Covid Lungs Week 7/Day 49 and onwards

[Dandyish]

Support thread for those who've had Covid symptoms or post-viral fatigue for at least 7 weeks/49 days or longer.

If your symptoms haven't lasted that long, check out the Lung 7 thread (or later).It'll be more helpful as people there will be in a more similar position.

@Wingingit15 No, that was my first and only test. My GP is fairly sure I've had Covid-19 though, for what it's worth.

@Valsemove I haven’t hear of antigen tests - do you mean this is the normal cv swab test to show the infection, the one key workers are eligible for?
@Wingingit15 I thought the antibody tests were not reliable enough to be used commonly yet?

Has anybody else felt different since the weather system changed? On Saturday night I was eating a dinner of takeaway junk food when all of a sudden I took the nicest breath I'd had since my first 'recovery' at the start of April. My hayfever type symptoms disappeared, my sore throat is mostly gone but best of all my breathing is very close to normal.

I still have the pain in the back of my right lung at times. And the pain in my sternum is still there, it feels heavy and almost like a big bruise outside and burning inside, it tends to be better in the morning and deteriorate through the day. I also have bad PMS symptoms which I shouldn't have for at least another week. So I'm still not better but being able breathe easily again is amazing and really energising compared to having to work at it.

@alittleprivacy I've been doing better since the weather cooled. Some of that is general progression but my breathing feels a lot more "normal" (sometimes) and my skin burning thing definitely gets worse when it's hot.

I was dramatic last night, I felt dreadful.
Only just got up so I am hoping that raft will help.

I want to go to the allotment to sow more seeds but don't think I dare be so far from the loo.

I keep thinking of those who had the worse of the virus, I can't imagine it

Hope everyone and partners and families are healing and feeling better

@Egghead68 Thanks Yeah I'm hoping I'll feel a bit better when the steroids are out of my system, they always make me feel quite edgy which isn't helping me physically right now!

I thought they said antibodies. I’m really stumped and genuinely quite glum as cannot imagine being this ill for so long without something substantially wrong with me if it has not been covid!

@adag I didn't get fully fledged COVID toes but around 7 weeks I got a bruise on my big toe that looked a bit scabby on top. It has healed I know of other ladies who had this earlier on and it has taken a while but is healing now.

Hello everyone on week 7 or 9 since mild cold.
I'm no worse no better, I'm finding the crawlingly slow progress frustrating now.
My chest pains are still there, but diminishing.
I have ice cold hands and feet.
The heartburn is back to crippling despite the omeprazole
And the slight dizzy fizzy lightheadedness is back, although again, not as bad as a couple of weeks ago. My ear is alternatively blocked or leaking, I'm putting it down to that.
Pulse is slightly better. If I sit down it rapidly drops to 70s. If I stand still after moving it drops a bit too. Which is reassuring.
My bloodwork has come back weird.
I'm not anaemic, i am on the lower end of normal, but I have high ferritin levels. I guess to begin with the virus destroyed a load of red blood cells and theres a load of debris floating around.
I've stopped the vitamin c and I'm wondering about coming off the pill at the end of the packet for a couple of months. Apparently women are better at disposing of ferratin than men this way and I took the pill for heavy periods anyway.
And I'm eating lots of wholemeal stuff and nuts and things which help soak it up.
I'm concerned as high ferritin can damage kidneys and mine are damaged anyway.
It's not super high, I have another test booked for july. So I shall wait and see.
My CRP levels are super super low which is perfect. I'm not sure how this explains my chest pain but this virus does like to keep us guessing!

@wingingit15 my doctor took a test for my antibodies recently too I am hoping it's to find out but I would be absolutely devastated if it came back negative too. I think I will call to check.

@crayfishforyou ask them to check for hemochromatossis. It's quite rare my husband has it, his liver retains too much iron. It's worth having that looked at. Just incase

The heartburn is back to crippling despite the omeprazole

A bad heartburn like feeling can be a symptom of costochondritis. It's not actually heartburn but how the inflammation feels internally.

@Tangledyarn, you are really going through the mill. How would the steroids normally help? I have a feeling my GP will prescribe them soon for the breathlessness but I'm worried about taking them when I have no diagnosis of anything.

@alittleprivacy, really glad you could get some normal breathing - it helps to push you forward/give you some hope.

@Crayfishforyou, my Ferritin levels are really high too - also thinking of coming off the pill but don't want all the extra discomfort on top of everything else really.

Can I ask how any of you got referred for an antibody test, can you ask for them from a GP? I would like to know.
I’m having a shit day today, aching glands, head, ears, prickly cold twinges in nerves in random places, toes and hands currently (can’t really describe it but it’s new and that’s what it feels like), low grade fever again and absolutely exhausted and in bed again.
I did not at all overdo it yesterday or day before and felt pretty Ok then, I haven’t been outside for a couple of days. I don’t understand it. Do any of you call your GP if you relapse or do you just get on with it? I don’t know what the real point of calling would be, I just feel like it’s all so wierd I kind of want the reassurance that the GP knows about it.

@pinkoneblueone interested to hear the result x

@Fishflakes I got sent to hospital. The gp did no tests at all other than blood and ecg

@Fishflakes I'm sorry to hear this, you sound like you just need to rest today. It's that mantra ... rest, rest and more rest. I'm sure you're sick of hearing it.

My GP said to call back if symptoms worsened or if my chest pains caused extreme SOB. So, no I have t called in for about 3 weeks - which was when she prescribed the (useless) antibiotics. My family are sick of me complaining about the same symptoms week after week with no improvement and have all but lost interest.... so I do feel very much on my own with this! Thank goodness for this thread.

@Fishflakes I called my GP once when my resting heart rate was continuously very high and I got sent to A&E. Otherwise I have just managed relapses at home. I don’t know that there is much they can do apart from advise painkillers, fluid and test.

@wingingit15 it was the me nurse that told me I was having it done. The doctor just said, I'm going to test something else too. I found out what it was at my blood test so I am hoping it's for this

I am really confused now so some people have had antibody tests in the UK this week? I didn’t know one existed yet that had been approved. Or maybe it hasn’t but they’re using it.

But god yes so hard to get a negative result. I don know what to say.

@Fishflakes, I had a private finger prick one around Day 30 (I'm now Day 43). It was negative and is supposed to pick up antigens and antibodies. Awaiting the Govt one just in case that was a false negative. Or face up the fact that what I have isn't C19 o, if it is, I haven't developed antibodies

@longshot they are doing antibody tests on a representative sample of the population to give them an idea of how many have had it. They are not considered reliable enough on an individual basis but give some sort of idea at a group level.

You can also buy them privately.

Eight weeks tomorrow for me and I still have residual chest pain, heat and tightness.

Spoke to doctor today who suggested high likelihood of past case of Covid and post viral syndrome such as costchondritis or Tietze's syndrome.

Interestingly, he said many suspected cases didn't have a fever or even a dry cough. Their knowledge of the virus is constantly evolving.

patient.info/signs-symptoms/chest-pain-leaflet/costochondritis

@Lightsabre So the steroids would normally help with my asthma, so wheezing, tight chest, struggling to breathe etc, they have helped with that, but I'd say they havent helped with the breathlessness really although have helped with some of the lung feelings (restricted/stiff/small) but itll be interesting to see what happens once they are out of my system (just had a short course at a high dose which is usual for asthma flare) x

Thanks @Tangledyarn - hopefully you can compare how you feel on them and off them. Really hope they give you some respite.