Long covid? My mental health is spiralling

[backoncemore82]

I tested positive for covid 2 weeks ago, it was really mild with aching bones and a cough but since then every time I cough my chest hurts, it's like a point in the middle of my chest and I still have a cough and lots of phlegm. Could this be long covid or even still just the effects of covid.
I suffer from health anxiety and I can feel myself start to spiral, I had a Google and it all points to lung cancer and I had a panic attack.
Has anyone had this as a symptoms of covid/long covid

You cannot have long covid two weeks after infection. It took me at least 3 to get better. And I was coughing for even longer! It’s common to continue to feel a bit unwell for a few weeks! Long covid is if you have continued, debilitating symptoms 3 or more months later that stop you being able to do your usual activities.

A sore chest is normal with covid and a result of the coughing. Coughs can take weeks to clear up from any virus. I had a stinking cold recently (not covid, PCR checked) & im still coughing two weeks later! It’s annoying but normal. If your phlegm is dark green or very yellow, it could be a secondary infection needing antibiotics. You could ask to be checked over by your GP. If the phlegm is clear, it won’t be an infection.

Do you have any help for your anxiety?

It’s absolutely normal to feel like this two weeks into covid. It’s common to feel worse after a couple of weeks-that was how it was for me too.

It might be worth trying to get a phone appointment with your gp to discuss what’s going on though.

Thank you so much for replying. I had covid back in 2020 before vaccines and that it what triggered my health anxiety, I am seeking help for it. It's really reassuring to hear that it probably is just part of recovery. @PurpleDaisies hope you are feeling better now

Much better thanks. I’m still getting tired and brain fog but that is improving. I’ve had post viral fatigue before and I wasn’t totally surprised to get it again.
I was surprised by how rough I felt with covid after being fully vaccinated, and I was really surprised when I thought I was better then suddenly felt much worse a couple of weeks in.

I had a thread running at the time which I found really helpful for support. Just knowing others were feeling the same really helped.

To be fair to you OP, I'm having an argument with family members about an event planned two weeks before another, very important, event. They all seem to think that if they catch Covid, it's all over and done with in 10 days - no Uncle Brian, that's the isolation period, you could potentially be ill for much longer and miss event number 2. But it's like talking to a wall...

But my point in your situation is that all the 10/14 day chat sets an expectation that you'll be fine and dandy within a fortnight. But it's an illness like any other illness and some people will take longer to be back to 100%. Certainly any time I've had a bad chest infection, it's taken three weeks or so for the cough to go. So it doesn't mean you're in for long covid, it just means it's taking you longer than an arbitrary 10 days to recover.

Best wishes to you and I hope you continue to improve. Recognise that it's a scary time with all this information and misinformation flying around and be kind to yourself