I had Covid early last year, before any testing was available and before we knew much about what to expect. I decided to document everything that was happening with me because I knew that millions would soon be infected and just as scared and alone as I was and I needed people to understand if I suddenly just stopped posting.
With my heart in my throat, I forwarded this to someone I know who remains unvaccinated, with the following note: I'd like you to read this so you understand what one individual is going through because of Covid. I don't know your reasons for not being vaccinated, but if they are reasons other than medically recommended (because?), they honestly, are not good enough. Too many people are suffering and dying for any one of us to not do our utmost to battle this rapidly mutating virus.
I don't know why I feel fearful of this confrontation. One of my friends says we're under siege, from the "tyranny of the unvaccinated."
I hope you recover your vitality in full. It sux admitting we are not infallible. At 70, It sux knowing that most life afflictions can not be fixed. America has a problem facing the inevitable human condition of mortality. We need to understand that we are promised no more than this very moment, which means that we need to Do Good Things with the time we DO have. Be well SHERO woman and keep going.
Thank you, Amee for sharing your experience. We live in fear of contracting covid. It is so helpful to learn of your journey. I hope it is cathartic for you to share and learn from others who were infected and have recovered. This is previously uncharted territory and sharing experience is a way to connect and get through it. ♥️
If you have all these strange symptoms and feel like doctors are no help don’t give up. I have a medical story where persistence has paid off.
I suffer from migraines. They became debilitating after an extremely minor whiplash accident in 1993. They escalated to multiple days a week. This happened just after finishing my degree in computer science and getting my first job. As time progressed over the next 5 years the headache never ended. In the San Diego area I had some of the best doctors and hospitals and they ran every test and tried every drug. I had to quit working.
The one thing that controlled the pain were seizure medications. But the dose to control had to keep being increased. Soon I spent my days in and out of sleep. My husband did everything. I finally had to go on disability, giving up the career I worked so hard for at on 40. I tried every new medication for migraines and would reach toxic levels with them. Emergency room trips were frequent to get pain medication. We moved to New Hampshire and many of those trips were during blizzards.
I finally met with a neurologist that took a different approach. Let me say here that many neurologists will send you to their PA because you case isn’t as important as brain injuries and tumors. You feel like you’re being brushed aside. This time I had a whole new medicine regime. The doctor said since I’d been a nurse my husband could give me shots at home. So, he learned how to do it. Suddenly trips to the ER were almost non-existent. No more toxic levels of migraine drugs.
I control everything I do to prevent them. Sleep, food, light, sound. I’ve given up a lot of activities. Things have changed in the last 20 years in this research and life is semi-normal even though I can’t work. The pain is minimal. Now I have one or two bad days a month instead of only one or two good days.
Now for my advice. See the specialists. Get an appointment with a neurologist and ear, nose, throat specialist and an internal medicine doctor. Like Amy keep a diary. List your symptoms and their frequency and pain level. Doctors will want to know this. Do you have constant pain or intermittent? What are you doing when it happens? What relieves it? What medications or supplements are you taking or have you tried. I use an app called migraine buddy. You can create specific categories in there for symptoms and medications. Maybe it can be used to help with this. It gives you a great report when you ask for it.
I knew this was going to be bad as soon as I learned it was respiratory. I wish we would have masked up sooner. I am hoping we find remedies for all the long Covid. I hope my story of persistence helps you keep up the hope and find the answers.
You are not alone. Even though I followed all protocols, I had COVID in December, I was so sick I was scared, to this day I can not smell or taste, constant chest congestion and shortness of breath (I now have scar tissue, on my lungs, the beginnings of COPD), brain fog and I lost a lot of hair (that has not grown back). COVID, the gift that keeps giving.
I could not wait to get the vaccine!! After both doses I had a 24hr COVID. But nothing compares to how sick I was!
I really do become enraged with the non-believing--anti-mask--anti-vaccine people. I have to include the, " oh I had it and it was no big deal" people, in there. Be thankful and not arrogant about the fact you had a mild case.
I am resigned, to the fact, this is my new normal. I still read, research and try and I will never stop looking for answers.
Thank you for your post. You are not alone. I retired six years ago from the 80-hour lawyer weeks — I didn’t get covid last year but was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2020 and was finishing up radiation during the California lockdown. I’m struggling with the effects of those experiences. Thank you so much for your brave revelations and insights.
Amee, I wish that there was something that I could do for you. Sending healing vibes and energy your way. This community of readers who follow you are all in your corner.
I just flew Sunday and yesterday, and even though I am fully vaccinated, I am in absolute terror that I was exposed to the Delta variant by one of the (many) people I saw walking through the airports without makes (or wearing them as "chinstraps", etc.).
