Covid lingering symptoms/Long Covid support thread

[Piggywaspushed]

Hello

As agreed with a few on the double vaxxed and feeling ugh thread, I am starting a supportive thread for those still suffering delta related symptoms. I don't want to tread on any toes as am aware there is a longstanding thread but some of us are newer to this horrible business.

I'll kick off : tested positive on 6 August. Initial symptoms were nausea, anxiety and impending doom, followed by short lived cough and then vomiting and nausea. Seen in A and E around Day 6 and then admitted to hospital on Day 14 with a flare up of gastric symptoms. Now in endless cycle of fatigue, night sweats, broken sleep and nausea with twitching jelly legs. I have missed out on every planned event for my summer holiday and very frustrated and sad. Had my second jab 16th May.

Come and join me for general moral support, kind words, anxious moments.

I'm not yet ready to call this long covid, and yet it's so much more than the mild symptoms so many apparently experience.

I tested positive on 10th August after a couple of days headache and a positive lateral flow.
Vaccinated January and April. I am CEV due to immunosuppressive drugs so potentially not the strongest immune response to vaccine, though doctors emphasised the vaccine ensured things were not much worse.
Admitted to hospital over night and then a few days later for a week. Given oxygen and lots of drugs but not ventilated. I've had good follow up and monitored at home from the hospital.

So now three+ weeks on. Intense fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath when not at rest, jelly legs, shaky.
Night sweats have stopped thankfully, though sleep is disturbed partly because I'm falling asleep during the day.

I have been isolating since 10th August, only been out the house to hospital. (Hospital discharge from covid ward extendes isolation).

Missed a much looked forward to UK holiday.
Had to cancel two important but unrelated hospital appointments.
Not been able to see adult DC.

When does long Covid begin? I’m only on week 2 since first cough. Been feeling fluey dry cough night sweats little energy and now stomach symptoms, tender queasy stomach which I’m not sure it was caused by Covid as I occasionally get such flareups. Feeling low. Will try to speak to GP tomorrow.

I am not sure there is an official definition. Think it might be people still exhibiting symptoms several weeks after infection.

I too am not ready for long covid label!

Been finding articles that seem to suggest women in menopause / post menopause are less protected but we were discussing PMT exacerbating symptoms too. Certainly all the hot flushes and night sweats are difficult to separate out.

Hope you get better soon piggy x

Thanks for starting this thread from a day 30 and utterly knackered addition to the group.

Welcome!

How is everyone's DPs and DCs coping? My DH is always good at acute stage, less good at chronic. He thinks doctors should cure me and then I should be fine....

I'm 63 so post menopause. I never completely stopped with hot flushes, more of a permanent thermostat problem, especially at night.
Infection causes night sweats though, so personally I think covid night sweats are a different thing. Mine were intesnse, bed soaking sweats for two weeks but have stopped.

DC are in 20s and have unfortunately seen me very ill before as I had breast cancer two years ago. They have been great.
DH has stepped up but he seems far more anxious about covid now, and he was pretty worried before. He didn't catch it off me in spite of being in close proximity at my most infectious so I feel that's a plus and that he probably has good immunity.

Covid +ve middle of July, doubled AZ vaxxed.
Original symptoms were temperature, sore throat, exhaustion, cough and a bit of difficulty breathing.

Week after isolation finished, I felt fine. LFTs were all negative too.
Fast forward another week...severe breathlessness and cough and diagnosed with pneumonia. Two lots of antibiotics later and I now have a constant headache and severe back strain so I can barely walk.

Keep extending time off work and I'm desperate to go back

Oh, it's awful isn't it hippychick when it comes back at you like that? In the middle of all this, I went on a day trip to Cambridge and happily walked about 8 miles no problem. Now I can't even happily walk around a supermarket.

Hi, I joined you all the other thread and then disappeared because symptoms took hold.
I'm double jabbed and had AZ. My isolation ended on Saturday but I'm still feeling awful.
I'm struggling with feeling absolutely bloody exhausted and my temperature will suddenly shoot up and then go back to normal again. I'm also getting the night sweats. Still have a sore throat and headache that comes and goes.
I'm meant to be back at work today but I'm in no way ready to go back.
DH was positive too and he has gone back to work today. DD3 had it too and she is back to full fitness. DD1 and DD2 didn't get it.
I'm so frustrated with myself. I just want to be back to normal life.

