Anyone think that it’s no longer long Covid? just permanent damage?
It’s been 10 months since I was a happy, successful, talented businessman and family guy with a nice suburban life.
Now I have trouble with basic memory and processing.
I’m in a couple of clinical long Covid programs, had tons of tests, and am on dementia meds and adderall to repair neural connections and help me focus at work. I’m tired of all the neurologists and endless testing.
I don’t even know if it’s meaningful to say I have long Covid. I’m just screwed up, like someone in a car accident who will always limp or is missing an arm or is paralyzed.
It seems I’m left with “managing the symptoms” until brain fog, dementia, Parkinson’s, traumatic brain injury, MS, and other related brain ailments are magically cured.
I’m trying to accept I’m a new guy now. I’m stuck trying to pretend I am the pre-Covid guy and just being a blurred xerox copy of myself.
Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Post-COVID Recovery & COVID-19 Support Group.
I hear your grief. I understand the feelings of loss that accompanies the post Covid condition. I don't believe these are all permanent deficits. I know that recently, there's been a large medical effort to identify the post Covid process and find treatments. The approaches are many towards this end. We have some of the best scientific+ medical minds working on this + the important funding is now there. We have advanced computer analysis helping too. So I have hope. Until afew weeks ago, I didn't have a Dr to do anything to address my post Covid status. I helped myself thru non prescription supplements. They brought me incremental but noteworthy help. I recently received a low dose course of steroids that made a life changing difference for me. We're all in different phases+ have a wide array of symptoms so one size in no way fits all. Plus we have different viral histories + co-morbidities. But there are continuous reports of great improvement + we're just starting.
You are mentally+ physically exhausted. You're also on prescription medications that will also make you feel 'not yourself" while helping you. You are still working, which is hard on you, too.
It's natural to feel discouraged. But your discouraged is likely reactive natural feelings. Don't view them as valid conclusions. So far, science+ medicine have not taken that view. So let's not add to our burden by giving ourselves a finality in our status.
Post Covid includes loss, frustration, fear and more. We've physically lost some coping abilities too. Our struggle in this is huge. But not one professional conclusion is that there is no real, applicable hope. So please try to find some within yourself. Hang on. There is hope. And you may be only weeks away from a breakthrough.
You can also talk to your Dr about your discouragement. He/she may shed some light on your thoughts+feelings. Seems like you have a Dr who is actually treating you. That's pretty good considering so many can't find a Dr who has those skills or interest.
Positive inspiration thru uplifting or soothing music, faith input of you have a faith, and reading positive outcomes can go a long way to add light to your moments of darkness. I hope you get thru your discouragement+ treatment fatigue soon. Better days are ahead .
🙏
What non prescription supplements or vitamins have you found helpful? I have been dealing with brain fog, elevated heart rate with minimal activity. I am now having some inflammatory eye problems and wonder if the increase in inflammation is connected to Covid.I think many doctors I see discount the effects of Covid and prefer to think it is my age(71). I had Covid twice both what I guess would be considered mild cases. I am fully vaccinated and boosted . I was able to get Paxlovid when I had Covid the second time. It greatly reduced the acute symptoms.
I believed Covid increases inflammation for certain people - I am one of them due to pre-existing autoimmune issues. I had the brain fog for months - it got better. My heart rate stayed elevated for quite a while (in the 130's) with minimal activity. I saw a cardiologist and had an echo stress test done to make sure I did not have heart damage from Covid. My heart rate finally came down and is now back in the 60's. The high heart rate made me feel anxious as I felt it first thing upon waking in the morning. Sometimes with Covid, I think the symptoms simply have to wear themselves out. It takes time and a lot of patience. I hope yours is relieved soon. God Bless!
Hi. I hope you find a provider that has at least read something about post Covid syndrome. Symptoms are in the medical news regularly. At this point there's no real excuse for a medical professional seeing patients who have had COVID virus and report continued symptoms to be ignorant of the common medical symptoms and abnormalities that develop after in a large number of people.
I'm not a doctor or equivalent and it sounds like you have not been seen as a post Covid patient. I hesitate to appear to give you advice but I will tell you this: rapid heart rate is a condition that manifests often post Covid. It can be associated w blood pressure abnormalities and inflammation. This is well known. The medical literature says severity of the virus - great or mild- is NOT a determinant for Post Covid Syndrome (now renamed). Unfortunately you are going to have to read information for yourself. Begin here. There are many posts discussing your very symptoms.
So you'll understand you have company even if your current Dr does not acknowledge you for this. Then read reliable sites that come up on Google searches like Mayo, WebMD etc under "long COVID" "post Covid". You'll learn about your symptoms. You need to understand that for yourself.
You indicate you are seeing many Drs. Do you have diagnoses for any of your symptoms? Are your Drs including cardiology +opthalmology?
