annual check up/ a mild case of covid

That's really tough

by crustyg - 2020-08-15 02:44:10

Oh Tracey - that's really horrible.  We wrap up a large part of ourselves in what we can do and enforced idleness is a real punishment.  Whenever we're ill we always look forward to recovering and regaining our previous level of performance/activity.

I truly hope that you can recover as much as possible and that your lungs haven't been too badly affected.

Here's hoping for you.  Best wishes.

Hopefully it will get better with time

by Gemita - 2020-08-15 05:40:32

Hello Tracey,

Thank you for your post.  Firstly what good news about your 26 year old lead and estimated battery life.   At least you know all is well with your pacemaker at the moment.  What to say about Covid-19 is less clear.  If someone can have the virus, not have major symptoms, be so athletically healthy and still come away with deficits, it is a worrying, confusing sign.  I do hope your investigations will not reveal anything too worrisome and that with time and patience you will fully recover and be able to exercise to your full potential.  Anything less will just not be acceptable for our Tracey, will it?

May I ask whether your doctors confirmed a positive Covid-19 result from a blood antibody test (I believe you mentioned in another thread you were going to have this done) or are they basing their opinion on your continued symptoms?

I and my doctors believe I had a severe viral attack in early April when Covid-19 was as its height in the UK.  I had all the classic symptoms of the virus at the time - continuous cough (with some minor breathing distress) but not needing hospitalisation, very high persistent fever, extreme fatigue, loss of taste, smell, appetite and more.  For several weeks I was too weak to stay out of bed for too long and found it difficult to self care, look after my husband or the home.  To be honest I was ready to give up the fight and my family didn’t always help by continuously asking how I was.  It was exhausting and depressing to keep having to explain to them that I felt like I was dying!   The viral infection I believe caused a secondary bacterial throat/chest infection for which I received three different antibiotics.  Still today I am getting some symptoms and my EP has asked my general doctor to order further tests.  I shall be having CT contrast scan on Monday to look for any lung pathology or signs of continuing infection which is what my EP is really concerned about.   If I get positive feedback I will post here in due course.

Tracey I wish you well and hope that you will soon recover your full strength to enable you to enjoy your activities again

No workout

by Theknotguy - 2020-08-15 09:02:08

Glad to hear the good news about the battery.  Sorry to hear about the covid.

Since you can't do the heavy workouts, can you do walking?  Question in my mind is if you can do something instead of being a total couch potato?  

Maybe you need to get a greyhound for a pet?  They're pretty good at doing the intense work out, then being a couch potato for the rest of the day.  Just go on YouTube and put the word greyhound in the search area and you'll have plenty of videos to choose from.  Those dogs have the fine art of relaxing down to a science.  

Regardless of what the doctors are saying, the covid effects do go away and your life does get back to normal. 

Hope you're doing well otherwise.  
 

follow up

by Tracey_E - 2020-08-15 10:00:22

Crusty, I'll pout for about five minutes then I'll make the best of it. I'm hopeful that this is temporary. 

Gemita, I am scheduled for an antibody test (took 3 weeks to get appt) but they have a low accuracy rate so it won't mean much. They are going based on the symptoms I had, the timing, and the fact I'd been exposed to someone known to have it.  10 days of low grade fever, mild cough, incessant headache, dizziness, O2 sat dropped to low 90's. I was diagnosed at age 5 but not paced until age 27, all those years in between my live was full of things I could not do. No gym class, no sports. I'm a glass half full person, I will adapt to whatever I have to adapt to. 

Knotguy, I have a German shepherd and we walk a couple of miles every day. Not as fast or as far as I was doing before, but I have not stopped other than the weeks I was contagious and didn't leave the house. For a long time I didn't have the energy for more. Now I feel like I could but as soon as I get started I get chest pain and stop.  If they tell me it's safe to push through, I will suck it up and push through. 

Me Too

by Mike417 - 2020-08-22 18:46:43

Tracy E,

I think I had COVID in early March.  Every symptom but loss of taste and smell.  My coughing was so bad I was on the floor for 10 min. continuously coughing.  My O2 sat went down to 85%.  But I was stubborn about not going to ER, and later my PCP said that was probably a good idea.  Symptoms lasted for 2-3 weeks, and then a slow recovery of another 4 weeks.  But now I don't feel back to normal; I am tired a lot, lack of energy, no oomph, and when exercising or walking the dog my HR drops to 60, I feel tired, and dizzy.  This will recur then for the rest of the day.

A nuc. med stress test could not detect any issues, and the ep doc says everything is fine (in fact it does seem to work fine, except for the sudden HR decrease).  I see both docs in Sept. for a check up.  But I am slowly declining in exercise capacity. 

My PCP is now doubtful I had covid because it was not in NC at that time, and when tested in May no virus was detected.  Antibody tests are not reliable yet as you said, and 3 months out they may have declined.

So, I am in the same boat.  Hoping someone can figure something out.

Good luck.

Mike

Update

by Tracey_E - 2020-09-15 16:17:17

I now have a mild case of asthma, that's what was causing the problems working out. Don't know if it's from covid or timing is a coincidence. Other than that, I breezed through the PFT and stress test, everything else normal and I'm allowed to work out again, YAY!!!!!