Amy Watson has had a chronic fever for 344 days.
Nearly a year after she was diagnosed with COVID-19, the Portland, Oregon teacher is still suffering from persistent symptoms.
Aside from the fever, Watson told Insider she still suffers from chronic fatigue, ‘brain fog’, intense migraines, gastrointestinal problems and severe body aches.
The 47-year-old, who had no underlying health condition before contracting the virus, has also developed tachycardia and says that every time she steps in the shower, her heart rate goes over 100 beats per minute.
“It’s a real challenge. I don’t want people to have to know from personal experience what this is like,” Watson told Insider.
Watson belongs to a growing group of COVID’s long-term victims, or so-called “long-haulers,” whose bodies have been left weakened by a virus about which little is known.
But now, post-recovery clinics specifically targeting long-haul flights are opening up across the country, offering people like Watson much-needed hope.
Post-COVID Clinics Provide a “Centralized” Way to Access Care for Long Distance Travelers
According to a CDC study published in the summer, about 1 in 3 people with COVID-19 will have symptoms that last longer than the typical two weeks.
The symptoms, which can range from a persistent cough to scarring of the lungs, affect not only people who had to be hospitalized with COVID-19, but also those with milder cases.
Post-COVID care centers aim to bring together a team of experts from a wide variety of specialties to address all of the diverse issues faced by long-distance travelers, based on the latest insights of the disease.
One of the first such clinics was Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. It has treated 1,500 people since it opened its doors in May.
Dr. Ruwanthi Titao, a cardiologist who works at the clinic, told Insider, “The center’s goal was to fill this void of patients seeking care who feel frustrated, worried and concerned that they are not getting access to the right ones. care in the community.
“And this was a fun, centralized way of giving them access to care, getting their symptoms documented so we can start recognizing patterns in terms of disease, and then referring them to the right specialist to provide the right therapy. get it, ”she added.
Patients usually have an hour-long intake appointment to review their medical history before looking at their current coronavirus-induced symptoms.
“From then on, the post-COVID office will make appropriate referrals. So that would be to cardiology, neurology, rehabilitation medicine, or psychiatry, for example,” said Dr. Titano.
But treating people with multiple – and often severe – symptoms is challenging for a disease for which long-term research has not yet been studied.
Dr. Greg Vanichkachorn, the medical director of Mayo Clinic’s Covid Activity Rehabilitation Program (CARP) in Rochester, Minnesota, told Insider that his center is taking a “slow and steady” approach based on treatments used before the coronavirus pandemic.
“You know, this is not the first outbreak of the coronavirus. We’ve had SARS and MERS, for example, and already have some research from that time that clearly shows there was also a post-viral syndrome similar to this,” he said.
“What we have emphasized in our patients is to help them adapt and develop a so-called ‘Paste’ therapy program, where they rehabilitate slowly with practical help,” continued Dr. Vanichkachorn.
“It’s all about slow, consistent activity with small profits.”
The therapy often includes simple measures, such as encouraging patients to increase their fluid and salt intake or giving compression stockings to promote blood flow.
“And if we really need to, we can also use drugs to help with the symptoms, either to increase blood pressure when needed or to help with things like a fast heart rate,” added Dr. Vanichkachorn adds.
Dr. Titano of Mount Sinai confirmed that her recovery clinic took a similar approach.
“We are repairers and healers, we want a clear diagnosis and we want to fix this. But if there are flares of symptoms, or if there is a relapse or setback, of course we take it very much to heart,” said Dr. Titano.
But even though Dr. Titano admits that “it has been a very laborious, slow improvement process,” she remains hopeful.
Mental health is also an issue
Clinics, such as those on Mount Sinai, also give patients access to social workers or therapists to process their trauma.
Many long-haul flights, especially those hospitalized, have experienced depression or, in some cases, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
This is the case for Heather-Elizabeth Brown, a 36-year-old corporate trainer from Detroit, Michigan, who had to be put on a ventilator in April after coronavirus-induced pneumonia caused her lungs to fail.
Brown, who was in a coma for 31 days, said her experience was “traumatizing.”
Shortly after doctors told her that a ventilator would be the only way to save her life, Brown had to hold a “FaceTime family meeting” to make her decision. Her mother had to take the call from the hospital parking lot.
“I remember writing my will on a napkin and tucking it into one of my boots and making sure to tell the nurses where it was just in case,” Brown said. “I just didn’t know then if I would get out alive.”
Heather-Elizabeth Brown in the hospital. (Heather-Elizabeth Brown)
“I have a really strong faith. I trust God. But it’s one of those things that you don’t know. It was just a really big question mark,” she added.
Brown is currently doing therapy in addition to a range of different treatments.
“I’m just lucky that much of my care is under one health system. So at least all my data is in one place,” said Brown.
“But for people who may have different challenges or different barriers to entry, it’s a phenomenal idea to have one center that also provides mental health assistance. It’s like a one-stop shop,” she added.
Long-distance travelers feel forgotten
Teacher Watson said finding treatment for all of her conditions has been frustrating, and she often feels fired by healthcare professionals.
The US is still struggling with tens of thousands of acute COVID-19 cases per day, and many states are now turning their attention to getting the vaccines as soon as possible. This often means that long-haul vehicles are sidelined.
“When we go to our appointments, doctors tell us they don’t feel like our symptoms are severe enough and tell us they aren’t going to waste their time on us. And that’s quite troubling as a patient,” Watson continued.
This was part of the reason that Watson founded one of the largest Facebook support groups for long-distance boaters.
For Watson, having a program specifically tailored for long-haul vehicles would be “life-changing.”
“I would like to go there personally, but unfortunately there is none in my area right now. But this is definitely something I am advocating,” she said.
“People just need to understand that we are getting a little impatient. We would like to get better and get back into our lives and hopefully not that a significant portion of the population is disabled by this disease,” she added.
This article was originally published by Business Insider.
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