Physics Girl Halts Production as Long COVID Triggers Severe ME/CFS

An Update On Dianna's Health — Physics Girl

Physics Girl

Dianna Cowern faces an indefinite hiatus from video production after post-COVID complications progressed into severe myalgic encephalomyelitis, leaving her bedridden and requiring round-the-clock care.

AI-assisted summary of An Update On Dianna's Health — original source. Check the original for full context.

Source published:

Key ideas

  • Dianna Cowern's health has deteriorated severely into a potentially life-threatening state following a COVID-19 infection contracted the previous year. (0:00)
  • The illness has been diagnosed as Long COVID triggering severe ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome), leaving Dianna bedridden and unable to move or feed herself. (1:40)
  • Her husband, Kyle, has become her full-time caregiver, while outside visits remain strictly restricted due to Dianna's inability to handle sensory stimulation. (1:40)
  • All science videos are postponed indefinitely while her support network focuses on getting her admitted to a specialized Long COVID clinic. (2:45)

Detailed notes

## Background Published on the Physics Girl YouTube channel on March 6, 2023, this video features creator Simone Giertz delivering an urgent update regarding Dianna Cowern's health. The page description explains that Dianna has been sick for an extended period, confirming that her regular science videos are postponed indefinitely while directing viewers to support her medical recovery via Patreon.

## TL;DR Simone Giertz reveals that Dianna contracted COVID-19 the previous year and has since deteriorated into a potentially life-threatening state after developing severe Long COVID and ME/CFS. Now bedridden, unable to feed herself, and recovering from two emergency room visits in one week, Dianna relies entirely on her husband, Kyle, for full-time caregiving while completely avoiding visitors due to sensory exhaustion. To help manage this prolonged crisis, Simone encourages viewers to support Dianna financially through Patreon while her inner circle works to get her evaluated at a specialized Long COVID clinic.

## Atmosphere & style The video carries a somber, deeply vulnerable, and jarring emotional weight, contrasting vintage clips of Dianna's exuberant, hands-flailing science presentations with distressing scenes of her whispering in a darkened bedroom and an emergency dispatch call. Simone addresses the camera with quiet gravity, sisterly warmth, and moments of bittersweet levity, balancing deep personal concern with protective care. Watching the update feels like receiving heartbreaking news directly from a close friend's bedside, evoking an intense sense of grief, communal rallying, and persistent hope.

## Bulletin - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vydgkCCXbTA&t=0s) Dianna Cowern's health has deteriorated severely into a potentially life-threatening state following a COVID-19 infection contracted the previous year. - [01:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vydgkCCXbTA&t=100s) The illness has been diagnosed as Long COVID triggering severe ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome), leaving Dianna bedridden and unable to move or feed herself. - [01:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vydgkCCXbTA&t=100s) Her husband, Kyle, has become her full-time caregiver, while outside visits remain strictly restricted due to Dianna's inability to handle sensory stimulation. - [02:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vydgkCCXbTA&t=165s) All science videos are postponed indefinitely while her support network focuses on getting her admitted to a specialized Long COVID clinic.

