Any long covid symptoms?

[GetOffTheTableMabel]

I currently have covid for the first time. I am menopausal and suffer from migraine and I know both these things have been identified as having potential links to long covid.
If you are suffering lingering symptoms, what are they? And how long after your covid infection did they appear/disappear?

Yes, unfortunately. I tested positive around Xmas, so about 3 months ago. My symptoms were pretty mild, mainly neurological. After the 10 day period, I seemed to be doing ok, however about 4 weeks later I started to get constant headaches, a mottled rash on my thighs, a very weird anxiety feeling, shortness of breath from time to time, pins and needles and tinnitus and some ear pain. Really sucks.

I’m late 30s, was super fit, slim, no underlying health conditions so didn’t expect to be hit so hard. I was double vaxxed but not boosted.

My blood work came out normal and so the GP has said there’s not much that can be done.

However I guess the good news is that I have known a lot of people who got covid at the same time, all vaxxed many were not boosted at the time, who all seem to have made a full recovery, so I think my situation is rare. I’m just unlucky I guess...

Two years and counting. Symptoms have been ridiculously wide ranging, but in a nutshell, it's ME/CFS with a side order of PoTS.

The best advice is just to err on the side of caution. If you have any symptoms, avoid exertion. My GP told me it was fine for me to build up walking after a few weeks, despite still having horrible chest pains, shortness of breath, palpitations, etc. It wasn't. It made me worse. Going back to work after a couple of months because I thought I "ought to" despite being nowhere near back to health (frankly I was embarrassed to be off for so long) was what really tipped me over the edge I think. I'm still unable to work now.

Onset can vary by person - some had a mild infection and felt they were almost fully better, brought in exercise, and then had a crash that was effectively the onset of long covid. For me it was more a case of symptoms just never going away.

I'm sure you'll be fine though OP, and I'm not looking to scare! But if I could turn back time knowing what I do now, I'd just realise that it's best not to treat it like a cold where we can ignore symptoms, carry on as normal, and feel assured our bodies will recover smoothly. For a lot of people it's much more taxing on the body than that, even if it isn't immediately obvious by symptom severity (there's lots going on behind the scenes with covid!). Just avoid any exertion until you are fully better. If you're like most, that'll only be a week or two. If the infection lasts longer than that, it's even more important to be careful, and just be patient till it eventually passes. It's drastically easier to rebuild strength and fitness in a deconditioned but healthy body than it is to do the same with a body that was never able to recover, and no longer functions as it's meant to.

Very similar to @FSVin I’ve been ill for so bloody long.

I recovered okay from the initial infection then only got ill when I exercised… then did my usual sport one day and just never recovered.

This was 18 months ago. I’m now not working and am disabled.

Whatever you do REST like your life depends on it. (Because it might).

Sorry to hear that @FSVin and @filthyflavourz. Did you find the vaccines after your virus helped at all? Considering whether the booster might help me.

I had covid16 months ago, I was really Ill with it. I still have limited taste and smell, trigeminal neuralgia (maybe linked, maybe not) diabetes type 2, apparently can be a long covid symptom, and very achy and tired, oh and had a massive hair loss, which started to grow back after around 6 months.
I have to add I am in menopause too, so the tiredness could be that.
My gp said they are still learning about long covid symptoms.

My brother is in his early 20s and had Covid 1.5 years ago and his smell/taste has never fully returned despite his other symptoms being mild and brief

Thank you all. I know I just have to wait and see. My symptoms haven’t been too bad but I know that’s not really relevant. I’ve been looking forward to getting back to my regular walks now that the better weather is here and I feel unsure about that now. It seems that rest is the only real tool. I’m definitely feeling very weary currently so I will take that advice.

@Rispa42

I wish I could say the vaccines helped!

However the 1st one made me very ill for a few months, #2 & #3 - made no difference either way.

Gez Medinger did a survey of people with LC & vaccines - the results were split pretty evenly iirc.

Long Covid support groups on Facebook and especially the news feed on Twitter are worth following if you have LC.

Hi, I had covid about 6 weeks ago. It was a rotten cold, no cough, not even a high temp and recovered within a few days. 3 weeks later have developed palpitations and a pulsing sensation in my legs with what can I can only describe as a nervous tummy that comes and goes depending what I eat. It doesn't feel acidic, more just churning, enough to keep me awake at night together with the throbbing legs. As well, I've also felt mild tinnitus, my eyesight was affected (not badly) and initially my ears were painful as well. All very strange.

