Anyone had sore windpipe or asthma type symptoms develop after mild covid?

[daisybank2]

Think I had mild covid in March 2020, although not tested. Weird sore/burning feeling in my windpipe (as if I've been running when it's cold) that came on suddenly, very tired and then a temperature for a day. A very slight cough appeared weeks later.

The soreness/burning in my windpipe has persisted on and off ever since.

GP insists the persisting soreness can't be long covid as initial covid symptoms were too mild (and she doesn't actually believe my symptoms were Covid related anyway....) But she does think I could have adult onset asthma though. But inhaler, although improves peak flow by 5-10% does not improve actual symptoms at all.

Is anyone else experiencing anything similar?!

Yes and no. Similar to you I had possible mild but untested covid in march 2020, I do have asthma already since childhood. It has always been very mild asthma and hardly affected me except sometimes in winter and if I had a cold. Since march last year my existing asthma has got quite a lot worse and I now have three daily medications to control my symptoms. Asthma can just start as an adult, that's true, but in my experience whatever the (very similar to what you described) illness I had last year definitely seemed to aggravate my asthma,I suppose it could trigger similar even if you hadn't had asthma before but I'm not a medic.

I thought long covid often was associated with those who initially had mild symptoms? Maybe I misunderstood that.

Long covid can occur with any degree of symptoms.

Did the GP consider reflux at all. That can cause asthma type symptoms and would be my first thought.

Not COVID but I had a terrible cough about 5 years ago and have had weird asthma type symptoms in just my right lung ever since. Always phlegmy, sometimes coughing, and that burning sensation you describe. Went to see a lung specialist at the time who did multiple tests but didn’t come to a conclusion. Tried a steroid inhaler for a while but that didn’t really make a difference. Have also tried DD’s reliever inhaler when it felt particularly bad but again, no difference.

I have learned just to live with it now but it definitely is annoying.

@Anawi your situation sounds interesting that your asthma has got worse since Covid.
Maybe I had lurking mild asthma anyway and mild covid has brought it to the surface. But then my symptoms are mainly the sore burning sensation - not really asthma related. But GP saw my oxygen levels drop a little bit after making me run up and down stairs at surgery with monitor thing on, so concluded it may be asthma! But since then I did have one weird episode when was literally choked by some strong bus fumes - found it hard to breathe for a few seconds...

Rafals - yes I thought you could get long covid after any degree of symptoms. My GP (and all the Drs at the surgery) had it very badly, and was very insistent that i'd know if I had it as it wouyld have been really bad and my whole family would have got it! This was back in October and so maybe thinking has progressed since then...!

Schulte - interesting re your burning sensation - it's not terrible, I live with it but it does make me feel really tired and just not right.

@Rafals no GP didn't mention reflux, specifically, but did ask about acid indigestion (similar?) but I'm pretty sure it's not as I had really bad with pregnancies and it doesn't feel the same at all. It's right down low when I breathe in my airways.

I may have had covid in December, I didn't get a test immediately so don't know but GP says possibly. I had a persistent cough and had a chest x ray which showed some Inflammation on my lung. A second x ray a month on showed this was improving but I still ended up being sent for a CT scan a few weeks ago. I'm still awaiting my results but the cough is better. I feel like I need to yawn a lot though and really open my airways if that makes sense. GP review in a couple of weeks.

Interesting. I am being investigated for odd breathlessness/chest tightness that I have had on and off for the past year for weeks at a time. My peak flow is really good and an asthma inhaler hasn't helped. I now need to have a chest x ray to rile out anything underlying but long COVID was mentioned as a possibility. I have never had a positive COVID test but before testing was available had an illness that could have been COVID.

DrCoconut - I still cough a bit - usually in the morning or bedtime and when I change position - ie lie down. It's good that your GP took you seriously and referred you - have you had any treatment to improve your cough or is it just time? I feel OK sometimes but then worse when I've had an active day and am tired.

@eurochick yes my peak flow is good too, and even on the days where it's slightly lower, it's still within normal. I think I'll push for x-ray to see what's going on. Part of me thinks there's people in far worse position than me I haven't 'made a fuss' but then I feel fairly rubbish for a fair bit of the time, (but have just got used to it) so would like to find out what's going on!

My chest also makes wheezy noises from time to time...

Reflux comes in many shapes and forms and stress is a major cause.

I had it as a student, and it felt like the classic indigestion pain - sharp pain in the chest etc.

