Covid Lungs 40 plus plus plus

[SimpleKindofLife]

New thread for those having longer symptoms of Covid.

Solidarity with all of you who are still suffering this groundhog day nightmare

I'm day 60-something but lost count now. Had a good day Wednesday, not so good yesterday, and today bad again. Woke up with awful stiffness and soreness in my spine and ribs (at the back mostly). Breathing was out of whack and I felt unrefreshed by sleep. Had no choice but to go shopping and actually felt better for walking to the bus stop at first. My lungs felt clearer and it gave me a lift. But by the time I got back from the shops my back was aching and I had to go back to bed with cushions supporting my back for comfort. And then the burning lungs came back, omg, so scary and painful. Been like that all day since - the constant awareness of the soreness and swollen feeling in my lungs, and exhausting effort to breathe deeply enough. Typing this I'm welling up coz it's really getting to me now. I don't know what to do. Two courses of antibiotics in the last few weeks haven't touched it and I can't see the point in bothering 111 or GP coz they're clueless about this protracted version of the virus. So much denial around generally, in my view. I wish I was making it up! I know full well that anxiety can manifest somatically but it cannot be a coincidence that in the last two months so many people have developed these highly inflammatory and painful symptoms because of 'anxiety' [anger]

I'm fed up with taking tablets and potions and the like, what's the point when actually they don't help much in the end and contribute to making me feel crap about myself. This whole rotten experience has put years on me and although I've been very good at distracting myself at times I'm now running out of enthusiasm for 'entertainment' and rest! I just want to wake up and feel like it has left me be, finally.

It's awful to dump this on the thread, I know, and I apologise for often only posting when I'm at my lowest. I read the Guardian article and it was important but I felt it didn't go far enough and some of the expert feedback felt a bit patronising and off the mark. This painful inflammation that moves about and leaves many of us feeling like our lungs and muscles and even hearts have been chronically blighted is the unacknowledged shadow of the covid pandemic. Yes we're lucky to be alive, but many of us feel stranded in a frightening twilight of pain and distress, for which there appears to be little or no practical sympathy.

I just hope we're the soon-to-be healed vanguard of the community that is struggling with complex recovery, and that we'll go on to lead fuller lives again and be a useful tracker for future sufferers with the same struggle to get well

@Wingingit15 Sending big hugs.
@baroqueandblue So well said. ‘Soon-to-be healed’, I am gonna hold on to this, need to apply positive thinking - it has to be a healing factor.

@pinkoneblueone
I am from the first lungs thread too but i have mainly been a lurker until recently I got sick on the 8th of March and have just had the most horrific few days. I have had chest pain (around the heart) sore and achey arms that it hurt to lift, pain mostly in my left arm, shoulder neck, ear, down my sides of my rib cage, 0 energy, brain fog, back pain, very emotional and teary, breathlessness the lot lasting 3 days its been awful the pain is still lingering but its honestly the worst I have felt (days roughly 53/54). I am taking ibuprofen, paracetamol, gavisgon, omeprazole, Vit C (1000mg) Vit D3, Iron tablets and have just been in the last couple of days diagnosed as B12 deficient and have my 1st injections tomorrow. I wanted you to know that you are not alone and I am suffering too. I hope that this reassures you that It will get better in a few days, sadly my hubby is 3 days behind me in symptoms and having the same trouble. (I'm also asthmatic and potentially celiac (tested today for that)- forgot to add that
I hope you start to feel better soon

8th March was the day I think I caught this virus. Before lockdown, in Boots picking up a prescription. The pharmacist looked and sounded dreadful - I think I knew she had it the moment she handed me the receipt.
I had my B12 this morning. I was instructed to wait in the carpark at my appointment time and the practice nurse would ring me. I was then instructed to drive over to the tent and minutes later she came outside and instructed me to open the car door without getting out of the car. Injection took a nano second.
I am so relived I was able to get my jab. I notice you potentially have celiac. I had a blood test for this and it came back negative but they can do a biopsy which is more reliable - I haven't had this. I don't know if you have had stomach/bowel problems but I used to have terrible ibs stomach cramps and since the B12 jabs they have almost gone away. And yes to the brain fog, shoulder pain and aching all over. I think it is all linked to the B12 deficiency. I have found co-codamol helps. Good look with the B12 - it will make a difference. You won't feel better straight away, it does take a good while but you will most definitely know when your next jab is due because you will start to feel rubbish again.

Re being breathless - no more symptoms since I had the jab. I have everything crossed that the last couple of days were just a blip.

Reassuring (sort of) to read the reports from South Korea than this virus lingers in your body for a long time. Watched Boris yesterday he was definitely still breathless - I think he has a long road to recovery ahead if the experiences of everyone on this thread are anything to go by.

Re anyone worrying about blood clots. I have had DVT in my legs twice. My clots were in my femoral vein which is in the hip area so I didn't have cramp in my calf - it was the big muscle at the front between my hip and my knee. I knew there was something wrong because my leg was hot, swollen and blue. I don't know about clots in the lung because I haven't had one but it does worry me that I am at risk of getting one. I have had a few scares over the years and each time I've always gone to a&e and they have always taken it very seriously. I would say to anyone worried about clots - just go and get checked out.

