Covid Lungs 40 plus plus plus

[SimpleKindofLife]

New thread for those having longer symptoms of Covid.

I think there are a lot of people feeling very poorly on this thread, but I also think there is a lot of anxiety, which is really understandable but is not necessarily helped by excess self monitoring, googling and comparing of symptoms. Its really hard, I get that..am 8 + weeks in and still feel rubbish, but my understanding is that it's a really bad virus that leaves you feeling terrible in lots of weird and wonderful ways, maybe my previous experience of a having a number of chronic illnesses has made me a bit more accepting of the unknown, and having low expectation of medicine I dont know, or maybe I'm really foolish because I'm not wanting tests and additional diagnoses I'm not sure, but I do think there might be some benefit in thinking that really bad viruses can make you feel terrible for ages, but that theres no reason to think you wont recover long term. and I genuinely say that with kindness as I think other people meant to also xx

@TheDrsWife46 I don’t know what I would have done without this thread. Xx
@WorriesomeDad Great news, I keep tracking your progress as our symptoms have been similar.
@DumberthanDumber @mumlurker Same feeling here. Better now but morning wasn’t great.

@Tangledyarn thank you for your wisdom and kindness which I've noticed throughout these threads. I know you've had a tough time with this and previously, and yet you've always been a calming presence. 💐

I don't mind admitting that I'm struggling mentally as well as physically. It's been 64 days now. As someone who's always been relatively fit and healthy I find some of the symptoms such as shortness of breath and palpitations really scary and hard to deal with, particularly as it's been for so long now with no let up.

These threads have been a place of invaluable support where I've been able to just let it all out a bit and express my fears. It's also been useful for getting validation for the more unusual symptoms (bubbling torso anyone?) and for sharing relevant news articles.

So thanks I guess and let's get through this together wherever we are on our journeys.

Day 46 popping in to report I had a good day today...although there seems to be a bit of a bun fight going on.
Personally I feel I have to assume adults are responsible for themselves and to evaluate information as they see fit.

@Chimpd0g I get attacks of breathlessness. In weeks 2/3 these lasted hours at a time and resulted in 111 sending me an ambulance on two occasions. More recently they last less than an hour, sometimes only a few minutes.

No idea what caused them but it's not anxiety. I don't suffer from health anxiety and they often happen when I'm pre occupied with something and not thinking about covid/my breathing at all. Lying on my front gives relief.

I did sometimes wake from sleep gasping and panicking in the first few weeks of the illness. I've also has a lot of anxiety about this illness - but that's not what is causing my symptoms.

No bruising that I've noticed but have had a series of small blood blisters forming and discharging on my tongue.

@fedupofbed Well said. Thank you all, thank you for sharing your journeys and thank you for replying when we need some reassurance or comparison. Wishing everyone a good night and a better Sunday.

I've not been on much today so skimmed through briefly but great to hear improvements @TheDrsWife46 and @worriesomedad

@JustBreatheLxs and @UndertheCedartree sorry you've both had such tough times. @UndertheCedartree really hope your sats have improved today.

These threads have been a source of such comfort to me to know that others out there are going through something similar.. @fedupofbed I agree on the value of validating our symptoms! @Tangledyarn that sounds an excellent approach, keep the mind focused on the full recovery which will one day arrive. Glad to say I feel stronger every day at the moment and keeping faith that tomorrow will be another improved day too..hope it is for everyone.

@Moodgie - yes, same here, this morning (and yesterday) was awful. Isn't it odd how it keeps coming and going, coming and going? I am so upset that the last week it has reared its ugly head again. I feel like a snake is wrapping itself around my throat and chest, and constricting my airways. It's such an odd, heavy feeling, like nothing I've ever experienced previously. I don't have any looseness in my chest, no crackling, no phlegm. No cough. No temperature. Just this tightness and constricting feeling, combined with cold hands and feet. There's no rhyme or reason to it seeming to improve, only for it to come back with a vengeance. I don't think anyone truly understands what we're going through on this forum, except us. Even my family appear to have become bored with my ongoing symptoms! I don't even bother telling them how crap I'm feeling anymore!

@MillStone, how are you getting on? We're roughly about the same time line.
@toothfairy73 - hope you're settled back home. Did the hospital give you any advice or follow up at all?

@DumberthanDumb I know the feeling, you have described me, day 55/56 I thought it was over the cold hands and feet, I also have dry lips and increased thirst to add to the list

@pinkoneblueone - oh God, really?! You're on day 55/56 and you still have these symptoms? I'm a fair bit behind you, and was hoping I'd seen the last of it. The cold hands and feet is bizarre, isn't it? Even when it's been really warm outside (as it was today), I have had to put woolly socks on. I haven't yet had dry lips or thirst though - poor you :(

Praying this thing leaves us all alone really soon. It's so debilitating.

I think i had a set back at day 40 something I had a big asthma attack after over doing it and it impacted me badly I think.

@DumberthanDumb @pinkandblueone I only had very cold hands and feet on one morning during this. Currently the main thing is this construction, I don’t even know whether that describes it, but it’s just the feeling of not breathing with a full chest. I am in my 50s too daywise. And yes it comes and goes. I stopped getting excited in week 3 I think when it all suddenly lifted one evening.

