Covid first timer-worried

[Secretname123]

First time with Covid- I’m on day 6 and felt more rubbish than I had hoped with nasty cough, temperature, flu like symptoms and don’t think my heart rate went below 100 much. But all symptoms I was expecting (although hoping to avoid!). This morning I work up feeling loads better and cold symptoms cough has almost gone, temp and heart rate more normal. But after being up for about 30 mins I suddenly felt so strange. Dizzy and heavy and all my limbs tingling. Like nothing I’ve ever experienced, almost out of body. Not too bad when I lie down but I basically can only get up for about 10 mins at a time.
is this recognisable to people and does it pass soon? I’ve always been so scared of long covid and I know it’s too early but this feels so weird! I can’t stop crying- I suddenly feel very depressed too out of nowhere. I was quite stoic about finally succumbing until today.

I'm on day 9 and felt much like you did until day 7 and woke up suddenly feeling a lot better - or at least that always spaced out wobbly feeling had gone. Still utterly fatigued by the end of a non challenging day though

Hope it improves soon - it's much worse than I'd anticipated

The first time I had Covid I had this - really dizzy and nauseous and it was also day 6! I was really worried about it. Rest assured it will pass, I made a full recovery (though I have Covid again now and this morning also had a crying episode this morning with feeling depressed and worried about long Covid!) keep resting :)

Thank you that’s reassuring. Hope you both feel much better soon.

Yes take it easy don't rush back to work or anything

I've had covid 3 times now. What I found was that it came in waves. So you'd feel rubbish, think you were feeling better, then a wave of different symptoms would hit you! Dizziness, nausea, exhaustion and tingling were definitely symptoms though. They were the only symptoms I had the first time I had it. Just take it easy and as someone else said make sure you're 100% better before trying to get back to normal.

I’m ten weeks in now from my first time, it hit me like a train.
Tested positive for 14 days, I still have terrible fatigue, shortness of breath, heart rate will often still race up to 140 for no reason, Gp doesn’t think I need a 24 ecg 🤷🏼‍♀️. I still have the weird lightheadedness, which kind of feels like I’ve had too much to drink, it’s getting slightly better slowly.

I also have a host of other symptoms still ongoing.
I don’t know if I’ll ever be 100% well again

It’s a horrible infection, it affects people so differently at all ends of the scale from barely knowing you have it, to death and everything in between.

All you can do is rest and pace yourself.

This weird “second stage” is what I was dreading as it takes so long to clear up for so many people. I’m having minor panics that I won’t feel up to going to the MILs for Christmas- there will be all kinds of problems if we don’t make it. I’m quite good at not doing any work though. 😂Checked my email today and that was all I managed

Are you checking your oxygen levels? They shouldn’t drop below 96%, if they do need to call dr asap.

also are you taking vit D (you can take a higher dose for the duration, especially if you haven’t taken it regularly before), vit C, zinc and NAC? There are studies for all of here in conjunction with covid or flu related illnesses. They really help.

Once you’re better, you should also test your vit D levels, and if low get an appropriate prescription from the Dr. Depending on how are they will prescribe a different dosage / time interval.

While it sounds quite bad, yours will still be classed as mild, as you don’t need hospitalisation.

But pls check your oxygen levels as you can have silent hypoxia (very common with covid) and feel ok until it gets to be quite bad and need oxygen in hospital.

I have only just tested and show positive - I've been feeling rough for a few days but genuinely thought it was a cold. It's my first time so fingers crossed it won't get worse.

Yes it's normal, I often felt much better then very suddenly worse again with new symptoms all the time. It passed in 9 days for me, but I still feel a bit phlegmy and coughy a week later

Thanks for all the comments. I’m still feeling exhausted and it’s so different from my usual tiredness. I kind of feel heavy in my limbs and the tiredness feels crushing. I’ve had a couple of days where I feel more normal then it hits again. I can’t see me going to work before Christmas- I’m trying to work at home instead but my work requires brain power that I don’t have. And eg today I feel rubbish and doubt will get much done. Haven’t even contemplated leaving the house!
my oxygen is ok but I know a couple of people with long covid who are like “that’s how I felt and it didn’t go away”. I’m really hoping it can get better though. I already have to deal with fibromyalgia and don’t want to take another hit to my ability to cope with life :(

Sounds like typical covid to me, nothing to be concerned about. You just need to rest Snd recuperate. Your heart rate will naturally increase if you start to panic about being unwell, and actually an increased heart rate when sick isnt unusual as your body is working hard to get better.

Chill out, stay in bed and I'm sure you'll be fine. It's still almost a week to xmas, plenty of time to feel better.

@Secretname123 you have just reflected exactly how I am……now 13 weeks….. I don’t think I will get back to work, too much to physically get there, no wfh option, I also need the brain power to do my job, which I no longer have. To try and concentrate is even exhausting.
I’m going to try and get back to Gps after Xmas for long covid diagnosis, I also have a 24hr ecg booked next month.
I just try to pace myself on good days otherwise I will crash for days and that’s horrible.

@MooseAndSquirrelLoveFlannel “ you just need to rest “ if only that’s all it takes! “Nothing to be concerned about “ course not, just 25% of the life I had before covid. Not everyone recovers how you imagine.

@Furcoatandnoknickerz i guess I’m just hoping that it’s possible to feel like this and recover fairly quickly rather than it being inevitable that it will turn into long covid. It’s helpful to me to know there are people who have had these same symptoms and got over them in a few weeks. I’m sorry you are still feeling so unwell. It terrifies me long covid has always been my big fear.

Hope all of you who are still struggling are going to test their vit D levels. Vit D deficiency symptoms overlap with long covid. I’ve no idea if doctors test for that but they should. I’ve had severe deficiency without any symptoms (before having covid). I’m so glad I got my levels back to normal before I finally caught covid, otherwise I’m sure it would have been bad.

some studies re vit D and covid, many others can be found:

pmj.bmj.com/content/98/1156/87

Vitamin D Deficiency Is Associated With Higher Hospitalization Risk From COVID-19: A Retrospective Case-control Study
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34139758/

25-hydroxyvitamin D is a predictor of COVID-19 severity of hospitalized patients
journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0268038

Yup it's been tested and fine

@CristinaNov182 Had blood tests for everything, vitamin D levels are very good as I take a supplement. Without the extra vitamin d which I have been taking for the last 3 years I may have been a lot more poorly……..but sadly it doesn’t prevent it.

Took me a good 4-6 weeks to shake the dizziness and fatigue but thankfully no long Covid - was getting really quite worried by the end of it! Many I’ve talked to said the same, longer than 4 weeks but no long term issues

@Pepperama did you feel really awful during those 4-6 weeks and then it got better? I’ve been feeling significantly worse the last 3 days- shaky, heavy limbs, can barely get around the house. No chance of going for a walk/doing school run/ going back to work next week. And I really have been taking it easy?! I’m so stressed that it won’t go away.