6 ms·

I'm a young guy, 25, with no underlying health conditions. Could stand to lose 10-15 pounds. Covid put me on my back for a good two weeks. Even now, five and a

by haubey 6y ago

I'm a young guy, 25, with no underlying health conditions. Could stand to lose 10-15 pounds. Covid put me on my back for a good two weeks. Even now, five and a half months after I had it, I still get some headaches and chest pain if I do anything too strenuous. I don't really consider myself a long-hauler, based on what I've read of their symptoms I'm way better off. I know at some point reading stuff like this is fear mongering because anybody can drop dead for any reason at any time. But I still check everything every day, to make sure that I'm alright. It's hard to communicate to people who haven't had it yet that you don't know what's going to set it off.

EarthIsHome 6y ago
Could you describe what you mean by "too strenuous"? I don't know if I ever had it (I still get tested occasionally), but I don't ever feel 100% anymore. I don't know if this feeling is psychological or if it has something to do with COVID-19.
- faitswulff 6y ago
  You should read the article on so called "long-haulers," by Ed Yong, a fantastic science writer: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/06/covid-19-coronavirus-longterm-symptoms-months/612679/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/06/covid-19-... > COVID-19 has existed for less than six months, and it is easy to forget how little we know about it. The standard view is that a minority of infected people, who are typically elderly or have preexisting health problems, end up in critical care, requiring oxygen or a ventilator. About 80 percent of infections, according to the World Health Organization, “are mild or asymptomatic,” and patients recover after two weeks, on average. Yet support groups on Slack and Facebook host thousands of people like LeClerc, who say they have been wrestling with serious COVID-19 symptoms for at least a month, if not two or three. Some call themselves “long-termers” or “long-haulers.” > I interviewed nine of them for this story, all of whom share commonalities. Most have never been admitted to an ICU or gone on a ventilator, so their cases technically count as “mild.” But their lives have nonetheless been flattened by relentless and rolling waves of symptoms that make it hard to concentrate, exercise, or perform simple physical tasks. Most are young. Most were previously fit and healthy. “It is mild relative to dying in a hospital, but this virus has ruined my life,” LeClerc said. “Even reading a book is challenging and exhausting. What small joys other people are experiencing in lockdown—yoga, bread baking—are beyond the realms of possibility for me.”
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - timr 6y ago
    That article is terrible. It's anecdotal, a biased sample from a group of people who self-identify as "long-haulers". If you conduct a survey of a group of anti-vaccination activists, I'm sure that a high percentage will tell you that vaccines gave their child autism. Moreover, this: "A quarter of respondents in the Body Politic survey have tested negative, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have COVID-19." Okay. I guess it doesn't mean that, but it means that you should be skeptical of the claims of causality.
    - partyboat1586 6y ago
      I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be true though. Post viral fatigue has been a thing since before COVID it just never got any attention because it affected too few people.
      - pmiller2 6y ago
