4 ms·

I had COVID end of February/early March. Thankfully I didn't need hospital treatment, in fact at the time I didn't even know it was COVID. It was only recently

I had COVID end of February/early March. Thankfully I didn't need hospital treatment, in fact at the time I didn't even know it was COVID. It was only recently I got it confirmed. However several months on I still notice the effects from it. Mostly regular fatigue and almost daily shortness of breath. Last night I was laying in bed going to sleep and got quite panicked as it feels like I am not getting enough air in each breath. I have moment like this almost daily and it is extremely unsettling and worrying. I am in my mid-thirties and generally quite healthy. A bit overweight but before COVID I didn't get out of breath going up the stairs. I didn't find myself needing to lie down on the sofa from exhaustion. I am still able to run but no where near as long as I could just a few months ago. Putting it bluntly it is fucking scary. I am very fortunate that two good friends of mine are doctors (a cardiologist and her husband a microbiologist) and they have been kind enough to check on me weekly with some basic lung function tests and blood work but they are seeing these kinds of issues with many recovered COVID patients.

garganzol 6y ago
Does your daily routine include a bit of exercising or/and walking? What's your daily walking distances? I am asking because some post-pneumonia (non-COVID) patients tend to have temporary shortage of breath/fatigue syndromes. And a good way to get rid of them is to get some elementary body movements like relaxed walking among tree alleys. Nothing crazy, just comfortable stress-less motion. It helps to clear up the lungs and balance the immune response. I wonder if this information can be of any help in your situation.
- satysin 6y ago
  I have a 7yo son so we go out pretty much every day to the park. I haven't tracked anything but ballparking it from the distance and how long we are out I probably walk around 2-3 miles a day. Some of that will be a light jog while kicking a ball around or catching frisbee. I have had a few gentle runs as well for 5-7 miles but as previously mentioned they are exhausting me right now and exacerbating my anxiety about the impact COVID has had to my body so I have cut them out for the most part and sticking to gentler exercise with my son. I am hoping all of this is made worse by the added stress of life right now. I am on holiday for the next few weeks so looking forward to a change of scenery and less day to day responsibilities.
drclau 6y ago
I’m sorry to hear. I’m curious, have you had your blood oxygen level tested?
- satysin 6y ago
  I have one of those finger monitors that always reports things as fine (>97%, almost always 99%). It is difficult to describe what I feel. It is almost like I feel I am being partially suffocated from within my sinus if that makes sense? Like there is an obstruction. There isn't though as I have rinsed them and had doctors have a good look and even probe around in them and all is good apparently. The only theory my doctor friends have for now (other than COVID doing lung damage) is I could have some hidden swelling in my sinus that is changing the air flow and causing my body to think it isn't getting enough air as I breath through my nose leading that to slow suffocation sensation. Apparently there is a condition people who have sinus surgery get which is very similar but I have avoided making it worse by researching it.
  - glogla 6y ago
    > Apparently there is a condition people who have sinus surgery get which is very similar but I have avoided making it worse by researching it. Yeah, here's the wikipedia page for that https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empty_nose_syndrome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empty_nose_syndrome
timmytokyo 6y ago
I'm experiencing the same thing after being knocked out with a COVID-like illness in early March. (At the time I could not get a test to confirm that I had it.) My symptoms: 1. Breathlessness, with a feeling that I am not getting enough oxygen. However a pulse oximeter shows my oxygen at 97%+. 2. Thick phlegm production in my throat. I am not congested in the chest or sinuses, but I am constantly producing very thick phlegm in my throat. 3. Occasional severe fatigue and weight loss. When it occurs, I cannot get out of bed and have no appetite. I have lost 25 lbs since March. 4. Occasional headaches and eye pain, including bloodshot eyes and blurry vision. What's interesting is the way these symptoms cycle on and off. I will go a week feeling pretty good, and that will be followed by a week or two of symptom flare-up. This has been happening for months. I've found that any heavy exertion or exercise tends to bring on the bad cycle. My general practitioner doesn't know what to do and I feel like he's skeptical. He prescribed me antibiotics for a possible sinus infection, but that did no good. He prescribed me an inhaler, but that did no good. He doesn't even think I had COVID. It's sounding like I could be experiencing symptoms of ME/CFS. Has anyone had any luck finding doctors willing to take this seriously? I'm starting to get depressed that my long-term future is going to be like this. Oh, and to anyone who thinks COVID is "just the flu", fuck you.

