COVID Lungs 8wks plus

[baroqueandblue]

Saw the previous thread is almost full. Hope I've not duplicated a new thread! And I might not be the best person to be custodian of this one, so feel free someone else to start a replacement and I'll get this deleted. Otherwise -

Here we all are, at least 56 days plus 😕

@Mytimetogo God, i thought about dementia too on my walk the other day, there’s a couple of times I’ve kind of mixed my words up or had to think hard if that’s the right sentence? For example my dd was crouching down looking at some ants and I said ‘Ooh get up or you’ll get ants in your pants’ correct thing to say but then I said ‘Pant’ then had to think is it pants or pant..just for a second, but it really scared me

@Lightsabre. I have read the Times article. It’s basically the same as was posted on a previous thread, and understandably upset people, about Covid being our generation’s polio. Happy to pm you the full article if you like but don’t really want to post it as it is basically upsetting speculation.

Has anybody else had this/felt like this?

This morning on waking, I felt sort of dizzy and sickly, I felt slight trembling and weakness/barely any feeling in my arms. I just have to sit for quite a while until I feel myself again. Didn’t feel anxious at all, just that strange, spaced out feeling but lack of feeling in arms again..this can’t be anxiety!
Stiff neck and this feeling all down my arms?

@Whatnext2018 I’m a neuropsychologist. Please don’t worry too much about the cognitive/brain-foggy/word-finding problems for now. These are really common when people are unwell, especially where there is inflammation involved. We are hoping that these symptoms will go away in most people after 3-6 months and recommending that they only generally need investigation if they persist after that. Of course there are exceptions but these tend to be in hospitalised patients. I would of course add the caveat though that this is a new disease so we can’t be 100% certain of anything.

@Egghead68 Oh wow, I didn’t realise that was your profession, really impressive!

So you think the face numbness and arms etc and dizziness is all normal and okay?
My doctor did say it isn’t Ms and I’m not having a stroke...not sure why the head scan then..my mind jumps to brain tumor, especially as I have neck pain too.
I just can’t see all of this being just down to anxiety.
So post illness can cause these issues regularly? It’s been over two weeks with this now and is the worst part.
Is it true that a brain tumor wouldn’t present these symptoms this quickly?
Sorry if I sound like a nutcase, but whatever ‘This’ is it’s the strangest set of feelings I’ve had.

@Whatnext2018
I have the same symptoms. Pain in the back of my neck and aching down my arms.
I've put it down to being on my phone far too much now that I'm not up and about as much as I usually would be. Since being ill ive spent hours on my phone.
The neck from looking downwards and the arms from holding the phone upwards.

@ofwarren
Husband has the worst Gerd and has been on Gaviscon. He has had it right from the start. That is why we have modified our diet so much. He still gets tight chest and breathlessness badly after eating but has found that this diet makes a difference. It works for us
@longshot
I have the achy back and ribs. It does come and go in severity but is always there in some shape or form. So glad to see you a @Tangledyarn are on the mend.
@godhelpusall
That article was really interesting especially as I take medication for cardiac spasms. I wonder if that helped when I was at my worst.
Glad to see the discussion around all the other symptoms of covid. but would really like a check up to see if any other damage has been done.
My husband was very lucky I think because he takes an immune suppressant for his psoriatic arthritis. He was told to keep taking it in a phone call with doctor. When I got ill I remembered that last year he had a kidney infection due to stones that was quite severe and meant he was in hospital for a week. They took him straight off that drug and would not let him take it for three months. I told him not to take the drug and then he got ill. Last week he phoned the doctor at the hospital and the answer phone message said if you are not this drug and get covid stop immediately. No one had informed us of this despite being in contact with the GP and a hospital visit when he was on Day 10 and the people who deliver the drugs pharmacist . Very lucky but I don't blame the NHS they were too busy at the time.

@whatnext2018 that is interesting about neck pain and dizziness as i developed exact same symptoms about 3-4 days ago. However my neck pain feels quite muscular as it's mostly on movement. I have been having dizzy spells too. Are you having an MRI? Hope it gives you some reassurance. Is this private? I think I might need to look into some further testing for reassurance as well.

Day 62 here, 8 1/2 weeks.

Think I’m finally emerging from the Covid fog.

Only one 10 min instance of SOB this week, probably not helped by dusting at the time. Been soaking up that sunshine & topping up those Vit D levels.

So many false dawns with this, but I’m tempting fate by saying I think I’m definitely on the upward curve now, pleurisy also easing off.

@user34254356 Hi, yes mines only really when moving but feels stiff at the back, also top left back/shoulder pain at times and right arm keeps going numb. I asked him surely this is muscular? He said can also be from stress, tensing etc? I’m just not that convinced, the scary part is numbness in the body.
Having it privately, so will have to get a load of money together 🙄

The numbness can be in legs and feet too and the face at times. In the body, it’s mainly the right hand side, but he said isn’t a sign of stroke or ms..don’t know if that be told just from blood tests though 🤷‍♀️

Out of interest, how are your husbands/partners with you, if you’re with someone? It’s obviously caused a lot of worry here the last two weeks and I know my dp has been very stressed about it all, but I feel like he’s a bit frustrated about it all, doesn’t blame me but almost saying I should’ve taken the anti anxiety tablets etc.

@Whatnext2018 That is reassuring it's not MS. I think it could be anxiety related. I had the same - right side numb, headaches and dizziness two years ago. I was convinced it's MS - i had my MRI privately and it was all clear and then soon after the numbness disappeared. I hadn't imagined it but definitely my anxiety brought it along.

The neck pain - yes mine is going into my shoulders/back. It was just on one side before and now on both sides. It's not the entire neck but the sides where the muscles go into the back. I am going to try to get my GPs opinion before going private.

