40 plus plus

[WorriesomeDad]

Thread for continuing long-term Coronavirus support

Right, so I went for a brisk-ish walk. Then did a short pilates session. The pilates session felt so good I thought I'd start a longer one. I got about 3 minutes in and thought, nope! So I stopped and am having a rest. Going to get up and make some food in a minute. I want something healthy but salty, so thinking of doing an egg drop soup. I will be careful to play a podcast and not music because I'm feeling kind of jazzed up and know if I play music I'll start dancing and that would be a mistake. Then I'll rest until this evening and maybe do a gentle walk again if it feels like a good idea. Maybe some bedtime stretches if that doesn't feel like overkill.

I'm just so, so, so done with this shit. I know I'm likely to set myself back if I'm not careful but a huge part of my brain is screaming at me that some of what I'm feeling is a result of no exercise. I think a walk and stretches at the start of the day and the end of the day is a good compromise. And if I can get through a few days of that without a setback, I'm going to add in the shortest strength recovery workout video from the physical therapist who is recovering from severe Covid. And work up through those.

I’ve not been on here for a few days and wanted to update.

Day 45 for me I think.

From around 10 days ago I started to feel much more normal and like myself with the odd bit of back ache, rib ache and tiredness thrown in. I didn’t overdo it at all, no more than a 30 min flat slow walk a day (not every day) and sedate activities at home.

About 4 days ago I got a sore throat and felt run down and tired again but not terrible.

Yesterday I had an episode of stabbing heart area pain radiating to my shoulder. It went away when I rested (I had been shouting at my DC). I went to hospital on the GP s request. They did various tests, all were normal. I actually felt ok really whilst there as was just sat down for 5 hours!

Last night developed fatigue and aches again and went to bed early. Woke at 5am with palpitations again and got up to go to the loo and was very dizzy. I know I’m not anxious here (maybe I am at times) but not when I am asleep! The palpitations feel like a whoosh inside my head. I feel like I have a bloody infrasound baby scanner noise with me all the time!

Today I feel exhausted again, HR is over 80 all the time (even asleep), 120 from going up the stairs. I’m 38 FFS, I was running 10k every weekend until 6 weeks ago. I’m so fed up now!

@Linus1972 I feel your pain! Is this week 5 for you? How old are you?

And @onlinelinda I’m sorry for you too! You sound similar to me!

@alittleprivacy what day are you on now? I would love to see the video! You sound as Fed up as me!! I did a Pilates (just the warm up!) on Wednesday and that even that seems a million miles away today!

@longshot what tests did they do on you at hospital?

I'm feeling really fuzzy chested today and can't decide if it's covid lingering or hayfever.

@Babdoc glad to hear you're getting well. Scares me a little that you're still worried about deterioration even now, and you're ex ITU!

@alittleprivacy

It's so so hard the not knowing, if I could just KNOW if and when I can do stuff again. From next week i am going to start little walks. Very little walks. But the inactivity will probably start to damage as much as the post viral.

I'm hoping the slight intermittent congested in the chest feeling is my lungs healing. I think I've coughed up a wee bit too. Its hard to tell with this permanent post nasal drip though.

I'm still terrified of relapses

And does this mean we will relapse if and when a vaccine is ready??? Or will it help us not to relapse again? Will I be better by then anyway?

@longshot

I could have sworn yesterday I was fully recovered. I didn’t do a lot, bit of housework and took children for a walk.

Today I have a sore throat, sore top of back, fatigue, slight cough, mental fog.

I’m just so done with all of it.

@Longshot that's horrible. You sound worse than me with the heart rate and palpitations. You must be so fed up.

I just feel very mildly fluey- a bit hot but not much. It used to called "off colour". And sore lungs front and back, with a very slight cough.

@longshot oh no! And a five hour wait in A+E isn't fun. What you're describing re the chest pain, the buzzing sound like a baby scanner noise being there constantly, the raised heart rate, the dizziness are all very familar to me - and I think both times have been caused by me overdoing it (carried two bags up a steep hill the first time, walked 10,000 steps the second time). I am 47, normally very healthy and active physically, and today it's exactly 5 weeks ago (so day 35) since I started with the cough. Similar to you, when I went to A+E 10 days ago, all my tests came back OK (apart from high blood pressure and high heart rate which they implied was stress). I'm still worried about the chest pain as I've had it on and off for the last week. My GP said if I'm worried about my heart I could take 1 "baby Asprin" a day.

Managed to walk 2400 steps this afternoon outside and only felt a couple of twinges. So that is my limit. Most of my chest area feels sore, like I've been in a fight (which I guess is sort of the case). I'm very wary of doing anything more as it'll bring on another relapse (I'll bear in mind that shouting at family members is a risk activity!!) If you are like me, most of the symptoms will start to die down in a couple of days or so. Just take it very easy until they do. Let us know how you get on.

Has anyone applied for the tests today and got a text back? I have applied for the drive-through one but haven’t heard back. It now says all have been allocated and more available tomorrow at 8, so not sure whether I need to apply again?

@Moodgie, I registered at 8.30am it said I'd receive a text but nothing yet. I wonder if they've prioritised health care workers.

@lightsabre Do you think they would have processed more applications than the number of tests available and then prioritised?

@longshot what day are you on now? I would love to see the video!

