The coronavirus never “just disappeared”, as someone once promised; in fact, left at least 10% of its victims with a chronic illness that can Never to vanish. These people are called “long haulers” and have Long COVID, or Post-COVID Syndrome, a series of debilitating symptoms that can ruin their lives. Long COVID’s “most commonly reported long-term symptoms” include the following, says the CDC – keep reading and, to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Clear signs that you’ve had the coronavirus.
Fatigue – not just “drowsiness”, but a full-body fatigue that sucks the soul and drains energy – is the most common # 1 symptom of long COVID. “The tiredness that accompanies chronic illnesses is not simply a feeling of tiredness or as if you just need a nap,” says Tessa Miller, author of the new essential book What does not kill youon how to deal with chronic diseases. “It is exhausting and even debilitating, and it may not resolve just with a night’s sleep or even resting for several days. I’m always trying to explain that yes, people with chronic illnesses need as much rest as we say we do. “
Dr. Anthony Fauci calls it an inability to concentrate, but it can be much worse. “This is a common topic in my chronic disease support groups,” says Miller. “The fog of the brain can happen of the diseases themselves “- like Long COVID -” or medicines that treat our diseases. It may seem that you are not fully awake, as if you are spending the day feeling constantly sleepy or almost in a dream state. It can also seem like you have a hard time concentrating or remembering things, even things that happened recently – and it can make you feel scared, anxious or panicked. You may feel that you cannot take care of yourself or your loved ones as well as you normally would, and this cloudiness is disrupting your work and daily tasks. “
Since COVID-19 is a respiratory disease, the lungs are naturally affected. “Nurse Sandy Iskandar said she became ill with COVID-19 over the summer and now, more than six months later, she is still experiencing the side effects of the virus,” according to Fox10. “She is experiencing forgetfulness, shortness of breath, dizziness and headaches.” “It’s unpredictable. You can be fine for a few days and suddenly, on the third day, forget how to tie your shoes,” she says.
COVID cough is usually dry. Scott Cohen, 48, a retired police officer from Long Island, NY, said EMS World in that post-COVID, he has a cough and exacerbation of pre-existing sinusitis. “Over the years, like many rescuers, I became insensitive to many things,” says Cohen. “I was more concerned about my wife and children if something happened to me.” Now, however: “I remember feeling severe physical pain, discomfort and inability to breathe.”
“Viral infections are a known cause of acute arthralgia and arthritis,” according to a study in The Lancet. The way COVID works “makes it plausible that patients with COVID-19 may have characteristics of systemic inflammation, including viral arthritis,” according to Medical Life Sciences News.
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“I became ill for the first time in February and it was only in August that I started to experience pain in my chest and stitches in my ribs”, says Marina Oshana UC Davis. “You don’t want this to happen to you. Don’t be complacent. Do what the doctors tell you to do – wear a mask and keep your distance from people. You just don’t know what can happen.”
“If people deviate from reading my book, I hope it is this: your mind and body are not two separate entities,” says Miller. “They are a partnership and are closely linked to that. Depression can cause physical symptoms (body aches, headaches, stomach pain and other unexplained discomforts) and physical symptoms, especially chronic ones, can cause depression. (And a lot depression often overcomes anxiety.) “
“Ah, anxiety, my old friend,” says Miller. “This is such a common symptom of chronic illness that I dedicated an entire appendix (in addition to the writings in the chapters) to it in the book. The very thing that takes you around the world (your body) has become wild, unpredictable, unrecognizable Of course you’re anxious! You feel irritated and exhausted, like your mind is spinning constantly and you can’t concentrate. You can’t sleep, or when you sleep, you have nightmares. You are isolating yourself from your support systems. You are trying to distract yourself all the time to avoid getting to the root of what is making you feel that way. More severely, you can experience panic attacks, which speaking from experience, literally seem like death. “
Dr. Fauci said that long-distance vehicles suffer from “myalgia” – which “describes muscle aches and pains, which can involve ligaments, tendons and fascia, the soft tissues that connect muscles, bones and organs,” according to Johns Hopkins.
“Disabling headache may persist after COVID-19 resolves,” says a new study in SAGE Journals. Its “migraine-like characteristics” are linked to “systemic inflammatory responses”. Or, to put it simply, “it looked like a jackhammer,” says Broadway star Danny Burstein. You can also have intermittent fever.
Heart palpitations are not uncommon in long-haul trucks. Dr. Fauci is also concerned about inflammation of the heart. “This needs to be repeated in other laboratories and monitored,” he told the American Heart Association. “But if it is true, it is something that we need long-term monitoring (in).”
“More serious long-term complications appear to be less common, but they have been reported,” says the CDC. “It has been observed that they affect different organ systems in the body. They include:
- Cardiovascular: inflammation of the heart muscle
- Respiratory: abnormalities of lung function
- Renal: acute kidney injury
- Dermatological: rash, hair loss
- Neurological: smell and taste problems, sleep problems, difficulty concentrating, memory problems
- Psychiatric: depression, anxiety, mood swings. “
Tell your doctor if you have any prolonged symptoms of COVID. Although there is no cure, they can treat your symptoms. And check out a support group like Body policy. “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.