I suffer from it now though and when it first came on, there was no chest pain - I just got nausea, headaches and a sore throat. Took years to diagnose, which I did myself in the end as GPs thought it was all migraines - the proof is that daily famotidine has completely fixed me.

One of the things lockdown did was increase the number of unhealthy things people were doing - including drinking more, eating more, exercising less, and stressing more. All of these things can trigger GERD. So it may be worth trying famotidine for a month just in case - your GP should be happy to prescribe it to you. It won't do you any harm even if it's not GERD.

It's strange reading your description as I used those exact words to describe my windpipe when I think I probably had covid. I also remember trying trying explain the discomfort as like standing a bit near to a bonfire but not near enough to be in pain (not sure if that's how yours is!). It was also in March 2020. Started with a fever and a need to clear my throat. For me it has cleared up but I had over 3 months of the burning windpipe (on and off) and feeling like I was breathing through a certain or gauze and an almost constant need to clear my throat. It did feel a little like GERD at times but Gaviscon etc didn't help. At the time I also read on here about people with covid having GERD type symptoms. I hope it does go for you eventually like it did for me but it did take a while.

Curtain not certain

Thanks @strangeshapedpotato - the soreness/burning isn't anything like indigestion and no stress, nausea, headaches or sore throat but I'll mention to GP just in case!

I feel the same way... I think I might have had asymptomatic covid in March/April 2020... about mid march I had the feeling the glands in my throat were slightly swollen, then I developed a slight throat cleary tickle and occasional huh-huh type cough urge. I described it at the time as like walking into a freshly cleaned public toilet when the bleach smell hits your airways, or the sensation of smelling a distant bonfire on a crisp autumn morning. Also I had a couple of night sweats about a week either side of Easter 2020... proper having a bucket of water chucked over you type soaking, not just hot and sticky. No other symptoms at all... not the slightest hint of feeling fatigued, achy or off colour. Doesn't really much affect me now, although a couple of weeks ago I was in hysterics after my cat did something funny and it turned into an uncontrollable coughing fit. Anyway, it's much too borderline to bother a GP about, and prob far to late to test for anti-bodies, but I'd love there to be a study about lung/other organ damage in people with asymptomatic/ultra mild covid.

@BahHumbygge - the "freshly cleaned public toilet when the bleach hits your airways" is very spot-on! Any cleaning products make the soreness/burning worse. I also say it's like way back when I grazed my knees but it's actually my breathing that's grazed!

I have had long Covid for 15 months, OP. The burning pain in my chest, larynx and throat persisted for about six to eight months, along with chest heaviness, breathlessness, coughing, and fatigue.
The heaviness ended after about a year, and the other symptoms are now improving. I can walk four miles now, instead of 200 yards, but still get relapses if I try to do too much.
My initial attack of acute Covid was bad - I was hospitalised on oxygen after struggling at home for 2 weeks - but not bad enough to need ITU or ventilated.
I think you may yet see some improvement, if you pace yourself and go gently at trying to extend your exercise tolerance. Long Covid can occur after any level of severity of initial attack, and affect any organ. Some patients complain of problems with memory and concentration, for example, or signs of neuritis, although I had purely respiratory tract symptoms.

@Babdoc gosh that does sound like you had/are having a hard time. I presume nothing helps the burning pain? No suggestions from GP?

I’m a retired doctor myself, OP, so I knew there was only symptomatic treatment. I’d already tried antacids, antihistamines, painkillers etc.
The cough wasn’t productive, and I wasn’t wheezing, so the only thing that helped was home oxygen when I was gasping and desaturating at night. I haven’t needed it since last September though.
I found the breathlessness and fatigue more of a nuisance, tbh, as I live alone and couldn’t manage my normal shopping/gardening/chores. I had almost resigned myself to a life of permanent disability, when it gradually began to improve.
Certainly comparing my condition now with how I was a year ago, I can see a huge difference. I hope you will also find that things improve - there are other patients on MN long Covid threads who have turned a corner after many months or a year.

Yes I have sore windpipe and asthma symptoms since getting ill in March 2020. I was quite unwell and struggled to breathe in bed for two weeks but didn't attend hospital as paramedics told me to manage at home with ventolin.
For me everything has slowly improved but I still feel the burning windpipe sensation most days.
The worst was the shortness of breath which went on and off for months with (tmi) coughing up sticky clear mucus, but luckily that has improved with time. I don't use ventolin v often now. No tests were done in the initial days but I had a normal chest x ray 6 months later.