40 plus plus

[WorriesomeDad]

Thread for continuing long-term Coronavirus support

@countingsheeps

I know. It's really hard to know. I'm trying to do some mindfulness, progressive muscle relaxation, breathing exercises and news avoidance to help, just in case.

@mumlurker Day 44 here as well. Only thing really going on now is intermittent twinges/pains in my chest both the front and back. I’m still quite tired but putting that down to a lack of activity. I’ve been off work now for coming up to 6 weeks. Aiming to go back next week on the rota at my hub school.

I spied yesterday and was emailed an invite today. Not tried it yet, going to tomorrow.

Thanks Porcupine I got the invite this morning.

Day 40 here! Breathing still ok, not quite as good as it was yesterday but I think I have some mild hayfever too. Throat sore but manageable. My main symptom is constant upper back pain and intermittent sternum pain. I don't mind how I'm actually feeling but the threat of relapsing again into a worse state is terrifying. I tried to do the easiest Covid rehab workout last night, it starts with 3 sets of 12 counter-top push ups. I got to 10 and stopped completely as my sternum was on fire from it. The pain continued all through the night and I really thought I'd fucked myself up again. But it's not too bad today, so lucky escape there. Still though, the knowledge that I can't even push myself off a counter ten times is very sobering. A couple of months ago I'd happily knock out 100 push-ups a day and feel nothing more than happily charged up.

So my plan is instead of any sort of strength training for now, I'm going to incorporate a short yoga routine aimed at relaxing the upper back. The pilates I've been doing are aimed mainly at my legs as my upper body just hasn't been ready for anything much. Between my two walks yesterday and walking around the house, I racked up over 9000 steps. And I did 2 ten minute pilates/stretching sessions. I'm taking ibuprofen as a course. I'm also taking an insane array of supplements. Vitamins B, C & D. Zinc & magnesium. Biotin for the hayfever. And I've started taking collagen as it has anti-inflammatory properties. Bee pollen for my throat. I'm not actually convinced of the helpfulness of supplements, so I may just be creating very expensive urine(!) I'd say that overall, the leg stretches have been the most helpful thing I'm doing. When our muscles are too sedentary, it's harder for our bodies to oxygenate them which can add to any breathing difficulties.

Day 42 for me After two stressful days I have woken up with cough , headache , pains in my back and a feeling of soreness in my chest. I am also very tired today. The depressed/anxious feeling is still here but I will sort that out Monday with the doctor. Its two steps forward and one back, I am able to do things but feel I need to stop and rest. Husband who is on day 28 is mowing the lawn but is complaining of a tight chest every now and again and he is still having problems with bloating and constipation but it is improving. I just want to feel normal

@tupperwaretowers

I'm just telling myself the heart twinges are either residual lung inflammation or maybe a nerve - I've had lots of nerve twinges in other parts of my body during this.

Going back to work was ok for me, but as I said I work at home so I'm not on my feet and can kind of go at my own pace to some extent. So I'm lucky there.

I do think lack of activity is affecting me - last week I had terrible leg cramps, and I wake up every morning feeling stiff. So trying to steer a course between getting moving again and not over-doing it.

@alittleprivacy

Same, I tried some body weight squats and a few press-ups the other day, immediately broke into a sweat and had to stop! I'm sticking to leg stretches, I was shocked when i did some I used to do all the time and found them agony!

@mumlurker @Tupperwaretowers cheers for posting. I think it’s really important that people getting better keep coming back and posting so folks can see it really does improve.

I’ve now had a run of five days where I feel ok, not better but certainly a lot better than I was. Just before this at the end of my last relapse I really was at the end of my tether, possibly my lowest point. It would have been difficult to imagine where I am today. SOB has pretty much gone, chest still a bit tight particularly in the evenings with an intermittent cough. Feel pretty woozy and a bit sketchy in the mornings. I slept for 9 hours last night and only woke up once briefly.

I also decided to splash out on a test by post. It came back yesterday as negative. I’m 110% sure I’ve had it, and almost as sure it is still in my system but at least there wasn’t enough of it to show up. This has helped my peace of mind a bit.

I’m trying to get my head round the whole weeks not days thing. All I want to do is ride my bike or run or just generally throw myself back into life but I know I definitely don’t feel up to it yet and there may be relapses ahead. For now I’m really just trying to appreciate the fact that I’m still here and spending time with family.

Keep the faith. It does get easier.

@WorriesomDad

I know how you feel, I'd love nothing more to get on my bike and enjoy being outdoors. I was tempted this morning, but I'd rather wait and reduce the risk of it setting me back further.

I do feel a bit despondent about loss of fitness, but in reality a few months is just a small blip. I'm also having to remind myself daily that a few weeks ago I would have absolutely killed to have felt as good as I do now, even if this 'normal' is a long way off where I was before I got ill.

@WorriesomeDad @mumlurker Thank you for the positives! Desperate need them now. Feel like I’m going in circles here and so low with it all.

To all of you posting how much better you are feeling is filling me with so much hope. Thank you for posting.

Day 27
After a night of sweats, chills and the weirdest dreams, some of them I think I was sort of awake for, I feel a bit better this morning.
I'm very dizzy, but that could easily be period related. I think it's going to be a bad one. I was trying to push through with the next packet but my body was really not happy about it, I'd just have had PMS and spotting which is probably worse.
Pulse is behaving itself this morning too.

@WorriesomeDad Has your sore throat/phlegmy feeling disappeared now?

