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The medical-approved leggings that the Covid Long-Haulers trust
Samantha Reyes was four weeks diagnosed with COVID-19 when she sent a candid tweet detailing what isolation could be like when symptoms persist long after a positive test for the virus. His Tweet went viral quickly, not only when a flood of compassionate responses flowed from friends and strangers, but because his words resonated with many who were silently suffering from the same thing: A recent study found that up to one in three people who had milder cases of COVID showed persistent symptoms six weeks after testing. For Reyes, 29, eight months have passed and she has not yet fully recovered. “I never considered that possibility. I imagined being in the hospital and being on a ventilator or asymptomatic. But living in the middle is much more difficult than I could have imagined, ”says Reyes, who, as a reporter, covered news of the virus when it started to spread around the world in early 2020. She is talking to me on her phone. room in Miami, after returning home early after running errands. “I was so out of breath after 30 minutes that I had to leave. Honestly, it is unbelievable that after eight months, some days are still like that. ”I’ve been debating how sharing bc feels so personal, but I’m 4 weeks in my fight with greed and I’m still really struggling. It’s been very difficult and I can’t believe how much it is still affecting me. I wanted to share this with anyone who is going through this and feeling alone.— Samantha Reyes (@samtayrey) July 22, 2020 Reyes has post-viral syndrome, or “COVID long”, which is the form of the virus that appears weeks or months after the person apparently recovered from the initial infection. There are more than 100 symptoms associated with long COVID, the most serious of which include shortness of breath, brain fog, racing heart and extreme weakness. Reyes had them all, in addition to chronic stomach pain, digestive problems and swelling to boot. She says her lungs are currently at 60% capacity and likens her sometimes elevated heart rate to a feeling “like I’m delusional, even when I’m sleeping”. But as difficult as the recovery process was, Reyes found his greatest form of relief in a very surprising place: compression leggings. “They help a lot with my energy. Anyone who [tells me they have] COVID, it’s the first thing I send them and I’m like, put this on. ”It’s a tip she received from Dr. William Li, doctor, scientist, president and medical director of the Angiogenesis Foundation and author of Eat To Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself. Reyes connected with Dr. Li through Survivor Corps, a popular movement formed to educate and defend recovered COVID patients, connecting them to experts in the fields of science and medicine. “What is known is that the long COVID is partly due to vascular damage, similar to what occurs in acute disease, but that damage to the blood vessel persists. There is also inflammation, a possible autoimmune component, as well as nerve damage or neuropathy, which are often seen, ”explains Dr. Li, adding that anyone who has recovered from acute COVID may be at risk for developing viral. He says that while there is currently no definitive treatment for long COVID, taking steps to improve your body’s health defense systems is important for recovery. “Compression pants support circulation in the legs, and this can help to improve blood flow that is compromised in long COVID.” Simply put: compression stockings help bring more oxygen back to blood vessels that were under attack by the virus. For Reyes, this advice ended up changing her life, and she saw the benefits almost immediately by doing a direct upgrade of the wardrobe. “I finally managed to go hiking, I finally managed to endure more throughout the day. I managed to have the energy to leave the house and work at a desk and not in my bed, ”he says. Reyes recommends an ankle pair from the CW-X brand (“compression socks alone are not enough!” She warns) and suggests trying a daily cocoa extract supplement to help with blood flow, which she started doing for Dr. Li’s recommendation. While the famous perfect-fit fabric is by no means an answer to the physical, mental and emotional challenges faced by long-distance travelers like Reyes, the temporary relief they provide has given her reason to be a little most hopeful – a lycra- cape of infused armor, if you will, for every step along the way to full health: “These are the little things that are really big when you are recovering.” world of things. All of our market choices are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something for which we have a link on our website, Refinery29 can receive commission. Like what you’re seeing? How about a little more kindness R29, right here? Kamala Harris wore Pyer moss on the opening day Leggings so soft you could live in themThe most breathable face masks for running