“I really have a lot of anxiety, much worse than ever in my life,” says Dunlop. “The fear I feel now is unlike any fear I have ever felt.” From the moment she wakes up to the moment she goes to bed at night, Dunlop’s mind races with questions like, When will I fully recover? and have I unnoticed heart damage?
It doesn’t help that Dunlop feels short of breath and extremely tired after exercise. “Not being able to exercise is probably the hardest part for me, because intensive training has kept my anxiety under control. Without being able to do it, that level of control is gone, so that’s been a struggle for me too, ”says Dunlop. Now she practices yoga instead, and it helps ease some of her anxiety.
Then there is the monetary stress. Chronic illness can cut your finances from medical expenses and lower salary by taking work stoppages. The Mount Sinai program requires daily rehabilitation work, and it is not clear if someone will improve in three months, six months, or more. “We are in talks with the Social Security Administration because this is a full-time job for people,” says Dr. Putrino.
The fact that insurance approval is often required to help pay for medical treatment can create an impossible long-term financial situation for people with COVID-19. According to a 2018 report from the US Census Bureau, about 28.5 million people in the United States had no insurance in 2017. That same report showed that about 10.6 percent of Black people and 16.1 percent of Hispanic people did not have health insurance in 2017. This lack of insurance can cause tremendous financial stress for people who fall ill in some of the communities most affected by the virus. .
To complicate the insurance situation, some people with the long-term coronavirus have never received a definitive positive diagnosis. Especially at the start of the pandemic, testing for coronavirus across the country was limited. Some people who thought they had COVID-19 just couldn’t get confirmation. So what happens to people who can’t prove they have the coronavirus but think they are dealing with its aftermath?
“We’ve been working around the clock to argue for the fact that you can’t deny someone access to care based on test status. The World Health Organization has released guidelines for suspected positive diagnoses based on symptoms, so we follow these guidelines, ”says Dr. Putrino.
What’s next for long-haul vehicles
It’s too early to know if anyone with post-acute COVID-19 syndrome will make a full recovery. It has only been about a year since medical experts in the US have treated patients with COVID-19; They’ve had even less time to figure out what post-acute COVID syndrome is, what causes it, and how to treat it effectively, says Dr. Putrino. “We still don’t have a good answer if this is something that people should pay attention to for the rest of their lives,” he says.
But he is encouraged by the successes of his patients. “I wouldn’t say at this point that there is anyone who says, ‘I am 100 percent where I was before COVID-19’, but again we are seeing people running on treadmills and people who can work out at a fairly tough level without two to three. three days after that, “says Dr. Putrino. That said, some patients have setbacks, so there’s no telling if noticeable improvements will last.
Dr. Bunnell’s feelings are similar: “I don’t have exact numbers on the recovery path yet, but anecdotally most of our patients are making improvements, and I would say that after about three months, patients who were not in ICU are much better.”
As more people get COVID-19 and the number of people with post-acute COVID-19 syndrome increases, our knowledge about the condition – and who affects it – will grow, says Dr. Putrino. A national study called INSPIRE, funded by the CDC, will study the long-term outcomes of the new coronavirus for the patient. The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs will investigate the effects of COVID-19 in 9,000 veterans who had the disease.
For now, everyone must remain vigilant to protect themselves against the corona virus. It’s just another good reason (on an already long list) to follow the recommendations of the local health department, social distance and mask wearing. “There are all these young people across the country who are thinking, ‘It’s okay if I get COVID-19; I am young and healthy, ” says Dr. Putrino. You may have a lower risk of death, but you are susceptible to this new, life-changing condition. “We still can’t figure out who gets post-acute COVID-19 syndrome and who doesn’t,” says Dr. Putrino.
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