I'm another who feels blessed to have had these threads to refer to for info, to anchor and reassure me and keep me company through some dark days and nights. As a space to describe what I'm going through without fear of judgement, and somewhere that has felt like a lifeline, a community of like-minded patients. I've learned a lot and felt part of a brave group of people pulling together to support one another.

@TheDrsWife46 and @stayathomegardener, you were both very significant drivers of the lungs and Post- threads in the early weeks and I just wanted to acknowledge the strength you lent me, probably without even realising you were doing so. @TheDrsWife46 I'm so happy to hear that you feel you've got through to a more even place, although I'm sorry that there seems to be some uncertainty about the neurological impact. Some of the posts you wrote to support others really touched me. @stayathomegardener, we're getting there, slowly but surely, even if the damned path winds back on itself at times! 😉

And @Tangledyarn, I'm sorry for not replying more directly to some of your posts but you've been an inspiration and I've learned stuff from you. I really appreciate your perspective as someone who has lived with chronic illness, your insights and reassurances over the threads has helped me a lot.

Anyway, that's my little contribution to the lungs threads Oscars for today! 😄 I'll do some more soon coz there are other people who have worked hard at contributing to and keeping alive these invaluable discussions and personal sharings. But I'm going to try and sleep now 🙏

@Moodgie - yes, I too would describe it as constriction, definitely. It's a real tightness and heaviness, and whereas in the early days, it seemed to be just in my chest/lung area, it's now crept up towards my throat/neck area too. I know what you mean about not getting excited about the symptoms disappearing now. What's the point? Who knows how often they're going to return?! Sorry for my negativity....just feeling so glum about the whole thing.

@pinkoneblueone - Sorry to hear that, pinkone. I think that's the key, isn't it? If we overdo things, it sets us back to square one again. I only get asthma in the summer combined with severe hayfever - I very rarely suffer asthmatic symptoms, but this feels totally different to asthma. Sometimes I almost feel like I'm being slowly choked from the inside out!

It's so difficult going this long without being able to live properly. Everyone of us have commitments we have to see to - work, kids, chores, things we need to be getting on with, and the length of time this illness is taking to go is unprecedented. How long is a piece of string??

Well guys. My chest pain got really sharp and painful on coughing and deep breathing so I called 111. They put me through to OOH GP who told me to go to A&E to be checked over. I had to go the red route as I had cough and mild temp. I was so nervous. Had bloods, ECG and chest xray. All normal. She thinks viral pleurisy or costochondritis. Got some codeine.

But now I'm terrified I didn't have it and will have picked it up from the Covid area in hospital. I'm so disappointed in myself for going.

@Dorual I know it's hard but please try not to torment yourself. You definitely did the right thing by going in to be checked over. Just remember all the symptoms of the last month or two that convinced you you had the virus. Why haunt yourself with catastrophic thoughts now when you've been so ill for so long? Take the codeine as prescribed and let it help you to feel better. Once you have that pain under better control you'll sleep better, and that will help you to switch off from all the anxious thoughts. The pleurisy or costochondritis is far more likely to be a complication of you already having had the virus, hold onto that. So many of us have been going through the same recently, it can't be coincidence.

Forgot to say earlier, I've been feeling better today than I did the last few days. Still have shortness of breath and increased heart rate that comes and goes, and what feels like a nasty head cold. But the pain has lessened over the course of the day, and so has the fatigue.

@Dorual I am sorry you've had such a rough evening. You did all the right things. I was there last week myself, did they give you a mask? Not that it matters as its clear you've had the virus anyway. What day are you on? I am just getting over a big flare up myself jt was awful and I ached so much. My doctor said that once the pain is under control your body can start to heal. You can do this!

Well my chest isn't right again it feels a bit raw and mildly weepy again. I am fed up. I haven't slept which won't help but why my chest is like this it feels sticky and bothers me I don't know what to make of it. I have drunk a lot of water to help I don't think it has.

@dorual Dont beat yourself up. Its really most likely that the pleurisy is a secondary result of covid, and hopefully the painkillers will help!
@pinkoneblueone Everything feels so much worse with no sleep doesnt it? It sounds like the raw feeling is probably inflammation post virus too. I hope you can at least doze for a few hours x

I have called 111.

They have updated their questions and a lot at are more relevant to how we are feeling.

They will have someone call me back in an hour this has been a persistent symptom with me and it's wet and sticky when it dries breathing gets difficult so I hope they send me off for an X-ray or something as I am really fed up with this every week or so.

The ongoing chest and breathing stuff is hard isn't it. I hope they can give you some good advice

My left lung is very restricted and uncomfortable and my asthma is quite bad at the moment-am very wheezy. It's all definitely made much worse by the bloody walk round the block on friday which seemed to make everything worse. Am hoping it settles down but if its still not great on monday I might start a course of steroids.

Apparently I am too well sounding to do anything and I've just to keep up what I am doing.

It's frustrating 😩