Welcome unto the fold. We shall wallow together. I know exactly how you feel.

Hi - thank you for starting this thread. I lurked know the other one, but never actually got around to posting.

I’m sorry to hear of others in the same situation. I tested positive in early August, was wiped for a couple of weeks and although I’m a lot better than I was I’m nowhere near back to ‘normal’. Still utterly exhausted, however much I sleep. Breathless and have very bad lower back and hip pain if I walk anywhere. One of the things I’m finding tough is how up and down the symptoms are - one day I feel ok to walk for a bit, but others I can barely move off the sofa. Dreading next week when I’m properly back to work.

I meant to say - that’s interesting about peri-menopause/menopause. I’m late 40s, and although have no obvious symptoms of peri yet I suspect I’m heading that way quickly.

@Piggywaspushed

Oh, it's awful isn't it hippychick when it comes back at you like that? In the middle of all this, I went on a day trip to Cambridge and happily walked about 8 miles no problem. Now I can't even happily walk around a supermarket.

I forgot to add I'm post menopause (on HRT for 6 years) and am relatively fit and healthy! I don't smoke, and I keep myself busy with full time work and three fairly grown up kids and a husband!
This has really knocked me for six and I feel utterly miserable. The last few weeks have stopped us doing so many things together as I just don't have any energy

Morning! How is everyone feeling?
I decided to get up at a normal time today to try and get back into a routine before school starts back next week. Plus I told work that I'd come back on Thursday.
Well, I woke up at 6.30am and had a cup of tea. Promptly fell back to sleep and woke at 10am. Bit of a fail there!
Physically I feel as if I have the start of a sinus infection. I'm hoping that it will subside and I have a better day.

Much better today but learning to be cautious about such proclamations. Slept from about 11pm through til about 5.45 with a couple of interruptions to sleep, but I could fall back to sleep reasonably easily. Night sweats seem to have subsided.

Have eaten a toasted bagel (very slowly!) and a cherry bakewell. At some point, I am hoping to eat actual food which is not beige.

I think long covid is more like still being ill 3+ months after covid, nhs says recovery can take up to 12 weeks - so I’m very much hoping none of us who are only a few weeks into it have long covid! I think it seems very common to still have some symptoms lingering for many.

I got first covid symptoms 7 august, so 3.5 weeks ago. I feel mostly ok now and am back to my usual activities more or less but have had all kinds of waves of weird lingering mild symptoms since the initial ‘heavy cold’ like week. The latest wave is that for the last few days I feel like I have a mild cold, with cough, achy head, chills, a sore in my mouth. I just feel so run down.

Someone said symptoms could get worse when period due and my period is now running a bit late.

Oh and I still have a fuzzy slightly dizzy sensation in my head especially on moving. Wondering if ears are affected despite not feeling blocked!

Hello! I got Covid at the start of August and am still not right. Double vaxxed since Jan with Pfizer (healthcare worker in Ireland), also late 40's, no menopause symptoms yet. I don't know how much of this tiredness is related to Covid and how much is just a reaction to the last couple of years of relentless stress. I'm back to work tomorrow, so hoping some of my ennui is "back to work blues" and that I will feel better once I have my first few days over.

How's everyone's sense of taste/smell doing? Mine is back in the last week. Thank goodness - I found the loss of both so depressing.

My smell is back. But it's not right. I can't stand the smell of toast in a toaster, which is normally such a nice smell.

DS tested positive on 6 August and has no sense of smell whatsoever.

Hi, I'm still waiting for the official diagnosis but my gp has said I most likely have it.
Covid + in January. Hospitalised for a few days.
Still have crippling fatigue, and muscle problems. Also using inhaler more frequently and smell still not right.
Managing to work part time but not much else.

Sorry, realised this was just for delta.

No, not at all! Anyone welcome!

I put Delta related symptoms in my OP because I know there is another very long running support thread somewhere and I didn't want to trample on their sensibilities : plus, there is still so little recognition of nausea, vomiting, headaches etc as nasty symptoms.

@Piggywaspushed I have the same thing with the smell of toast - for some reason it smells exactly like cat wee to me. Spent several days blaming the cats before I realised!