Covid Lungs 40 plus plus plus

[SimpleKindofLife]

New thread for those having longer symptoms of Covid.

Hi all I've been feeling worse than ever at night times over last week today woke with fever 38.4 pulse 131 sob and was terrified I called 999 after speaking to them I got put thru to the clinician 111 now waiting for oout of hours go to call. So far they think it sounds like active covid rather than post viral. Which is weird as I'm on at least day 43 since first symptoms (started around 20/3 with also a weird similar incident 18/2) so I'll wait to see what ooh go says will update. Hope you all had ok nights and fingers crossed we'll get there

Hey @Lightsabre , I hope you're doing okay.

Yeah today is my 5wk anniversary. 36 days or 40 from subtle SOB.

This week I have noticed an overall improvement when I think back but I am still suffering.

The debilitating chronic fatigue that started about 2 weeks ago is improving day by day. I feel stronger with more stamina. I'm up pottering a lot in the day and doing a little computer work but my calf muscles ache like anything and my legs go shaky if I stand for too long.

Body thermostat is still unpredictable. My face often feels hot / sunburned and I occasionally heat up to 37.3 in the middle of the day.

My pounding heart beat is still very noticeable -- especially at night or if I lay flat. But it's improving in terms of severity and frequency. I think it's racing less too.

My biggest issue is still SOB. It has improved (especially in the past week), but I still have good Vs bad days and constantly loose my breath throughout the day. It's still stopping me from any type of normal existence.

My main other symptoms are chest tightness, back pain and raw lungs. These pingpong in severity from non-existent to moderate -- compared to the uniform SOB.

I started doing very short walks on Tuesday. Probably 200 meters to begin with. I'm taking it very slowly and still only up to about 1/2 a mile, if that. I still can't believe I've gone from 3 hours of exercise p/d to talking about walking a few hundred meters. It's surreal.

I did make to the family allotment yesterday to sit for a while and enjoy the view. The wind was quite strong and the air was much colder. When I returned home my chest felt cold and raw and I had terrible SOB for the remainder of the day. Not making that mistake again.

One new / returning symptom this week is trembling in the night. In my 1st / 2nd week I'd awake and be shaking / trembling, with a pounding heart, heavy drunk feeling / disorientation, soaking wet and very hot. What I've been experienced these past few nights is far, far milder version. I awake with pounding heart, very subtle trembling and feeling way too hot. It's a long way away from those awful first weeks but it's still disconcerting.

Sorry for the long post.

How are you getting on? Have you noticed any improvements or changes with your symptoms?

Cheers,

@emoojoo that sounds scary! I hope you get some help from the OOH. Have you been tested?

@pinkoneblueone that is so frustrating, sending love
@Moodgie I forgot to say the other symptom was breathlessness
@Lightsabre no advice just antibiotics. They wanted to change them as they were containing it but not improving it. But when I was discharged it was the original antibiotics. My GP then prescribed them for me but it turns out there is a National shortage of it (lexoflaxocin). I'm on doxycycline and co-amixoclav. My GP says I'm not allowed to get any worse and if I do I need to call 111, the GP (if open) or go back to A&E.

The only advice I have is rest and laying on your front really helps

What is the other forum for us people? I think it's American

Good morning everyone. Day 33.
I thought I had a dodgy night but actually the last three nights have been milder than previous.
I had the weird dream thing again and woke up heart pounding. After some deep breathing I remembered to check sats and pulse was 70 and o2 97, they must have dropped down in my sleep.
I didn't wake up covered in sweat and shivering which is a step up. Temp was also normal as I felt as though I had a temp, everything buzzing.
I also managed to go back to sleep!
I do find sleeping hard, if I have any pressure on my ribcage my heart pounds. I was sleeping on my front until two weeks ago but now it's too painful, I think its swollen. I hope that's a sign of healing.
I had stabby crampy pain in my foot and this morning its gentle pins and needles.

@pinkoneblueone
I’ve got medical friends/family ( dry useful, my own private 111!)
I get reassurance as I generally don’t get much sympathy. I’ve been told several times that if I had a bacterial pneumonia, the recovery time is 3-6 months, with relapses if you overdo it, and to expect the same with this. I consciously try to only think about how I’m feeling on a Friday, and week to week there is an improvement.
I’ve found steam really helps, as do endless cups of herbal tea.
I hope you have a better day today - Sunday is onesie day in my house.

Morning everyone, glad to see some are improving. Strength to others having a dip. @WorrisomeDad I am the same. Generally feeling good BUT still stuck with chest ache/burn and sob if I do anything over a gentle walk. I too hope it is post viral rather than damage. My doctor assures me it's temporary (over the phone without seeing me 🙄) hope she's right.