        I had idiopathic post viral hypersomnia in graduate school, from a bad respiratory infection. For more than entire semester, I could do nothing but sleep for 12+ hours a day. On one occasion, I slept through an entire day. I even fell asleep in the student union once with my laptop in front of me. Needless to say, it wasn't there when I woke up. No treatment was really able to help me. I was already on adderall, and, while it could keep me upright, I felt like a zombie the whole time. I ended up consulting a sleep neurologist, who basically said they could try "activating" antidepressants (I was already on one), or stimulants, which I was also already on. I don't know if modafinil was a thing yet, but I never heard them mention it. I thought my life was over. What could I even do with my life, if I always had to sleep 12-14+ hours a day? No doctor seemed to be able to do anything, there was no specific cause, and it's such a rare condition that most people don't know it exists. That, along with the stigma that comes with invisible disabilities (and, believe me, this certainly was disabling) almost made me want to give up. Then, I started getting better. I didn't know why I got better, but, at that point, I didn't care. I had my life back. All in all, it was an awful experience, which I wouldn't even wish on someone I hated.
- ArkVark 6y ago
  It is definitely psychological. I was suffering daily after COVID when living still under lockdown. I moved to a non-lockdown country (where the strategy is now herd immunity) and felt better immediately, and now have zero lingering symptoms. Lockdown and Government restrictions are more suffocating than COVID.
  - bettem 6y ago
    The effect of lockdowns on mental health is undoubtedly large, however I would hazard against ruling a very large number of people with numerous studies & epidemiologists behind them as purely psychological.
    - ketamine__ 6y ago
      The number of people studied is very small. It certainly isn't evidence based enough for a report on Cochrane.
      - bettem 6y ago
        Fair point, however the intent of my reply was to not dismiss something as psychological when there isn’t an extensive study on the topic.
  - istorical 6y ago
    Perhaps your anecdata would be more convincing if you put "It _can_ definitely be psychological" because your claim sounds a bit absolute as is. I can easily offer my own experience with covid symptoms that is quite different than yours but I wouldn't make an "it is" statement because of it.
- haubey 6y ago
  It's interesting. I played a round of golf, on a golf cart, a day for a few days last week and by the end of the third day I was out of it. The other day I lugged an 80 pound window A/C up to my fourth floor walk up and it wiped me out for three days. But I can go for for a 5 mile walk and be pretty much fine.
  - EarthIsHome 6y ago
    Thanks for your reply! I don't think I've been "wiped out" as you say. So maybe this is more psychological or something different. Or if I ever had it, it might have affected me differently. Who knows!
  - partyboat1586 6y ago
    I'm surveying people with similar experiences to you. I have three questions if you don't mind answering them: Did you ever test positive for COVID-19? Do you lift weights or do strength training? How much protein do you consume on an average day?
    - haubey 6y ago
      Yes, a bunch of times. I was one of those people that kept testing positive for a few months after I got better. First tested positive in mid march, and then tested positive through May 1st at which point I just stopped doing it b/c everybody (read: doctors) thought I was fine. Finally tested negative mid July. No A normal amount? Probably a little more than normal? Like a turkey/ham sandwich or chicken caesar salad for lunch and then some entre for dinner? I'm not a vegetarian if that's what you're getting at
teh_klev 6y ago
I had plain old regular flu in January/Feb 2019, it almost knocked me flat and arrived on the same week I was moving house just to amp things up. It wasn't until June that I actually felt normal again and didn't feel like sleeping 13 hours a day. Having read about and listened to reports about covid "long haulers" (look up Vincent Racaniello's YouTube channel[0], his podcast team of virologists, doctors and immunologists discuss this frequently) I'm making pretty damned sure I'm taking every precaution to avoid becoming infected with coronavirus, especially now that I'm in my 50's. I don't think you're fear mongering, for some people succumbing to covid can leave some pretty nasty long term effects. [0]: https://www.youtube.com/user/profvrr https://www.youtube.com/user/profvrr
