Covid Lungs week 8 plus plus

[AndsLee]

Hope this has worked... Welcome all.

@longshot glad to hear you're doing so well!

Still getting occasional palpitations, foggy head, aches, fatigue, SOB. If any of them hit I now have a routine - pint of water, paracetamol, meditation with pursed lip breathing. I've also realised I can't have alcohol or coffee. Mostly I just need to rest and get over it.

Thanks for asking - how are you doing @longshot?

@thewoolisstrong I’ve just updated up thread. Sounds like some classic post viral fatigue symptoms I think as I am having. I also can’t have alcohol or coffee or much stress or screen time. Sending you good healthy vibes! We will recover!

@longshot great to read your update and fab that that things are really on the up.

How is your heart now? You we’re suffering with it quite badly several weeks ago weren’t you?

Could I ask for your experiences of taking Naprox please? Has it helped any of you with symptoms? Just been prescribed it but never taken strong painkillers before. I’m taking paracetamol currently for shakiness and pain and ibuprofen for fever and joint pain. Thanks.

Sorry meant Naproxen

@Whatnext2018 @Lightsabre
You were saying about your father visiting next month. Surely we're not intectious now? I've had 2 negative tests! Oh goodness this has put me in a flap because my partner's planning back on Thurs?!

Hello everyone - sending good wishes!

@MillStone i haven’t felt i have tested my heart at all, in fact I’ve not allowed it to go over 120 bpm if I can avoid it...so basically no cardio as this is advice for myocarditis and pericarditis I think (gained from slack channel). I get hardly any shorting / standby pains at all now however still get a dull sort of heavy ache, I don’t know if this is costochondritis or heart related. I’m booked for a CT scan next week In fact. I’m apprehensive because I don’t want the radiation but will probably go despite that. It came through after a referral to the rapid chest pain clinic. I still get some palpitations but less so.

@longshot glad to hear you are seeing improvements.

I'm feeling similar, I am feeling less of the viral symptoms now and this feels more like post viral for me. Similarly I will sometimes have 'waves' of symptoms that return when I'm very tired or have overdone things. As I'm being careful not to exercise or do much physically the main strain for me comes from mental exertion as I'm still wfh in a very busy and stressful job.

I'm seeing positive effects from keeping my heart rate under 110bpm where possible, although it usually goes higher than that at least once a day when I'm doing something as straightforward as heating up soup for lunch. I am careful to stop and breathe to lower it as soon as I notice.

I have also got better at managing my rest and pacing. I didn't sleep too well last night so felt very fatigued today, but I managed to have 3 x 15 minute rests throughout the day. Just lying down and deep breathing, which really help to recharge a little bit.

I'm still not really able to do most of the household stuff, I'm probably doing 30-40% of normal in terms of that. I'm fortunate I can wfh because if I was required to commute and do my usual in-person work I would definitely be completely signed off.

I go for a walk every couple of days but if I've had a mentally tiring day or done even a small amount of housework I consider that my energy done for the day.

I'll be 14 weeks tomorrow, I think...

Quite a good day today in that I paced myself well. Went to a remote and very empty supermarket, went around at my own pace (slooooow) did a bit of research and admin and did a bit of housework. Am doing much better with less to “do”. Had been doing shops walking and visiting and it was too much.
Still managing to sleep around 8hrs every night. Voice is coming and going and throat is still sore.

I'm sorry @Andslee , I only just saw your query.

I had chills, diarrhoea, Shortness of breath, sleep issues, a burning chest and back (not first 2 weeks) mild cough, symptoms dipping and peaking, weak and unable to get up for a couple of weeks or more (3? Possibly more) , pain in the heart area (also later on).

I started to get better after a month then I had 3 further bouts of a couple of days each, during which I had to return to bed. Each dip included quite bad chills and a drop in temperature. Trying to exercise when I felt well seemed to make matters worse, and preceded a dip. Exercising at that time made my chest hurt too.

Anyway, by 6 weeks I was ok again, although probably a bit weaker and more easily tired . It's nearly 3 months now since it started, so 5 weeks well.

Morning. Day 88/89 for me and I am hoping that it will be the 10th reasonably good day in a row (by which I mean my symptoms are more muted, my resting heart rate for stays below 105 and I don’t need to rest for more than an hour or so).

Great to see others (@letsbesensible, @tiddletaddletat, @longshot, @onlinelinda) are showing improvement too or have even recovered.

Hope everyone has as good a day as they can.

Checking in! It's been a while..really good to hear that people are starting to feel better albeit very slowly :( I recognise some people from the first lungs thread :)
I'm still really struggling with chest pain and breathlessness, which feels quite difficult to cope with, on my 3rd course of oral steroids which really helps along with increased inhalers, but i know as soon as I finish the course it'll be really bad again, and just means that I feel horrible but am also hardly walking outside the house as it just makes it much worse. I finally had a chest xray a couple of weeks ago, which seems to have been 'normal' which is confusing given how awful my left lung feels but obviously does not show everything. Other things seem to have settled, I think my fatigue is back to almost 'normal' for me, which isn't great as I have CFS but much better than it was for the first few weeks after covid which I'm very relieved by.

@egghead48 @godhelpusall I can't remember casino. I've obviously got mixed up with @tangledyarn and @rosesofeyam. There was also @WorriesomeDad, @baroqueandblue, @DrsWife46*.@longshot and @egghead48* I remember you from early days. Can you remember any others and know if they've left because they've fully recovered?

