Covid recovery and symptoms going backwards, help.
April 28, 2022 4:57 PM Subscribe
I am on day 10 post positive Covid result, seem to be going backwards in my recovery and seem to be developing new symptoms including sudden loss of smell.
TLDR I am on day 10 post positive Covid result, seem to be going backwards in my recovery and seem to be developing new symptoms including sudden loss of smell. Is this par for the course or something I should be chasing up more assertively when I talk to a GP later today?
Obligatory I understand YANMD, I have a Telehealth appointment booked for later today but would appreciate any advice. I am double vaccinated and have received one booster. I’d describe myself as generally being in good health and reasonably active. No chronic illnesses aside from mild asthma.
Tested positive on an antigen test on the 19th of April. Per Australian guidelines I have been isolating at home since then but did not seek further medical attention as my symptoms were mild and I assumed would resolve themselves with rest. Had a few days of feeling awful, head and body aches, feeling mildly feverish, very fatigued, some congestion and sore throat. Typical with reported symptoms with the Omicron variant doing the rounds.
Day 5 felt I had recovered bar the fatigue and brain fog.
Once the 7 day isolation period was up I started to with a 20-30 minute walk once a day. Nothing strenuous. Wednesday night I slept poorly and woke yesterday feeling awful but I assumed it was because of a bad nights sleep. After a 30 minute walk in the late afternoon I started feeling extremely unwell and nauseated in the evening. While putting on deodorant before bed I realised that my sense of smell was completely gone, which had not happened previously.
Today I woke up feeling almost as poorly as I did during the first couple of days post positive, no fever, but still no sense of smell. I understand that recovery from any illness is not linear but I am alarmed that I have new symptoms 10 days in.
Is this annoying but something that can be expected from Covid recovery? I have a 15 minute window to talk to a GP so any advice on what I should be asking them very much appreciated.
TLDR I am on day 10 post positive Covid result, seem to be going backwards in my recovery and seem to be developing new symptoms including sudden loss of smell. Is this par for the course or something I should be chasing up more assertively when I talk to a GP later today?
Obligatory I understand YANMD, I have a Telehealth appointment booked for later today but would appreciate any advice. I am double vaccinated and have received one booster. I’d describe myself as generally being in good health and reasonably active. No chronic illnesses aside from mild asthma.
Tested positive on an antigen test on the 19th of April. Per Australian guidelines I have been isolating at home since then but did not seek further medical attention as my symptoms were mild and I assumed would resolve themselves with rest. Had a few days of feeling awful, head and body aches, feeling mildly feverish, very fatigued, some congestion and sore throat. Typical with reported symptoms with the Omicron variant doing the rounds.
Day 5 felt I had recovered bar the fatigue and brain fog.
Once the 7 day isolation period was up I started to with a 20-30 minute walk once a day. Nothing strenuous. Wednesday night I slept poorly and woke yesterday feeling awful but I assumed it was because of a bad nights sleep. After a 30 minute walk in the late afternoon I started feeling extremely unwell and nauseated in the evening. While putting on deodorant before bed I realised that my sense of smell was completely gone, which had not happened previously.
Today I woke up feeling almost as poorly as I did during the first couple of days post positive, no fever, but still no sense of smell. I understand that recovery from any illness is not linear but I am alarmed that I have new symptoms 10 days in.
Is this annoying but something that can be expected from Covid recovery? I have a 15 minute window to talk to a GP so any advice on what I should be asking them very much appreciated.
In the US, access to Paxlovid is officially restricted, but there are apparently doses going unclaimed. If you are borderline eligible for it where you are, maybe ask for it and/or give a little pushback if you aren't immediately eligible.
I have heard that Covid cases sometimes have a more unpleasant second wave, but that was back when most people were unvaccinated. Still, it might be a thing.
I would definitely not do any exercise for now.
posted by amtho at 5:18 PM on April 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
I have heard that Covid cases sometimes have a more unpleasant second wave, but that was back when most people were unvaccinated. Still, it might be a thing.
