The coronavirus has never “just disappeared,” as anyone once promised; in fact, it has left at least 10% of its victims with a chronic illness never to disappear. These people are called “long-haulers” and they have Lung COVID, or Post-COVID Syndrome, a series of debilitating symptoms that can be life-threatening. “The most commonly reported long-term symptoms” of Lung COVID include the following, the CDC says – read on, and to ensure your health and that of others, don’t miss these Sure signs you’ve already had coronavirus.
Fatigue – not just ‘drowsiness’ but all-body-sucking, energy-consuming fatigue – is the # 1 most common symptom of Lung COVID. “The fatigue that comes with chronic illness isn’t just feeling exhausted or just needing a nap,” said Tessa Miller, author of the essential new book What does not kill you, about dealing with chronic diseases. “It’s consuming and even debilitating, and it may not resolve by sleeping a night or even resting for a few days. I always try to explain that yes, chronically ill people need as much rest as we say we do . “
Dr. Anthony Fauci calls this an inability to concentrate, but it could be so much worse. “This is a common topic in my chronic disease support groups,” Miller says. “Brain fog can occur of diseases themselves “—such as Long COVID -” or of drugs that treat our illnesses. It may feel like you are not fully awake, as if you are going through the day with a constant sleepy feeling or in an almost dreamlike state. It may also feel like you are having a hard time concentrating or remembering things, even things that happened recently – that can make you feel scared, anxious, or panicked. You may feel that you can’t take care of yourself or your loved ones as well as you normally could, and that blurriness is getting in the way of your work and daily tasks. “
Since COVID-19 is a respiratory disease, the lungs are naturally affected. “Nurse Sandy Iskandar says she became ill with COVID-19 in the summer and now, more than six months later, is still experiencing long-lasting side effects of the virus,” Fox10. “She experiences forgetfulness, shortness of breath, dizziness and headaches.” “It’s unpredictable. You can be completely fine for a few days and then on the third day you suddenly forget how to tie your shoes,” she says.
A COVID cough is often dry. Scott Cohen, 48, a retired police officer from Long Island, NY, explains EMS World who is post-COVID, he coughs and worsens pre-existing sinusitis. “Over the years, like many first responders, I have become desensitized to many things,” Cohen says. “I was more concerned about my wife and children if something happened to me.” Now, however, “I remember having severe physical pain, discomfort, and an inability to breathe.”
“Viral infections are a known cause of acute arthralgia and arthritis,” said a study in The Lancet. The way COVID works “makes it plausible that COVID-19 patients have features of systemic inflammation, including viral arthritis,” said News Medical Life Sciences.
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“I got sick for the first time in February and it wasn’t until August that I got chest pains and stitches in my side,” says Marina Oshana. UC Davis. ‘You don’t want that to happen to you. Don’t be complacent. Do as doctors tell you – wear a mask and keep your distance from people. You just don’t know what can happen. ‘
“If people take one thing away from reading my book, I hope it’s this: your mind and your body aren’t two separate entities,” Miller says. “They are a partnership, and moreover closely linked. Depression can cause physical symptoms (body aches, headaches, stomach pain and other unexplained discomfort) and physical symptoms, especially chronic ones, can cause depression. (And very often, depression overlaps. with fear.) “
“Ah fear, my old friend,” says Miller. “This is such a common symptom of chronic illness that I have devoted an entire appendix to it in the book (on top of the existing writing in the chapters). The very thing that carries you around the world (your body) has gone wild , unpredictable, unrecognizable. Of course you are anxious! You feel irritable and exhausted, as if your mind is spinning constantly and you cannot concentrate. You cannot sleep, or if you do, you have nightmares. Your support systems You try to distract yourself all the time to avoid getting to the core of what you feel that way. More serious is that you can have panic attacks, which experience from experience speak as literal death. “
Dr. Fauci has said that long-haul travelers suffer from “myalgia,” which “describes muscle aches and pains that may involve ligaments, tendons and fascia, the soft tissues that connect muscles, bones and organs,” said Johns Hopkins.
“Disabling headaches may persist after COVID-19 resolves,” says a new study SAGE magazines. Their “migraine-like features” have been linked to “systemic inflammatory responses.” Or, to put it in layman’s terms, “it felt like a jackhammer,” says Broadway star Danny Burstein. You may also have an occasional fever.
Palpitations are not uncommon in long-distance travelers. Dr. Fauci is also concerned about heart inflammation. “This has to be repeated and monitored in other laboratories,” he said American Heart Association. “But if it is true, it is something we have to monitor in the long term.”
“More serious long-term complications appear to be less common, but have been reported,” the CDC says. These have been found to affect various organ systems in the body. These include:
- Cardiovascular: inflammation of the heart muscle
- Breathing: abnormalities of lung function
- Kidney: Acute kidney injury
- Dermatological: rash, hair loss
- Neurological: smell and taste problems, sleeping problems, concentration problems, memory problems
- Psychiatric: Depression, anxiety, mood swings. “
Tell your doctor if you have long-lasting COVID symptoms. While there is no cure, they can potentially treat your symptoms. And check out a support group like the one at Body politics. “Sharing your stories will help people,” says Miller. “I promise, and it will help you too.”
Tessa Miller What does not kill you is available wherever books are sold.