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COVID Lungs 8wks plus

994 replies

baroqueandblue · 24/05/2020 13:11

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 😕

OP posts:
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6
hollieberrie · 24/05/2020 22:39

Ha! @AndsLee and @Egghead68 I can relate! I have been eating a lot of muesli as too lazy to cook. Cottage cheese and mash sounds delish right now Grin

AndsLee · 24/05/2020 22:42

@Egghead68 It's all good... I think we know...

The only thing that concerns me is "am I reinfecting myself?" I know, logically, as per current data the answer is "no"... Can't help the anxiety though!

hollieberrie · 24/05/2020 22:42

@TiddleTaddleTat sorry your work are being rubbish. Great you've been signed off. Can you try to switch off from it totally and just rest?

AndsLee · 24/05/2020 22:48

@hollieberrie

Fry the mashed tattie in a wee bit of butter. In the Highlands we call this "slighachs", pronounced slee-chaks, Gaelic for "slices" (so my granny used to tell me)...

Lightsabre · 24/05/2020 22:52

@AndsLee, are you able to be tested (although it's unlikely to be positive at this stage). I've had two swabs now, one at 4 weeks and another at 6 weeks - both negative. It might put your mind at rest.

AndsLee · 24/05/2020 22:52

That's another thing about being ill during lockdown...

I wanna make bread, and cake... and eat lovely meals! Too tired and not at all hungry for that...

AndsLee · 24/05/2020 22:55

@Lightsabre I had a negative swab on 1 May. I could do a 2nd, but I am fairly sure it'll be negative. Bloods taken on 4th May showed no sign of infection. It's just that niggle because I...we...are still showing symptoms.

LetsBeSensible · 25/05/2020 00:08

Day 69 as of 4 minutes ago
I’ve had a horrible day. My hay fever is extra itchy, I’m sneezing and itchy. Period finally turned up four days late and has floored me. I had to take a nap. Temp shot up over 37, shivers and sweats, throat hurts and I’ve turned to jelly.

pinkoneblueone · 25/05/2020 01:09

@Ernieshere please please try gavisgon I am on the same day as you and have discovered that this is reflux it is so uncomfortable. I found ginger soaked in hot water for 5 mins then drinking the water helps to soothe it too. I have been pretty sore this weekend too and have now developed a productive cough. Let me know how you get on. Xx

pinkoneblueone · 25/05/2020 01:12

@LetsBeSensible unfortunately many of us seem to have a bad spell when our period arrives, please get as much rest as you can.

LetsBeSensible · 25/05/2020 01:37

@pinkoneblueone I am resting, mainly during daylight hours unfortunately! I’m back on nightshift. I’ve always said there’s an interaction with CFS and periods.

pinkoneblueone · 25/05/2020 01:47

It’s still really disheartening when it happens, I am sorry you are back at work with this going on.

LetsBeSensible · 25/05/2020 01:58

Oh I’m not working, I’m unemployed, I lost my job just before I got covid! I meant mumsnet night shift! Haunting the boards to pass the time...

pinkoneblueone · 25/05/2020 04:17

Ah I am so so sorry I misunderstood this. I am back to not sleeping properly it feels like my muscles are all twitching in my chest and my cough has turned productive with iffy breathing so I am not able to sleep comfortably.

baroqueandblue · 25/05/2020 04:29

Shouldn't have worried about not being able to look after the thread properly, you're all doing a fantastic job! Grin

I had one of my worst days for ages and it made me very gloomy. The fatigue was all over my face and body, in fact the first thing my best friend said when he saw me (at a distance!) was "You look so tired" and I just said "Yeh, I cannot get over this virus."

I had gone out for a walk round the block and it was so depressing. When I sat on a bench in the sunshine in our local park before coming home I was too sore to stay there after ten minutes. As I walked back there were people passing me and I thought "I bet they think I've lost someone to COVID" because my face was tripping me. Truth is, I've lost myself to this virus for the time being. That's how it felt yesterday. From waking up in the morning and remembering that my teeth had been chattering and then really grinding in my sleep, to my legs feeling knackered and getting the shivers when the temperature indoors was 22 - not to mention the back pain and sore eyes and teeth and even my big toe!! I'm so over this. Except I'm not, of course Sad

Just looked at the diary and today is day 93 for me. I started with nausea, headache and sore throat on 22nd Feb, and the post-viral agony in ribs and back kicked in on March 17th. I'm a different person now, that's how I feel after this weekend. It has taken all my inner resources to get this far with dwindling optimism, and yesterday I ran out. But I think it's complex and I can't help suspecting that the virus hits us at a very individual level, almost as though it targets our weak spots. That's how mine has been anyway, and although I'm heartened by the thought that recovery is likely (eventually), right now I want it all to just stop.

I came across a book recently called 'The Inflamed Mind' (recommended by a dear friend). It's written by a consultant psychiatrist whose very articulate and convincing theory is that inflammation in the body which produces cytokines passes through the blood-brain barrier and affects the brain in such a way that it triggers depressed mood and thought processes. At least I think that's what he's saying so far, I'm only a chapter in. On our previous thread I mentioned that I've been taking Sertraline since last summer following a particularly difficult period of depression. I noticed within days of starting that I had costochondritis in my chest and intercostal muscles. Basically, I concluded, the medication was causing inflammation as a side effect but I was too desperate to come off it and decided to put up with it. By the end of the year it had stopped bothering me so much but was still there. Then back in March I got this far more intense inflammation in my thoracic spine area and the rib muscles there, which then crept round to my front ribs and sternum for a while. I realised eventually (thanks to some of you) that I was post-viral, but it has been the single biggest symptom for me and I've been despairing of ever recovering after two and a half months of it.