I would definitely not do any exercise for now.
posted by amtho at 5:18 PM on April 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: kingdead good question. I am slightly congested but I can breathe through both nostrils. Smell is completely gone, I can’t smell VapoRub even if I stick my face in the tub.
posted by arha at 5:20 PM on April 28, 2022
posted by arha at 5:20 PM on April 28, 2022
My recent COVID diagnosis took until Day 13 to get a negative test and, FWIW, my sense of smell/taste didn't start going haywire until about Day 6-7, after other symptoms had receded. Overall, my symptoms were minor, but they didn't arrive in a straight line from 'worse' to 'better'.
posted by dngrangl at 5:28 PM on April 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by dngrangl at 5:28 PM on April 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Paxlovid will not be effective at day 10.
I would not focus much on test results at this point. There's strong evidence that infectivity falls rapidly at this stage and even if you test negative tomorrow you still could feel like crap.
COVID makes people really really sick. Thank goodness you're vaccinated because you would likely be much more ill without that. But some people have symptoms for weeks or months. (Long COVID has no consistent definition but I'm not speaking to that but just that many people get really sick and maintain bad symptoms for ages).
If you experience any respiratory distress, that's dangerous and get evaluated in person. Outside of respiratory symptoms and 10 days in, in not sure there's much evidence for treatments that will be much help. I am curious to hear what your doctor suggests. I think this may be a situation where you're unlucky and should continue to rest (or rest more) and just monitor for breathing issues. Testing again will provide no actionable information, unfortunately.
posted by latkes at 5:29 PM on April 28, 2022 [14 favorites]
I would not focus much on test results at this point. There's strong evidence that infectivity falls rapidly at this stage and even if you test negative tomorrow you still could feel like crap.
COVID makes people really really sick. Thank goodness you're vaccinated because you would likely be much more ill without that. But some people have symptoms for weeks or months. (Long COVID has no consistent definition but I'm not speaking to that but just that many people get really sick and maintain bad symptoms for ages).
If you experience any respiratory distress, that's dangerous and get evaluated in person. Outside of respiratory symptoms and 10 days in, in not sure there's much evidence for treatments that will be much help. I am curious to hear what your doctor suggests. I think this may be a situation where you're unlucky and should continue to rest (or rest more) and just monitor for breathing issues. Testing again will provide no actionable information, unfortunately.
posted by latkes at 5:29 PM on April 28, 2022 [14 favorites]
Ugh, you're right latkes, I forgot. Paxlovid is only useful up to day 5 after symptoms first appear - sorry.
posted by amtho at 5:31 PM on April 28, 2022
posted by amtho at 5:31 PM on April 28, 2022
Best answer: IAAD and have taken care of thousands of COVID patients. Covid is at least a two-week bug for most people who become symptomatic with it, and day 8-10 of illness is when people typically experience more severe lower respiratory symptoms (COVID viral pneumonia). Frequently the upper respiratory symptoms will regress, cough will persist, and patients will notice increased fatigue and shortness of breath beginning on day 8 or so.
Can’t say I’ve noticed that there’s a specific point in time at which people notice loss of their sense of smell, however. In my experience that tends to happen pretty early if it’s going to happen at all.
posted by killdevil at 5:32 PM on April 28, 2022 [18 favorites]
Can’t say I’ve noticed that there’s a specific point in time at which people notice loss of their sense of smell, however. In my experience that tends to happen pretty early if it’s going to happen at all.
posted by killdevil at 5:32 PM on April 28, 2022 [18 favorites]
Best answer: I think you're doing the extremely human but dangerous thing of assuming recovery begins the second you stop testing positive, but that's testing basically how contagious you are, not that you are done being sick. It is a known course of the illness that symptoms fluctuate in severity and that many people experience one or more "breaks" in severity.
You have - present tense - a potentially fatal illness, and a lot of people with severe outcomes haven't reached hospitalization or worse until a couple weeks in. It's already clear that you're not one of the lucky ones who's going to bounce back in a couple days*; you are pretty sick, so you need to downshift now. You should not be walking more than is necessary to prevent DVT. The only thing you should be exerting right now is restraint, not trying to rush to the finish line instead of convalescing.
I've mostly only known people with the more recent variants, but none of them described the abrupt realization they had stopped being able to smell anything like I heard in the early cases. I am more hearing stories like yours, where at some point they realized that while they'd been otherwise sick and miserable it must have gone and they were only just noticing (which yes from a cognitive standpoint IS a little alarming).
Use your 15 minutes to get specific advice on how to convalesce and appropriately treat your symptoms while you are sick, and worry about recovery later.
*Which we don't even know yet if that's even true. They FELT better quickly, but I used to know one person under 50 who had a cardiologist and now I know several.
posted by Lyn Never at 5:49 PM on April 28, 2022 [12 favorites]
You have - present tense - a potentially fatal illness, and a lot of people with severe outcomes haven't reached hospitalization or worse until a couple weeks in. It's already clear that you're not one of the lucky ones who's going to bounce back in a couple days*; you are pretty sick, so you need to downshift now. You should not be walking more than is necessary to prevent DVT. The only thing you should be exerting right now is restraint, not trying to rush to the finish line instead of convalescing.
I've mostly only known people with the more recent variants, but none of them described the abrupt realization they had stopped being able to smell anything like I heard in the early cases. I am more hearing stories like yours, where at some point they realized that while they'd been otherwise sick and miserable it must have gone and they were only just noticing (which yes from a cognitive standpoint IS a little alarming).
Use your 15 minutes to get specific advice on how to convalesce and appropriately treat your symptoms while you are sick, and worry about recovery later.
*Which we don't even know yet if that's even true. They FELT better quickly, but I used to know one person under 50 who had a cardiologist and now I know several.
posted by Lyn Never at 5:49 PM on April 28, 2022 [12 favorites]
Several people in my life who have had covid had a new worsening of symptoms a week or two in. I don't recall them mentioning smell specifically but other symptoms, definitely. You are still actively ill and may find that it's too soon to start ramping up on exercise. Rest and take care of yourself. When you do start up again, maybe start a lot slower than a thirty minute walk.
posted by Stacey at 6:33 PM on April 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Stacey at 6:33 PM on April 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
I lost my sense of smell, or rather, my sense of smell went all whacky (everything pungent smelled like chlorine) at the tail end of my symptoms. Granted, my bout was very mild comparatively - just a very persistent sore throat - but the smell disruption came at the end. It also resolved quickly, I was back to 100% normal in about a week.
Hopefully it’s nothing but the weird ups and downs of a viral illness. The only thing I’d recommend is to monitor your O2 sats if you can, that’s the most important metric for severity.
posted by lydhre at 4:17 AM on April 29, 2022
Hopefully it’s nothing but the weird ups and downs of a viral illness. The only thing I’d recommend is to monitor your O2 sats if you can, that’s the most important metric for severity.
posted by lydhre at 4:17 AM on April 29, 2022
Best answer: Stop going for walks. I've had long covid for a couple of years, and one of the things that happens with post-viral stuff is that exertion that was once 'nothing strenuous' suddenly becomes way beyond what your body is capable of. In the past, I've run marathons/ultras, was running 3 times a week when I got sick, but afterwards I could walk no more than 10 minutes a day, very slowly, for about 18 months. Any more and I got sick again. These days, I'm up to about 30-40 minutes a day, with occasional bigger blasts if I go to visit family or something, but not on a regular basis. It's so counter-intuitive, because you think it'll do you good to get some mild exercise, but sadly it's not a good idea right now.
Often you won't feel unwell when you're actually doing the activity, that comes after - sometimes a few days after - and can be fatigue, but can also be a resurgence of virus-like symptoms. It's called post-exertional malaise and is one of the things that gets you a diagnosis of ME/CFS if it persists. For me right now, if I overdo it, a couple of days later like clockwork, the glands in my throat swell, I start sneezing, I get brain fog. My O2 sats are completely normal, FWIW. None of my symptoms are detectable by any of the vast battery of tests I've had over the past couple of years, but they're basically like getting the cold/flu/mild depression again any time I exert myself too much.
