Covid Changed Me

[PollyannaMom]

Just another hug

 

[DisneyHardin]

Hugs to you. I haven't had Covid, but have heard lots of stories of people with the Brain Fog afterwards. Take care of yourself and don't try to do too much.

 

[HeatherC]

I am so sorry you are dealing with this. I think this has been a lot harder than many people know for those on the front lines. Please know your hard work has been so appreciated by so many even if it doesn’t seem so.

Is there any way you can take a mini-getaway to just relax and pamper yourself for a few days? Sometimes just de-stressing, sleeping and eating really nutrient dense foods in a different change of scenery can help you feel so much better. Hugs to you! I hope you are feeling better soon

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I just wanted you to know that I see you. I hope for you that you come out of this sooner rather than later, and recover your full health. *Hugs*

 

[Micca]

Just another hug

Me too! Be careful and take care!

 

[slo]

Throughout the last 2 years I have been a nurse caring for our elderly population. I got Covid 2 weeks ago and was out of work the entire time. Temperature, chills, nausea etc. Felt awful. As week 2 was almost over I got scared and have had severe anxiety. Something happened and it just broke me. I returned to work yesterday and today and it was all I could do to get through the day. I have terrible brain fog. I know in time things will get better, but right now I am just a shell of myself. I am taking anxiety meds which has helped.

Hugs and prayers for you
I hope you are able to feel better soon.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

I'm so sorry. Thank you so much for the work that you do!

Covid changed my son in a similar way; he became very anxious and frightened, started having massive panic attacks, I had to take him to a psych hospital for an evaluation twice. I don't want to scare you, but we did find out that my son's anxiety was due to a new heart condition that he got from Covid, it weakened his heart and he has mitral valve prolapse. Before this I had no idea that a heart condition had side effects that we would normally consider as mental health conditions. My son also ended up with post-viral dysautonomia which has a host of awful side effects, including tachycardia and bradycardia and brain fog. When his heart acts up now, we know to look for the mental side effects and my son has some options for managing them. He also started seeing a therapist for talk therapy.

 

[olwyngdh]

Nurses have literally giving their all through this, and often paid the price. As an Army wife, I know that "thank you for your service" is often lip service, so I am not going to say that. I will say thank you for being the kind of person you are-one that gives of themselves that others may benefit and I hope that you are feeling better and back to your old self soon.

 

[Kitty 34]

Many many people I know have dealt with Covid as we enter this third year but here's a special for you.

 

[disneyseniors]

OP,, just wanted to chime in as a fellow RN.

I had a very bad case of covid and lost 30#. I had no energy because I couldn't eat for a month. It took 2 months to get over the symptoms. My doctor said he had a patient that took 9 months to get over it, and I personally know a man who was still struggling with the effects 6 months later.
So please give yourself a break on this. It seems that some of us have some of the symptoms for a long time. I know you feel better, but maybe some of your symptoms are hanging on now. I hope you can take a leave of absence and give yourself time to heal. I also feel tired and just "not right" even yet.
You are not alone. I lost my hearing and just regained all of my hearing back 4 months later! Please give yourself time

 

[Her Dotness]

It has to be terribly hard to be patient and keep hoping you'll see improvement soon or sooner than soon.

Just know that many are so very appreciative of you and other "frontliners" struggling to recover themselves who are back at incredibly demanding jobs.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Video: Hospitals Near Breaking Point Amid Covid-19-Related Staff Shortages

 

[Snowysmom]

Sending thoughts and prayers to you. Take care of yourself and take it one day at a time.

 

[AvidDisReader]

returned from a trip to WDW on Sunday, and by Monday was feeling horrible. So Tuesday go into urgent care and tested positive for Covid. Luckily I had both shots plus the booster and the doctor is confident I will have just a mild case, but as someone who has heart surgery it is a scary situation. All I can say is to have faith and stay positive. My daughter is a NICU nurse and the horrors she sees every day has caused her to come down with PTSD. My respect and thoughts go out to all first responders who have to deal with this.

