Long Covid
Today marks 3 months that I've been ill so I am now officially a long covid sufferer. What does that mean? Not too much besides being ill for 3 months now makes me eligible to go on a waiting list for help from a specialist Covid clinic. There's no magic cures that will come from that but there may be some help.
Current symptoms
- Fatigue
- Neurological issues (Brain fog, Concentration issues, Sensory processing (light and sound can overwhelm me), Unable to think as clearly/fast)
- Circulation issues
- Weak left arm and grip
- GI/stomach issues
- Sore eyes/weaker vision
- Constant ringing in my ears
Those are the main ones that affect my day to day the most. Other things will flair up randomly or aren't too much of an issue such as chest pain, struggle breathing, bad headaches, dizziness, nausea, rashes, dry/itchy skin, strange nerve impules and random muscle twitches.
These symptoms are pretty much unchanged over the last couple of months or so. I think the weak left arm and grip have improved a little over the last few weeks but other things remain pretty consistent with the ringing ears getting a little worse.
Managing fatigue
As I mentioned in my last update the fatigue is the biggest issue really. It limits what I can do and can cause my other symptoms to flair up worse. With my symptoms being a little more consistent over the last 6-8 weeks that has helped me to experiment a bit and learn how to manage my fatigue better than previously.
White noise is my new best friend. When I'm working I'm usually listening to it and always have it on when there's other people/noises as multiple sources of sound overwhelms me. I'm also taking 1-2 rests a day that last between 60 and 90 minutes. I'll lie in bed with my eyes shut listening to the white noise and sometimes nap but that depends on how I'm feeling. At night I also now go to sleep to white noise.
I'm also getting better at learning signs I'm stuggling and in need of a break so am getting better at not pushing myself too hard and resting between exertions.
Exercise
I'm not doing any real exercise at the moment. I know it takes a lot out of me and all of my energy is focussed on working at the moment. Once I'm able to work over 30 hours a week consistently and feeling settled with that I will be looking at adding some graded exercise back in but don't expect that to happen too soon.
Work
Work has gone well the last couple of weeks. Last week I manage over 20 hours for the first time in 3 months and this week I worked 5 hour days (spread over 4 or 5 sessions) for 4 days in a row for the first time in 3 months (I had managed 2 consecutive days twice) and will end up with 25 hours for the week after a little work today.
I'm hopeful this will continue to improve but will also need to be careful not to push too hard as long covid can often relapse when that happens. I'm definitely lucky to have work I can do from home and be so flexible with how I work. If I had a normal job I couldn't imagine being able to actually work at the moment.
Summary
I'm feeling positive that I'm very slowly improving but also a bit daunted at times of how far I still have to go. A memory popped up on my Facebook today showing that last year I was doing a 43 mile run which was a bit hard to see as I can't walk 1 mile comfortably now. I'm not even thinking about getting back to running as it seems pretty much impossible at the moment and I'm trying to think as positive as I can. I'll sometimes think about being able to hike in the hills again, maybe that's a possibility to work towards for spring.
My depression isn't doing great but is stable. I'm taking medication and am on the waiting list to start therapy after having my assessment.
Now I'm better at managing fatigue and have a little more mental energy I'm starting to get back in to Stoicism again which has really helped me before. I may write a bit about that when I have the energy.