Day 38 (or longer if the mild cold I recovered from the day before I started having the shortness of breath was part of this). The video is here. The guy is a physical therapist who ended up hospitalised with Covid related pneumonia. This is his shortest workout.

www.facebook.com/01Body/videos/291113421871631/

It's so so hard the not knowing, if I could just KNOW if and when I can do stuff again.

I know. Some sort of certainty would be helpful. If I knew I'd definitely be fully better in 6 months, it would suck but be fine. Unfortunately this is so new there is so little certainty. I'm sure we will get better though. All my tests at the hospital showed no signs of any permanent damage. It's just a virus that takes a while to shake off completely. My DS had glandular fever last year and that was very similar. Activity made him relapse for a few weeks but he's completely over it now.

Day 36

Started the day feeling okayish.
I put the recycling out, did laundry & put it on the line,had a shower and made breakfast x3 .
Afterwards I got so much pain in my upperback,chest,SOB and shaking. My heart rate was 147 and SATS 93.
DH was worried. He wanted to phone 111.
I told him to wait, as I didn't want to go near the hospital.
It took an hour for heart rate to go down to 76( which is my normal at the moment).
I still have the pain in my back, not as bad as earlier.
I have taken it easy this afternoon.
DH says I'm not doing myself any favours and need to take it easy.
I wonder if I pulled/used/over expanded my chest muscles that I haven't used properly for weeks.

@Moodgie, it's a possibility. We'll have to try again tomorrow I suppose.

I'm day 37, very mild symptoms (fever then lost taste and smell) but I'm still really tired and still have reduced taste and smell. Lots of friends have had the same. I was exhausted after running just 2k when normally I run 5k 2-3 times a week.

@linus1972 @millstone @eyebrowsofinstagram I checked on the NHS 111 coronavirus advice and it now says using ibuprofen is fine, so I think I'll give it a try as it may help with the inflammation. Presumably best avoided by anyone with heartburn/stomach issues though?

Spoke to the GP and asked whether he has now come across anyone who it taking such a long time. He says that speaking to the consultants at the hospital they have been seeing people who bounce straight back and people who are taking a long tome to recover. So I suppose there is more awareness now.

Just checking in here. Im about day 33/34 and ive properly lost count. Im stunned and a but sad for myself that anyone is managing to run or exercise. I only want to be able to clean my home. Meds have really dulled down the tremors and buzzing that Ive had and Im able to sit or shuffle around nut my limbs feel very heavy and disconnected from me. I can only assume this is “fatigue” but ive never been fatigued in my life so I have no idea what’s normal or not.
@DandyPeguin nice to see you checked but but really worried that you had a relapse after so many days. How are you now?
@Babdoc great to read your update but its worrying that you’re no further forward yet. Have you had any kind of follow up from hospital?

Sorry everyone else is making such slow progress too. I feel sad that this happened to us all. And envious of all the people on social media creating their own entertainment baking/dancing/crafting/exercising. I still havent managed the permitted walk that we’re allowed.

I'm on day 42. Main symptoms tight chest, sore breathing, fatigue, slight cough, loss of taste and smell.

I thought I was getting better at around day 25 and went for a walk. But it was a chilly day and I think the cold air in my lungs set me right back again. I've stayed in since then, but might try a short walk next week if it stays warm. I'm starting to do housework again, but only a little each day, spreading it out through the week.

I'm still very tired and find it hard to get up in the morning even if I sleep well. And I've still got the same heavy feeling in my chest that feels like it's never going to shift but I'm hoping it will.

Hi just thought I would update Day 40 for me and I returned to work today in my school to look after the children of key workers. We only had one and I was on duty from 12 to 3.15 plus a 35min drive each way.
I have been home about 40 mins and I am very tired with some backache and a bit of a headache. Whilst there my cough was a little intermittent, So all in all not to bad. I was so anxious about returning today and how I would feel but at the moment feeling ok We shall see what happens tomorrow

Hey, didn’t mean to worry any of you! It’s just that we have no reliable test to see if we are immune after suffering covid infection- and I had such a rough time with it I’m paranoid about getting it again. It’s my anxiety and the uncertainty, rather than any definite risk of late complications or reinfection.
I’m not ashamed to admit that I was sent home with a wee dose of lorazepam, in case of panic attacks and flashbacks when I had to sleep alone in my own room again, where I’d struggled to breathe for 13 nights pre admission. And I’m not usually a hypochondriac - I hadn’t consulted my own GP for anything in ten years, apart from my annual thyroid check!

Anyone been thinking about Boris Johnson and whether he may be similar to us in some way as he is still recovering?

Hi all, day 56 now since first symptoms, day 52 since I felt more ill. This is a bit more than I previously said as I realise I have miscounted!

I think I feel a bit better again than yesterday. I haven't managed a shower yet today but I've been able to laugh at Derry Girls from my bed (really enjoying the 90s soundtrack)!My chest has been okay enough not to worry.

I got Wednesday's blood test results back. GP said they showed no sign of infection, bacterial or viral, which I'm taking as a positive. My kidney and liver are fine. My white blood cells are raised but still within normal range. So all good I guess?? But such a mystery...

Thank you for giving an update earlier @Babdoc and glad that you're improving after such a tough time. I am channeling your patience and positivity. @Moodgie good to hear you feel you're finally turning a corner. Sorry to all those who are struggling today.

@Lightsabre Just had a text - availability has been reached, please come back tomorrow.

@fedupofbed Good news! Glad you’re feeling better.
I was very positive yesterday but here comes sore throat today.