OMG Amee...such suffering you have been through. And if you feel this way, then hundreds of thousands feel this way too. I am so sorry and hope over time these symptona dissipate. Thank you for explaining how you feel, how the medical system is unprepared for the long term covid recovery of the population. It is so much a part of wellness and wellbeing to track this long term in patients' lives.
I am devastated that you're going through this. Please know that I'm sending as many positive, healing vibes your way as I can.
I feel deeply for *anyone* with debilitating health issues, but especially for those whose symptoms can't be seen or easily understood. Crohn's/Colitis does that for me and woke me to a whole world of people suffering in the background with things that they just can't explain, or that just can't be easily diagnosed.
I'm keeping you in my thoughts and hoping against hope that you find the help you need at some point in the NEAR future.
Amee Amee, I am not your Mom but probably am older than her, so first things first , SLOW DOWN, I was getting agita at the speed I was reading. You have an important message to get out and you are an important person to a lot of people. My niece is a long hauler not diagnosed but doesn’t take a genius to tell. She was convinced she had ADD and went through a whole cycle of neuro tests. She is also organized but two kids it maybe could not do a whole apt in a day anymore. You have the “ twisted” so to speak and they are dangerous and no test is going to prove this. We are in the nascent stage of a pandemic that has the ability to effect every organ in our system. This is cold Comfort I understand , but know that we were able to come up with a vaccine so fast because researchers have been working on this since SARS . Today it was reported that CORONA VIRUS has been found in white tailed deer as well as the SARS VIRUS. It matters because the deer have antibodies so a wilderness test of some length of time discovered. There are hundreds of research projects around this issue of the Corona virus and I am
Confident we are going to beat it and it’s mutating brothers. We did it with AIDS and we will do here. It is the here and now you must deal with, you cannot deplete yourself so you end up at the ER. Self care is not BS. Fear can kill you literally. You are very smart you know this and you are sharing this which is very brave of you. Please slow down the scientists are working on this rapidly and safely. Do not come in contact with anyone who is not vaccinated. One thing I learned was to spend 15 minutes every hour to just shut my eyes and breathe. Do what works for you but slow down. Always here
Thank you so much for sharing. It’s really important info. You don’t how many times I’ve run through scar scenarios in my head and then run through less scary ones often thinking, well look at Amee, she has asthma and survived just fine. But now I know you survived but not “just fine.” I’ve often wondered if you had “long covid” and without this follow up, I always assumed you did not. Well, now I know better. So thank you so much for the update. Also, I share your frustration as do all of us who are vaxed, that people refusing the vax are endangering everyone. Sending you healing vibes!
I’m feeling 1/10 of your pain as a fully vaccinated adult I NEVER expected to get sick with the delta variant because I continue to be careful and cautious; IT’S NOT ENOUGH! I wish they would come clean about just how easy it is to become infected and GET REALLY SICK!
I for one believe none of them know as much as they say they do. The REAL issue is as you’ve stated those individuals who decry “FREEDOM” as a reason for not getting vaccinated. MORONS don’t understand that freedom isn’t free, SOMEONE had to pay a price for that FREEDOM as has always been the case.
You are absolutely correct- you are not alone. I read this and it felt like an echo except I don't have asthma. I still have symptoms that linger and flutter. STILL. Take care.
I had no idea Covid-19 could lead to these long term effects. I don't work at the hospital (clinical chemistry-not a doc.) anymore and don't keep up with the literature. I know many conditions can lead to long term effects. I didn't think Covid was this extensive. I found a "60 minutes" segment with Anderson Cooper. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gLmMPOHDwM) The patients' description of their symptoms are very similar to what you have described. One patient had a full battery of blood test and a MRI. All test came back normal. The doctor Cooper interviewed had a mild case but 8 months later she went home with headaches and tiredness.
Amee, you make me appreciate my OCD, occasional bouts of depression and anxiety.My sisters say Mother is the cause of my problems;my youngest sister says Mother was evil. She demanded perfection. I think otherwise and that Mother was evil is a little too dramatic.
My youngest sister who still teaches nursing was in a Covid -19 study. She demanded I take the vaccine. I did. I still wear a mask and keep my distance. I'm sorry you have to go through this. It doubly frustrates me people won't take the vaccine. I think answers will be found but it will take time. I trust you will take care. If I can be of help unpacking boxes, throwing eggs at Gaetz or Cawthorn, let me know. larryv6@icloud.com
With my heart in my throat, I forwarded this to someone I know who remains unvaccinated, with the following note: I'd like you to read this so you understand what one individual is going through because of Covid. I don't know your reasons for not being vaccinated, but if they are reasons other than medically recommended (because?), they honestly, are not good enough. Too many people are suffering and dying for any one of us to not do our utmost to battle this rapidly mutating virus.
