Still feeling ill after Covid for 3weeks.

3 weeks ago I was taken into hospital because my oxygen levels were low. I was kept in for 3 days & then sent home. That was on a Sunday & I was taken in again on the Wednesday with low sats & I found I tested positive for Covid. . I was just kept in for 2days. I hated being in there because I also struggle with many other conditions & am in extreme pain in my back which makes it so hard to walk. I just want to sleep all the time & wonder if it is normal to still be feeling like this after all this time. I could ring the doctor’s surgery but it takes forever to get to speak to one & I really don’t want to be put back in hospital. Have any of you had Covid drag on like this?

[Hidden]

I haven’t had Covid, but if I have any kind of illness it can knock me for a week or two. Just rest up for a bit. I would also ask for a referral to a MSK Physio about your back.

[Hidden]

With the caveat that I’m not medically qualified. I had covid for the first time in September, my sats were down to 93% within 3 days of symptoms starting, and I felt pretty horrific. Only time I can ever remember feeling worse than with covid was when I had meningitis after brain surgery. Thankfully managed to avoid hospital thanks to an anti-viral infusion on day 4, but was testing positive for 12 days, and actively unwell with flu like symptoms for the better part of 3 weeks. All told, it took about 6 weeks to start really feeling ok again. If fatigue is the primary issue you’re experiencing, I’d give it a little bit longer. I was feeling pants for so long I was concerned it was going to turn into long covid, but I did eventually come out the other side of the fatigue and general malaise.

[Monkeysmum]

Sorry to hear you are struggling Holly-willow, you are definitely due a break! I haven’t had covid so can’t comment directly but my healthy sister and brother in law both had it in September, neither had it bad enough to be hospitalised, and they both said it took almost six weeks before they felt the awful fatigued/weak feeling starting to lift. So it definitely does seem to linger, even in those with healthy immune systems. Hope you turn the corner soon. Xx

[StormySeas]

It took me quite a few weeks to feel better after Covid (and antivirals). I felt extremely tired and slept a lot. I think a month or six weeks to recover is not unusual.

[Sheila_G]

I haven't had covid but I am recovering from something horrible. I had all the symptoms of covid but 4 negative tests. I have been ill for 2 weeks and still have an awful cough. It must be flu or RSV but still feel quite rough. I hope you feel better soon.

[Runrig01]

my hubby had Covid in September and is generally for & healthy, other than controlled diabetes. It’s taken him a good 6 weeks to feel anything close to normal. Be kind to yourself and get plenty rest. 🤗

[cyberbarn]

There is a myth that covid is 'just a cold' but for many people the symptoms linger on for a long time. The most severe the covid was, the more likely it is to turn into long covid

"Healthcare professionals may refer to long COVID a s:ongoing symptomatic COVID-19 (4 to 12 weeks) and post-COVID-19 syndrome (over 12 weeks)." (NHS inform)

So at three weeks, you are still in 'covid' time, another week will tip you over into ongoing symptomatic covid.

So as others say, take it easy, pace yourself, and if you are at all worried give your GP surgery a ring as most areas now have a long covid virtual ward type service to support people going through this.

[Flinda]

I don't know if my experience will help (on top of all the other comments), but I'll share.

I caught COVID mid July this year. My blood oxygen level dropped well below 90% on the second day of symptoms. I felt extremely ill but had a sore throat which didn't help me talking on the phone clearly, so I after the third phone call I gave up on the antivirals fight.

They ordered an ambulance for me, but it didn't arrive after waiting 5 hours and I just wanted to sleep, so I cancelled it and slept instead. After a week, I began to feel well enough to eat an apple!

My cough lingered for months but the worst thing is the fatigue - yes, I too still sleep a lot - a massive amount!

I've found that 2 hours activity is enough for me - I need to lie down thereafter. If I do exert myself over this time limit, my heart rate zooms up and my blood oxygen level falls to 92 - 93%. It takes a good day to recover from this.

Also, I stopped taking my RA medication for 3 weeks after getting COVID, which meant my RA kicked in again and hasn't yet stabilized. Both hands are affected and one shoulder.

I also now experience awful tinitus and heart burn, which is totally new to me and reduces my food intake to just one small meal a day. Yes, I've lost a lot of weight, which is a good thing!

Then I experienced a pain in my lower back area, out of the blue, which immobilised me for two to three weeks.

So, I would say Long COVID symptoms are very real and I'm thinking (hoping) all this might correct itself within the next year or so, as most people seem to recover over time.

The advice I see most is rest as much as possible - exercise will make things worse.

I'm also now interested in gut health and how improving the microbiomes can assist the immune system. But I'm no expert - still reading up on everything.

I'm hoping you don't have this for long as I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Lots more research is underway now, to try and understand our immune system and I'm hoping it might lead to a cure for RA as well.

Best wishes and good luck.

[Green230461 in reply to Flinda]

Hope you feel more human soon Flinda. Take care stay warm and drink loads🎄

[Green230461]

Do not wish to upset you but I was still unwell after five weeks. Dr just said keep warm and hydrated, take paracetamol and ibuprofen if needed and take things very slowly, because of immune suppressant drugs things take longer to level out. So don’t worry, speak to your GP or Rhuemmy if you are worried time is the healer with this grotty thing. Take care🎄

[oldtimer2]

Several friends who have had Covid have complained about the dreadful fatigue for several weeks after recovering for the first effects. They have to learn to pace themselves - and I'm thinking that I have often felt like they are describing with flares. Getting up reluctantly, doing one thing, having to rest. doing one more thing, that's it for the day.