#This&That&TheOtherThing – #PublicServiceAnnouncement – #Update

/ Marcia

THIS

THAT

I did NOT understand the difference, and discovered that a whole lot of folks I knew were also confused. As it turns out, the intermittent health problems I’ve been having for several months have NOT been caused by my diabetes (which is completely under control now, with my A1C test well in the normal range) or residual damage from my fall some time back. NOPE. It turns out I apparently have Long Covid! For those who may have been as confused as I’ve been, here’s what my doctor and the CDC have to say about how this annoyingly persistent problem differs from actual Covid. 

Check with CDC for more Info HERE

THE OTHER THING

My Long Covid symptoms have mainly been extreme fatigue, brain fog/inability to focus my thoughts, and frequent dizzy spells, often accompanied by tingling and numbness in my right leg.  Yes, all three of those are among the 19 symptoms listed on the CDC website. Fatigue and brain fog are very annoying, and often prevent me from accomplishing anything while they last. But the scariest to me are the dizzy spells. Having received a serious concussion with my afore-mentioned fall, I’m truly afraid of having another. Believe me, I’m being very, very careful when I’m up and about on days when these symptoms start showing up. 

Also, there is no pattern I can establish as to when the next episode is going to happen, nor how long it will last. Sometimes I feel fine for 2 or 3 weeks in between Long Covid episodes, and sometimes one will return within 2 or 3 days of the last one. And sometimes they last for only a couple of days, while at least one has lasted for TEN days! 

If you have had Covid at some point and have any random symptoms such as described above, you might want to talk to your doctor to see if you are actually experiencing Long Covid. Not everyone has these episodes, but many do. As for myself, I feel infinitely better knowing what the heck is going on, and finding ways to cope with it, with the fervent wish that it will soon disappear forever!

At least it wasn’t Rapid-Speed Senility shoving me over the edge! 😂

Hope this info has been helpful to some of you, but mainly, I hope most of you never have to deal with either Covid OR the Long Covid after-effects. 

Stay Safe and Stay WELL, Everyone!

36 thoughts on “#This&That&TheOtherThing – #PublicServiceAnnouncement – #Update”

  1. Sorry to hear you are dealing with this, Marcia. My oldest daughter deals with this too. She finally had to take a few months on disability. I hope it fades away soon and you don’t get another episode. Hugs xo

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    • Thank you so much, Denise, and my very best wishes for your daughter to come out the other side of this annoying thing!

      For some reason, I (and many folks I’ve talked to) had it in my mind that Long Covid was an extended period of a Covid infection that just wouldn’t go away. I was truly surprised to find out the facts, and wanted to pass them along to others who might also be confused.

      Hopefully, my episodes will finally disappear and I’ll only have the usual things people my age often deal with. (I think I can handle most of those.)

      Again, stay safe and well, and hopefully your daughter will soon be feeling more like her old self!
      🤗❤️🤗

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    • Yes to all of that! What a hateful virus all the way around. But now that I know why I’ve been feeling bad … I actually feel BETTER. Things make more sense, and I have every reason to expect it to go away at some point. (Fingers crossed!)

      Thanks for the well wishes, Priscilla, and for stopping by today. Stay well! 😀 ❤

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  4. I know this must be extremely frustrating for you, but at least you have a daignosis from someone who knows what he’s talking about. It seems to strike any age and my daughter has been worried that this might impact on her children – one of whom has had it twice, had his first vaccine and now has it again. He had it in the first wave and was delirious and completely lost his sense of taste and smell. He seems fine now but there are others who haven’t returned to their former fitness – including some who were keen sports players. Hopefully the symptoms will ease further and the gap between them will be longer
    until they’ve gone altogether. I’m so glad you’re being careful! Be good to yourself and don’t try to push through the fatigue. ❤ ❤ ❤

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    • I think I’ll look at the days when the fatigue is overwhelming as Reading Days. Yeah, that could work. IF I can keep my eyes open. I tend to nod off a lot on those days. But at least I know why, and it’s not because I’m definitely ready for the rocking chair! 😂 Neither Mark nor I were as sick as your grandson, and in fact, Mark felt fine after 4 days, though he had to quarantine for the full ten and be retested. I’m sorry your grandson had all that trouble, and I hope he’s never visited by Long Covid. Enough is enough, right?

      Thanks for your well wishes, my friend, and don’t worry. Now that I know what I’m dealing with it, I will adapt what I’m doing each day to what I CAN do that day. NO risk-taking, for sure. And thanks so much for stopping by, Trish! Now YOU stay well, too!! 🤗💖🤗

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    • I agree, Darlene. It isn’t funny. However, it is better than actual COVID (the virus). I don’t feel sick like I did with that, and Long COVID will not likely kill me, unless the symptoms get even worse, heaven forbid. It is inconvenient and has certainly slowed me down. But I’m hoping it goes away eventually, and I’ll be able to get busy again on all the things I love to do. Thanks for stopping by and for the hugs. And please stay well!! 😀 ❤

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  6. Long Covid seems to present with a variety of symptoms. After numerous tests and not being allowed to,fly, my pilot son thankfully has not got anything more serious and they think his head problems are long Covid. It is affecting so many people.

