Amy Watson had a 344-day chronic fever.
Nearly a year after she was diagnosed with COVID-19, the teacher from Portland, Oregon, is still suffering from ongoing symptoms.
In addition to the fever, Watson told Insider that he still faces chronic fatigue, “brain fog”, severe migraines, gastrointestinal problems and severe body aches.
The 47-year-old, who did not have an underlying health condition before catching the virus, also developed tachycardia and says that every time she walks in the shower, her heart rate exceeds 100 beats per minute.
“It’s really a challenge. I don’t want people to have to know from personal experience what it’s like,” Watson told Insider.
Watson is among a growing group of long-term victims of COVID, or so-called “long carriers,” whose bodies have been weakened by a little-known virus.
But now, post-recovery clinics specifically for long-haul carriers are opening across the country and giving people like Watson much-needed hope.
Post-COVID clinics offer a “centralized” way to access long-distance caregivers
According to a CDC study published in the summer, about 1 in 3 people with COVID-19 will have symptoms that last longer than the typical two weeks.
Symptoms, which can range from an ongoing cough to scarred lungs, affect not only people who have had to be hospitalized with COVID-19, but also those with milder cases.
Post-COVID care centers aim to bring together a team of experts from a wide range of specialties to address all the issues facing long-term carriers, based on the latest understandings of the disease.
One of the first such clinics was Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. He has treated 1,500 people since it opened in May.
Dr. Ruwanthi Titao, a cardiologist working at the clinic, told Insider: “The aim of the center was to fill this gap with patients who want to seek care, who feel frustrated, worried and worried that they do not have access to adequate care in community.
“And it was a nice, centralized way to give them access to care, to get their symptoms documented, so we could start recognizing the patterns of the disease and then send them to the right specialist to get therapy. appropriate “, added.
Patients usually have an hour-long appointment to review their medical history before analyzing their current coronavirus symptoms.
“From then on, the COVID post office will make appropriate referrals. So it would be, for example, to cardiology, neurology, rehabilitation medicine or psychiatry,” said Dr. Titano.
But treating people with multiple symptoms – and often severe ones – is a challenge for a disease that does not yet have long-term research.
Dr. Greg Vanichkachorn, medical director of the Covid Rehabilitation Program (CARP) at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, told Insider that his center is taking a “slow and steady” approach based on pre-pandemic treatments. of coronavirus.
“You know, this is not the first outbreak of coronavirus. We had SARS and MERS, for example, and we already have some research from that time that certainly shows that there was a similar post-viral syndrome,” he said.
“What we have emphasized together with our patients is to help them adapt and develop what is called an ‘Easter’ therapy program, in which they slowly, with practical help, engage in rehabilitation,” continued Dr. Vanichkachorn.
“It’s a slow and consistent business with low earnings.”
Therapy often incorporates simple measures, such as encouraging patients to increase their fluid and salt intake or administering compression socks to help blood flow.
“And then, if we really need it, we can also use medication to help with symptoms, either to raise blood pressure if we need to, or to help with things like fast heart rate,” Dr. Vanichkachorn added.
Dr. Titano from Mount Sinai confirmed that her recovery clinic was taking a similar approach.
“We are remedies and healers, we want to have a clear diagnosis and we want to remedy this. But when there are rashes of symptoms, or when there are relapses or setbacks, of course, we take a lot into account, “said Dr. Titano.
But even though Dr. Titano admits that “it was a very difficult, slow process of improvement,” she remains hopeful.
And mental health is an issue
Clinics, such as the one on Mount Sinai, also give patients access to social workers or therapists to work through their trauma.
Many long-term carriers, especially those who have been hospitalized, have been left with depression or, in some cases, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
This is the case of Heather-Elizabeth Brown, a 36-year-old corporate coach from Detroit, Michigan, who had to be put on a ventilator in April after coronavirus pneumonia caused her lung failure.
Brown, who has been in a coma for 31 days, said her experience was “traumatic”.
Shortly after doctors told him that a ventilator would be the only way to save his life, Brown had to have a “FaceTime family reunion” to make the decision. Her mother had to receive the call from the hospital parking lot.
“I remember writing my will on a napkin and putting it in one of my boots and making sure to tell the nurses where it is, just in case,” Brown said. “I just didn’t know at the time if I would come out alive.”
Heather-Elizabeth Brown at the hospital. (Heather-Elizabeth Brown)
“I have a very strong faith. I trust God. But it’s one of those things you don’t know. It was just a big question mark,” she added.
Brown is currently undergoing therapy along with a number of different treatments.
“I’m just lucky that many of my care is in one health system. So at least all of my records are in one place,” Brown said.
“But for people who may have other challenges or may have different barriers to access, having a center that also provides mental health assistance is a phenomenal idea. It’s like a one-stop shop,” she added.
Long carriers feel forgotten
Professor Watson said finding treatment for all his ailments was frustrating and he often feels rejected by healthcare professionals.
The United States still faces tens of thousands of acute COVID-19 cases a day, and many states are now turning their attention to vaccines as soon as possible. This often means that long carriers are abandoned.
“When we go to our appointments, doctors tell us they don’t feel our symptoms are severe enough and they tell us they won’t waste their time on us. And that’s pretty disconcerting as a patient,” Watson continued.
That was part of why Watson launched one of the largest Facebook support groups for long-haul carriers.
For Watson, having a program specifically designed for long-haul carriers would be “life-changing.”
“I would personally like to go to one, but unfortunately there is no one in my area at the moment. But this is definitely something I am advocating for,” she said.
“People just need to understand that we are becoming a little impatient. We would like to improve and return to our lives and hopefully not have a significant part of the population with disabilities from this disease,” she added.
This article was originally published by Business Insider.
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