## Key takeaways - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vydgkCCXbTA&t=0s) Simone Giertz steps in to host an urgent update on Dianna Cowern's declining health on the Physics Girl channel. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vydgkCCXbTA&t=0s) Dianna contracted COVID-19 the previous year, and her condition progressively deteriorated to a potentially life-threatening level. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vydgkCCXbTA&t=0s) Emergency audio and video reveal Dianna bedridden in a darkened room, disoriented and requiring urgent emergency room transport. - [01:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vydgkCCXbTA&t=100s) Dianna required two separate emergency room visits within the span of a single week. - [01:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vydgkCCXbTA&t=100s) Her official diagnosis is Long COVID which triggered severe myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). - [01:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vydgkCCXbTA&t=100s) The severity of her ME/CFS prevents her from moving her body freely or feeding herself without assistance. - [01:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vydgkCCXbTA&t=100s) Dianna's husband, Kyle, has taken on the role of her primary full-time caregiver, supported by Dianna's mother. - [01:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vydgkCCXbTA&t=100s) In-person visits from friends and family are completely restricted because any physical or sensory stimulation causes severe exhaustion. - [01:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vydgkCCXbTA&t=100s) Friends maintain contact by texting daily life updates to Kyle, who reads them aloud to Dianna because she cannot look at screens or read texts. - [02:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vydgkCCXbTA&t=165s) Simone directs audience support toward Dianna's Patreon, citing how Patreon previously kept her afloat during her own medical crises. - [02:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vydgkCCXbTA&t=165s) Physics Girl editor and videographer Levi Butner is managing the Patreon page and posting ongoing health updates. - [02:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vydgkCCXbTA&t=165s) Dianna did not request the update video; Simone coordinated it independently with Dianna's inner circle to provide community support. - [02:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vydgkCCXbTA&t=165s) The primary ongoing medical objective is securing evaluation and emerging treatments at a specialized Long COVID clinic.

## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vydgkCCXbTA&t=0s) A Severe Decline in Dianna's Health

Simone Giertz appears on screen to deliver a somber update to the Physics Girl audience, immediately acknowledging that she is obviously not Dianna, though she jokes that people often get the two close friends mixed up. She explains that Dianna contracted COVID-19 the previous year, but in recent months her health has taken a catastrophic turn. As Simone states, “As you might know, last year Diana got COVID and over the last couple of months, she's slowly gotten worse to the point where her condition has become potentially life-threatening.”

The gravity of the situation is underscored by contrasting archival footage of Dianna energetically hosting her show—cheerfully shouting “Hey, I'm Dianna and you're watching Physics Girl” while laughing about what to do with her hands—with distressing recent audio and video clips. An emergency call captures her husband placing an urgent dispatch: “My wife uh needs to go to the emergency room.” Dianna is seen bedridden in a dark room, frail, struggling to orient herself and whispering fragmented thoughts like “I can't think” while being gently reassured.

[01:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vydgkCCXbTA&t=100s) The Reality of ME/CFS and Long COVID

Simone details the severity of Dianna's day-to-day existence, explaining that her health has spiraled to the point where she can barely move her body, is unable to feed herself, and had to be rushed to the emergency room twice in the span of a single week. Simone clarifies the medical diagnosis behind the crash: “Diana has long COVID and that has triggered something called ME/CFS.” This condition—myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome—is profoundly debilitating, forcing her husband, Kyle, to step into the role of her full-time caretaker.

