Covid Lungs 40 plus plus plus

[SimpleKindofLife]

New thread for those having longer symptoms of Covid.

Just found this thread! I was sick 4-5 weeks ago, still have no taste or smell but worryingly am experiencing breathlessness ( not even on exertion) and a sore throat and chest most days. I had a telephone consult with GP who reports this is entirely normal and they are seeing a lot of it.I am still working out every day Though as I simply cannot live without exercise in these stressful times.

So worrying , as I am a slim and extremely fit 49 year old woman who has always felt much younger.

I should have said that on day 7 of my illness I was prescribed Doxycycline as the Dr though I had a secondary bacterial infection.

@Tempnamelady yes I'm 53 but was running 3 times a week even on the 12th March with my cough. Now I can't walk up a slight hill without breathlessness.

@Tempnamelady I’m 51 and was slim and very fit. Now I have post-covid heart problems.

@Egghead68 was just reading your update. This was my worry a few days ago but I feel like symptoms have passed a bit now.

@Moodgie @Casino218

Thank you both, I needed to hear that!

@Egghead68 I’m so sorry! This is awful! I’m just off to do my online workout now- it’s the only good thing in my day at the moment.

@mumlurker I called them my 'heart attacks', pains down my arm, struggled for breath and stabbing pains through the deep deep heartburn. It felt like my heart slurred beats and then jumped into my throat a bit.
I haven't had them for a few weeks, I thought I was getting one last night but it was indigestion .
Scariest symptom by far.

A few days ago started with more chest pain, palpitations, sob and feeling very tired.
Doctor wouldnt see me as chest pain, so was told to call 999 for triage.
Was taken to A&E where ai was seen by several people and had ECG, chest x ray, bloods etc.
All clear thankfully except oxygen dropped to 91 when walking briskly around ward.
The staff were fab, the chest consultant said lots of reports of long drawn out recovery post viral and to accept slow recovery.
I have been exercising only for it to wipe you out. So now have to build it up more gradually. Dont know if this helps anyone. Relieved to know that no inflammation showing up on bloods or x ray. It seems to be activity that causes the raise in heart rate and the drop in oxygen.
I was ill very late Feb and March but docs said almost sure it Covid due to symptoms and medical notes from that time.

@Egghead68

The registrar said I have a mild post-Covid heart issue but they could not be more specific as not enough is known about the illness. I asked if it was myocarditis and she didn’t think so as my (very brief) ECG was normal (but I am not so sure as we know it does not always show on brief ECGs if mild). She said to try to bring my heart-rate down by avoiding caffeine etc and, if my symptoms do not settle, to ask my GP for an echo-cardiogram so they can find out what is going on

That sounds to me like they don’t think it’s anything but are saying ‘mild post COVID heart issue’ so you feel satisfied! If they thought you had a heart issue they wouldn’t send you home they would do the echo there (that happened to me). And the advice to avoid caffeine - that’s to help calm anxiety.

Day 43 - yesterday I took two ibuprofen and was pretty much pain-free but I woke up at 2.30am with a headache and dry throat. I went to get a glass of water and it felt like I was drinking ice and I started shivering. Checked my temperature and it was 35.9. Took me ages to get warmed up in bed and then the chest pains started. Every time I got back to sleep they'd wake me up. It felt like they were over my heart and in my left shoulder. DH said "You have wind, take a Deflatine", which I did and that improved things a bit. Have just checked my blood pressure and it's 161/101 which is the highest it's been in 2 weeks.

This virus attacks you on so many fronts - I can't tell if the pain is inflammation, gas or my heart or some combination of all three. I was hopeful yesterday that I'd started to get things under control but feel I'm back to square 1.

Thanks @tempnamelady and @Starrynightsabove. It would be absolutely great if if were just anxiety but sadly I had elevated troponin levels (blood marker for cardiac muscle problems).