 

[2China2009]

I just wanted to say Thank you to all of you. I feel so loved!!! Your kind words mean so so much. That word time sometimes is the hardest. I see a new PCP in 2 weeks and I want to get onto a new antidepressant. I think this will be a good thing for me. Thx u so much everyone.

 

[Suger Mag]

Hope you recover more fully soon. I teach Anatomy and Physiology and get a lot of folks who want to go into health care and so I like to say I teach future super heroes!! Thank you for being a health care professional!!

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

You in my prayers!

 

[AuroraluvsPhillip]

Plenty of viruses out there that don't "go away." Herpes, varicella (chickenpox, later shingles), HPV, HIV, Hep C, EBV to name just a few. SARS-CoV 2 is a "novel" virus, meaning it's a new virus to us humans, we have little substantial knowledge of the long lasting effects over time. The phenomenon of Long Covid will take years to fully understand and right now, little is being studied, as we are still in the midst of dealing with the worldwide pandemic and continuously emerging variants.

 

[Southernmiss]

People do not realize the damage that viruses can do to our bodies.

Some cause cancer-hpv.

The virus that causes strep throat killed a sister of my mil when she was a child.

There are emerging studies that say EBV may cause some MS, lupus and other debilitating diseases.

Those of us in the US and developed countries with healthcare forget that people around the world still die daily of common diseases that are in most cases no big deal.

 

[AustinTink]

Wow, I won't quote it but what an insensitive, ill-informed post. For many people, this is not just a virus and they aren't "scared" by the media. This virus can be just like a cold for some, just like the flu for some, but in a good number of people, it is way more than that. This virus causes inflammatory changes in the body, from the brain to the tips of your toes, that is uniquely in contrast to most of the common illnesses that we've all lived with for most of our lives. It is in this way that this virus can cause long-term damage that is both physical and mental. To minimize someone's experience as being all in their head or indicative of longer-standing mental health issues is incredibly thoughtless, condescending, and depicts a real ignorance regarding the FACTS of this virus.

I haven't even had the virus, yet I do read peer-reviewed medical studies on respected sites about it (not podcasts, youtube videoes, biased media, etc) and can accept that this virus can be life-altering for many people who get it. Statistically, thank god, it's not a life-changer for most, but that doesn't negate all the people who do have lingering issues. Me and my group of friends acquaintances went most of this pandemic unscathed, but I now have quite a circle of people with long lasting issues:

Male, age 58, got COVID in 2020, now has long haul issues, congestive heart failure, and requires daily oxygen
Female, age 61, COVID March 2021, 4 months in hospital, one year later finally getting back to normal
Male coworker, age 42, COVID November 2021, 8 days in hospital, now only allowed to drive 5 miles, constant use of portable oxygen, not sure when he'll return to work
Female coworker, age 60, COVID July 2021, dead after 8 days of COVID due to microclotting
Male coworker, age 55, mild case of COVID November 2021, one month later found a 4.5 inch DVT in leg and smaller clots elsewhere. Needed surgery and will have lifelong DVT issues.
Sadly, I could actually go on. And yes, I also have acquaintances and friends who recovered just fine.

This is just my very small circle of people. I have never in my life had this many people have complications from "just a virus."

This is a very unusual virus and I pray that most of us follow statistics and get through it just fine. But to dismiss anyone else's lingering issues as an overreaction to the media is not very nice. Espeically a health care worker who has been dealing with it directly for 2 years. They would generally be the most rational about the virus because they've seen it first hand.

Excellent post. I have seen first-hand what covid can do to an otherwise healthy 20-year old. It tried to kill him. It tore apart his body from the top of his head to the tip of his toes. That now 23-year old may live the rest of his life with the lingering effects of long covid. We don't know. He is building back his life every day, bit by bit, stronger and stronger. But is has been the greatest challenge we have ever faced. It changed him. It changed all of us.