While Dianna's mother visits and helps out as much as possible, Dianna's condition is so fragile that she cannot tolerate visits from other friends or family members because any stimulation is physically exhausting. To maintain a lifeline without draining her energy, Simone and other friends send small written updates about their daily lives to Kyle, who reads them aloud to Dianna at night, as she is not well enough to look at or read text messages herself. Facing this reality, Simone admits, “And it looks like the road to recovery is going to be way longer than any of us ever expected.”

```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: Dianna Care and Communication Network accDescr: Flowchart showing the care structure and communication loop around Dianna during her severe ME/CFS illness. subgraph DirectCare["Direct Care & Household"] Kyle["Kyle (Husband & Full-Time Caregiver)"] Mom["Dianna's Mother"] Dianna["Dianna (Bedbound with ME/CFS)"] Kyle -->|"Feeds, cares for, reads messages"| Dianna Mom -->|"Visits and assists care"| Dianna end subgraph RemoteNetwork["Remote Support"] Friends["Simone & Close Friends"] Levi["Levi (Editor/Videographer)"] Patrons["Patreon Supporters"] Friends -->|"Send text updates on daily life"| Kyle Patrons -->|"Financial safety net"| Dianna Levi -->|"Posts updates on Dianna's health"| Patrons end ```

- In the past week alone, Dianna's condition required two separate visits to the emergency room. - She suffers from severe ME/CFS brought on by Long COVID, leaving her unable to perform basic bodily functions like feeding herself. - Kyle acts as her primary full-time caregiver, while outside visits remain strictly off-limits to protect her from sensory and physical exhaustion.

[02:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vydgkCCXbTA&t=165s) Supporting Dianna Through Patreon and Next Steps

Recognizing that viewers are desperate for ways to support Dianna during an otherwise helpless situation, Simone points to Dianna's Patreon page. Drawing from her own experience dealing with severe medical hardship, Simone reflects, “And I also know that when I went through health problems of my own, Patreon was the only thing that kept me afloat during that time.” She notes that Dianna’s editor and videographer, Levi Butner, is maintaining the page and sharing health updates there.

Simone is careful to emphasize that Dianna never asked for this video to be made; Simone coordinated it with Dianna's inner circle of friends and family because she wanted to help. Simone remarks with affectionate humor: “And honestly, I'm excited for a time where she's well enough to maybe be upset with me for posting this.” Looking forward, the immediate hope rests on getting Dianna evaluated and treated at a specialized Long COVID clinic, where emerging treatments are continuously being developed. Simone closes by reminding the community that Dianna wishes she could be creating videos, asking everyone to stay hopeful, and signing off with Dianna's trademark phrase: “Happy physicsing.”

## Mentioned Dianna Cowern, Physics Girl, Simone Giertz, Kyle, Levi Butner, Patreon, COVID-19, Long COVID, ME/CFS

## Video description If you'd like to support Dianna during her recovery, you can do so here → https://www.patreon.com/physicsgirl

We just wanted to give you an update on Dianna’s health, since she’s been sick for a while and may not be returning for longer than we previously thought.

Her science videos are postponed until she can make a full recovery. We really appreciate everyone's support here on her channel. We know Dianna wishes she could be here making videos and happily physicsing, but right now she needs to stay in bed and away from work until she makes a full recovery.

Special thank you to our X-Ray tier patrons: Steven Sorenson, Bill N, Michele Robichaux, David DiCamillo, Joe Pacheco, Anton Ragin, Lydia Fullard, zoddy, dheeraj mekala, David Johnston, Christopher Kemsley, Adrian Archuleta, Zoran Dekic, Austin Rose, Gnare, Bazinga_X, Mike Schneider, marcss, James Prokop, Carlos Patricio, Tommy Joseph, jeremy glowacki, Vishal Bedi, Matt Kaminski, Andrew Herstek, Vincent Argiro, Eddie Sabbah, Patrick Olson, Chris Wyma, Zalster, David Cichowski, Vikram Bhat, Margaux Lopez, Edi, Kenneth Hunter, Fabrice Eap

Music provided by APM https://www.apmmusic.com/