And now my point! Grin I've been so depressed, despite the medication, this last two months. If the inflammation is causing that (as per the professor's theory) then the medication is pointless against it. But, it's also very possible that the medication was causing inflammation last year that made my depression worse than it was before I took the tablets, and in fact the SSRI has actually been working against me recovering from depression by causing inflammation that worsens my mental health Hmm. In which case, heavy post-viral inflammation added to that is making things much harder, physically and mentally, and in the end what's the point in my taking a drug every day that is worse than useless?! Not only that, but my kidneys and liver have to process that drug and I need them to be as functional as possible while I'm fighting post-viral illness.

The mind boggles Confused. Anyway, as of today I'm stopping the Sertraline. I just feel it's not helping me and I'd be better off taking other medicines in the short term that will help with any discontinuation symptoms and possibly also reduce the inflammation, eg. ibuprofen or a prescription of Prednisone.

I just wanted to share that with you, not recommending it by any means, but different people will find different ways through this nightmare and it's a path I'm now willing to take. I've discontinued antidepressants before and got through it without too much trouble, so I'm not particularly worried about that side of things. I just feel I have to try it at this point because I can't bear the thought that I'm suffering more than I need to be as a result of taking medicine! I need to know, and I'll keep you posted Flowers

OP posts:
Egghead68 · 25/05/2020 07:28

Morning. Day 65/66. I’m feeling mostly OK at the moment (apart from a bit of a sore throat) and my resting heart rate is in the 60s sometimes which is a big improvement. Bracing myself for the next relapse though.

@LetsBeSensible that sounds grim. You may be doing these things already but I find a combination of NeilMed sinus rinsing, nasal spray and extra antihistamines can help. Sometimes I wear a mask around the house to stop pollen getting in my nose too. I hope you get some relief soon.

@andslee my appetite went the other way and, what with the weeks of bed-rest, I’ve gained 5kg! Least of my worries at the moment though.

@baroqueandblue I think we all know that feeling of being drained and fed up. Is tapering off your sertraline gradually rather than stopping it abruptly an option? Might give your brain chemistry more time to adjust and reduce the risk of discontinuation symptoms/relapse?

Egghead68 · 25/05/2020 07:31

@pinkoneblueone I hope you got some sleep.

KatySun · 25/05/2020 07:37

I am interested in what you say baroque as I am also on Sertraline and I am not getting rid of the chest pain and fatigue.
I also feel like I have lost the life and person I had before this illness but I think that is quite a natural reaction in some ways because that has happened.
Aside from anything else, that is a valid point about your body processing this drug as well as trying to recover. This is the bit that jumps out at me in all the valid points you make.
I think there are foods which naturally increase your serotonin - not sure I need to check - plus it also struck me last week that summer is usually my best time of year and even just sitting outside would help my mood. I am not up to doing much in the garden though. So natural ways of improving one’s mood may help.
So tired of waking up every day feeling exhausted and in pain.
I hope you feel better soon, I am curious to know how stopping the Setraline goes. I might try tapering off once I have spoken to my doctor tomorrow.

Lightsabre · 25/05/2020 08:13

@baroqueandblue, I think we are all feeling low now at this stage - you're not alone. Be careful stopping Sertraline - it might be better to taper off to a lower dose on your GP's advice. I'm not on Sertraline and have chest/back pain so it might not be the Sertraline. Maybe ask your HP if you can take Sertraline and steroids together.

LetsBeSensible · 25/05/2020 08:21

Hi all, I had a few hours sleep in the end.
@baroqueandblue I would echo that coming off sertraline should be tapered, ideally it should be under drs supervision.
Personally I started taking sertraline some years ago because of my CFS and I wouldn’t be without it. In general I have better sleep and less severe muscle aches and better mood. It suits some people but not others. I tried citalopram and that made me feel sick.
I have also abruptly stopped sertraline a few times (ran out of tablets) and the side effects are not nice, it starts with a strange feeling in your head and progresses to bloating and the runs.

pinkoneblueone · 25/05/2020 08:40

I am only managing cat naps so far sadly. I have been quite uncomfortable this evening I have just started the antidepressant that you guys mentioned above I have only been on it 5 days and think it is the 78 day blip or what ever. Bloody disappointed that we are still getting this nonsense tbh and it is the reason I have had to turn to antidepressants in the first place sadly as I have developed health anxiety now and a bit of ptsd.

Fishflakes · 25/05/2020 09:59

Flowers Hope everyone is feeling better today.
Today’s new symptom which I remember other people mentioning: repeated sharp pain in one armpit, towards front/chest side of it. Lovely Hmm

Needsomegoodnews · 25/05/2020 10:13

Sorry to those suffering this morning and particularly still not sleeping well. My sleep is much better (although I never feel rested)

This morning I’ve woken to sharp stabbing pains in my right armpit, which is new (and unpleasant)! It’s not constant but comes and goes and is different from the tender armpit feeling I had early on in this which must have been lymph nodes dealing with infection. I guess this could be something similar but it’s more like the stabbing pains I’ve had on and off in my chest.

It’s really unnerving that it still feels like something is moving and attacking from place to place each day... it’s not like I have a constant symptom that suggests it’s just got to gradually get better. Yesterday my sternum pain was back all day, today that’s gone to be replaced with this armpit pain and a sore throat. I just wish it would all go away Sad

Needsomegoodnews · 25/05/2020 10:16

@Fishflakes OMG, I’d just slowly constructed the above having not seen your post and you have the very same new symptom! If only they were keeping track of us it might be picked up that there are probably trends in the progression of this illness

Lightsabre · 25/05/2020 10:20

@Fishflakes and @Needsomegoodnews, my armpit aches, particularly on the left side have been getting stronger over the last week too! What does it all mean? It seems like my lymph nodes spring into action to attack but there's no virus there!