- latchkey 6y ago
  Tons of anecdotal reports in this group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/COVID19survivorcorps/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/COVID19survivorcorps/
- ouid 6y ago
  Just an FYI, succumbing to illness usually refers to dying of that illness.
  - itisit 6y ago
    Classic HN comment right here
  - lol768 6y ago
    I'm not sure how inaccurate it would be to describe death as really a "pretty nasty long term effect" in itself.
  - teh_klev 6y ago
    Yes, you're right but sadly I can't go back and edit now.
- LandR 6y ago
  Yeah, I had a flu about 8 months ago. It was utter hell. I was in bed for a good week and a half, the fever and just feeling like I was dying was awful, at some points during it I couldn't walk from bed to the en-suite bathroom without feeling like I was going to pass out. Even about 4 months or so later the cough persisted to the point where I had to go to hospital to get my throat and lungs x-ray'd as I was coughing up thick bloody mucus. It was hell, also rashes which I presume were caused by the fever are still annoying me now occasionally with random outbreaks of horrible itching. Fuck that noise. I think that was the first time I've had the flu. If covid is even worse than the flu then I want no part of it!
mixmastamyk 6y ago
Everyone should be making sure they're not Vitamin D deficient. I take a D3, sometimes C/Zinc, and multivitamin a few times a week, with good results.
- outworlder 6y ago
  I keep seeing this on different threads. Be careful with supplements containing fat-soluble compounds , of which Vitamin D is one. Vitamin D is a hormone. Careful! Same goes for any metals. Taking supplements occasionally shouldn't be harmful. A vitamin D supplement every once in a while should be ok, specially if you are locked up and not getting sufficient sunlight. The key being "occasionally". However, if you routinely take them, please have a checkup done on the next opportunity you get. If you don't have any deficiencies, you shouldn't need supplementation. Vitamin C should be fine. It is water-soluble, excess can be disposed of, if your kidneys are normal.
  - akira2501 6y ago
    Also, get your blood work done regularly and do your annual checkups with your Doctor. There's no reason to guess that you might be vitamin deficient, you can just go check.
    - mixmastamyk 6y ago
      It sounds like to two of you (and downvoters) didn't read my post closely enough and/or not up on recent research: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32252338/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32252338/ https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200518/more-vitamin-d-lower-risk-of-severe-covid-19 https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200518/more-vitamin-d-lowe... Most folks are deficient, and it is difficult, though not impossible to overdo it. Also, if you are living at 35+ degrees latitude, dark skinned, or ~50+ years old, you are deficient. Your warnings to be careful are careful in the wrong direction, ie. dangerous. Just found this on the front page!: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960076020302764 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096007602... https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24366006 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24366006
jb775 6y ago
Any idea what your ballpark vitamin D situation was prior to catching Covid? And how much sunlight exposure were you getting on average? My doc noticed my vitamin D level was a little low ~5 years back so he recommended I take some over the counter vitamin D supplements....which I've been taking casually since then. Obviously it's anecdotal, but I rarely ever get sick.
jliptzin 6y ago
Such a strange virus. I’m 34, just found out I have the antibodies. At no point in the last 7 months did I feel the slightest bit sick at all. So I guess I’m just one of the lucky ones, or it was a false positive. Hope you continue to heal and get back to normal soon!

