4/12/25: Nuances of tilt table testing; need for Severe Long COVID/ME crisis case task force

While tilt table testing is considered the "gold standard" for POTS diagnoses, it can prove risky for many with Long COVID. And on average, the Severe ME Advocacy group sees at least one crisis case from a person with Severe ME facing potentially fatal medical neglect or traumatic medical abuse.

In this episode of Still Here: Author and reporter Justine Barron talks about the nuance of tilt table testing. Plus, advocate and writer Sam Pearce on her appeal to ME and LC organizations to create an international task force centered on Severe ME and Long COVID crisis cases.

Also in this episode: The results of a highly-anticipated Yale study on Paxlovid. And the latest COVID-19 trends.

The transcript for this podcast is⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ available on The Sick Times’ website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can jump to specific sections of the podcast and transcript below:

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:02:25) COVID-19 trends

(00:06:14) Nuances of tilt table testing

(00:17:47) Severe Long COVID/ME crisis case task force urgently needed

(00:26:34) Research: Yale Paxlovid study (and its silver lining)

(00:28:41) Outro

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Mentioned in this episode (in order of appearance):

• Still Here: Exit interview with Patient-Led Research Collaborative co-founder Lisa McCorkell
• Submit a voice memo reflecting on over 5 years of COVID-19 and Long COVID
• The Sick Times: National COVID-19 trends, April 8
• CDC wastewater dashboard
• Biobot wastewater risk reports
• WastewaterSCAN dashboard
• The Sick Times: “It’s like torture”: The tilt table test could be risky for many people with Long COVID
• The Sick Times: An international emergency task force is urgently needed for Severe Long COVID and ME crisis cases
• The Sick Times: Research updates, April 8
• Stanford Medicine: Stanford Medicine trial: 15-day Paxlovid regimen safe but adds no clear long-COVID benefit
• The Sick Times: For people with severe Long COVID, medical care is out of reach

Additional audio in this episode: 

• Rude Mechanical Orchestra: Which Side Are You On? (orig. Florence Reece) 
• Pixabay: