For long distances of COVID-19 as the symptoms of the virus confuse survivors

Photo | CYRUS MC CRIMMON

Clarence Troutman works with UC Health Respiratory Therapist Melinda Yeager at the Respiratory Rehabilitation Gym at UC Health University Hospital for shoulder and arm strength. Troutmen and others dealing with long-term symptoms are known as COVID-19 “long-haul carriers”.

One day in late April, Perdensal Springs took longer than usual to prepare a job to transport seniors for a non-profit PACE in South Piedmont.

It’s trivial for her to get entangled lately. What was the place where she put her keys, had lunch, and first stopped by?

Prior to this job, Springs enjoyed helping the elderly, so he worked in the Charlotte Housing Department’s transportation system. However, after attending COVID for two months, working with residents who have dementia is reminiscent of her own struggle against confusion and oblivion.

“Today I took medicine at the woman’s house and forgot she was supposed to sign the paperwork, so I had to go back,” says Springs, 62.

“My memory is like a person with dementia. It’s like having dementia. I have a grandson who is 14 years old. I want to remember him. I’m worried that I’ll forget it. “

Not an exclusive club
Experiences like Springs have become surprisingly common among COVID survivors. According to a study published in the Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, an overwhelming number of people infected with the virus but never hospitalized, even after the acute infection had subsided, had brain fog, malaise, dizziness, and He reports a series of neurological problems such as headaches. , Numbness and tingling.

Brain fog is the most common.

The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as Post-COVID Syndrome or Long COVID, recently called this condition “acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection” or PASC.

Experts are still working to define it. Some people consider a patient to have a syndrome if the symptoms persist 4 to 6 weeks after the initial infection resolves. Others say 12 weeks.

The seriousness of SARS-CoV-2 is among some people because it is said to have a relatively low mortality rate, even though the mortality rate is actually orders of magnitude higher than seasonal influenza. It is neglected.

There is now increasing evidence that people who did not even have a serious case of COVID got lost in this protracted life-changing illness until a year later.

According to a study published by researchers at the University of Washington, 10-30% of COVID patients present with one or more long COVID symptoms, including severe malaise, chest pain, brain fog, shortness of breath, and loss of taste and odor. I am. .. Springs’ most persistent complaints are brain fog and shortness of breath.

This means that in the United States, where there are more than 32 million cases of COVID-19, as many as 9.6 million people may still experience long-distance symptoms after a virus test is unpositive.

In North Carolina, blacks make up about 175,000 of all cases of coronavirus. When 30% of these survivors become long-haul carriers, they have a profound and lasting impact on the physical, emotional and financial health of communities with less access to health insurance, care and treatment than whites. ..

Researchers are still investigating what is behind this mysterious illness. According to one theory, the symptoms are due to the damage caused by the infection and the subsequent inflammatory response. As long-haul carriers exhibit a variety of different symptoms, doctors, hospitals, and researchers are required to find the best way to move forward.

“It’s completely new, so there aren’t many concrete and scientific answers,” he says. John M. Balatta, co-director of the UNCCO VID Recovery Clinic. “Through research, that’s what we and others have to understand. Hopefully, over time, science will catch up and we can offer more.”

Obtaining COVID
Springs noticed her first COVID symptom on November 2nd.

“I didn’t have a fever, but I had a hard time breathing. It was my job to go upstairs. It really put a strain on me,” she said. “Even trying to get out of bed and walk was really hard. I couldn’t sleep or slept at a strange time.”

Two days later, Springs tested positive for the coronavirus.

“I cried. I had been controlling asthma for 15 years and I was doing my best not to get COVID because I knew it would be a big deal for me. I did my best to stay healthy and protect myself. ”

Springs knew that working with vulnerable and high-risk people would also put her at risk. Nevertheless, she was shocked when she got sick.

“I played it over and over again in my head and kept trying to understand it because it didn’t make any sense,” she said. “But you work with older people and they visit their families.”

Fearing that she might have a blood clot, she lived alone, so a Springs doctor urged her to go to the hospital, but she refused to be hospitalized because her family couldn’t see her. Instead, she traveled to the emergency room twice for oxygen. Scans showed that her lungs looked like frosted glass. This is a radiological finding that has become a diagnostic marker for COVID infection.

Springs, who lost a family of two, Charlotte’s uncle and Lancaster, South Carolina’s cousin, to the disease cannot understand the laissez-faire attitude that many still have about COVID.

Even after the virus has had a devastating effect on the black community, there are still blacks who think it’s not a big deal “until it happens to them or loses someone in their family.”

Long-distance carrier treatment
For doctors trying to treat the long-term effects of the disease, they feel like they are back in the early stages of the pandemic and learn what works as they progress.

Despite the astonishing number, there is no clear way to diagnose long COVID and no standard treatment protocol. Some long-haul carriers feel better weeks after the initial infection, but old or new disease-related symptoms that can affect multiple organs and systems weeks or months later. Get sick. For others like Springs, their symptoms never diminish completely after the initial infection. They just stay longer.

PASC may be compared to misunderstood illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome. Like those patients, many long-haul carriers struggle to recognize and take their symptoms seriously. From time to time, clinicians have a complete medical history and evaluate all COVID-19 symptoms from the beginning of the infection. You can also run a series of tests to rule out other possible causes of the symptom.

Post-COVID recovery clinics like UNC are emerging nationwide to address COVID-19 aftercare issues. These clinics usually take an interdisciplinary approach to care for the myriad of problems that can plague survivors. Pulmonologists treat lung and breathing problems. Cardiologists are on board to handle heart problems. Social workers and mental health professionals will consider the best ways to deal with mental health issues.

I recovered but it didn’t work
Almost eight weeks later, Springs stopped testing for the virus. She returned to work in early January, already knowing that there was a difference between getting rid of the infection and recovering. She had a hard time doing what was once easy.

“I didn’t know where to go. I was at home for so long that I didn’t know how to drive. I had to get used to driving again,” says Springs. “As far as the people I know well, I knew their faces, but I couldn’t remember their names until someone said it.”

Springs says her pulmonologist told her that it would take six months for her to get completely better. She is seven months old and still struggling to breathe.

“Now it’s difficult to go up and down the stairs, even after using the inhaler.” She pauses and sobs softly. “Sometimes I think I’m impatient, but it takes too long to put it together. I have to put it together.”

No one knows how long it will take.

The story is supported by a grant from the Pulitzer Prize Reporting Center and co-published by Post, North Carolina Health News, and The Charlotte Observer.

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