Has anyone gotten back to normal after one complication after another?
I’m 78 yr old female in good health. Able to swim 2 K and walk 1 mile 3 X week.
I tested positive for COVID on Feb. 10, 2023. I just had a cough - no other symptoms. Took a course of Paxlovid. After about a week, tested negative and was able to go back to short spurts of exercise - swimming and walking. After another week, noticed severe exercise intolerance. I’d get short of breath and my pulse would slow to 48 and become irregular. Saw cardiologist and EKG was essentially normal. Wore a 24 hr. Holter monitor which showed some irregularities but doc did not feel they were significant. In the meantime, chest congestion was getting worse so my internist put me on a course of prednisone. Then my blood pressure shot up to 210/110 and I landed in the ER. I was trending toward hypertension so I was put on Amlodipine. I’ve gotten my BP under control and have days when the shortness of breath is not too bad. (I use an Albuterol inhaler which helps). Then today (3/25) I woke up really lightheaded and had what I think was an anxiety attack. I was afraid I was going to die. I’m feeling better as the day goes on but still lightheaded. It’s just one thing after another. I wonder if I’m ever going to get back to normal.
I’m retired and don’t have to worry about work but my heart goes out to the younger ones who are experiencing similar post COVID symptoms and are unable to get back to work or a semblance of a normal life. I’m grateful to be able participate in this forum and read about other’s experiences and know that I’m not alone in all this. Thank you.
Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Post-COVID Recovery & COVID-19 Support Group.
Thank you for sharing your experiences and suggestions. So glad to hear you are feeling so much better. My thinking is whatever works for you or anyone else is certainly not crazy and worth a try. Hope you keep getting better.
Thank you so much for the encouragement. It means a lot.
I will do what I can to help anyone going through this. It's scary when there are no answers or solutions. I carry on and do not think about it. If I have a small relapse I tell myself, ok... it hasn't killed me yet. I will fight this all the way. I hope you are well also.
It is one day at a time. My thoughts are with all who posted. I am 71 and have had Post-Covid for almost a year now (and a second bout of Covid in early March). I have found some relief from the most horrific symptoms -- blurred vision, inability to sleep, inability to maintain body temperature, rapid heart beats, orthostatic issues, post exercise exhaustion, and brain fog that prevents me from reading and writing (which was my career!) -- with skills I gained in the Mayo Post-Covid program. I do daily full body stretching, diaphragmatic breathing, meditation, pacing of activities, wearing compression socks, and slowly adding more sitting-based exercises to improve muscle strength. It's still frustrating to have symptoms return when I add on one too many small things like trying to read more than a few pages of a book -- but there have also been days when I feel as good as before! Unpredictability is the worse!
You are so right about the unpredictability of this dreadful disease. Some days I feel like I’m turning the corner to a return to normal and it’ll turn right around and kick me in the butt. I am feeling better than the earlier days but still chronically short of breath. I’m starting to resign myself to this being my new normal. Thank you so much for all of your suggestions for keeping your body in balance. It’s much appreciated. Best wishes for your continued improvement.
You have described my life. I am 75 and have gone from a healthy, active professional woman to a person who barely functions with a long list of symptoms. I hope and pray that we get some kind of relief protocols soon.
So sorry about your sleep problems and I feel for you! I have always had problems with getting a solid night’s sleep but after covid, its so much worse! I have anxiety attacks and can’t get to sleep then worry that I’m not getting enough sleep and so it goes - round & round. I never used to have anxiety attacks! When will it end??
Have you talked to your Dr about the anxiety? Shortly after my first bout with Covid I developed severe anxiety in addition to my insomnia. My Dr prescribed Sertraline (Zoloft) at 25mg, increased to 50mg. It takes a couple weeks to work, but it helped a lot. After about 3 months, I tapered off to see if my anxiety was better w/o the meds and it was. I'm no longer taking the meds, but they helped me when my anxiety was affecting my life.
Thanks for sharing your experience and helpful suggestion. It’s so good to hear some positive experiences from others having similar problems.
Something weird has happened! I woke up this morning feeling NORMAL! No coughing, no arrhythmia, no pvcs, no tachycardia, no brain fog, no extreme fatigue . . . just NORMAL. I took 3 ECGs 2 hours apart, all NORMAL! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 I don’t know how or why or if this is permanent or just another temporary cycle, but for now I am basking in the feeling and filled to overflowing with gratitude! I will keep doing what I’m doing and keep my upcoming appointments but right now, this minute, I feel like myself again. It’s like a switch flipped on or off. 🎉🎊❤️🙏🏻✝️