Oh dear, another rambling post. Night all.

@baroqueandblue

@baroqueandblue Its hard work isn't it I'm on day 57 (I think) and similar, still very breathless, lots of palpitations, sore swollen feeling throat, wheezing and very very fatigued.

Coronavirus and the heart

news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/04/covid-19s-consequences-for-the-heart/

God what a night. Not looking forward to looking after my two tinies alone today. Really considering ringing the out of hours doctor to see what else I should be doing about this, feel like am banging my head against a brick wall

@Wingingit15 really sorry you've had a bad night - me too, I've only managed 3hrs sleep and have pain under my left rib cage at the botttom. Burning skin sensation, pounding heart, burping. I felt not too bad at all yesterday afternoon, can't believe how quickly this thing flips round to awful again. Take care and try to rest today

@baroqueandblue sounds really tough going through that at 60 days, please keep updating so we can see when you improve (I'm on 42 days and still struggling)
Take care

Day 54 here and I think I’m doing a little better. My life is gradually looking more normal (whatever that is at the moment!). I’m pottering about more, doing more round the house, and less completely wiped out by 5pm. My appetite, which had completely gone for 7 weeks to the point I thought I’d be forcing food down for the rest of my life, is slowly returning.

I’ve got a long way to go and I do expect relapses (it was only
Monday I was saying how terrible I felt) but I think the overall picture is an improving one.

@baroqueandblue everything you said!

Has anyone tested positive at a late stage of having the symptoms. Like others I have had symptoms for over 4 weeks, just wondered if it's worth taking the test.

@musicposy so pleased to hear that, it gives us all hope too! Thank you

@Marmie4, I’m wondering the same but over 7 weeks on I know it’s extremely unlikely to be positive.

My only advantage, I think, is I’m still coughing a bit and I’d know I’m not infectious if either DD2 has to return from uni to live here or I have to go in to help my elderly parents in an emergency (this happened a couple of weeks back and I had to say no because I was worried I’d pass it on). So even a negative result wouldn’t be entirely useless.

Would have been nice to get one when I was properly ill though!

@emoojoo I’m the first on here moaning in the relapses so I will try to post the good bits too from now. I was really needing positive stories earlier in the week so hopefully it helps us all. 🙂

I am so miserable and worried today. Will I ever feel normal again? I just want to wake up and feel it’s finally gone.

@Moodgie the dips are horrible but you will have good days again.

Day 42/43 here and worried about my heart which seemed to take a turn for the worse yesterday. Am going to distract myself with work.

Morning
Had a good nights sleep In fact only just woke up nearly 11 hours sleep. Feel a lot better than yesterday though my left arm still hurts and I am slightly breathless. Still getting spikes of temperature but taking paracetamol. I am going to take it easy but looking t the sunshine I will try and sit in the garden. So sorry for those of you have woken feeling dreadful I to wish I could be back to normal and yesterday I felt like crying and did to the doctor. This is so hard physically and mentally.

Terrible night last night. Had a lot of chest aches and sharp pains but some really agonising ones last night. Horrible constricted feeling in throat like it would close over and shortness of breath, bit oxygen ok. Heart rate elevated. I've hardly slept which is contributing to the feeling of hopelessness. First thing I did this morning was cry.

Day 54. Just giving an update. So the symptoms I have experienced were: started with a persistent cough, fatigue, loss of smell on the 9th March. On the 18th March my symptoms developed and my chest became tight, tiny fires in lungs, struggled to get enough oxygen ( it felt like although sats were 97%), headaches, fluttery jittery feeling. The symptoms waxed and waived and a week later I had pains shooting all over chest. The fatigue has been crippling on and off. At the beginning of this week I started having more localised chest pain. I called my GP. He reassured me it was post viral. Thursday I I felt exhausted and flat. Yesterday and today no longer have chest pains or lung pains. Have more energy.

Just wanted to say that my symptoms have decreased slowly despite the days when I seem to dip so just keep on doing what you can but resting when you can't. Take care all.

Anyone else feel a bit like theyve exhausted their gp's patience? I've been to a Corona hub, been seen by paramedics and had to call gp four times in the past seven weeks. I think I'm getting anxious now that if something else does go wrong I've exhausted everyone's patience too much to be taken seriously

Thanks everyone posting with positive stories. Really need them this morning x

@mumlurker I think they are hearing more about long recoveries so I think they will listen. I called a GP yesterday and actually opted for a different one to the one I spoke to the last couple of times (as the previous one told me to ride it out last time) and he sent me for blood tests.

@baroqueandblue please don’t apologise for a low post - I and I’m sure lots of other need to know others feel the same and such posts are just as welcome as positive updates. We can all relate to the feeling of neglect and disinterest in our struggles and hope it can only get better as medical awareness improves. Unfortunately at the moment it feels worse than being a lab rat as no one is even observing or noting what this virus is doing to us.

Thanks for that article @Egghead68, my biggest concerns with my symptoms now relate to my heart and circulation (erratic heart rate, palpitations, lightheadedness/headaches).

@mumlurker yes I've felt like that so many times. I nearly filled out paperwork to change GP. I spoke to him a few days ago though and he was very understanding. I said it was very frightening and he agreed. If you need help though you have to seek it and you can't worry about how much help you need.