Severe emotional distress with Covid? August 2024.

[LisaRenee]

So… third time round with this bugger Covid (ding ding) every time I’ve had it I have experienced a bout of low mood, crying spells, anxiety attacks…unpleasant, but this time round…my god I feel on the edge.

Has this strain affected any other women so aggressively? I cannot shake the depressive feelings three weeks in, still breaking down in tears for an hour or so over nothing, feel real despair, awful low mood and lingering joint pains, severe fatigue, sore gums and tinnitus.

No real fevers or gastro stuff this time, seems more achy, extreme exhaustion and neurological and emotional in nature. I’m looking for reassurance that it is in-fact the Covid making me feel like this and I’m not stark raving mad! And please tell me it subsides, 3 weeks in is deeply unpleasant.

@sonjadog Thank you for sharing.

@Butwhybecause Oh no that sucks after having an operation! I really hope the joint pains ease off soon for you. I have been looking into taking some Fermented Cod Liver oil from Green Pasture, it has great reviews for tackling systemic inflammation and joint pain. May even help with the brain inflammation and anxiety too.

The time I got tinnitus, my anxiety was extreme for a few weeks and I felt like I was losing my sanity. I ended up on a low dose of anti-depressives for a few months, but that was also to help deal with the tinnitus. All in all, it was a horrible time. But it did pass in the end.

I hadn’t even considered covid could be why I’m feeling this way, but I tested positive 5 weeks ago. Didn’t feel too bad apart from cold, cough and gastro problems, but my god, my mood and insomnia are awful.

Having just read someone’s thread about summer nearly over, I thought maybe that’s why my mood is so low but Covid makes far more sense.

Sorry I haven’t got any advice but I feel your pain.

I’ve just come on this morning to say that it definitely does improve. I slept way better last night and my mind was calmer. I’ve had a short sharp nasty attack….only had symptoms for 6 days but felt absolutely dreadful for the first 3, barely able to move. OH has been ill for longer but it seems to be less intense and just dragging him down a bit. We have both had similar kinds of symptoms though. And I had the peripheral vision thing as well…very disconcerting…and it has passed too.

I do find if I’m know I’m going to find sleep difficult it helps me if I accept that and prepare. I fill a thermal bottle with boiling water and take it and a mug with a calming herbal teabag in it up to bed. Leave them on the side and they are there for a middle of the night calming cuppa if it all gets too much. That might help you for now? Take care and hopefully you’ll be at the end of it soon.

I am so relieved to read this thread , but I totally sympathise with you all . I am on day 16 ish and I have been so unwell . Severe panic attacks for about a week that are only subsiding now, I felt like I was going to die with anxiety . My legs are totally fatigued still and my appetite is gone ( no harm , I’m not fading away !) . I had bad bad sinusitis that I got antibiotics for . It’s really a horrible dose . I want like this the first time I got it .
oh and my period was brought on and v bad too . Sick of it !!

I have had covid twice. One time it was just like a regular shitty virus but the first time it affected my MH really badly. I was incredibly distressed and felt panicky and vomited. I feel as if getting over what was in my head hindered my physical recovery.

Yes! I’m a couple weeks in, tested negative about 5 days ago and that was the main symptom for me initially - total sobbing depression like I only ever had with PND - still struggling, so exhausted and get fluey feelings if I do anything much. I have been able to actually get off the couch the last 3 days and did some errands yesterday but I felt pretty awful. Attempted to build my LO new rebounder and broke in a sweat and shaking. I thought I had it loads this year but tbh didn’t test positive apart from this time around, and last time confirmed was last April. I hate this virus. How are you going now?

It has done me in mentally/emotionally, OP. I estimate I've had it a good 3 weeks or more at this point, and the crying jags have come and gone at times but now I just feel deathly depressed. In fact, reading your thread today has convinced me I'm not just inexplicably depressed (with very morose thoughts). It could well be the covid, although I haven't tested - I'm self-diagnosing based on symptoms and past experience. Today I have been thinking my life is pointless and not worth living! And although I can go there from time to time, this has hit me like a juggernaut out of nowhere, the intensity I mean. I'm exhausted, my body aches in places I didn't even know I had, and I'm really having to force myself to be bothered to eat. Breathing has been 'foggy' the last 3 or 4 days, gums ache, face feels woefully tired, bladder aches, but most of all I could scream with existential misery - not because I'm ill, but because the pleasure has been drained from everything!