I had Covid in the first wave in 2020, so was unvaxxed. I was not that sick but did have the breathing issues that came with it. I still get breathless sometimes just walking around normally. They x-rayed my lungs and saw nothing so who knows?

No. Like the vast majority of people I recovered fully.

@TinaYouFatLard

No. Like the vast majority of people I recovered fully.

Good for you. But I think the OP was wanting to hear from people who haven't fully recovered.

I'm like @FSVin and would agree with the ME/CF. If you haven't experienced this you cannot really explain to other people quite how debilitating it is. It's a tiredness unlike anything else. I can be doing ok and then suddenly feel like I've hit a wall and it's as though someone has poured concrete into my body. My limbs feel as though they weigh 20 stone each and I can't move or take another step. I'm 18 months or so in, and better than I was - but still maybe at about 70% of my normal health. I am beginning to realise that this is maybe as good as it gets. I'm back in work, still not back full time, still struggling to do anything other than work and sleep to be honest. It's shit and I'm struggling a lot of days.

I work in a really academic type of profession that involves a lot of concentration and that for me is far more tiring than anything physical. On good days I could walk several miles - I'm not breathless or unfit. What I have is 'brain fog' and on my worst days if it's busy, there is a lot going on, people are talking at me/asking for a professional opinion I have looked down at a piece of paper with writing on and realised that I cannot read it. It might as well be in Klingon because my brain has 'frozen' and cannot take it in. It's just squiggles on a page. This is frightening for someone who relies on their brain at work and is used to it operating 'properly'.

I'm getting better at pacing - but you have to be absolutely disciplined about building in mindfulness, rest periods, restorative movement like Qi Gong etc - and that's not always possible at work. I try and be clear about what I think I can cope with and blocking time out in my diary. My employers have been excellent and are sympathetic, but I've been back in work for several months now and there are days when I feel they are impatient with me, or think I'm exaggerating. That's maybe not the case, but it's difficult to get people to realise that saying 'I'm very tired' is actually quite serious if you are in Long Covid.

@Rispa42 how are you now ? Ive haad covid 3 times :( after the first time i started to become very ill , not energy etc! I was 25 when u first got it. It changed me completely…
had anything helped? X

@Rubyupbeat i also have suffered ffrom trigeminal neuralgia ever since having covid . Mine started with awful ear pain then in my face. Had anytbing helped you? Feeling desprate, i have a. 11 month old baby, and im struggling mentally dealing with how i am a different person completely xx

My sister had it in 2020 - still can’t smell

My daughter (almost 12) has been left with ME. But covid almost killed her, she ended up in intensive care and couldn't eat for over 3 months. She can walk about 10 steps, uses a wheelchair full time. Sleeps 17hrs a night. Can't get out of bed, breathless, dizzy, sick, headaches. But her ME is very severe and she was so unlucky that she went from completely healthy having never had antibiotics to almost dying.

@Sodie so sorry to hear that. That must be awful for a 12 year old!
i feel like i have zero energy since having it the first time! Then felt a little better, then i got it whilst pregnant and its knocked me completely! Dizzyness, exhausting, nerve pains, numbness etc. Xx

I keep feeling I've recovered then wham. This is 4 months on.

I'd say that still feeling the effects after just a few weeks is not long covid. My Dad on the other hand got it in Feb 2020 and is still very poorly with it. It's affected his breathing to the point where he can only walk a few yards before getting out of breath. He also has damage to his heart caused by it and has been in and out of hospital this last two years with it. He is a shell of the man he used to be and gas had to completely change his lifestyle.

I had covid in February, then in March it became pneumonia, two lots of antibiotics helped but my breathing still doesn't feel right. An xray showed nothing. I think one of my problems is I am my husband's carer so I can't just take to my bed and rest, I do as little as possible but the house is looking awful and I feel awful when I realise we are gradually declining into a house with grubby paintwork, a fridge that hasn't been cleaned in weeks. We have clean clothes and I cook but things like changing the bed is so exhausting that it doesn't get done enough.

I wake up and think I must do x and then I make some tea and toast, sort out DHs meds and here I am sitting here still thinking I must do x today but it probably won't get done.

I also feel quite panicky about little things that wouldn't normally bother me. It is making me feel quite depressed now and I get teary about really insignificant things.

I haven't bothered the doctor since the xray as I don't think there is much he can do, the pharmacist recommended a multi vitamin with iron so I will see if it helps.

Feeling really down about it today. Its just flaring up everytime I felt remotely "better".