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.

I've had a short course of prednisolone (sp?) over the last week and my breathing eased significantly over the same period. However other symptoms (sore throat, hot lungs) have returned and I feel like I may be starting to dip so am not shouting "yay miracle cure" just yet.

@mittens030689

Yes i am just alternating recently between feeling hot and feeling cold. I didn't have a temperature for a few weeks now and recently started to feel warmer again. I don't know if this is part of post viral fatigue. So tired of this

Virtual hugs and a clean bill of health (if only I could wave a wand!) to everyone feeling shit at the moment. A day at a time.

Day 54 here and no signs of improvement. Still getting terrible lung\ upper back pain, waves of lightheadness, sore throat that comes and goes, headaches, weight loss and severe gastric problems.

Gastric problems are now so bad I've made an appointment with a private consultant. Is anyone on here suffering from gastric problems? (diarrohea, abdominal pain, lower back pain, loss of appetite, nausea etc)

So far all the tests I've had have come back normal, ecg, chest X-Ray, bloods. So I'm puzzled as to why I have these awful symptoms. The only thing that has flagged up in my blood test is that I'm low in VITAMIN D.
This is interesting because I read reports that say there's a correlation between vitamin D deficiency and the severity of Covid.

I used to be fit and healthy and now I can't even walk around the house without being breathless and having to lie down. I'm not even strong enough to do the vacuuming. As the days and weeks are passing my hopes of a full recovery are fading but I have a child and I have to do everything I can to recover for him.
I honestly can't believe the nightmare I'm in and I know you are all in the same boat. I hope the medical profession will start to do something for us soon because I don't know about the rest of you, but I feel in limbo with no help.

Sorry to hear so many are also struggling at this late stage

At the beginning of last week I had had a few quite good days and was feeling optimistic but last Wednesday (in week 7) I had yet another disappointing dip. At first it was just increased shortness of breath but then a return to the low grade fever (37.8) that has been a common characteristic for me. After a couple of days my heart rate then went up by about 20bpm at rest and similar further increase when walking (peaking at 152 on a very short slow walk, when I'd had it down to a peak of 118 on a longer walk a few days before) with regular palpitations and lightheadedness.
Today my temp is down slightly 37.6 and my heart rate is better but now this afternoon I've got abdominal pain and diarrhoea (a previous feature in weeks 1,2 and 4/5)...

It really is relentless and I can relate to anyone else feeling low and and bit hopeless...

A chest xray in week 6 showed infection still in one of my lungs (antibiotics haven't changed symptoms though) so I know I have to be careful and I can rationalise the shortness of breath on exertion but the constant changes are exhausting.

Anyone else still having temp fluctuations or abdominal symtoms?

@Howlongwillthislast Definitely snap with the gastric problems, I'm regularly puking and there are some foods I just can't keep down. I always used to have a cast iron stomach.

A private consultation isn't something I've thought of, though, maybe it's worth thinking about, if this goes on much longer. (Though from what you've said, it probably won't reveal much, so it might just make me more despondent.)

A lot of what you've shared describes me to a T do you really have my sympathy.

Part of my tooth just fell out.
Why does the universe hate me so much?

It doesn't feel painful but tender, it's on the bottom front of the tooth. I've ordered some emergency filler stuff, I hope it arrives quickly and works. Even if I could find a dentist there's no chance they would agree to see me.

@Howlongwillthislast I have had morning nausea and runny tummy. Only mornings though, then I am ok, and I eat fine.

My nausea comes and goes, now I think about it. There have been times when I appeared to have recovered but then I started puking again. Although there are some things that never agree with me now, like pizza sadly (as it's something I love). I suppose at least my taste appears to have come back, I only ate because I knew I had to for several weeks and couldn't taste anything.

@Howlongwillthislast and @Mittens030869 - no sooner have I posted worried about return of gut issues and I see you both have this too! This thread is so helpful. It hasn't been constant for me, the longest it's lasted is 3-4 days but have also had on off nausea (but no vomiting).

It really feels like there are 'flare ups' of the virus and it just does a rampage around various parts of the body before settling a bit ready to do it all again.

Thank you @Mittens030869. Sorry to hear you're going through the same thing as me. I used to have a cast iron stomach too. Now it's a distant memory...
I'll let you know what the consultant says when I've spoken to him, hopefully later this week.
My gastric problems started about a week after I started getting chest pains and shortness of breath. I thought it would clear up after a week or so but it's continued for nearly 7 weeks now and getting worse, if anything.

