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.

Hey all. Sorry to here of so many fellow long sufferers. It's coming up to the two month mark for me and although in some ways I feel better, I have developed what feels like arthritis in both wrists and knees and pins and needles in my right hand.

The fatigue comes and goes and the fecking cough just will not quit me. I'm also getting bouts of brain fog although that could be peri-menopause.

I've been trying to follow an anti-inflammatory diet the past couple of days and I have some green clay to use as a mask on my chest as a 70 year old friend of mine, who has had Covid, said it seemed to help her. Worth a punt.

with all due respect, I think your daughter is wrong. I think only those that are going/have been through this for such a lengthy period, can fully understand and appreciate its effects. I also think this whole 'cough and temperature' guide book has grossly misinformed the public. Then again, when does the average layperson ever get heard/listened to?!

I couldn't agree more! I dread her FaceTimes now as I constantly feel I have to justify myself. I love her to pieces though, it's not her fault. She did say she thought there might be diff strains of the virus in circulation.

Dr checked my toes and legs for discolouration and rashes. He said they were getting quite a few people in with purple blotches on their toes and that they’ve realised it’s a symptom. He said that the hospital dermatology dept are very interested in this and are now doing research on skin rashes/discolouration due to Covid. So anyone presenting with Covid Toes (our term, not official!) at the hospital is being referred to the dermatology dept. Worth bearing in mind.

That's interesting.... I thought they were mozzie bites and treated them as such but wondered why they weren't responding to treatment. Then I read an article about the Covid toes.

Yesterday I had some blotches on my thigh which went eventually, today I have smaller ones on both thighs. Someone shared a Guardian article yesterday that mentioned these. This has given me proper anxiety now. Anyone else?

@Moodgie I have a couple of purple foot blotches that come and go, any of my weird rash symptoms come and go from day to day

Hello again - long time no see!
Day 51
Well having felt I was a bit better although still coughing like a trooper a week ago, 4 days ago, the cough got worse again, I got the prickly feeling as if I have an infection of some sort, so I rang the Dr and he prescribed antibiotics as the cough was starting to be productive and my breathing was a bit shallow. Two days antibiotics, still coughing if I talk, breathe deeply, or laugh!

Filled in my Covid 19 Tracker yesterday and saw there is now a part to report sores on hands or feet, my hands have been itchy and flaky, for weeks, which I put down to all the washing, Within an hour of reporting, this I’mMorning, I got an email, asking me to go for a test as part of their research.

So, I’ve just been. I’m pretty sure I should be clear of the virus after this time - if of course it was, but I have never had anything last this long, or be so weird!

I’m really cross too that most of my time on lockdown, I’ve felt too rough to enjoy the break!

I will let you know, but feel antibody testing would be more appropriate. Anyone else had an email?

@norugratsatall you might want to show your daughter these links previously posted by others:

blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2020/05/05/paul-garner-people-who-have-a-more-protracted-illness-need-help-to-understand-and-cope-with-the-constantly-shifting-bizarre-symptoms/?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=socialnetwork

www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/health-52548843

@Paddlinglikehell can you link to the Covid symptom checker please? Thank you.

@Egghead68 I will - thank you!

@sleepwhenidie
My 11 year old has been ill for 7.5 weeks and the doctor has advised keeping to a routine where possible of getting up and starting school work at the same time each day, stopping for half an hour’s break when it’s too much. He’s been extremely fatigued the last week but the headaches, stomach pains, dizzy periods and nerve pains seem to be slightly reducing in intensity and frequency. I am keen to stick to him being properly up and dressed with some structure to the day, if nothing else it will help me to monitor a hopefully upwards trend in recovery. I’m also going to be more organised in recording his ratings of pain each day, eg whether the headache is 5 or 8 out of ten on a scale of pain. My son is fed up but has not been anxious at all (although he is frightened by some of the sharp nerve pains, and has asked me if I thought Coronavirus would reduce his life expectancy). I have been secretly extremely stressed and hope that charting any small improvements will help me see light at the end of the tunnel, even if recovery does take 3 months (doctor advised me that this could be the case after any nasty virus)

@Norugratsatall. It’s an app. You can get it from the App Store and it for daily reporting. I’ve been doing it since It started and it’s developed a lot since then.

