Coronavirus - week 9 - Are there people like me?

Hello,

i thought id outline my experience with the virus to both vent my own frustrations and to get to know if others have been the same.

I tested positive for CoronaVirus back at the start of October, prior to this i wasn't the healthiest person with a weight of 18.5 stone and no physical work outs, most sat between a computer and bed. I started with a fever which lasted 2 days and a small cough, i took and test and found out i had covid. The fever didnt get worse, but i did start to feel faint, and often began to have a few panic attacks when i felt i couldnt catch my breath, but i kept myself isolated away from my family. I then lost my sense of taste and smell after 3 days. All in all during having covid i was okay, other than the odd need to lie down and take some deep breaths on occasion i was doing my normal routine. 14 days later all of my symptoms where gone and i ordered a new test, this came back negative.

O how i wish to be back in those days as from here it only gets worse.

For the next few weeks i suffered with tiredness, shortness of breath awful chest pain, and an uncomfortable throat, not sore just not right. i used paracetamol daily, and was advice by my GP to use anti inflammatory over the counter medicine for my throat if i felt it was swollen. I used Ice packs and hot water bottles on my chest which really seemed to calm me down and easy the pain. By this point we are on week 4 and my shortness of breath just seems to be getting worse, i speak to my GP as ive been having stomach problems, constipation for a few days at a time with barely any bowl movement. I was prescribed a brown inhaler and advised on some over the counter laxatives to try to help. The brown inhaler does the trick for a little while and i feel i can take deep breaths again, the laxitive seems to give me some relief, but only a bowl movement every 2 days and its often diharea. I keep on like this for a week or so before i start to feel short on breath again, my aunty allows me to use her unopened spare blue inhaler and my GP lets me go for blood tests, they also then prescribe me a blue inhaler. The blood tests show high levels of dead red blood cells in my liver function, that they arnt too concerned about, and i am sent on my way for blood tests in 2 weeks time. About a week later my chest started to sound like their was fluid in there and i had an abnormal heart beat occuring so i went to A+E, they did blood work, a scan of the chest, blood preasure and oxygen levels and told me they can seem to find anything at risk and that im 'fit and healthy to go'.

That was week 8 and all of last week i felt so bad, chest aches, pains in my arm pits when i lay or move certain ways, breathless, and a weight on my chest. I phoned my GP on thursday to discuss getting a new brown inhaler as mine seemed yo not work as it used to, after discussing how i was feeling she gave me a 5 day course of steroid tablets and a x-ray to be done at my local hostpital between 9:30 nd 4:30 any week day. I take my first round of tablets and my chest feels so relieved, but the strange slow covered heart beat is still there and keeps me on edge, i have my x-ray and come home to a call from my GP about my second blood tests and the ones from A+E, they say my liver function tests are still a bit abnormal and that i have a high count of redblood cells, to which they can wait 3 momths and see of its covid after effects or organise an untralsound, i opt for the later and await the hospital to mail. I explain my heart/lung feeling to the GP and he prescribes me a 5 day course of antibiotics to take with my 5 day steroid tablets.

Day 1 felt good, things seemed okay, day 2 was a bit achey but once again okay and towards the night i felt like a new man. Day 3 was worse, tight chest most of the day, aches and pains, shortness of breath, and my neck just started to feel so stiff and clogged. Im on day 4 today and once again my chest is so heavy, my breathing feels shallow but i can take deep breaths on occassion, and i have 1 day left to pray i feel better before the course is complete. I still but far less frequently feel the odd heart beat and lung feeling, but my chest feels like a pair of hands is pushing on the top of my pecks no matter how i try to sit or lay.

All in all thats my story so far, week 9 begins today, im constantly scared to sleep and not wake up, or to wake up and be in more pain or have more issues. I just want to have 1 day of normal. I cant even do the things i used to enjoy like sit at a computer and talk with friends or play games, because i just feel so closed in and tight and on edge, last night i had a mild panic attack from just sitting there for 2 hours feeling breathless.

is there anyone that can relate or feels the same?

My medical background is no allergies, i had asthma as a child when i was 7 or 8 but im now 28, 29 in december, and i am above typical bmi.

thanks for reading

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