Covid Lungs 40 plus plus plus

[SimpleKindofLife]

New thread for those having longer symptoms of Covid.

@Countingsheeps Hope your results will be ok! I had the same pulse values as you when I called paramedics a few weeks back and I got so exhausted waiting 4 hours for the paramedics, that I fell asleep and my heart rate went down slowly by the time they arrived and my ECG was clear. I went to A&E for a chest x-ray last week and that was clear also. My symptoms are the same but always good to know tests have been done - I hope you will be ok! Sending good vibes and well wishes.

Thank you so much for your words of support and advice, and letting me get it off my chest.

I feel so physically ill but it's also such a mental struggle and I really have to work on this and accept each day as it comes with no expectations.

Luckily I have amazing support from DH who is looking after our 3 kids, the house and me, as well as all the work issues. He is my hero, but I worry about all the stress he's under and that I'm adding to.

@Bornlazy I know you're right about the self-monitoring. I'm trying not to check out the oximeter as much but tend to end up putting it back on again as soon as I feel a bit breathless.

My alternative solution for the anxious nights is the Fortunately podcasts - I'm gradually working my way through the whole backlog!

Thank you so much for your replies 🙏🏻

One thing I think is making it difficult for us to get help is that we're sort of in a limbo time frame - we've been ill for ages, but not quite long enough for doctors to be seriously concerned. I have a feeling it might be easier to get help if we're phoning up saying - it's been 12 weeks (god forbid!). So there isn't much willingness to look beyond the vital stats.

@mumlurker and @fedupofbed, really do hope you both improve soon. The fatigue is really debilitating and I really feel for you. Given the time it may be worth checking with the gp to see if there is anything they can suggest. @Countingsheeps hopefully your tests will come back all clear, I was worried when I went last week, but took a weight off once I got the results back. My chest palpitations and pulse did improve over time, so hopefully this will be the same for you X

@fedupofbed
CFS ideas for you to try - as you are online, can you follow some gentle in-bed movement or exercise to keep your muscles active?
And don’t get out of bed alone, make sure DH is accompanying you.

@Countingsheeps I'm sorry you're in A&E and hope you get your results and some reassurance soon.

@emoojoo I'm just reading back and see you've been through it today too. I'm glad results were all fine. It's reassuring but also frustrating because there seems to be nothing to explain why we feel so ill.

I've been in 3 times now (twice very early on) and the results have always been okay too.

@Meercatmama thank you
@dorual yes I was in the red zone. Yes that was a concern but still I had a mask and showered and washed all my clothes etc on getting home. Only saw one other patient in there this am.

@Gunner30 thank you.

Your updates are so great to hear. You had all the worse common symptoms, plus some other really horrible things on top, and it's wonderful that you've improved so much.

@fedupofbed thank you and hope you are doing ok too.

@Gunner30 thanks so much for posting with your updates. We need these rays of hope!

Thank you also @LetsBeSensible I'm going to look into this a bit more this afternoon.

I haven’t read all these threads sorry, but have any of you felt really properly better and then it’s come back? Like after 10 days of feeling well?

I haven’t been out at all since 18 March and then I had a virus which lasted several weeks. On and off sore throat, headache, aching back, a funny kind of breathless feeling, never recorded a temp over 37.6 but felt like I was burning up. It finally went and I’ve been fine but last Monday I started with what felt like a head cold. I thought maybe hay fever although I not usually a sufferer, but yesterday and today I feel really quite unwell again. Same thing with the temp, I feel like it’s high but it’s only 37.4, sore throat, headache and generally feeling crap. A week ago a friend brought me a present, stood well away on the doorstep but talked for nearly an hour which freaked me out, and other than that it’s just been shopping deliveries which I’m really careful with. I just don’t know how I could have caught anything. Friend and all her family are still well.

@Countingsheeps I was in A&E with the same symptoms a couple of days ago which they said were associated with raised troponin. I hope your results are reassuring or you get some answers at least.

@NaturalBornWoman I have had 2 periods where I felt better only for the symptoms to return. The longest was 4 days. I wouldn’t think 10 days is out of the question but who knows with this illness.

@emoojoo sorry you were in hospital but glad your results were fine.

@Gunner30 thank you for posting your update. I’m so pleased you are doing well.

@fedupofbed I am sorry you are having such a horrible day. I can totally relate. My only suggestion is very trashy Netflix series (Love is Blind, Too Hot to Handle etc.) to distract you.