I don't know why I feel fearful of this confrontation. One of my friends says we're under siege, from the "tyranny of the unvaccinated."
I hope you recover your vitality in full. It sux admitting we are not infallible. At 70, It sux knowing that most life afflictions can not be fixed. America has a problem facing the inevitable human condition of mortality. We need to understand that we are promised no more than this very moment, which means that we need to Do Good Things with the time we DO have. Be well SHERO woman and keep going.
Thank you, Amee for sharing your experience. We live in fear of contracting covid. It is so helpful to learn of your journey. I hope it is cathartic for you to share and learn from others who were infected and have recovered. This is previously uncharted territory and sharing experience is a way to connect and get through it. ♥️
If you have all these strange symptoms and feel like doctors are no help don’t give up. I have a medical story where persistence has paid off.
I suffer from migraines. They became debilitating after an extremely minor whiplash accident in 1993. They escalated to multiple days a week. This happened just after finishing my degree in computer science and getting my first job. As time progressed over the next 5 years the headache never ended. In the San Diego area I had some of the best doctors and hospitals and they ran every test and tried every drug. I had to quit working.
The one thing that controlled the pain were seizure medications. But the dose to control had to keep being increased. Soon I spent my days in and out of sleep. My husband did everything. I finally had to go on disability, giving up the career I worked so hard for at on 40. I tried every new medication for migraines and would reach toxic levels with them. Emergency room trips were frequent to get pain medication. We moved to New Hampshire and many of those trips were during blizzards.
I finally met with a neurologist that took a different approach. Let me say here that many neurologists will send you to their PA because you case isn’t as important as brain injuries and tumors. You feel like you’re being brushed aside. This time I had a whole new medicine regime. The doctor said since I’d been a nurse my husband could give me shots at home. So, he learned how to do it. Suddenly trips to the ER were almost non-existent. No more toxic levels of migraine drugs.
I control everything I do to prevent them. Sleep, food, light, sound. I’ve given up a lot of activities. Things have changed in the last 20 years in this research and life is semi-normal even though I can’t work. The pain is minimal. Now I have one or two bad days a month instead of only one or two good days.
Now for my advice. See the specialists. Get an appointment with a neurologist and ear, nose, throat specialist and an internal medicine doctor. Like Amy keep a diary. List your symptoms and their frequency and pain level. Doctors will want to know this. Do you have constant pain or intermittent? What are you doing when it happens? What relieves it? What medications or supplements are you taking or have you tried. I use an app called migraine buddy. You can create specific categories in there for symptoms and medications. Maybe it can be used to help with this. It gives you a great report when you ask for it.
I knew this was going to be bad as soon as I learned it was respiratory. I wish we would have masked up sooner. I am hoping we find remedies for all the long Covid. I hope my story of persistence helps you keep up the hope and find the answers.
My husband and I both feel you.
110%.
You described exactly "it".
You also described me to a T, and my other half to a certain extent.
I'm so happy you are sharing this.
Overjoyed to be exact.
And more people need to do so.
There has to be thousands if not a million of us.
And the unvaccinated are making me s***** including a few of my children.
I'm not sure what the reasons are because they just ignore me when I inquire again and again.
Apparently they don't have a good enough reason, to give me an argument. 🤦🏼♀️
Makes me crazier than I already feel.
Thank you Amee😘🥰
You are not alone. Even though I followed all protocols, I had COVID in December, I was so sick I was scared, to this day I can not smell or taste, constant chest congestion and shortness of breath (I now have scar tissue, on my lungs, the beginnings of COPD), brain fog and I lost a lot of hair (that has not grown back). COVID, the gift that keeps giving.
I could not wait to get the vaccine!! After both doses I had a 24hr COVID. But nothing compares to how sick I was!
I really do become enraged with the non-believing--anti-mask--anti-vaccine people. I have to include the, " oh I had it and it was no big deal" people, in there. Be thankful and not arrogant about the fact you had a mild case.
I am resigned, to the fact, this is my new normal. I still read, research and try and I will never stop looking for answers.
Thank you for your post. You are not alone. I retired six years ago from the 80-hour lawyer weeks — I didn’t get covid last year but was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2020 and was finishing up radiation during the California lockdown. I’m struggling with the effects of those experiences. Thank you so much for your brave revelations and insights.
Amee, I wish that there was something that I could do for you. Sending healing vibes and energy your way. This community of readers who follow you are all in your corner.