by haubey 6y ago

EarthIsHome 6y ago

Could you describe what you mean by "too strenuous"? I don't know if I ever had it (I still get tested occasionally), but I don't ever feel 100% anymore. I don't know if this feeling is psychological or if it has something to do with COVID-19.

faitswulff 6y ago
You should read the article on so called "long-haulers," by Ed Yong, a fantastic science writer: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/06/covid-19-coronavirus-longterm-symptoms-months/612679/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/06/covid-19-... > COVID-19 has existed for less than six months, and it is easy to forget how little we know about it. The standard view is that a minority of infected people, who are typically elderly or have preexisting health problems, end up in critical care, requiring oxygen or a ventilator. About 80 percent of infections, according to the World Health Organization, “are mild or asymptomatic,” and patients recover after two weeks, on average. Yet support groups on Slack and Facebook host thousands of people like LeClerc, who say they have been wrestling with serious COVID-19 symptoms for at least a month, if not two or three. Some call themselves “long-termers” or “long-haulers.” > I interviewed nine of them for this story, all of whom share commonalities. Most have never been admitted to an ICU or gone on a ventilator, so their cases technically count as “mild.” But their lives have nonetheless been flattened by relentless and rolling waves of symptoms that make it hard to concentrate, exercise, or perform simple physical tasks. Most are young. Most were previously fit and healthy. “It is mild relative to dying in a hospital, but this virus has ruined my life,” LeClerc said. “Even reading a book is challenging and exhausting. What small joys other people are experiencing in lockdown—yoga, bread baking—are beyond the realms of possibility for me.”
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- timr 6y ago
  That article is terrible. It's anecdotal, a biased sample from a group of people who self-identify as "long-haulers". If you conduct a survey of a group of anti-vaccination activists, I'm sure that a high percentage will tell you that vaccines gave their child autism. Moreover, this: "A quarter of respondents in the Body Politic survey have tested negative, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have COVID-19." Okay. I guess it doesn't mean that, but it means that you should be skeptical of the claims of causality.
  - partyboat1586 6y ago
    I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be true though. Post viral fatigue has been a thing since before COVID it just never got any attention because it affected too few people.
    - pmiller2 6y ago
      I had idiopathic post viral hypersomnia in graduate school, from a bad respiratory infection. For more than entire semester, I could do nothing but sleep for 12+ hours a day. On one occasion, I slept through an entire day. I even fell asleep in the student union once with my laptop in front of me. Needless to say, it wasn't there when I woke up. No treatment was really able to help me. I was already on adderall, and, while it could keep me upright, I felt like a zombie the whole time. I ended up consulting a sleep neurologist, who basically said they could try "activating" antidepressants (I was already on one), or stimulants, which I was also already on. I don't know if modafinil was a thing yet, but I never heard them mention it. I thought my life was over. What could I even do with my life, if I always had to sleep 12-14+ hours a day? No doctor seemed to be able to do anything, there was no specific cause, and it's such a rare condition that most people don't know it exists. That, along with the stigma that comes with invisible disabilities (and, believe me, this certainly was disabling) almost made me want to give up. Then, I started getting better. I didn't know why I got better, but, at that point, I didn't care. I had my life back. All in all, it was an awful experience, which I wouldn't even wish on someone I hated.
ArkVark 6y ago
It is definitely psychological. I was suffering daily after COVID when living still under lockdown. I moved to a non-lockdown country (where the strategy is now herd immunity) and felt better immediately, and now have zero lingering symptoms. Lockdown and Government restrictions are more suffocating than COVID.
- bettem 6y ago
  The effect of lockdowns on mental health is undoubtedly large, however I would hazard against ruling a very large number of people with numerous studies & epidemiologists behind them as purely psychological.
  - ketamine__ 6y ago
    The number of people studied is very small. It certainly isn't evidence based enough for a report on Cochrane.
    - bettem 6y ago
      Fair point, however the intent of my reply was to not dismiss something as psychological when there isn’t an extensive study on the topic.
- istorical 6y ago
  Perhaps your anecdata would be more convincing if you put "It _can_ definitely be psychological" because your claim sounds a bit absolute as is. I can easily offer my own experience with covid symptoms that is quite different than yours but I wouldn't make an "it is" statement because of it.
haubey 6y ago
It's interesting. I played a round of golf, on a golf cart, a day for a few days last week and by the end of the third day I was out of it. The other day I lugged an 80 pound window A/C up to my fourth floor walk up and it wiped me out for three days. But I can go for for a 5 mile walk and be pretty much fine.
- EarthIsHome 6y ago
  Thanks for your reply! I don't think I've been "wiped out" as you say. So maybe this is more psychological or something different. Or if I ever had it, it might have affected me differently. Who knows!
- partyboat1586 6y ago
  I'm surveying people with similar experiences to you. I have three questions if you don't mind answering them: Did you ever test positive for COVID-19? Do you lift weights or do strength training? How much protein do you consume on an average day?
  - haubey 6y ago
    Yes, a bunch of times. I was one of those people that kept testing positive for a few months after I got better. First tested positive in mid march, and then tested positive through May 1st at which point I just stopped doing it b/c everybody (read: doctors) thought I was fine. Finally tested negative mid July. No A normal amount? Probably a little more than normal? Like a turkey/ham sandwich or chicken caesar salad for lunch and then some entre for dinner? I'm not a vegetarian if that's what you're getting at

