Why is there no focus on the fact that surviving bad COVID can come with a horrible aftermath?

[Floraflower3]

I’m a healthcare professional in a district general hospital working on a COVID ward. This isn’t meant to be a scare thread but I’m just interested in why the below is never really mentioned in the aftermath of ending up with covid requiring hospitalisation.

Most people get treated with steroids which have their own host of side effects. A lot of people are needing to go home on insulin when they weren’t on it before to help control their hyperglycaemia. I don’t know how many people successfully wean off insulin as I don’t follow up in the community.

You have the intensive physio to try to get back to normal. Some people get permanent lung damage. Others get blood clots of which you’ll need 3 months treatment minimum. There’s people who will need long term rehab post intubation as they are in no functional state (progress with one patient was them being able to raise their arms.)

There’s the new treatments (I do find it ironic how anti-vaxxers will accept these) that may leave you immunocompromised for months.

How come these things are never really talked about? These people have survived COVID but with potentially long term ramifications?

Derek Draper.
i was so pleased when he became conscious, and then when he could communicate, and even came home.
but since then, the situation is just sad.
maybe he will make more progress, be able to do more, communicate more. i hope so. but it could be a very very slow process.
his case being before the public makes more people aware of these issues.

I think it happens a lot with all illnesses. My 8 year old was born at 35 weeks and has had lots of long term problems as a result. I never realised that could happen but I've heard loads of stories about babies being born at 23 weeks and being perfectly healthy which must be much rarer. I found when he was in hospital a lot of people would ask how he was and then say I must be wrong when I said anything negative. I think a lot of people don't want to hear about the negative stuff and just want to pretend it doesn't happen.

People don’t want to think about it. My relative was in the HDU with COVID last year and it resulted in permanent heart and lung damage. They now require round the clock nursing care. Yes they are old but prior to contracting COVID they were living a relatively normal life for a retired person - going out shopping and to appointments, visiting friends, concerts and taking holidays. Most people I tell are shocked and sympathetic but a minority I find quite dismissive.

@Bobholll

Why would you talk about it? I’m aware being seriously ill & in ICU for any illness will be a long & complicated recovery in most cases. I’m certainly not blinkered to think you skip out. But covid isn’t unusual in this. And most people don’t end up in ICU from covid.

It’s human nature to look at the positives I think. I certainly take the view that life is short, previous & for living. There is no point dwelling on the bad things that might happen or all the possible awful things that could come your way. You’d lose your mind. I know there are some god awful things out there & I support charities, I used to volunteer in a hospital pre-children, I look after those I know going through difficult times.. I think that’s all you can do!

Absolutely agree. Would you really if your loved one was very ill want everyone to focus on how awful things could be not positives.

Many years ago I worked in the NHS and took away the fact that any illness or accident can have long term consequences even if it doesn't kill you.

Covid does not change that for me and actually makes me think the opposite of what you are suggesting which is that I am happy to take risks including not socially distancing or wearing masks because I think it is important to enjoy my life because you never know what is round them corner and covid is only one of the many harms that can happen.

I disagree that these things are never talked about! Constant barrage of doom.

Experts have repeatedly reported that it's happening proportionally more often, to more patients, than other illnesses.

Yes the othering is strong.

@theemperorhasnoclothes

People really don't want to hear inconvenient truths. And so the media don't report on them. It is moral cowardice, and I'm with you OP, I'd rather know the risks and reality so I can make rational choices. But a lot of people would prefer not to, seemingly.

Yes. That, and the dismissal of people as cannon fodder.

Other counties are taking better mitigations - like we tend to do for all risks, including seat belts, speeding limits, etc. Hence their mask mandates and vaccine passports.

Guess which economy citing as an excuse not to mitigate country will spend more money on Covid long term? Long Covid = long term health treatment costs.

I have heard a lot about ling covid but its been more in terms of post viral fatigue that you might get from other illnesses. I havent ever heard if its more common after covid.

I have seen a small amount about recovery after intubation but not much and i certainly have no idea of the numbers of people who have been ill in this way. I see deaths and cases and hospital admission graphs. But i suppose ive never seen x number since the start have been intubated and going forward its hard.

That is true of many conditions requiring critical care though, long term consequences of treatment and non Covid. Resources are now so stretched that noone gets the rehab or follow-up care they deserve.

Thank you for raising this issue OP. All the focus is on those meaningless figures and graphs that feature every day on the news - this many deaths, this many infections - no proper analysis of what that actually means. It's because the bottom line for Covid policy is making sure the hospitals don't get overwhelmed. The restrictions are off, but if the hospitals start to fill up again they will be back on. Long term effects don't impact on hospital capacity, but this is what people should be focussing on. A friends daughter has long Covid and is now is a wheelchair - she is 18 and a campaigner for young people to take it more seriously as a threat and get themselves vaccinated and continue to wear masks. These are individual cases scattered around the country in their own homes, not a critical mass engulfing a hospital and no-one thinks it will happen to them or their child. I am glad that I live in a country where vaccination is strongly encouraged through the use of vaccine passports for everyone over the age of 12 and mask wearing is still enforced. You can opt out, but if you do then your movements are very much restricted. I think this is the right way round.

I think what’s brought it home to me is the number of kids suddenly developing T1 diabetes, and the links now being made between Covid and T1. That’s so scary, as the consequences of that are way bigger than just catching the illness.

