the alternative is worse. “Why I Can’t Just Meet You for Dinner” explains the economics of it. #PEM #LongCOVID #MECFS #PwME substack.com/@darthfoo/p-...

March 2026, CDC: "Living With Long COVID" 'Long COVID is a serious illness that can result in chronic conditions, require comprehensive care, and can sometimes cause disability.' www.cdc.gov/long-covid/l...

I wasn’t afraid either, back in 2021 when I first got sick. I thought I just needed to push through. I thought capability was about willpower, about refusing to let limitations define me. Post-exertional malaise #PEM taught me otherwise. It taught me very, very quickly. substack.com/@darthfoo/p-...

A quote from my piece, The Loneliness of Being Misunderstood, about the invisibility of having #LongCOVID & #MECFS. #PwME #ChronicIllness “The quote, whoever actually wrote it, describes standing behind a glass wall, hoping someone will look through and truly see you.” substack.com/home/post/p-...

Ten days horizontal in a dark room. The deepest #PEM crash of my life. When I’m upright, everything gets worse. I’m scared. #PwME #LongCOVID #MECFS

M.E.: "How it can shrink one's world, bit by bit" by Kornelia Paulsen (who no longer appears to be on X or IG). #MEcfs #CFS #PwME #MyalgicEncephalomyelitis #ChronicFatigueSyndrome #SevereME

Here’s a quote from my recent piece, titled The Loneliness of Being Misunderstood. It’s focused on the challenges of living with #LongCOVID & #MECFS, two illnesses largely invisible to the general public. 1/3 substack.com/home/post/p-...

A quote from my latest piece, The Loneliness of Being Misunderstood, about the challenges of “invisible” chronic illness. “I have written before about the brutal economics of living with #LongCOVID and #MECFS. The energy budgets. The interest rates on overexertion.” substack.com/home/post/p-...

A quote from my latest piece, The Loneliness of Being Misunderstood, about the challenges of “invisible” chronic illness. “I have written before about the brutal economics of living with #LongCOVID and #MECFS. The energy budgets. The interest rates on overexertion.” substack.com/home/post/p-...

Pushed through three shifts in eight days and now I’m paying the full price. Flat on my back, staring at the ceiling. People kept warning me I could get worse. That’s starting to feel less like a warning and more like a diagnosis. #PEM #LongCOVID #MECFS #ChronicIllness

Here are some lyrics from my song, Invisible Weight, about ME/CFS and Long COVID. “The air outside tastes like another life I watch it from the window, can’t join the fight Every plan I make can turn on a dime One good hour can cost me days of time” #PEM #LongCOVID #MECFS #ChronicIllness

I’ve been on my back all day, staring at the ceiling, “making friends with shadows on my wall.” I wrote earlier about how work went yesterday. Spoiler alert, I’m in a #PEM crash. #LongCOVID #MECFS #ChronicIllness substack.com/home/post/p-...

So uh I own this beaut now! Looks even better in person plus there's a little bonus Elec Man sketch. And a rad Mega Man zine full of @cak3oman.bsky.social's art and a sweet postage stamp sheet. Made my day, thank you so much cak3o!

I’ve been on my back all day, staring at the ceiling, “making friends with shadows on my wall.” I wrote earlier about how work went yesterday. Spoiler alert, I’m in a #PEM crash. #LongCOVID #MECFS #ChronicIllness substack.com/home/post/p-...

Yesterday was rough. The migraine hit at 9:30 in the morning and never let up. Blurred vision all day. Dizzy. Nauseous. Holding on to walls, shelving, tables just to stay upright. It lasted my entire shift. #LongCOVID #MECFS #PEM #Crash #ChronicIllness #Music #Song substack.com/home/post/p-...

A quote from my recent piece, Size Matters Not, about adjusting to a new life with #chronicillness. “PEM is what happens when you don’t respect the swamp. When you try to lift the X-wing through sheer determination without understanding how energy actually works.” #PEM #LongCOVID #MECFS #Disabled

A quote from my new piece, Size Matters Not, about everything Jedi Master Yoda taught me about managing #ChronicIllness. #PEM #LongCOVID #MECFS #StarWars “Yoda and Obi-Wan discuss whether Luke can be trained, Yoda expresses his doubts. Luke is reckless, impatient, too old to begin the training.”

My recent piece, Size Matters Not, explores living with #LongCOVID, #MECFS, and post-exertional malaise (PEM) through the wisdom of a certain green Jedi master. #PwME #PEM #StarWars substack.com/home/post/p-...

Still below baseline. Bad PEM. Work tomorrow 9-5. Long COVID and ME/CFS don’t care about your schedule. #LongCOVID #MECFS #PwME #ChronicIllness #PEM

Five hours later & I can barely walk. Muscle weakness is horrible. Might make it upstairs if Beth helps. Migraine won’t quit. Pain in arms, legs, feet nearly unbearable. Living with this is hard. The cost of existing keeps compounding. Hope your day is better.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ #PEM #LongCOVID #MECFS