teh_klev 6y ago

I had plain old regular flu in January/Feb 2019, it almost knocked me flat and arrived on the same week I was moving house just to amp things up. It wasn't until June that I actually felt normal again and didn't feel like sleeping 13 hours a day. Having read about and listened to reports about covid "long haulers" (look up Vincent Racaniello's YouTube channel[0], his podcast team of virologists, doctors and immunologists discuss this frequently) I'm making pretty damned sure I'm taking every precaution to avoid becoming infected with coronavirus, especially now that I'm in my 50's. I don't think you're fear mongering, for some people succumbing to covid can leave some pretty nasty long term effects. [0]: https://www.youtube.com/user/profvrr https://www.youtube.com/user/profvrr

latchkey 6y ago
Tons of anecdotal reports in this group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/COVID19survivorcorps/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/COVID19survivorcorps/
ouid 6y ago
Just an FYI, succumbing to illness usually refers to dying of that illness.
- itisit 6y ago
  Classic HN comment right here
- lol768 6y ago
  I'm not sure how inaccurate it would be to describe death as really a "pretty nasty long term effect" in itself.
- teh_klev 6y ago
  Yes, you're right but sadly I can't go back and edit now.
LandR 6y ago
Yeah, I had a flu about 8 months ago. It was utter hell. I was in bed for a good week and a half, the fever and just feeling like I was dying was awful, at some points during it I couldn't walk from bed to the en-suite bathroom without feeling like I was going to pass out. Even about 4 months or so later the cough persisted to the point where I had to go to hospital to get my throat and lungs x-ray'd as I was coughing up thick bloody mucus. It was hell, also rashes which I presume were caused by the fever are still annoying me now occasionally with random outbreaks of horrible itching. Fuck that noise. I think that was the first time I've had the flu. If covid is even worse than the flu then I want no part of it!

mixmastamyk 6y ago

Everyone should be making sure they're not Vitamin D deficient. I take a D3, sometimes C/Zinc, and multivitamin a few times a week, with good results.

outworlder 6y ago
I keep seeing this on different threads. Be careful with supplements containing fat-soluble compounds , of which Vitamin D is one. Vitamin D is a hormone. Careful! Same goes for any metals. Taking supplements occasionally shouldn't be harmful. A vitamin D supplement every once in a while should be ok, specially if you are locked up and not getting sufficient sunlight. The key being "occasionally". However, if you routinely take them, please have a checkup done on the next opportunity you get. If you don't have any deficiencies, you shouldn't need supplementation. Vitamin C should be fine. It is water-soluble, excess can be disposed of, if your kidneys are normal.
- akira2501 6y ago
  Also, get your blood work done regularly and do your annual checkups with your Doctor. There's no reason to guess that you might be vitamin deficient, you can just go check.
  - mixmastamyk 6y ago
    It sounds like to two of you (and downvoters) didn't read my post closely enough and/or not up on recent research: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32252338/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32252338/ https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200518/more-vitamin-d-lower-risk-of-severe-covid-19 https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200518/more-vitamin-d-lowe... Most folks are deficient, and it is difficult, though not impossible to overdo it. Also, if you are living at 35+ degrees latitude, dark skinned, or ~50+ years old, you are deficient. Your warnings to be careful are careful in the wrong direction, ie. dangerous. Just found this on the front page!: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960076020302764 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096007602... https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24366006 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24366006

jb775 6y ago

Any idea what your ballpark vitamin D situation was prior to catching Covid? And how much sunlight exposure were you getting on average? My doc noticed my vitamin D level was a little low ~5 years back so he recommended I take some over the counter vitamin D supplements....which I've been taking casually since then. Obviously it's anecdotal, but I rarely ever get sick.

jliptzin 6y ago

Such a strange virus. I’m 34, just found out I have the antibodies. At no point in the last 7 months did I feel the slightest bit sick at all. So I guess I’m just one of the lucky ones, or it was a false positive. Hope you continue to heal and get back to normal soon!