@feesh

I think what’s brought it home to me is the number of kids suddenly developing T1 diabetes, and the links now being made between Covid and T1. That’s so scary, as the consequences of that are way bigger than just catching the illness.

Yes and why no outcry or huge media coverage about this? It's staggering really. There's a lot of 'we don't know the long term effects of the vaccine' which is true but when we start to get data on the long term effects of covid, like T1 diabetes in kids, there is a sort of complicit silence.

I keep waiting for the proper adults to turn up and take charge.

I'd often used to think this about smoking when i worked in NHS with many nurses and other staff who smoked despite caring everyday for people suffering the consequences of smoking. I've treated people dying from cancer at home whilst family members have continued to smoke not only around the patient but around their own young children. If you somehow magicked away all the patients in hospital for illnesses caused by smoking/alcohol/obesity/type 2 diabetes we'd have a lot of spare capacity! People have an amazing tendency to deny the potential consequences of their actions/illnesses and tbh this can be psychologically necessary in some situations otherwise none of us over 40's would get out of bed, we'd all become mentally unwell if we continually thought about the health risks we face. The longer anything goes on the more people will tend to adjust to the risk unless they are confronted with a very immediate case or situation that brings risk home in a personal way . I'm more incensed by the fact that NHS and social care staff have been saying for years how much they struggle to provide decent services, every winter is chaos, I wish people would understand the consequences on peoples lives and recovery of the NHS being in such a poor state, many more people will die unnecessarily or fail to be given the services that allow their return to health and COVID patients certainly fall in this category.

@Floraflower3

Working in a hospital has really made me appreciate good health. It’s small things like I’ve seen a patient lose digits due to the vasoconstrictors used in ICU or pressure ulcers that develop (I know those are unacceptable but it does happen). Small price to pay for being alive I guess.

There is no excuse for pressure ulcers if the correct pressure relieving devices are used and patients are turned regularly. Full stop.

People don't want to hear, don't want to know. Someone earlier mentioned cancer - cancer treatment has destroyed my body and I suffer every day with complications from it but even the medics are 'but you're alive' and dismiss the issues (took years before they actually listened and now admit there are many complications they are 'now' aware about and will try treat). The general public (friends, family etc) don't want to hear anything at all - its like 'you were sick, you survived, forget about it'; but they don't realise that daily life is different and has more challenges so you can't just forget about it. I think Covid is the same - people want you to come home, get on with it, be the person you were to them preC.

Michael Rosen talks about his Covid after effects.

But people like to think they are immortal and bad things only happen to other people who have been silly enough to do something wrong to cause it...

@Flossieskeeper

It’s not just covid - it’s all illnesses. People only want to hear the miraculous recovery . No one wants to contemplate how seriously disabled illness and trauma can leave people.

It’s been like this forever.

I agree.

I have an NHS physio in the family who gets annoyed with people talking about all of the recuperation and after care needed for long covid. Which is exactly the same for any other respiratory illness. They're wondering why there is suddenly money to throw at the problem for covid but not any other respiratory illnesses.

I agree there isn't enough resource put into after care in general, but with something like covid, where there are mitigations that could really make a difference to the numbers as it's a communicable disease, it does matter perhaps a bit more that people understand the full consequences of the 'let it rip' approach being taken.

The media only ever report on deaths, seemingly. I guess disability doesn't sell as many newspapers? Or perhaps there are few truly independent media sources who practise proper investigative journalism?

The effects of covid are ALL we hear about.

you somehow magicked away all the patients in hospital for illnesses caused by smoking/alcohol/obesity/type 2 diabetes

And a even bigger social care and pensions bill. Something we're struggling to fund as it is.

First, type 2 diabetes is NOT always caused by lifestyle (which as we all know is so very often far from a choice). It is just one of several causes. It's simply the only one that the government and media have chosen to focus on.

Stress. The key link for all three conditions.

Poverty is a major cause of stress - and consequently type 2 diabetes, obesity, and smoking.

The public health housing emergency plays a very big role in all this.

Smoking. The taxes paid by smokers more than cover their healthcare. Smokers also are a net gain to the national economy. Due to dying younger on average.

Knowing covid can leave you with life long complications should you end up in ICU or indeed seriously ill doesn’t change my approach to risk at all. I’m vaxxed. I’m young-ish. I have moderate asthma but I’m not concerned about it. I’m enjoying life as normal now. That’s my risk decision I’ve made. 90% of OPs patients are not vaxxed. I’ll take my 10% chance!

"Pregnancy is not an illness"... it did a fucking good impression of it including a stay in HDU post-birth. Two years later despite now knowing how unpleasant and painful pregnancy can be, I went through it again. Fortunately without HDU, but my tattered pelvis has never fully forgiven me.

Any condition involving a stay in ICU is likely to have unpleasant and lasting consequences. DH has just been to see a colleague in this position for a non-Covid issue. He spent 5 months in hospital/ rehab and is now relearning how to walk with a zimmer frame, partly from the damage of the condition and partly muscle wastage from months of being immobile.

Statistically, I'd be unlucky to be worse than the cold/ flu end of Covid. Of course there are no guarantees but if I did end up with it being more serious or Long Covid, at least I've spent the past 18m trying to live life to the max avaliable rather than terrified into a miserable, aggrophobic existence by all the doom and gloom footage early in the pandemic. All I can do is live healthily and hope. I've lost relatives in their 40s and 50s, Covid is not the only hazard and my priority is to live well while the going is good.