It’s providing information for research being done by Kings College and ZOE.

Thank you fedup and scampasaur. Her school is attempting (possibly a bit too ambitiously I think) to maintain a full timetable of schoolwork and we are strongly encouraging her to do as much as she can because she gets super anxious about falling behind and that will make things even worse. So she is waking up and working most of the day but invariably she stays in bed to do it (she has to stay in her room as we have 3 kids doing online learning at the same time and youngest, who needs supervision is downstairs). She keeps just coming to see me and weeping because she ‘feels so rubbish’ . For the last few days I’ve got her to keep a diary of symptoms and 1-10 for how bad she feels, in the hope that we will see a pattern of improvement - it’s bad enough as adults but with kids perception of time she feels like she has been ill forever and thinks she might never feel normal!

Oh great...new possible symptoms (day 47/48). Sore boobs yesterday and gynae pain today. I am menopausal and have been on HRT since last July with no pains or issues. Covid or coincidence???

Is it my confirmation bias or are there quite a few posters on this thread who are menopausal/peri menopausal?

I’m not sure - I think there are quite a few in their late 30s

@sleepwhenidie
I made it sound like he’s powering through the work when he has actually only managed 1.5 out of 6 subjects today! But while it feels unlucky and very difficult that he’s got the virus early whilst so little is known about it, at least he’s not missing proper school (which he adores). Quite a few subjects are setting research projects that I’m hoping he can at least get the reading for caught up with in the summer holidays. Wishing your daughter and everyone else on here a much brighter weekend with a massive leap towards recovery.

I saw that too @egghead 126 days I also read of people having 3 tests when we struggle to get even one! I may leave it too as there is a lot of posters and it is in my feed more than I'd like.

@Egghead68 I have had had the boob pain, really annoying!

I’m not menopausal. I’m 38 and haven’t now started any symptoms related yet.

Day 57 and having a bit of a dip after quite a lot of good days! Resting and hoping it doesn’t last long! Mainly high HR and headache that I can’t shift.

Hi all, day 52 here. I still use brown and blue inhalers twice a day. Now 3pm. No symptom at all since I woke up. I am very energetic and enjoyed gardening with my 3 years old.

Hopefully no symptom anymore today!

@scampersaur thanks, I hope your DS feels better soon too. My DD feels just the same about school and is definitely missing it more than my boys. We have tried to convince her to focus on key subjects (maths mainly) to keep up - everything else, as far as I’m concerned, can wait, but she can’t see that.
I’m glad that I have found someone to share notes with, no other DC’s that I’m aware of have been like this.

I ask about peri/menopause because it’s my impression that this virus messes with hormones and cycles too - seems to be my experience and at least one friend’s.

@sleepwhenidie I am 45 and very perimenopausal for about 3 years so far. I'm not on hrt. Incidentally I had an email from the covid 19 tracker people today mentioning that they are looking at hrt and hormones mentioning professor Janet rymer who is looking at whether oestrogen plays protective part in covid treatment there's a webinar about this today 5pm on YouTube on joinzoe.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=48d605e2453cb0ad3892e077d&id=6292d4101e&e=c9fb6d2292

@sleepwhenidie and @Scampersaur my 9yo dd had it for weeks and weeks- I'm still not entirely convinced that it's gone. Hers was dizziness and nausea with sore throat, ears etc. She complains every few days now that she has tummy ache or feels sick and I'm never sure if it's that or something else. I hate this virus.

@alittleprivacy I had the same mindset at the start of this week. Decided I was concentrating too much on missing my cardio workouts and running so decided instead of moaning I would think differently and as well as walkng I would do some light yoga. Felt amazing stretching my body and chest felt great having a good stretch with yoga breathing. Then bam that night terrible chest pain back and has lasted until yesterday when decided to finally take nurofen. Don't know if it was the yoga or whether I would have relapsed anyway 😩.

Thanks emoo I wonder how many kids are actually suffering like this. I guess the fact that they (thankfully) don’t need hospitalising it is being overlooked at the moment...