Long Covid

[GT3Manthey]

The wife had all the Covid symptoms back in march and went from running 7 miles a day to out of breath walking a flight of stairs.

She seemed to recover but various tests have now shown her to have a damaged left artery to the heart and scarring to her left lung.

She is also still breathless climbing two flights of stairs, has brain fog at times along occasional chest pains.

We are now 6 months in thinking that the symptoms of Long Covid would disappear after 10 weeks.

Anyone else going through this just so i can try and make sense of what the long term - if any- complications could be

[GT3Manthey]

Riley Blue said:

Here's a recent BBC News item on the subject with some links that might be worth looking at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54622059

Best wishes to your wife.

Tks

I spotted this earlier on the way into work.

Problem is no one knows how this develops or if indeed it passes.

The damage lung we are assuming will repair but of course no guarantee and the other symptoms we are told is all part of Long Covid. It'd just be reassuring to know for sure that this will clear itself up naturally as we are now 6 months in and that article says 10 weeks roughly

[GT3Manthey]

PrinceRupert said:

Sadly nobody knows whether it will clear itself up naturally, certainly nobody on here.

I know im clutching at straws im desperate to make sense of it all but then i guess im not alone.

[GT3Manthey]

rjfp1962 said:

Sadly so little is known about Covid-19, other than some can have it non-symptomatic and recover not knowing they've had it, through to others suffering with Long covid over many months. So many factors may say how an individual is affected, obviously, age, underlying health issues, possibly even DNA structure.

I wish both your wife and yourself all the best.

Thank you.

[GT3Manthey]

Riley Blue said:

Just spotted this link in another thread: https://covid.joinzoe.com/post/long-covid

Tks very interesting read.

I see they mentioned the concern of a Long Covid sufferer during a 2nd wave. This is what scares me the most. She still has all the symptoms and they aren't going away so what if she gets whacked with a 2nd bout of it.

3 of us leave the house each day for work/schools so its impossible to know what we are bringing into the house

She 51 btw and prior to all this very fit and not overweight

[GT3Manthey]

Funk said:

I gave up on trying to reason with some of the stupid idiots on a couple of threads here. Very frustrating - I wanted to ask how close it had to get to them before they took it seriously.

OP - I can't offer any input but I wish you and your wife well, hope she makes a significant recovery and soon.

Many tks.

I thought starting a separate thread would avoid the slanging matches that happen on some of the others as like you i didnt want to get drawn into it all especially as i am witnessing it 1st hand

[GT3Manthey]

Tks all

Her resting heart rate can get as high as 200BPM
I’ve witnessed it at 150bpm with her chest and neck veins pulsating. Quiet frightening as you can imagine.

She has today found another hospital for the next MRI where they will inject her with an adrenaline drug and watch how her heart reacts whilst in the MRI tunnel.

A stent I’m assuming may be needed to widen the artery but let’s see

[GT3Manthey]

lord trumpton said:

How old is she?

51

[GT3Manthey]

breamster said:

Not old then. My wife is having similar issues albeit not quite as severe. She is early 40s, slim, fit and no existing medical conditions prior to covid.

Anyone saying it's "just flu" needs to rethink things a bit!!

Best wishes to your wife etc.

Tks yours too

Matin Bashir is in a bad way I gather and had no underlying conditions.

It’s the unknown going forward that’s concerning obviously .

[GT3Manthey]

Wife has another big MRI next week then it’s back to the consultant to see where we go from there.

Y’day she fancied a walk around the shops.
Standing on an escalator the palpitations started for no reason and her Apple Watch recorded 165BPM.

Brain fog and forgetfulness is also becoming more apparent too.

Will update the thread once we know more

Tks for the well wishes and the sharing of symptoms

[GT3Manthey]

Julia121 said:

I've had it since June and most of the problems i.e. sweating, limbs ache, pins and needles I feel pretty comfortable now saying they've gone. The 'only' two things I still have are the palpitations and difficulty breathing. But that's rare now and they come together and only when I overdo it (last time when I was watching a missed Dave Allen episode on youtube).

I find knowing as much as I can helps and I deliberately ignore the doom and gloom stuff to keep my optimism high. Understanding that palpitations are usually not serious and that my breathing will get back to normal soon as I calm down helps me think I'm in control. When it does happen I find lying flat face down anywhere helps with the breathing and just ride it out. I know it's only temporary so I don't get overly frightened so it starts to dissipate. I'd estimate one minute tops once I've laid down. As soon as the breathing is back under control the palpitations go and I'm back to normal next day.

Personally I don't join self help groups as I find them too depressing but I understand many people find them helpful. My 'tips' then, if there are any, is to keep your optimism and sense of personal control high by remembering the symptoms that you no longer have., have a plan for symptoms you still have., lay off the heavy stuff and do more of the stuff you can do easily (multiple walks upstairs versus take up knitting), don't watch Dave Allen

Nice write up Julia I’ll pass onto my wife many tks

[GT3Manthey]

CrgT16 said:

Wishing all the best to your wife.

Indeed some people seem to suffer badly after COVUD infection. It’s probably due to the body response to the virus than the virus itself.

You mentioned heart artery affected and lung scarring, well those 2 things would not self heal so it is possible your wife is having some degree of heart failure and also reduced lung capacity. If you think of the heart as a pump it is pumping less efficiently so may increase base rate to compensate and may also go out of sync. The blood carries oxygen, if lung capacity is reduced blood oxygen levels would be lower than ideal causing some of the symptoms your wife experience. It would be interesting to monitor her oxygen levels with a pulse oximeter to see where they are.
No doubt she is in good hands, just my view off course. All the best and hope she recovers.