Host: Simone Giertz Editor/Videographer: Levi Butner

http://physicsgirl.org/ http://twitter.com/thephysicsgirl http://facebook.com/thephysicsgirl http://instagram.com/thephysicsgirl

[Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vydgkCCXbTA)

中文简报

“物理女孩”因长新冠引发重度ME/CFS暂停视频制作 戴安娜·考恩（Dianna Cowern）在感染新冠引发的并发症恶化为重度肌痛性脑脊髓炎后，陷入卧床不起且需要全天候照护的状态，视频制作面临无限期搁置。 西蒙娜·耶茨（Simone Giertz）透露，戴安娜在前一年感染新冠病毒后，病情恶化并发展为重度长新冠及ME/CFS，一度危及生命。如今戴安娜已卧床不起，无法自主进食，且曾在一周内两次被送往急诊室；她完全依靠丈夫凯尔（Kyle）的全职照护，同时因感官耗竭而完全无法接纳访客。为了帮助应对这场旷日持久的危机，西蒙娜鼓励观众通过Patreon向戴安娜提供经济支持，而她的亲友圈也在努力争取让她前往专门的长新冠诊所接受评估。 戴安娜·考恩在前一年感染新冠病毒后，健康状况急剧恶化，一度出现危及生命的情况。 (0:00) 该疾病已被诊断为由长新冠引发的重度ME/CFS（肌痛性脑脊髓炎/慢性疲劳综合征），导致戴安娜卧床不起，无法活动或自主进食。 (1:40) 她的丈夫凯尔已成为她的全职照护者，而由于戴安娜无法承受感官刺激，外界探访仍受到严格限制。 (1:40) 所有科普视频均已无限期推迟制作，其亲友网络正集中精力争取让她入住专门的长新冠诊所。 (2:45)

Original transcript

[0:00] Hi. Um, it's not Diana, obviously. My [0:05] name is Simone. Diana is one of my best [0:08] friends. And, um, people often get the [0:10] two of us mixed up. So, maybe that's [0:12] something. As you might know, last year [0:15] Diana got CO and over the last couple of [0:18] months, she's slowly gotten worse to the [0:21] point where her condition has become [0:23] potentially life-threatening. [0:31] [Music] [0:34] How you feeling? Good. So excited. Hey, [0:37] I'm Diana and you're watching Physics [0:39] Physics Girl. What do I do with my [0:41] hands? My head is not [0:50] Make a CL. [0:59] [Music] [1:09] Sandy emergency. What is your emergency? [1:12] My wife uh needs to go to the emergency [1:16] room. Everything's so well. I just [1:19] relaxing. [1:21] So, I'm just [1:24] somewhere in my mind. [1:26] I have you. Okay. I can't think. [1:32] I can't [1:34] stay. Stay. [1:40] Diana's health has spiraled down to the [1:42] point where she can barely move. Like [1:45] she can't feed herself. And in the past [1:48] week, she has been to the ER twice. [1:51] Diana has long COVID and that has [1:54] triggered something called MECFs. It's a [1:57] chronic fatigue syndrome that is [1:59] extremely debilitating and Kyle, her [2:02] husband, has become her full-time [2:04] caretaker. Her mom visits and helps as [2:07] much as she can, but her condition keeps [2:10] her limited from seeing any other [2:12] friends or family right now because it's [2:15] too exhausting for her. So lately, the [2:19] way her other friends and I have been [2:21] staying in touch with her is that we [2:23] send little updates about our day to her [2:26] husband Kyle and um then he reads them [2:29] for her at night because she hasn't been [2:31] well enough to read text messages by [2:34] herself. So yeah, it's it's bad. And it [2:39] looks like the road to recovery is going [2:41] to be way longer than any of us ever [2:43] expected. [2:45] And um we have all just been scrambling [2:48] to find ways to help in this kind of [2:50] impossible situation. And I know that [2:53] there are a lot of you who have followed [2:56] her for a long time and who have been [2:58] looking for ways to help too. And Diana [3:02] has a Patreon page. And I also know that [3:06] when I went through health problems of [3:08] my own, Patreon was the only thing that [3:11] kept me afloat during that time. Levi, [3:14] who is her editor and videographer, is [3:16] still posting some stuff on there, [3:18] including some health updates. And I [3:20] just want to clarify that this is not [3:22] something that Diana has asked me to do. [3:25] Like, I've talked to her friends and [3:26] family about it. And honestly, I'm [3:30] excited for a time where she's well [3:32] enough to maybe be upset with me for [3:34] posting this. I'm just trying to help a [3:36] friend. And Patreon is something that I [3:40] know helped me a tremendous amount when [3:42] I was ill. So, if you've been looking [3:44] for a way to help, I think Patreon is [3:47] your best option. I know that she really [3:49] wishes that she could be here and I know [3:53] that a lot of you are rooting for her [3:54] and we are too, but right now she just [3:57] has to focus on getting better. She [4:00] hopefully is going to be treated at a [4:02] longco specialist clinic soon and [4:04] they're constantly developing new [4:05] treatment methods. So, we're all staying [4:08] very hopeful. So, yeah. Um, that's the [4:13] update. Happy physixing. I I think [4:17] that's it. Okay. Bye. [4:27] [Music] [4:32] [Music]