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    • Yes, it does. The CDC has already identified 19 of the most common symptoms to date, but more could be added over time. I hope your son continues to improve and soon feels normal again. (Hoping the same thing for me, actually! 😀 )

      Thanks for stopping by today, and do stay well!! 😀 ❤

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        • And rightly so, usually! 😁

          I’m looking forward to saying goodbye to LC, for sure. But honestly, at my age and with some of the regular health issues I deal with, I’m pretty darn lucky it hasn’t been worse for me. So, I’ll just count my blessings. It puts me in a better mood, anyway! 😀 ❤

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    • Aw thanks, Cathy! It IS frustrating, but somehow knowing what’s actually been going on has helped me tremendously. I was truly worried, and while I’m not happy about having Long Covid, I do think I’ll get past it. (Eventually!)

      Thanks so much for stopping by, and please stay safe and WELL, yourself! 😀 ❤

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    • Thanks so much, Jeanne. I HATE the dizzy spells, for sure. Especially when my right leg goes numb and wants to buckle!!! Arrggh. But I’m learning NOT to panic, which only makes them worse, and how to get myself safely seated until they pass. Hopefully, the episodes will get farther and farther apart, last for shorter amounts of time, and then will go the blinkin’ heck away forever! 😂

      Thanks so much for stopping by, my friend! And please stay safe and WELL, yourself!! 😀 ❤

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  9. As others have stated, it’s discouraging to be at its mercy, but at least you know what you’re up against. I think there must be some comfort in getting a diagnosis.

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    • Exactly so, Pete. I had no idea why I was going through all this stuff, and really felt like I was just aging overnight and there’d be no getting over any of it. It was a BIG relief to understand what was happening, and have a plan for what to do on those bad days. And the best news was that it could all to away over time. Fingers crossed! Knowledge is critical, right? 😁

      Thanks for stopping by today, and please stay safe and WELL!! 😊

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    • You’re welcome, Antoinette. I figured there are probably many folks who, like me, might be confused by what long Covid really is. (A lot of people I know thought it was just the virus going on and on.)

      And thanks for stopping by today. Stay safe and WELL, yourself! 😀 ❤

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    • And they’re scary as all get-out, too, Yvette! I hate them so much!! But, I’m very hopeful this will begin to fade away before too much longer. Thanks for stopping by and wishing me well! 😀 ❤

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  12. I was aware of “long haulers,” Marcia. And I’m so sorry that you’re falling into that group. This virus is a monster, which is why I’ve been living in a cave for three years. The unpredictability and variability of covid is concerning. I have heard that it resolves but takes a long time. Be gentle with yourself. ❤ ❤ ❤

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    • Thanks, Diana! You know, after TWO breakthrough cases of actual Covid (one after the first 2 shots and one after the third), you’d think it couldn’t surprise me. I’d heard of Long Covid, too, but misunderstood what it was. NOW I know, and honestly, I feel better for having an answer to why I’ve been feeling so crummy lately. I thought I was just suddenly aging at an extremely accelerated rate. Doh!! So I’m happy to have an answer, but eager for these residual symptoms to eventually go away.

      I’ve been home for most of the last 3 years, too. I’ve only been able to start doing my talks and things in the past few months, and even with those, I’m very careful to set boundaries, etc. I do think that after 3 shots and 2 breakthrough cases, I SHOULD have some immunity for the actual virus, though that doesn’t apply to LC. (More’s the pity!)

      Thanks for stopping by, and I appreciate your encouraging words! Please stay safe, my friend, and most of all, stay WELL!! 😀 ❤

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  13. Excellent warning Marsh. My accountant got Covid in early 2020 before anyone knew it was a ‘thing’. She is suffering long Covid and had to pass on all her clients to an associate this year because of terrible fatigue and brain fog. It’s a damn thing alright! You are a trooper! ❤

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    • Thanks, Debby. I figured I couldn’t be the ONLY one who didn’t realize what Long Covid actually was, so I wanted to share what I’d learned.

      I have felt fine for the last 3 days, and am hoping it never shows up again, but realistically, it probably won’t go away overnight, and instead will taper off in frequency and severity. (Unless it doesn’t. DOH!) At any rate, at least I now know what’s going on and that I’m neither crazy nor a hypochondriac. But yes, it’s a “damn thing alright!”

      Thanks for stopping by, and please stay safe and WELL! 😀 ❤

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    • I’m working on all three of those things, Mike, and have had some mostly pretty good days this week. Hopefully, it will be a long time before those annoying and scary symptoms return for another go at me. Thanks for the well wishes! You stay safe and WELL, too, Mr. Writer Fellow! We need your steadfast capybara devotion zipping out to make the world a better place! 😀

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