Hello everyone on my week 12.5
I am still suffering from being lightheaded and tachycardic. I also get flashes where my skin feels sunburned, and my head full of weird pressure.
But I have news.
My dsis is a journalist, she’s interviewed a long tail covid research consultant in New York. He told her a lot of symptoms are due to damage to the central nervous system.
It will heal. It can take up to a year for some nerves, they may have to make new pathways if they are severely damaged.
Tachycardia, numbness, blood pressures, digestive issues can all be attributed to the CNS. Inflammation can also be caused by disruptions to it.
But it does heal.

Hi @isitorisntit, I just started reading the thread again this morning and wanted to say hi, and also answer your question 🙂

I'm still post-viral and actually almost went into a panic attack over it yesterday evening! My worst symptoms are shortness of breath (lungs feel stuffy and 'oppressed'), fatigue after activity and difficulty going for walks because of that oppressive feeling in my lungs/chest. My heart rate suddenly rockets at least once a day for a few minutes, whether I'm moving around or not. I feel it galloping and just have to wait for it to calm down again. While watching telly last night I was really fed up with the breathing situation and began to feel really overwhelmed by the realisation this seems endless, fears about the virus leaving me with COPD, and the morbid thought that it still might be fatal for me! But thankfully I realised straight away that it was an anxiety attack and told myself to sit still, focus on tangible things I could sense, and let it pass. Which it did, but my sinuses were congested too so that horrid breathless feeling persisted.

@Tangledyarn I hear ya! 😉 Sorry you're still going through it too, and I realise the CFS only complicates things but it's great to hear that the fatigue is returning to more your 'normal' level. I remember you were worried the virus might've impacted your CFS long term.

I'm still waiting for results of blood tests and a full spine MRI, but comforted by the thought that if it was anything more sinister than the T6 fracture they would've been in touch by now 🤞 Have to wait until Friday before I can ring the GP to discuss results. And while I'm at it I'll be asking for next steps for the post viral situation and won't be fobbed off!

Hi to @Egghead68 and @longshot and @fedupofbed and @TheWooisStrong and @Lightsabre and @godhelpusall and @Moodgie and everyone else still posting. I estimate I came down with the virus late February and some of you will know it got pretty complicated for me with the spinal fracture. But I'm hanging in there, like so many of you, and thinking similarly to some of you: if it ends up being 6 months all told, I'll take it. Coz I will get there! 😉

Wow @Crayfishforyou, that makes so much sense doesn't it? Makes me wonder what we haven't been told in the 'mainstream' domain, because that is serious shit for a virus that reached pandemic levels 😲 Thanks for the info. Sorry to hear you're still suffering and I hope it won't be as long as 9 months before you're properly over this 💐

isitorisntit Hello, yes I'm still around.13 weeks today from start of symptoms.
Like most on this thread it's been a rollercoaster.

I have only been updating weekly as I feel that if I posted all the time I would sound like a broken record.

Morning all!

Good to see some posts from people who have recovered- encouraging for the rest of us! Sorry to hear from those of you still struggling with this thing......💐

I have been slowly improving albeit with daily 'slumps' in energy levels with accompanying headaches and nausea etc. Felt optimistic! Engaged the help of my physio with recovery from post viral fatigue and to improve my lung function.

Then I crashed overnight! Awake most of the night with tinnitus (always a warning sign for me!) and awful chest pain again this morning.... now day 88. I thought the chest pain had gone completely!

Now sitting in the garden, feeling exhausted and feeling very sorry for myself. It's so so hard not to fall into depression.......😔

Sending everyone on this thread my best wishes for the best day they can have.

@baroqueandblue Thank you for the mention! Sending love to everyone - I am into my day 100 odd now.

baroqueandblue sorry to hear you are still not recovered.

I'm fed up of being told it's post viral and to wait until week 12 and now saying it might take 6 months.

My main symptoms now are SOB,chest/back pain and the occasional headache/palpitations . Wheezy /aches and pains( normal for me). GERD if I eat anything other than plain/bland food. My balance is more off than usual.

I can potter around the house and garden but going for a walk more about 5 minutes leaves me very SOB,thumping heart,dizzy and shaky.
I am trying to increase this slowly.

@Norugratsatall I've noticed an increase in tinnitus but Ds2 (12yrs) and I also get this 'whooooosh' from one ear to another followed by ringing. He said he then gets pain in the soft spot on the side of his face by his ear (above where your jaw attaches). Anyone else? Also dizziness and more eye floaters?

@Crayfishforyou that sounds very plausible and comforting. I have suspected CNS involvement. Thanks for that

@isitorisntit your poor son! I hope he improves soon.

For me, the tinnitus is part of the immune response. So, a flare up of inflammation in my body will always start with tinnitus and this usually precedes a relapse. So I'm eagerly awaiting what the next48 hours might hold for me....

Hello. It's good to hear from lots of 'old timers' and especially great that some of you are gradually recovering now.

I'm sorry that others are still struggling - sending love to you all. It really is slow.

My symptoms seem to vary depending on the day / hour. I'm noticing a rough pattern of about 7-8 days of cardio/ breathing / agitation symptoms followed by about 5-6 days where everything seems to move to my gut/oesophagus but I feel better in myself. Today it's mainly SOB - feels like I'm breathing through cobwebs!

Great news from your sister @Crayfishforyou I'm convinced it's the nervous system too. Up till now I've been resting as much as possible but I've decided to try and up my activity level by doing a few circuits of the garden whilst monitoring my heart rate and keeping it below 100.