Talk to me about covid/pneumonia recovery

[IJustHadToLookHavingReadTheBook]

Hello all

Hoping someone might have some advice. Putting in chat for traffic.

I started with what I now know was covid on 15 Jan this year. I have fibromyalgia but was not considered eligible for a covid booster vaccination (despite arguing with my GP) so haven't had one since Dec 2021.

Didn't get a positive covid test until ten days later on 25 Jan, but the cough developed when I woke on the morning of 15 Jan.

Since then I've developed pneumonia at the end of Jan and it's never quite got better. I've had six lots of separate antibiotics (three separate kinds) but wasn't considered unwell enough to have IV antibiotics when I wound up in hospital via my GP (a chest x Ray in mid Feb apparently suggested that the pneumonia was clearing up). Since then I've had another chest x Ray at the start of March which again suggested it was "improving". Blood tests showed raised white blood cells last week.

I'm now on a seventh lot of antibiotics but don't feel like I'm improving. I've never felt so ill. I'm sleeping 18hrs a day where I can and am signed off work. I can't even get out to pick the kids up from school.

GP seems very uninterested and just says I'm "getting better" (latest appointment was this week). Doctor at the hospital (who also seemed uninterested) said I should ask for a referral to the long covid clinic.

I am starting to feel like I'm going mad. Just wondered if anyone had any insights I can take to my doctor because I just feel like I'm being dismissed. I'm now very nearly two months into this illness and still have aching limbs, headaches and can't do really any of my daily tasks. It's impacting the whole family.

Thanks in advance.

I’ve known several people post covid who have had developed low B12, low iron and low vitamin D -all of which can cause crippling fatigue -& low Vitamin D Is associated with longer healing time of pneumonia in a study done on children.
Maybe ask which bloods, other than a full blood count, have actually been checked and see if they will test for the above if they haven’t already been done. They aren’t necessarily done as routine.
I hope you feel better soon.

Moreover, vitamin D deficiency is directly correlated with lung function injuries and is one independent risk factor of pneumonia. Thus, vitamin D level affects not only the occurrence of lung diseases, but also the severity of CAP
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6756683/

@IJustHadToLookHavingReadTheBook
How are you feeling now? I have a parent diagnosed with covid pneumonia and they are in hospital on steroids and antibiotics. I don't know what this means though going forward for them.

Hi @snazzychair this is the OP- I've name changed.

I ended up very ill... after posting this I ended up back in hospital for a chest x ray and was told that the pneumonia was still one lung and given further oral antibiotics. That sort of cheered me up briefly but I was still back and forth to the doctors and prescribed even more antibiotics and oddly, an asthma pump. I asked several times for another chest x ray but every time they listened to my chest they said it was unnecessary.

About a month later in late April I took a turn for the worse and had several hours of incredibly high fevers (40 degrees plus). I phoned 111 for advice but before they could call me back I got out of bed and passed out, falling to the floor in a faint. When I came round I had terrible chest pains and my husband rang for an ambulance.

I was rushed to hospital with a suspected blood clot on my lung and had a shed load of tests. My pulse was outrageous - 150 - 175 beats a minute at one point and my Apple Watch told me I was having a heart attack.

Turns out I didn't have a blood clot but I did still have pneumonia, double pneumonia now, and a kidney infection for good measure from the spiking temperatures. I also had a very low red blood cell count- something which is apparently common after Covid- and four bleeding stomach ulcers from all of the antibiotics. I had a haemoglobin count of 2 (lowest end of normal for a woman of my age is 12) and my white cell count was through the roof. I was told infection markers like this could feasibly cause a heart attack.

The doctors who saw me in hospital were horrified by the care I'd received and the fact that I'd been lefty for almost five months to get worse and worse. I had four courses of two separate antibiotics via IV and 4L of blood transfused, plus two iron infusions.

I've been much better since although very prone to coughs and colds and had several courses of oral antibiotics since.

Mine was a bit of a horror story but just shows you how sick you can get with Covid especially when it's brushed off by GPs.

@LambriniBobinIsleworth
Thank you for getting back to me. Sounds awful what you have gone through and I hope you have a better year and future health, Unfortunately my parent passed away shortly after I messaged, pneumonia is horrible.