I just flew Sunday and yesterday, and even though I am fully vaccinated, I am in absolute terror that I was exposed to the Delta variant by one of the (many) people I saw walking through the airports without makes (or wearing them as "chinstraps", etc.).
OMG Amee...such suffering you have been through. And if you feel this way, then hundreds of thousands feel this way too. I am so sorry and hope over time these symptona dissipate. Thank you for explaining how you feel, how the medical system is unprepared for the long term covid recovery of the population. It is so much a part of wellness and wellbeing to track this long term in patients' lives.
I am devastated that you're going through this. Please know that I'm sending as many positive, healing vibes your way as I can.
I feel deeply for *anyone* with debilitating health issues, but especially for those whose symptoms can't be seen or easily understood. Crohn's/Colitis does that for me and woke me to a whole world of people suffering in the background with things that they just can't explain, or that just can't be easily diagnosed.
I'm keeping you in my thoughts and hoping against hope that you find the help you need at some point in the NEAR future.
Amee Amee, I am not your Mom but probably am older than her, so first things first , SLOW DOWN, I was getting agita at the speed I was reading. You have an important message to get out and you are an important person to a lot of people. My niece is a long hauler not diagnosed but doesn’t take a genius to tell. She was convinced she had ADD and went through a whole cycle of neuro tests. She is also organized but two kids it maybe could not do a whole apt in a day anymore. You have the “ twisted” so to speak and they are dangerous and no test is going to prove this. We are in the nascent stage of a pandemic that has the ability to effect every organ in our system. This is cold Comfort I understand , but know that we were able to come up with a vaccine so fast because researchers have been working on this since SARS . Today it was reported that CORONA VIRUS has been found in white tailed deer as well as the SARS VIRUS. It matters because the deer have antibodies so a wilderness test of some length of time discovered. There are hundreds of research projects around this issue of the Corona virus and I am
Confident we are going to beat it and it’s mutating brothers. We did it with AIDS and we will do here. It is the here and now you must deal with, you cannot deplete yourself so you end up at the ER. Self care is not BS. Fear can kill you literally. You are very smart you know this and you are sharing this which is very brave of you. Please slow down the scientists are working on this rapidly and safely. Do not come in contact with anyone who is not vaccinated. One thing I learned was to spend 15 minutes every hour to just shut my eyes and breathe. Do what works for you but slow down. Always here
Thank you so much for sharing. It’s really important info. You don’t how many times I’ve run through scar scenarios in my head and then run through less scary ones often thinking, well look at Amee, she has asthma and survived just fine. But now I know you survived but not “just fine.” I’ve often wondered if you had “long covid” and without this follow up, I always assumed you did not. Well, now I know better. So thank you so much for the update. Also, I share your frustration as do all of us who are vaxed, that people refusing the vax are endangering everyone. Sending you healing vibes!
I’m feeling 1/10 of your pain as a fully vaccinated adult I NEVER expected to get sick with the delta variant because I continue to be careful and cautious; IT’S NOT ENOUGH! I wish they would come clean about just how easy it is to become infected and GET REALLY SICK!
I for one believe none of them know as much as they say they do. The REAL issue is as you’ve stated those individuals who decry “FREEDOM” as a reason for not getting vaccinated. MORONS don’t understand that freedom isn’t free, SOMEONE had to pay a price for that FREEDOM as has always been the case.
You are absolutely correct- you are not alone. I read this and it felt like an echo except I don't have asthma. I still have symptoms that linger and flutter. STILL. Take care.
I had no idea Covid-19 could lead to these long term effects. I don't work at the hospital (clinical chemistry-not a doc.) anymore and don't keep up with the literature. I know many conditions can lead to long term effects. I didn't think Covid was this extensive. I found a "60 minutes" segment with Anderson Cooper. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gLmMPOHDwM) The patients' description of their symptoms are very similar to what you have described. One patient had a full battery of blood test and a MRI. All test came back normal. The doctor Cooper interviewed had a mild case but 8 months later she went home with headaches and tiredness.
Amee, you make me appreciate my OCD, occasional bouts of depression and anxiety.My sisters say Mother is the cause of my problems;my youngest sister says Mother was evil. She demanded perfection. I think otherwise and that Mother was evil is a little too dramatic.
My youngest sister who still teaches nursing was in a Covid -19 study. She demanded I take the vaccine. I did. I still wear a mask and keep my distance. I'm sorry you have to go through this. It doubly frustrates me people won't take the vaccine. I think answers will be found but it will take time. I trust you will take care. If I can be of help unpacking boxes, throwing eggs at Gaetz or Cawthorn, let me know. larryv6@icloud.com
A lot of this is very familiar. Thanks for sharing. Sending you support.