@MillStone my main symptoms were burning. I started with a sore throat but it was like a burning sensation rather than swollen then I had the burning lungs -tight band and heavy feeling. Along with that I had heartburn and occasional burning diarrhoea. I had terrible fatigue and felt hot and cold but my actual temperature was never that high. I had the cough too but it wasn’t the worse symptom oh and stabbing pains in my left lung. This went on for about three weeks and over time since then I’ve had ups and downs.

What changed for me is difficult to say but I think it was pushing myself to go out everyday for a walk. It helps my mental state immensely and I do feel tired after it but I was sitting in the house feeling tired anyway so at least I feel this tiredness is warranted.

I think a big difference for me is that I work in the NHS so my expectations of what it can provide are probably lower than some of you... and that was pre COVID19. There are no experts in this virus. Just doctors and nurses who are learning on the job. The sad fact is you could take anyone of us and send us to ten different doctors and they would all give us slightly different advice as demonstrated on these threads.

What works for me is distraction and trying not to think too much about what all my symptoms mean. I am post viral now and that’s good enough for me. I’ve almost drawn a line under it as I know that I was in danger of becoming obsessed. I have a pulse oximeter and that is very reassuring - if it says my sats are fine then I know I’m ok even if I don’t feel it.

I hope today brings an improvement for all of you

@toothfairy73, thank you. I have Doxycycline too but haven't taken it yet as the A and E doc said my chest was clear. I'm still on the antibiotics for oral thrush as a result of the Amoxicillin. One of the side effects is nausea which I'm experiencing. Hoping you feel better once the antibiotics kick in.

@MillStone, I feel exactly the same as you apart from the night stuff. I've slept well throughout apart from the last few nights as lying on my front has become uncomfortable due to a tight chest. My windpipe feels 'raw' again so I might try steaming. I haven't been out since my funny turn last Weds but will try to do a very short walk today if my legs/breathing will let me! I wasn't a fitness person before this so reconciled to it taking a long time - hopefully due to your level of fitness you might recover more quickly. I've lost over a stone during this illness (which is a good thing for me!).

@godhelpusall, I think the American one is called Slack.

@emoojoo, hope you got some medical support

Thanks @Bornlazy - I think that's the problem- we know we are alone medically in this as we're the pioneers as it were. By the end of the year there will be a lot more medical knowledge and data I suppose. Hopefully clinical services will be up and running again fairly soon so we can have scans etc if we're still experiencing problems.

Good morning all. I had a better night but woke up with chest tightness and chest pain. I am fed up. I used blue and brown inhalers and they eased breathlessness but mentally so tired.

@Millstone I too fluctuate between little to no chest pain to it coming on. It can be daily or hourly no reason. However the sob is always there in the background waiting to appear with any exertion.

Morning
After 2 days in and out of bed had over ten hours sleep and feel much better. Day 49 for me. Husband over did yesterday and suffered shortness of breath last night but once he got off to sleep had a good night. Today he is tired bit has decided to have a day when he really takes it easy. Day 35 for him. We try to take each day as it comes now and have decided if it does not get done its not a problem as no one else is going to see it.
So sorry for any one having a bad day it is hard but we are all moving forward if slowly.

Morning, here is a link for the Covid Slack group.

www.wearebodypolitic.com/body-type/2020/4/27/the-covid-19-support-group

You'd think for the red areas at A&E they'd be wearing more than a flimsy mask though. I really hope I haven't exposed myself to it. I'm going to be worrying for the nect 14 days now. An dh is very vulnerable. I did get given a mask but those paper masks don't block everything. Surely the staff there are at high risk for carrying the disease.

@Bornlazy Hey, thanks yeah I know what you mean about the importance of distraction, especially for helping SOB. A few of us have mentioned the lack of fever too, which is annoying when it's such a key Covid question.

@Lightsabre Our timelines and symptoms really have been so similar. I'm sorry to hear about your funny turn. If it helps I've been walking very slowly and using a scarf wrapped around my face to protect my chest - except the allotment mistake. I hope you can get back out soon.

I've put a stone on! When I fell ill I was told I had to eat more. Hovering around the low / underweight mark and not exercising has mean quite a rapid weight gain. This anxiety coupled with the anxiety of everything else is really taking its toll.

@Kitcat122 Your back at work aren't you? Has your SOB been improving or declining since your return? As well as the chest and lung pains, I find my SOB fluctuates in severity too. 1 minute awful and suddenly the fog lifts and it can become laboured yet peaceful.

Morning! Please talk to me about oximeters. They range form £14-84 on Amazon. Obviously I'd rather not buy cheap, buy twice or buy cheap and have a heartattack everytime it gives me a worrying (inaccurate cos it's cheap and naff) reading. Are the cheaper ones OK? I'd rather not spend out £80 on one.