@Egghead68 my DH brother has suffered cardiac muscle damage they think made worse by Covid. So he had slight damage before but undiscovered. He's now having to moderate his lifestyle significantly.

@Casino218 brilliant that your cardiac symptoms have passed. I am hoping mine will too.

@Linus1972 sorry about your new symptoms. It is definitely the gift that keeps on giving.

@Tempnamelady it is really great you have been able to exercise throughout.

Any early posters who feel like they have recovered? I really need this today. @WorriesomeDad You have been ok, haven’t you?

@Egghead68 what were your troponin levels? It’s a sign of heart attack so if elevated should always be evaluated further.

@Egghead68 Thanks - and good luck with reducing caffeine, I stopped drinking coffee/tea a couple of weeks ago (and had a few days of withdrawal symptoms on top of everything else, so gradually does it).

@Moodgie - agreed - a slightly frustrating aspect is that it's difficult to keep track of all the different people posting and to know when or if they've got better. If someone goes silent does that mean they lost interest, something happened to them or they recovered? There's a "recovery" thread on the Slack forum and reading that can be helpful.

@Moodgie. I do feel recovered now. However it depends what the definition of recovered is. I know Im not fully back to pre virus levels but I feel that will take weeks and weeks. I have now stopped feeling that awful sense of dread and fear that I was experiencing as I don't seem to be developing new symptoms or aches.

@Casino218 Great news, thank you. Can I please ask what your last lingering symptoms were?

@Mintypylonsfryingsurplus, what day/week are you on now? I had the same experience. I'm coming in to week 6 now. I don't seem to have any new symptoms but getting a resurgence of old symptoms and the breathlessness is very debilitating.

@Tempnamelady I am still working out every day Though as I simply cannot live without exercise in these stressful times.

What kinds of workouts are you doing? As tempting as they are, if you have chest inflammation it's worth being extremely careful about exercise. A lot of us here and on the international slack group are finding that exercise causes a worsening of symptoms and a longer illness. The body desperately needs rest when it's hit with a strong virus and post-viral syndrome becomes an issue even after the virus is over if the immune system misinterprets the stress of exercise as further viral attack.

I desperately want to get back to my pre-covid fitness levels but am reluctantly accepting that the fastest way to do that is to take some time off until I heal completely. Walks and stretches are my go to now and I listen to my body carefully and do a lot less of even those than I thought I could even a week ago. I feel 90-95% recovered now but I know when I up my activity levels too fast, I slip back to 85% or 80% really fast and from there it can be a steep slope down. So as soon as I feel any deterioration I take a day off and let myself heal. And work my way back up again.

@alittleprivacy daily HIIT /Conditioning , but with half the weight I’m used to because that’s all I have at home. I know it’s stupid and vain but I’ve worked really hard to cultivate my fitness and stay slim and I have to balance the risk with the damage to my MH. I like many have found this lockdown very hard indeed and I’m just trying to cope the best I can . I do appreciate your input and I will take all of this on board . I did try and run a couple of weeks ago , but I was completely buggered after it so won’t be doing that again for a while !

@Moogie the chest pain, sore cartilage in my nose, lethargy plus plus and out of breath walking uphill.

@Casino218 Really glad you are feeling so much better :)
Am still really suffering from my walk round the block yesterday, still v breathless and heart racing, a bit ridiculous as it was 18 hours ago now.

Hello everyone on day 33
I am feeling a lot better today.
I would like to walk about a bit but I'm not sure if it's a good idea. I'm worried about muscle wastage.
Underarms hurt but don't feel swollen anymore, it's almost like deflating pain or something.
My hands are freezing cold, I'm a little bit shivery all over and I'm dizzy/lightheaded.
Chest pain is still there but manageable. I think it's all the inflammation.
Pulse isn't being a dick today either.
Eyes aren't as bloodshot.
I didn't have a good night with indigestion, I was a bit sweaty but nowhere near as bad as last week or the week before.