Ok tks.. She is having the bigger MRI next wednesday so hopefully we get this sorted/fixed.

I'm no medical expert but i hear the lung will heal over time and my thinking was that a stent could be fitted to widen the artery?

[GT3Manthey]

Prof Prolapse said:

I'm still a bit skeptical about whether "long-covid" is in a class of it's own as media is implying, or just the long term impact of a fairly severe lung injury.

If you've ever had pneumonia, you'll know it can take months to heal up even after you get better. During which time you get very tired under even mild exertion and you're prone to other infections. Your lung tissue gets scarred and you effectively have to grow more to get back to normal.

So did you have an MRI to confirm your lung was damaged then another to confirm it had repaired ? I’m assuming you personally had pneumonia?

[GT3Manthey]

Prof Prolapse said:

Not sure I understand the relevance of the question?

I read your post as if you’d had pneumonia and lung damage that had repaired itself and had MRI’s. If not then apologies

[GT3Manthey]

Prof Prolapse said:

I had Pneumonia earlier this year, yes. No MRI though, (I think they use X-rays to image don't they?). In any instance I avoided hospitalisation so no scans, just antibiotics and sent home. I was 33 and very fit so was amazed to have caught it in the first place, but it ruined me for months. Even without COVID-19, it can take a long time to heal from Pneumonia, six months is often quoted (https://www.blf.org.uk/support-for-you/pneumonia/recovery).

All I meant by my previous comment was that "Post viral fatigue" and the protracted healing times from Pneumonia, are well known even if their underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. I'm just personally, struggling to see how COVID-19 is unique in this regard, and more importantly I'm not sure it really matters as it's difficult to see how it's going to guide treatment.

I'm all for research, but not media scare mongering guiding decisions, or healthcare. I think what would be more helpful, is knowing that these sequelae often exist for many infections, and the overwhelming majority will heal up and be fine.

Sorry yes X-ray although she's had so many tests and more to come that i'm getting a tad confused as you might imagine.

As an update she tried to go for a jog this morning ( she wont bloody listen to reason) came over feeling sick with a few hundred yards and looked at her Iwatch that read 205bpm.

Next Wednesday she has the next MRi where they inject her to get her heart racing prior to going into the MRI

[GT3Manthey]

Julia121 said:

GT3Manthey As an add on to my previous comment I've since discovered that cold isn't my lung's friend. Found this out when I went out to pickup my groceries that were being delivered. I'm getting round that by moving food delivery slots to the evening so husband can go meet the driver at the gate. I'll still put the food away because I need to feel I'm contributing something. We're going around the house at the weekend and 'cold proofing' it so I don't get any unwelcome surprises. Damm it's so frustrating with all the middle east closed down as the weather would be perfect till March. Ho hum.

Edited by Julia121 on Thursday 29th October 18:56

She is generally always cold but you make a good point in that maybe her breathlessness might be heightened by the change in temperature.

Tks for everyone's input

[GT3Manthey]

BlackLabel said:

It seems those who have had covid are at an increased risk of developing a psychiatric condition as a result of the disease.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/10/near...

Fortunately my Wife has none of those....Maybe she was mental to start with and i never realised !

Consultant said y'day the damage to her heart and lungs wont repair so its a case of monitoring her condition and if worsens we'll have to discuss what can be done,although that bit he didnt go into any detail.

She is likely to go back and have another check up in 6 months time unless the situation worsens then we go back immediately.

What this means for her in a few years time is to us the unknown right now

[GT3Manthey]

Sheepshanks said:

Daughter’s spoken to a cardiac consultant now. Again, ‘nothing to worry about’. Got ectopic heartbeat (which daughter thinks is making her cough – I Googled that and seems it does happen), very low blood pressure (wants her to have more salt). Thinks chest pain is lingering pleurisy.

She’s been taking Q10 tablets for a couple of weeks and reckons she feels less breathless, although (touch wood) her youngest child has been sleeping better lately so that must help.

The wife got the results back of the most recent MRI last week and basically there is no change.

The damage wont be going away. She has the same symptoms in fact her BPM is getting worse in terms of how often it goes nuts when resting.

Cardiologist said " listen to your body and rest when you feel you need to and come back and see me in 6 months".

She has no medication either so essentially we are no further forward and have no way of knowing where this may lead to

[GT3Manthey]

SlimJim16v said:

They are setting up specialist long covid clinics around the country, so should be more informed and worth trying.

Tks for this

[GT3Manthey]

Hub said:

Small sample I know, but many of the reports I've seen/read about long term fatigue and heart issues are from middle aged (30s to 50s) previously healthy women, often with a strong interest in fitness - either for their job or otherwise just very active and fit. A lot seem to mention overdoing it rather than resting while initially recovering, and a lot with various health test results that come back fine but they still suffer phantom virus symptoms. There are different strands including actual organ damage, but in many it seems to knock the body's heart and breathing regulatory systems out somehow, so could be brain or neurological in some cases?

This is exactly my wife situation !

We've had no mention of brain or neurological from any doc/consultant only the affected areas themselves that have conformed the damage.

She's not suffering phantom virus symptoms now just has the after effects. As previously mentioned she was very preparing for half marathon as well as busy all day.

I thought they may try and restart her heart but seemingly not