I'm on day 51. Am now on Doxy (having had amoxi week 2) and a blue inhaler. Was feeling great 10 days ago. No chest pain for 4 days and a couple of gentle walks, then BANG. Pains again. Finally got seen by a real person. O2 was 99, lungs and heart sounded normal. Pains and setbacks are "Probably due to inflammation that is affecting rest of body, unlikely to still have virus in body. Most people make and full recovery but some won't and I'm really sorry, we don't know what the means or looks like right now.' All I can do is take meds and rest, rest, rest. Not easy with 4 children and work, eh?

@emoojoo hope you're getting seen today. My GP said similar, that it might be active Covid when I'd had it for a month, I think some haven't seen the waves of recurring symptoms for themselves, yet.
On the fever thing, mine never went over 37.8, but that plus the other symptoms (esp breathlessness) was enough for my GP to call it Covid.

@Millstone yes I'm back to work part time. My chest is not worse from work but I don't feel it's getting much better. Maybe possibly a little longer periods between pain but really at a snails pace. But no dips or setbacks which is a positive.

@Millstone I think I'm on a par with you symptoms wise.
I can add lightheadedness/dizziness into the mix too. My SoB hasn't been too bad this last week

Morning all,
Sorry I haven't been on for a few days, but wanted to drop in to update on my progress.

Day 49 for me - My chest pain (suspected costochondritis from viral pneumonia) and palpitations have gone. I still get the odd twinge around the chest and lower back, but it's vastly improved from 2.5 weeks ago, where I thought I was having a heart attack and the kidney infection now seems to have cleared up.

The PPI medication for GERD reflux from the stomach infection finally seems to be getting rid of the sore/swollen throat that i've had for 5 weeks. @Moodgie it has taken around a week being on this, but really seems to have helped, so wanted to let you know. Still have a bit of a stiff neck, but some walking seems help with this.

For any new posters I had: SOB, then viral pneumonia, kidney infection, stomach pains, bad fatigue for 4 weeks, chest pains and the last symptom is sore/swollen throat. I couldn’t get tested, but GP is pretty sure I had it and I’m now I the post viral stage. I’ve had in and my chest x ray and bloods last week came back all clear, which is positive that there doesn’t appear to be any lasting damage.

Still managing to work 5-6 hours a day from home and have been able to walk for an hour and do some gardening for the last few days without any relapse. Even managed a few beers the last two evenings and I hadn't dared touch alcohol from about week 1, when symptoms hit my stomach.

@WorriesomeDad, @onlinelinda, @TheWooisStrong and @letsbesensible glad you all seem to be doing well and let’s hope it continues.

@longshot, @fedupofbed, @Meercatmama; @pinkoneblueone, @Tangledyarn, @baroqueandblue and @TheDrsWife46, hopefully the remaining symptoms will soon start to clear for you all and I hope my post is helpful, as we’ve all had this a long time and we have all been helped by positive posts from others.

So many on this thread has been so supportive and sorry if I’ve missed anyone, but I will continue posting to hopefully provide some hope that you will improve. Resting, healthy eating/lots of fluids and not doing overdoing it is essential. @bornlazy glad you are doing well and agree, I had a lot of anxiety and struggled mentally at the start, but with this thread , support from my GP and trying to occupy myself has really helped with this. I would recommend breathing exercises and mindfulness, as it’s really good for anxiety. Whilst it’s a long road, it does get better and thank you to everyone again for your support, when I was getting really down.

Take care all and hope you all have good days. X

Please talk to me about oximeters. They range form £14-84 on Amazon. Obviously I'd rather not buy cheap, buy twice or buy cheap and have a heartattack everytime it gives me a worrying (inaccurate cos it's cheap and naff) reading. Are the cheaper ones OK? I'd rather not spend out £80 on one.

You can download an oximeter app onto your phone. I have an iphone one that has excellent reviews regarding it's accuracy. They are around a fiver.

@isitorisntit, my dh got a good one from our local pharmacy for £20. We got another one from EBay for the same price but it's a bit flimsier/plasticky. Both read the same.

I've been trying to read as much as I can from Korea, as they just have the best handle on this and are doing fantastic research as they are monitoring everyone who has been infected. And they have done extensive research on all of the "reinfected patients." What they have found is that the tests are picking up on shards of dead virus. As in the antibodies have destroyed them but their remnants will remain in the cells until the cells regenerate. Respiratory cells have a 90 day half life so the viral shards can remain detectable in some people for at least that long.

So that's the science. Here's the completely uneducated speculation. I wonder, if the viral shards are still detectable by tests, if they could also be detectable by our immune systems. Are our immune systems still reacting to these dead bits of virus in our cells? Is that the reason for this continued inflammation. As the symptoms came back for so many of following exercise/exertion could it be that as soon as our body felt under pressure the immune system became alert and detected the dead bits of virus and attacked?