A lot of us seem to be suffering from high heart rates at the moment. On the news they said it makes your blood “sludgy”. Maybe our hearts have to beat faster to push it round.

@emoojoo I believe the virus affects our hormones, my 11 year old started her period last month after having the virus and a few
Friends have have very heavy periods because of it too.

@fedupinbed i am very sorry to hear you are still so unwell. I have been struggling with thankfully manageable longer-term fatigue and other health issues for some time before this virus. I have read around fairly extensively on thyroid, nutrient deficiencies and chronic fatigue. Sarah myhill is a great source of information on the last one and the 4 pillar plan by dr rangan chattergee also has good general advice. A few things i have learnt along the way... (1) on blood tests it is often not good enough to be within the range, For example people are often symptomatic with low in range ferritin and b12 and our TSH thresholds in the uk are ridiculous. Always ask for a copy of your test results. (2) you need to learn as much as you can yourself and be your own advocate, our nhs is very good at many things, but dealing with chronic health issues is sadly not one of them. - (3) doctors are too willing to put things down to anxiety. I hope you are able to improve as your body deals with the after effects of this virus. Wishing you all the best.

@pinkoneblueone that's interesting, thank you - I guess we'll learn more about this sort of thing as time goes on. What a nightmare!

@NaturalBornWoman I had at least a week where I felt great (roughly day 14-21), before it came back. @emoojoo Glad you got checked out, it's reassuring and not, isn't it, when tests show nothing much, but you still have symptoms. I think lots of us are now considering this all as maybe being caused by post-viral overreacting immune systems and inflammation. @fedupofbed sorry you're suffering today. @Countingsheeps hope you get on OK at A&E.

Hoping to catch up on reading the thread later (it has been busy this morning!) but just jumping on to report that yesterday and today (so far) have, overall, been easier and kinder. Don't get me wrong, I'm still worried about my lungs and got shortness of breath, but feeling more energised and consequently more willing to do stuff around the place. Made a big veggie stew this morning, spoke to my brother on the phone for a while (we hardly ever call each other, so that was an achievement in itself), have started cleaning my kitchen and have a good feeling about the point I'm at. Finally! There'll still be dips, obvs, and the bacterial pneumonia is a big factor for me that some won't have had to reckon with. But I feel positive and optimistic (while at the same time taking a deep breath and feeling the burn/ache).

Feels like progress. I started with a sore throat and horrid headaches last week of Feb, and the monster stuff (pain, stiffness, struggling lungs etc) kicked in mid-March. #survivid

@Lightsabre my chest sounds clear too. They picked up the pneumonia on an ultrasound. Then I had a chest X-ray which they initially said was clear only to be told later there was a problem with the earlier scan, and on my discharge note it said the pneumonia could be seen on the X-ray so who knows. I've heard there is such a thing as silent pneumonia too.

Thank you for all your good wishes! It made the lonely wait in A&E that bit easier. I really don’t know what I would do without these threads, thank you to everyone

I am home now and thankfully all my tests were clear, so I am hugely relieved. I was lucky to have a lovely dr talk to me who advised me if it didn’t calm down to go through my gp to be referred to a specialist. He also said that he thinks I have had the virus and they just don’t know how or why it is affecting people so differently and they won’t really start to understand it until the decent antibody tests are rolled out and the results are back to be looked into. He thought my other symptoms (and possibly pulse) were post viral. Interestingly he didn’t once mention anxiety to me!

@Dorual I did go into the ‘covid’ area, but tbh I was the only person there and although I thought I would be worried about catching it, I am so sure I have had it, it didn’t bother me in the slightest. I was given a mask to put on even before I was allowed on the building!

Huge thanks again for making this morning easier for me. I really hope that this is over soon for all of us xxxx

Day 34?
Dizzy and palpitations day today. I'm a bit SoB, but its intermittent, and mostly I can yawn it through.
My heart was really REALLY racing this morning but either I've got used to it or its settled down. It's worse on an empty stomach I've noticed. I'm not as scared by my symptoms now, I'm getting more frustrated and annoyed. That must be an good sign.
DH narked me off by saying he NEEDED me to be well as he was so busy with work next week. Hes going to be out all week and gave me a list of school things to do. If I'd had the strength I'd have thrown something at him. If I can do the school stuff I will, if I cant then meh.

@fedupofbed that must be so so tough on you, I really hope you turn a corner.

@Countingsheeps that’s great news your test results were normal. I hope you can take it easy for the rest of the day.