garganzol 6y ago

Does your daily routine include a bit of exercising or/and walking? What's your daily walking distances? I am asking because some post-pneumonia (non-COVID) patients tend to have temporary shortage of breath/fatigue syndromes. And a good way to get rid of them is to get some elementary body movements like relaxed walking among tree alleys. Nothing crazy, just comfortable stress-less motion. It helps to clear up the lungs and balance the immune response. I wonder if this information can be of any help in your situation.

satysin 6y ago
I have a 7yo son so we go out pretty much every day to the park. I haven't tracked anything but ballparking it from the distance and how long we are out I probably walk around 2-3 miles a day. Some of that will be a light jog while kicking a ball around or catching frisbee. I have had a few gentle runs as well for 5-7 miles but as previously mentioned they are exhausting me right now and exacerbating my anxiety about the impact COVID has had to my body so I have cut them out for the most part and sticking to gentler exercise with my son. I am hoping all of this is made worse by the added stress of life right now. I am on holiday for the next few weeks so looking forward to a change of scenery and less day to day responsibilities.

drclau 6y ago

I’m sorry to hear. I’m curious, have you had your blood oxygen level tested?

satysin 6y ago
I have one of those finger monitors that always reports things as fine (>97%, almost always 99%). It is difficult to describe what I feel. It is almost like I feel I am being partially suffocated from within my sinus if that makes sense? Like there is an obstruction. There isn't though as I have rinsed them and had doctors have a good look and even probe around in them and all is good apparently. The only theory my doctor friends have for now (other than COVID doing lung damage) is I could have some hidden swelling in my sinus that is changing the air flow and causing my body to think it isn't getting enough air as I breath through my nose leading that to slow suffocation sensation. Apparently there is a condition people who have sinus surgery get which is very similar but I have avoided making it worse by researching it.
- glogla 6y ago
  > Apparently there is a condition people who have sinus surgery get which is very similar but I have avoided making it worse by researching it. Yeah, here's the wikipedia page for that https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empty_nose_syndrome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empty_nose_syndrome

timmytokyo 6y ago

I'm experiencing the same thing after being knocked out with a COVID-like illness in early March. (At the time I could not get a test to confirm that I had it.) My symptoms: 1. Breathlessness, with a feeling that I am not getting enough oxygen. However a pulse oximeter shows my oxygen at 97%+. 2. Thick phlegm production in my throat. I am not congested in the chest or sinuses, but I am constantly producing very thick phlegm in my throat. 3. Occasional severe fatigue and weight loss. When it occurs, I cannot get out of bed and have no appetite. I have lost 25 lbs since March. 4. Occasional headaches and eye pain, including bloodshot eyes and blurry vision. What's interesting is the way these symptoms cycle on and off. I will go a week feeling pretty good, and that will be followed by a week or two of symptom flare-up. This has been happening for months. I've found that any heavy exertion or exercise tends to bring on the bad cycle. My general practitioner doesn't know what to do and I feel like he's skeptical. He prescribed me antibiotics for a possible sinus infection, but that did no good. He prescribed me an inhaler, but that did no good. He doesn't even think I had COVID. It's sounding like I could be experiencing symptoms of ME/CFS. Has anyone had any luck finding doctors willing to take this seriously? I'm starting to get depressed that my long-term future is going to be like this. Oh, and to anyone who thinks COVID is "just the flu", fuck you.