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 😕

Maybe it's an inflammation response?

Hi all. Been reading these threads for some time now and I think it's time I joined.

Day 53 so not as far along as most of you. Started with a slight temperature, burning lungs, sob, whole body shaking, arm and leg weakness and the most awful diarrhoea. Diarrhoea lasted 2 weeks(tmi but it was very yellow) after that, stools were back to normal consistency but still yellow. Week 5-6 I was feeling pretty ok, eating great, going out for walks, still tired but I felt ok enough to do a couple of mornings at work ( I clean houses and also do care work) Didn't go very well and had to leave early due to sob and limbs shaking. Went home and thought I'd rest for a few days. That was 10 days ago.

Since then I've been on the sofa unable to do anything. Awful yellow diarrhoea is back, no appetite, weakness everywhere, reflux, sob when climbing stairs, slight cough which is there some days and not others. I've hardly eaten in 10 days, my clothes are hanging off me. I've had enough. I can't take anymore. I've lost a couple of my jobs as I'm self employed and my clients don't want to wait for me to get better. I'm almost certainly going to lose another this week as there's no way I can return to work.

I've not been tested but absolutely positive this is covid.
I have autoimmune thyroid disease, cfs and fibromyalgia. Post viral symptoms are not new to me, I've suffered for years. This feels very different, doesn't feel post viral at all, it feels very active to me which scares me.

My heart goes out to all of you on here

Fishflakes It could be your lymph nodes doing their best to keep you well, I had it a lot.

It's still shit though

@Fishflakes @Needsomegoodnews @Lightsabre same here under left arm is very sore for the second day. It was both arms yesterday

Needmore and LightSabre sorry you have it. Is you temperature a bit up too? Mine is fluctuating just under 38. I’m worried it’s because I did a few active things yesterday like take a walk outside which I wouldn’t normally do.
Chippy

@Chippydippy, you should be able to get a swab as a carer - hopefully there's somewhere local to you that does them? If it's negative you're either post viral or it's something else. What has your GP said - it's a long time to have that level of diarrhoea so you might be getting very dehydrated? The electrolyte sachets may help.

@Fishflakes,, I haven't had a temperature since the beginning of all of this! Everything appears to be 'normal' but I feel so awful. It's difficult to comprehend.

Light we have a test centre here so anyone can get tested now but I can't access it without a car, I don't drive. With the app, you can have a test delivered to you but only if your symptoms are high temperature or a continuous cough. I haven't spoken to my gp yet. Sounds ridiculous I know, but I've got my elderly mum living with me and teen ds who have both been unwell and I worried about them more. I had to ring drs and 111 about 10 times in the last couple of months for them both. I think it's time I called the dr for me now. I'll do it tomorrow with it being a bank hol.

Sorry to hear so many are still feeling grim I'm very achey and fatigued, chest and rib pain and hot flushes when I try and do too much (e.g. make a cup of tea and toast).

I feel as though this virus has made my world shrink, and I'm a ghost of who I was.

I'm also constantly battling both myself and others to prove that what I'm feeling is real.

Although I've got a sick note from the doctor I've been debating whether to use it - if I do, the work will pile up in my absence and there'll be more for me on the other side. I can't take more than a month off due to pay, as I'm leaving I may have up to 2 months unpaid already. I'm unlucky in that I work in a horribly unsupportive and hierarchical place and don't trust anyone there.

All the more need to put my foot down and say I need to rest, I suppose.

I'm terrified I won't ever feel better again. I used to wake up full of energy at 6/7am, now I can sleep for 9-10 broken hours and still be exhausted when I get up.

Hi everyone!
I have had a terrible night and day.
The most awful Acid reflux And now I am terrified of eating or drinking in case it sets it off again
My IBS is out of control and I still can’t breathe properly
I feel like it’s not worth living like this
I am usually so independent and do everything myself
My wife is usually brilliant but just sound not listen to me asking her help with something I cannot do
I have had a meltdown and now I feel dreadful

I don’t know if I can carry on like this

@Egghead68 I have an angiogram booked for June 8th - not sure if that's the same thing you're on a waiting list for. I have to take a tablet for a week to get my heart rate down to 60 (it's around 76 resting). I'll report back when I've had it.

Anti-depressants - I've been offered them a couple of times by GPs when I mentioned how all this was getting them down but I've not had good experiences with citalopram before - I had side effects for a few weeks when coming on them which made me feel worse, then the side effects are even worse when I came off them. Just stopping taking caffeine a few weeks ago gave me a week of headaches and withdrawal. So I made a vow to myself I'd never try anti-depressants again. I agree that staggered withdrawal is a good idea.

Was a bit scared to go to bed last night as I'd been having breathing issues all day which were bad in bed the night before but in the end I slept 7 hours (the most so far) and my breathing was/is fine now. I'd decided last night to try to be less anxious about symptoms, to stop wishing, wondering and waiting for myself to get better but to try to make the best of my life as it is now, and to be glad for the periods where I'm not in pain. I do believe that anxiety is at best making this experience worse and at worst, contributing towards me feeling ill.

I've never had an illness where I've monitored myself so much and thought so much about it. This one is hard because it's new, scary and a collection of weird symptoms that come and go, we're in an ignored minority group but it's all over the media so hard to avoid. I'm not sure that counting each day by this point is helpful for me (it makes me depressed to think "Bloody hell, I've had x days of this!! How many more?"