@mumlurker & @WorriesomeDad just jumping on as seen your posts.

I am day 46 I think. Can’t remember. Anyway I am still lethargic, I am sort of ok it I do very little and have a bit of energy from time to time where I ‘do stuff’ then I rest. I am mostly Fine pottering and playing with kids, a few chores etc. I have been for short strolls and done light Pilates on my better days. Please be very careful about the heart stuff. Initially I dismissed my pains as remaining pleurisy / inflammation but a friend (who is a GP) was very concerned as I had an episode the other day or stabbing pains going into shoulder on exertion. She told me to rest a lot more than I was. The exertion was shouting at my DC! Anyway it’s improved but I do very little. I wasn’t doing a lot but I was trying to walk 5000 steps, doing more jobs at home etc.

I am waiting until I have no pain at all and my energy is increased to actually exercise in any other way as she told me that they are seeing people with swelling around the heart which can cause these pains. I also sometimes get palpitations and slight dizzyness. I believe some of these heart swelling conditions do go with rest, but sometimes they need treatment but until I get a private cardiologist appointment I will no way be pushing it.

So yes I’ll be unfit for 3-6 months but in the long run it doesn’t matter.

@moodgie Not completely but it’s loads better.

Just had a quick scan back through an earlier thread. Wondering how some of the other posters who were in the same boat are now doing?

@Shastabeast @Joeaj23 @lovelesslilly @standrewsschool @EMichel102 @ChippedPotatoesLloyd @stayathomegardener @Casino218 @user34254356 @Spacecadetagain @tootsie @Sambucus @Wrybread @Dimsummummy @JackJackIncredible @littleninja1 @kevintheorangecarrot

@longshot

I had wondered if I had some sort of heart inflammation. Being young and no previous history/family history of heart issues, GPs have dismissed my concerns. I really want to believe them! But I'll definitely keep an eye on it. Is your sense that the swelling is long term/dangerous?

@mumlurker to be honest I think there are different types. I think they are all dangerous to some extent but perhaps not life threatening but I think some go with rest and others need treatment. I am steering clear of reading much as it scares me but once I’ve spoken to a consultant I will come back and post on here.

Keep in mind that I went to hospital last week because of the pains and they found nothing to admit me, they said it could be angina but my GP friend advised to really see inflammation is quite hard and so to be cautious and assume I may have it (even low level) and not aggravate it. She questioned angina due to my health and lifestyle. Tbh I’m exhausted a lot anyway so I don’t want to exercise, I believe this can be one of the symptoms too but of course that may just be post viral fatigue.

I’m 38, no heart issues previously, fit and healthy, previously ran quite a bit and worked out etc.

I do feel much better overall than I did but the chest ache and pains persist as doesn’t fatigue so I’m playing it safe.

@dorual, on a strip like a pregnancy test.

I managed to go to a CV testing centre today and self swabbed. I'm not sure I did it well enough as I was gagging on the throat one. Day 30 so unlikely to be positive but it's another thing ruled out. As I was testing I saw white spots on the back of my tongue and throat. Tongue also serrated around the edges.
Blood tests from yesterday all ok except high ferritin which apparently suggests a cytokines storm. White blood cells good so hopefully I've fought off the worse. No markers for DVT or heart issues. It felt reassuring but she did suggest a chest X-ray which I'll discuss with my GP tomorrow.

@Dorual “I kept having episodes of waking up gasping for breath”

I’m quite shocked to read this. On the week running up to when I became really ill, I only experienced 2 very subtle symptoms. 1 was an occasional shortness of breath during the day. The 2nd was on 2 occasions when I woke up in the night gasping for air.

@mumlurker My GP wasn’t concerned with my heart pain either. After I raised it with them they did ask several questions (annoyingly can’t remember what) but they said it doesn’t sound like a cause for concern. My Oxygen, temp and blood pressure are all fine.

@lightsabre If it suggested a cytokine storm I'm sure they'd have had you in asap. Maybe you just have a good amount of iron stored.

Interesting about the preg style test though. I've heard they can be unreliable.

@Dorual, she said cytokine something but I've added the storm bit as I read that on an earlier thread. The call caught me by surprise otherwise I would have written everything down. I'm too anxious to look it all up. Tight throat and chest today but able to drive this morning and making lunch now.

@dorual These are the two types of tests. The right hand side ones are not good enough yet according to the article.

@WorriesomeDad Hi I haven't posted for a while but I'm feeling much better than I did but I wouldn't say I'm fully recovered.

Still dealing with fatigue especially in the morning and evening.

Avoiding exercise as this seems to cause a relapse.

My breathing still doesn't feel 100% I imagine my lungs are still recovering.

I got tested today (nasal and throat swab) will report the results.

@moodgie are he blood test ones now available in the uk? I know they are unreliable but wasn’t sure if they are on sale or still not?

@longshot I think they are available privately - @lighysabre and @WorriesomeDad - is that what you had?

That’s good to hear @Joeaj23. Cheers for the update.

@longshot @Moodgie it was a swab test by post. Had the results 2 days after posting it back.

Day 41 here. Been much better these last few days, coughing less in the evenings which was a thing for me before. I can only feel my lungs occasionally now, finding that I no longer need to do the Queens Hospital breathing exercise before I lie down to sleep.

The one thing that is getting me down is the bastarding low-grade fever - I thought it had almost gone, but it keeps coming back and my face feels too warm