Experience of a friend from long Covid here in USA

Lesson for all who arent taking it seriously. Dont get adventurous till u have taken both vaccine doses.

I caught Covid a year ago this week and I’ve been sick ever since. I want to share my experience of Long Covid and a few thoughts on living with chronic illness.

I spent most of 2020 thinking I’d get better any week, so I didn’t post about it often or identify strongly online as a long hauler. I’m well past that thinking now. Hope sharing helps in a small way to raising our collective profile

To start, let’s define “sick.” I’ve been living with headaches, a weird, “fuzzy” sensation in my head when it doesn’t hurt, pain in the center of my chest and levels of fatigue that range from being mild and a nuisance, to bone deep exhaustion that lasts for days

Sometimes my face feels like it wants to fall off. My left eye is usually red and leaky on mornings my symptoms are intense. That’s the giveaway my day will be shit

All of these symptoms flare up when I’ve pushed myself too hard – physically, mentally, emotionally. They’re particularly triggered by stress. It’s crazy experiencing their intensity turning up to 10 when in a stressful situation.

Until November I had a racing heartbeat and my HR would shoot up anytime I used my arms while standing. Imagine your heart pounding while doing dishes or showering. Very cool.

I often had difficulty thinking. Over the summer, I’d spend minutes trying to interpret basic emails from work or recall how to perform technical tasks in Avid I used to do by rote. It was often difficult to find words when speaking

One afternoon, after repeatedly failing to complete a work project, I broke down. My brain seemed incapable of putting basic information together and suddenly the possibility that I might not be able to perform my job, or any, ever, felt real.

I experienced a lot of depressive episodes that summer brought on by not knowing how much longer the symptoms would last and what long term effects they’d have on my life.

Since August, these symptoms have fluctuated. I spent most of October and January feeling OK. These periods of feeling close to normal have always been followed by crashing back to feeling like shit.

Since receiving the 2nd Pfizer jab last week, after a steady downward trend, I’m feeling good this morning. 🤞 this holds, but I’m guessing this is just the ebb and flow I’ve experienced since the fall.

My symptoms however are mild compared to others. I’ve had no: recurring fevers, fainting, GI issues, neuropathy, breathing difficulty, or extended periods of being unable to get out of bed. Huge respect and compassion for those who are deeper in this.

A year in, I seem to be on a slow but upward trend of improvement. Whether that’s true or not is an unknown. This would be a good transition to share what I’ve learned having lived with a chronic illness. more