Are you based in London? A lot of private hospitals are not being so easy about getting patients in due to covid and i heard one of them require a negative swab before you can go in.

DH is also frustrated and wonders what new disease I have every few days. I have gone from covid to throat cancer to now the brain !! I don't think he is taking me seriously anymore. I suspect my GP is going to be the same. Honestly speaking I won't mind having anti anxiety tablets given I am finding it hard to sleep most nights.

Just popping in to update may be useful for those who still have the SOB but I started on a steroid inhaler 10 days ago plus the blue reliever inhaler when needed and it seems to be working. I've never had asthma although it runs in my family. Hoping it won't be a permanent thing but for now I feel it's helped.

Weirdly my DS suddenly mentioned last night has got bad acid reflux and has had it for a few weeks . This has been one of my worst "later" symptoms. No idea why he hasn't mentioned it before, but hes an unpredictable teenager!

I've never been quite sure if he's had "this" or not - about 8 days before I was sick he had a headache for 24 hrs and a mild cough for about 2 weeks but neither are unusual for him. I'm still convinced I caught it from work as several of my team had mild symptoms and there was a half term ski trip link.

Now I'm wondering if both my DS and work colleagues had it hence I got a double whammy

Overall week 10 has been good for me after a shitty week 9 so I'm very hopeful - still taking it very easy wrt exercise.

Meant to say also I've had numbness and brain fog- one day I forgot how to turn my oven on I put that down to fatigue tho as I remember in the post baby sleep deprivation period I did loads of weird things

Lots of the people on the slack group have been talking about low carb diets - has anyone tried this to good effect? I was trying not to eat sugar though it's been creeping back in. I know without even trying it that coffee or alcohol would be a disaster for me right now - i miss the taste but at the same time, my body seems repulsed at the thought.

Hi @Lightsabre thanks for asking after me, sorry HRTFT for a while but I hope you're winning. Thinking of all of you, for that matter, but came to the conclusion this isn't the right thread for me at the moment. I need to focus on my spine health and try to take the covid hangover as lightly as I can. Got a face to face appointment at Guy's this week and have already started taking strontium citrate and vitamin k2 along with my d3. I've been in denial about having osteoporosis for ages and refused treatment, and now I've had my first experience of fracturing without any apparent cause other than loss of bone density, so it's time for me face up to things and hopefully turn my bone health around.

I still have SOB most evenings, fatigue, bit of a cough and stingy eyes, and probably raised temperature at times too because I get a bit fevery now and again. But I don't keep a thermometer in so I can't say for sure.

Definitely had covid as far as I'm concerned and it's probably a vain hope but perhaps Guy's will give me an antibody test while I'm in. I also think that given my first proper fragility fracture happened within days of coming down with the virus, then it's a massive coincidence if it is one! 🤔

Anyway best of luck everyone, I hope you all get continuing positive signs of progress and recovery 💐

Hi everyone.

@Toptottie24 I'm really sorry to hear about your scan. I guess at least they picked it up really early, and hope it's investigated quickly.

@Tangledyarn and @longshot glad things are going in the right direction for you both and you seem over the worse. Long may it continue.

@Egghead68 I'm not surprised to find out you're a scientist! The information, links and resources you share on this group are invaluable. Thank you 🙏🏻

I'm sorry to say I'm having a low day today. I've been feeling stronger for a few days now and whilst I kept telling myself relapses are par for the course, it's still hard when they come. What's particularly upsetting me is that at this stage (day 92) I'm still getting relatively new symptoms as well as the old chestnuts. I'm trying not to worry but the numb mouth/lips/chin is really getting to me. My oesophagus/ throat also feels like there's a blockage there.

I'm sorry to moan. There seem to be a lot of recovery stories around weeks 11-12 on other sources if that's any consolation for those a couple of weeks behind me - I feel like I'm the exception.

@baroqueandblue I was typing my message when you posted. I'm sorry again about your fracture and really hope your appointment goes well 💐.

Regarding antibody testing.... I was in email contact with my GP yesterday. My surgery is rolling out antibody testing from next week. Please ask your doctors! He offered me one and I'm a bit annoyed as I paid out £135 for a private one 2 weeks ago and still not had the results.

@mumlurker
What's the slack group? I haven't been around much so I don't know what it is.

@mumlurker I'm trying low sugar and less carbs (though can't give up rice!). I'm eating loads of fruit and veg. I've also been taking the probiotic Symprove for about 2 weeks. Though today is not great, my relapses have been shorter over this time but it's hard to tell if that wouldn't just happen naturally over this time anyway.

I'm pretty sure the chiropractor helped though - it felt too much of a coincidence that my symptoms dramatically improved the day after. I have another appointment Wednesday.

@user34254356 It’s awful isn’t it, seems to come in waves for me..numb down right arm and around face at the moment and dizzy. This is turn, makes me panic more that something is really wrong, I mean when this happens, should you go to hospital, when you Google it, it does say that.
I’ve just taken a Valerian tablet to see if that works before the prescribed ones, the doctor didn’t seem to think it would, but I’ll try and just taken a tablet for dizziness. Just want this to end, I do start to panic that it’s something urgent.

I’m not in the uk, am in Portugal, the private system seems to be ok with the Covid thing, they didn’t mention anything at the doctors, although everyone has to wear s mask in there etc.

Also mentioned to my doc that it feels sometimes like my sinuses hurt, it can be really painful at the bridge of my nose, I know sinuses can also cause tingling cheeks etc too..he said is nothing to do with sinuses 🤷‍♀️So that part is anxiety too? Just doesn’t make sense.

@fedupofbed The mouth/lip/chin thing is awful, just doesn’t feel right, mines been on and off for a couple of weeks, really odd.