If this virus is similar to others, recovery will be slow and gradual but it will happen and it shouldn't be pushed. So I'm going to try to take my focus off the virus as much as I can and when I do think about it, try to view it with less anguish (I know that's easier said than done).

@TiddleTaddleTat you know you need to stay off, right? If you’re worried you might never get better then you need to do everything you can, now, to rest and recover.
I know being short of money is awful but is there no way you could do it, even uncomfortably? I’ve had that sort of employer and I know what you mean. It won’t be worth working.
I just had a feverish nap, everything aches and I sweated so much but my temp is normal. I feel quite sick.

This too shall pass. Day by day.

@LetsBeSensible thanks, I know you're right about that. I guess I've been trying to keep going with everything since mid March and I really have to stop now. I've had 4 days off in a row doing very little and feel like I haven't rested at all - I suppose I need to just accept I'm ill.

I think for most of us it is the powerlessness that is so debilitating. When you are used to being independent it feels even more difficult to accept that it’s not possible
Thinking of you all xx

Hi everyone, day 87. And yet another symptom has come to the forefront... throat/oesophagus issues anyone? I've had it before but not as prominent. Feels like something's stuck there and more of an effort to swallow and burp.

Wise words re anxiety @Linus1972 . I find it so hard not to become fixated though - the symptoms are so odd and also I have too much time on my hands as I'm physically unable to do anything (and mentally find it difficult to focus too). I need to learn mindfulness but it doesn't come easily to me.

@IamEarthymama, we've got to hang on in there. Is there anything you can take like Gaviscon or Omeprazole that won't aggravate your IBS but might help with the reflux. Lots of people have slept propped up by pillows on all sides - can you try that?

@IamEarthymama hand hold here x

@fedupofbed I have had a lump in the bottom of my throat and been burping constantly for 4/5 days now it’s driving me crazy, dr google says it’s GERD. :(

Day 104 for me. I walked to our local Tesco Express and back to do a spot of shopping. I once again got breathless and sweaty, which has left me feeling completely discouraged. My temperature went up again this afternoon, still low-grade fever but it keeps happening.

This misery just won't end. It's really disheartening but it's helped so much to have this thread. I'm sorry you're all going through this too.

Thank you all, omezeprole didn’t Touch it yesterday but it has helped today
I went back to bed and slept supported but pillows so that’s good too

It doesn’t help that it’s a lovely day and my wife is warm while I have leggings and a cardigan on as well as a long tunic
She keeps insisting it is warm in our house
It’s like a fridge
I am going to sit in the sun xx

@IamEarthymama @pinkoneblueone I've had acid reflux/burping/bloating all the way through, with diarrhoea every few days. It's annoying as it's one of those symptoms which is barely acknowledged in the media and there is very little information about what works best for people who've had the virus. Also, food at the moment is one of the few pleasures we have in life!

Gavascon immediately prior to bed and sleeping on 3 pillows has helped. I've avoided fatty/spicy/vinegary foods and most dairy although I feel hungry a lot (just had my first bag of crisps since March and it tasted great). I'm taking Nexium (was on 2 a day but I think it eventually reduced stomach acid too much - hence more bloating) so now I'm taking it "as needed" to try and get the right balance. You can get omeprazole at the chemists, which works about the same. If I get pain after a meal I take Gavascon as well. On very bad days I've just had a can of cold rice pudding with a bit of jam in to give my windpipe a chance to calm down. It's been a case of trial and error to work out what hurts after I eat it. Things that my body tolerates at the moment are white meat, fish, mashed potato, pasta, boiled veg, egg, bananas, most breakfast cereal, porridge, Greek yoghurt and berries. Ice-cream is also a nice treat. Toast, crackers, biscuits or breakfast bars can help with gurgling stomach acid. I'm having lots of herbal tea (no caffeine), which I don't particularly like but it's hydrating and good for the throat/calming/anti-inflammatory. Any food tips gratefully received from other sufferers.

After 2weeks in intensive care and been for n a cpapachinr I'm on 4th week clear I was lucky to have another test two weeks after initial consultation so know it was negative but four weeks on still tired cannot sleep but that is mainly nightmares to what I saw on ICU and still notuch sleep sometimes diarreah must add at first I had no symptoms whatsoever no temp or sorethroat no loss of taste or smell just diarreah and sickness and then been feeling like hit by a bus within few days 999asi couldn't breath they say I got there just in time I think recovery can be harder than illness and I'm on SSP also but cannot go bk to work I'm just too I'll very lucky I'm living with family who can support me,good luck everyone I was told 6to 8weeks at least and there's absolutely no help once out of hospital it's bad although I do thank ICU for saving me

@Pickle40 that sounds awful, what a tough and traumatic time you've had. I'm glad you have family to support you but shocking that no medical after care. 💐

@TiddleTaddleTat you know it makes sense. Harsh but true. You are more important than that job.

@Pickle40

I wasn’t in ICU for Covid but I have been admitted there on several occasions. I was ventilated (due to non covid ARDS) and hallucinated a lot for a while after. I had a very long and difficult recovery in terms of my physical health but my mental health recovery was far worse. People didn’t understand why. I was meant to be grateful. I wasn’t even meant to live.

Please be kind to yourself. It takes time. I begged for sleeping tablets and they gave me a low dose for 7 days which I spread out over a few weeks. It did help. Both the brain and body need sleep to heal. I had telephone Cognitive Behavioural Therapy which helped a bit although I was later diagnosed with PTSD.

PM box is open if you need a friend x