I think it's safe + wise to be taking substantial doses of gelcaps Vit D3. An individual supplement. It's greatly anti-inflammatory. Also VitC is essential in amounts more than is in some negligible multivits. B vits and quality high level probiotics are also an important part of post Covid. These are stand-alone supplements you take. These address basic health foundations which are needed post Covid.
I'm not addressing the brain fog etc but you know that caffeine does increase fast heart rate. So limit it. And make sure you have a lot of fluid intake. Your body needs enough fluid volume. We fall short often as Seniors
You may want to invest a few dollars in a pulse oximetry. That's the finger monitor if your heart rate+ blood oxygen level. And a home blood pressure cuff is another basic essential. They are available at Walmart, Amazon etc. You will find out more about yourself when you have a daily log of these measurements. They're very important.
You age is not a problem. Drs responses to your age however may be. Perhaps find a primary doctor who specializes in older adults.
Please pursue looking after yourself where you may not be by Drs. You seem to be having post Covid extending symptoms. My suggestions should help start you in the right direction but they are not a substitute for a medical determination of medical conditions, which seem related + presented after you had the virus.
Let us know what you're doing for yourself+ the results you're getting. You can't just let it go.
Blessings.
🙏❤️🧓
You are spot on with everything that you wrote. God Bless You!
God bless you, too. 👩🦳
I had a TBI from a car accident 18 years ago. I’m 71 and got Covid last October. It almost did me in with the asthma I have and I’m still on nebulizer meds. Take the recovery slow and don’t beat yourself up. There’s lots of us out here fighting to come back to a new normal. I was still improving on neurological issues 8 years after my accident and I expect this will be similar. Keep seeking support and believe things will get better
Thank you for your response. I appreciate all the information. I am seeing a cardiologist. I first saw him last year. They did a holster monitor and echocardiogram. I have a low resting heart rate with a few PVCs, also said I have some leaky valves. It was not severe enough that he thought I needed medication. Also because my resting heart rate is low (50s) he didn’t want to prescribe anything. He did tell me to avoid caffeine.I have had psoriasis off and on for 20plus years. I am taking Vit.D 3 . I had a doctor many years ago who tested my levels and they were low. I saw my ophthalmologist about 10 days ago for my eye. She said if I developed it in both eyes she would probably order blood work to check inflammation levels. Today i saw the retina specialist (i routinely see him once a year). He told me the inflammation in my eye had caused swelling. So I am to continue the steroid drops and he is prescribing an anti-inflammatory eye drop. I go back to him in one month. I also go back to my regular eye doctor his week. I saw the cardiologist again about 6 weeks ago. They only did an EKG which was normal. I have a pulse oximeter and am recording when my pulse elevates. Thankfully my oxygen levels have stayed in the normal range. I was a very healthy person prior to having Covid. In fact when I was first diagnosed with Covid in January 2022, i was out of town. I went to an urgent care center and the physician assistant said even though i met the age requirement to get an antiviral “ she liked to save those for unvaccinated and people with more comorbidities!🤬” Thankfully when I got Covid on Christmas Eve 2022, my ENT called in a Paxlovid Rx. I am so grateful to have found this forum.
I'm so glad you're seeing Drs. I also hope you have one to coordinate all the specialty findings bc there may be unity in symptoms for example,
psoriasis is an autoimmune disorder/disease. Inflammatory disreglation. I hope someone recognizes the post Covid grouping of health problems.
You said you are now getting rapid heart rates, post Covid x2. I hope you are conveying this to your Cardiologist.
I'm distressed+appalled at your denial to receive an antiviral when you had COVID the first time. No words. I'm processing what has gone on in our healthcare system !
Disclaimer: Im not posting the following as a recommendation for anyone to follow. I'm only sharing what had worked for me. For my frightening debilitating cognitive disorder called 'brain fog' I found that the components of Lions Mane mushroom helped me greatly. I buy from only one researched+ tested source, 'RealMushrooms" Also a product called NAC. There is mainstream research on both. But do your own research+ verify if it's right for you. I recently had a light course of steroids - methylprednisolone - which catapulted me to a level of mental performance+ physical functionality reminiscent of pre-Covid. Night +day between the time of no above referenced supplements-+ steroids and today. But we are all biologically different to start with plus we're impacted in different ways from the virus. I only speak for myself. But I can't in good conscience be silent either.
Keep reading abt post COVID. You have to be your own advocate+ medical resource it seems these days. With Google, no medical background is needed. Many articles are written in pain English.
Be well.
I forgot. Another main supplement I rent on is NanoCur. It's a neutroceutical US standardized product of Curcumin from Tumeric root. Only form like this. It's antiviral+ anti inflammatory. Read about it.
I was never into Eastern medicine before. I am pleasantly surprised.