@Moodgie I have nausea and diarrhoea in the morning also and throughout the day. Have you experienced any stomach pain?

@Mittens030869 my nausea is really bad in the morning and then comes and goes throughout the day. I've changed my diet to bland foods to try to resolve the diarrohea, no spicy food, cakes, pizza, red meat, crisps at but it hasn't worked so far. I feel really sorry for you vomitting, that's awful.

@Needsomegoodnews yes, that's what I feel like, that the virus is rampaging around my body. I've had pains all over the place. They go away for a short while then start all over again!

Thank you, @Howlongwillthislast I hope it's a helpful appointment. I suspect it's just such a new virus that they have no answers at the moment. I've just been prescribed antibiotics and anti nausea medication but nothing has made any difference or it's only been temporary.

Hopefully we'll both find a solution eventually.

I'm also concerned for my DH, as he has asthma. I'm told that I'm probably not infectious now, but I'm still coughing a lot so I'm unsure. We can't afford for both of them s to be knocked out like this. And schools will be opening up soon too, which is a new risk, but obviously it has to happen eventually.

Hopefully there will be a vaccine eventually.

Thank you for your kind words. The puking has been horrible. I've found ways to limit my diet, but it's becoming very frustrating now.

@Howlongwillthislast - hopefully the private consultant will be able to give you some advice/medicine. There are lymph nodes and glands apparently in the stomach so they might be irritated. I too am nauseous in the mornings but finding eating small amounts helps a bit.

@Lightsabre That's an interesting suggestion. If the private consultation is helpful, it will inspire me to look for a private consultation as well.

I'm really grateful for the support on here. It's helped to find people going through similar experiences, though I'm very sorry you're all going through this nightmare as well.

God help me. I've just had a really unpleasant turn whilst in the garden, horrible feeling of dizzy/sick/clammy and doom. I've been well for ages, I'd it back? I almost called 111 but I am lying down and feel slightly better

I'm lying down had tea and toast feel slightly better. Might be blood sugar. I had a similar feeling when I first got it though. Should I ring dr tomorrow?

I could go with a handhold 😢

@godhelpusall Could it be a panic attack?

@Howlongwillthislast I had tummy pain for one day I think. Other than that it is toilet rush in th morning and nausea which I think is caused by that.

I'm so sorry, @godhelpusall that sounds very scary. That's the thing with this virus, it keeps coming back when we think we're on the mend, there are so many 'false dawns'. Yes I would call the GP tomorrow, I've always found that they call back quickly and do try to find a solution.

for you

Hi @Tootsey11 I may be able to help with the high HR on exertion.

I got back to a pretty much normal heart rate when resting (60-65bpm) quite quickly, but it shot up whenever I moved. Walking up the stairs caused my heart rate to go up to about 130bpm, and a ten minute walk on flat ground was 150bpm+. I'm pretty fit, and so there was clearly something wrong. Also, I have struggled to fight off the symptoms of this wretched virus - eye infections, occasional breathlessness, and the weirdest one is the sense I am breathing through peppermint (or cold air) when I take a breath.

After a couple of late night visits to A&E with sustained tachycardia, which wouldn't settle for several hours, my brilliant GP organised a referral to a cardiologist. She did a 24 hour ECG and a heart ultrasound. The ECG showed a huge variation in heart beat, but was otherwise normal, and the heart ultrasound was also normal. Her diagnosis is a post-viral condition - it was as vague as that. She offered plenty of encouragement that the structure of my heart has not been damaged and I will get better. She told me it is not unusual after a virus, and with some people it may take days, others take weeks, and some take months.

She prescribed a very small dose of a beta blocker as a short term treatment, and that has really helped, although I was very reluctant to take it. Heart rate is back to normal (even on the low side), and I am able to exercise again (without my heart rate shooting up). The horrible jittery feeling I had is gone too, and the multiple palpitations where I felt my heart literally trying to bounce out of my chest have largely stopped. Interestingly, the cardiologist said she had seen a number of people recently with very similar symptoms (some of whom had been tested as CV19+, others, like me, just had a history of symptoms). Now I just have to get rid of the other symptoms of this wretched virus which keep trying to come back...

Hope that helps reassure - that said, if you have symptoms you are worried about, please do see your GP rather than just rely on my experience.

Spoke to a friend who seems to have had it and so does her daughtet at uni. They have had a shorter and milder version than us here, but she says they are still
both getting tired easily. I think a lot of people take a long time.