How are you doing today, any improvement in mood at all?

@baroqueandblue ive also had the DARK thoughts. I’ve had a bit of a year of it anyways and it feels like on a human level it’s normal to be quite low on morale, but not contemplating why I’m even alive whilst mindlessly spooning smash into my mouth 😂. But just wanted to offer you complete solidarity. All the same symptoms and the same sort of time line. I usually get some mood challenges pre period and around ovulation but max 5 days all told in a month. Now it’s ever. single. day. Also to add pretty bad weakness, 5am adrenaline dumps and panic attacks, loss of smell and also sweating if I do anything remotely taxing (for some reason I thought painting the bathroom was a good idea!? It was NOT and I managed half a wall before shaking and sweating).

@LisaRenee i think being stressed prior to covid also impacts on it. Try and keep calm ( I know it’s so difficult). Have you been out the house at all or not able to? I have fibro as well, although it was getting a lot better with doing some work with a dr called Dr. schubiner. Been night at day.

Yes it’s been present in previous strains, they call it emotional disregulation

This happened to me 3 weeks ago weeks ago, first time in my life I felt seriously depressed

This is 100% Covid brain inflammation. I have been experiencing it on and off for 4 and a half years.

I've had Covid 4 times (as has my friend), and we have both had this each time!

Yes me too. I'm sorry you're all struggling - it truly is awful. I haven't felt like 'me' for 4.5 years now. Awful fatigue, leaden legs, low mood, insomnia and anxiety, muscle and joint pain, tinnitus. Stomach cramps.... the list goes on. I literally cannot remember feeling 'well'. 😔

OMG I'm glad you posted that. When I had covid last time I was like a permanent rabbit in the headlights with a reactive reflex to any slight sound that sent my heart rate so high my Apple Watch was giving me warnings 😂

The slight sore throat was far more bearable and was my 8n my other symptom!

oh my goodness- thank you for posting this- I thought I was done for!
I've only skim read the thread but can see my awful symptoms mirrored back at me- such a relief.
the exhaustion and physical symptoms- sore throat, profound nausea, headache are deeply unpleasant but, Jeez, it's the emotional symptoms
I dread the nights now as insomnia bad and nightmares dreadful- then waking up with palpitations, anxiety (so jumpy) and a bleakness that makes me want to end it all!
I'm going to read the thread properly now as it is comforting- misery loving company and all that
I'm coming up to 5 weeks of symptoms
hadn't bothered to have booster- (I will now!)
Commiserations, Op, and here's to a full recovery for all us (I'd say speedy but I think that ship's sailed!)

I have just had it again, had long covid the first time. A lot of symptoms are back, nervous system is shot and I feel so so low. It was like a switch of low mood, everything on my life is great and I was bursting with energy and positivity before. Definitely covid caused and though I'm sad lots are struggling I'm glad I'm not alone

There's a lot of support for this on Twitter.

Do mind me asking if you were vaccinated/boostered this year?
I was when I had covid in 2020 and had a much milder experience. This time- no vaccine/booster and obvs feel awful.
I was hoping that if I resumed boosters it wouldn't be as bad again.
But maybe your experience is that it's still bad?!
You poor thing having this 4 times
Thank you.

@BustyCrustacean (great username haha!) I haven't had a vaccine since the universal booster came out, as I'm not entitled to it. It's coming up to a year since my last bout of Covid, but interestingly my worst bout with it was the first and second times. I'm a teacher, so I'm fairly certain I've caught it at school every time. I don't think I'd even need to test if I got it again, as it feels so different to other illnesses, especially the mental health side effects.

Has anyone's DC experienced the sudden onset anxiety and racing thoughts?

thank you, Covidwoes, and agree- it certainly does feel different to anything I've experienced!

Yes I had this too. Extreme anxiety first time and deep deep sadness with the recent one. Also sometimes since having long covid twice, I often get the sadness with just any other virus. It's as if I'm getting a flare up of covid symptoms even though it is a different virus.

It's really awkward because I can be in the middle of a zoom work meeting and suddenly I feel as though I will just start sobbing, and it's nothing but a mild virus starting.

I also had the neurological crazy feelings that one of the first previous posters mentioned as though I was going nuts after the vaccine. Fortunately it went away, but I definitely did not have a second one after that.