So rest, rest and rest again. Once you think you're definitely well, give it another couple of weeks' rest, and when you restart, start at a level waaay below what you think you're capable of; wait a few days to see if it kicks off any symptoms, and only if it's all clear, go out again doing very slightly more, building up super-gradually and each time waiting to see whether it kicks off symptoms again.
posted by penguin pie at 4:43 AM on April 29, 2022 [15 favorites]
Often you won't feel unwell when you're actually doing the activity, that comes after - sometimes a few days after - and can be fatigue, but can also be a resurgence of virus-like symptoms. It's called post-exertional malaise and is one of the things that gets you a diagnosis of ME/CFS if it persists. For me right now, if I overdo it, a couple of days later like clockwork, the glands in my throat swell, I start sneezing, I get brain fog. My O2 sats are completely normal, FWIW. None of my symptoms are detectable by any of the vast battery of tests I've had over the past couple of years, but they're basically like getting the cold/flu/mild depression again any time I exert myself too much.
So rest, rest and rest again. Once you think you're definitely well, give it another couple of weeks' rest, and when you restart, start at a level waaay below what you think you're capable of; wait a few days to see if it kicks off any symptoms, and only if it's all clear, go out again doing very slightly more, building up super-gradually and each time waiting to see whether it kicks off symptoms again.
posted by penguin pie at 4:43 AM on April 29, 2022 [15 favorites]
Your question reminded me of this NYTimes article I read recently - the bottom line is, in line with what penguin pie says above, there is preliminary evidence to suggest that the best way to avoid/recover from long COVID is to be a couch potato for a bit, and then really slowly work back to incorporating exercise. So, I'd assume your 20-30min walk was too much for you right now.
From the article:
This worsening of symptoms after engaging in even just a little bit of physical activity — what is sometimes called “post-exertional malaise” — seems to be common among long Covid patients. When researchers performed an online survey of 3,762 people with long Covid, as part of a study published in August, they found that 89 percent reported post-exertional malaise.
posted by coffeecat at 9:10 AM on April 29, 2022 [4 favorites]
From the article:
This worsening of symptoms after engaging in even just a little bit of physical activity — what is sometimes called “post-exertional malaise” — seems to be common among long Covid patients. When researchers performed an online survey of 3,762 people with long Covid, as part of a study published in August, they found that 89 percent reported post-exertional malaise.
posted by coffeecat at 9:10 AM on April 29, 2022 [4 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks for the incredibly thoughtful answers, I ended up $80 poorer to have a GP tell me pretty much exactly the same advice. I’m back to bed rest for the time being.
Trying to get it through my thick skull that returning to the pool for training is not going to happen for a long while, which is not what I wanted to hear :(
posted by arha at 3:50 PM on April 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
Trying to get it through my thick skull that returning to the pool for training is not going to happen for a long while, which is not what I wanted to hear :(
posted by arha at 3:50 PM on April 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: A little late to the party here, but just to reiterate, rest is really the answer here. I know it's tough, but believe me, you do not want to rush recovery. Right now there's an invisible point of exertion that's just TOO MUCH for your body, and there's no way of knowing where that line is until you've crossed it. You might not even know when you've crossed it until a day or two later when functioning in any sort of capacity is just not something your body is capable of. On top of that, every time you cross it you set your recovery back. It's still early days in your recovery, most likely you won't have the 2+ year slog some of us have been going through, but yeah probably still too soon to get back to training.
I find some solace in mentally framing it as less as recovering from feeling badly and more as letting an injury like a concussion, broken bone, or stroke heal: bits of you are broken and if you try and rush the recovery, you're gonna make the injury worst. It's just that the bits of your body that are damaged don't necessarily send out pain messages when you push them. I know for a lot of people there's some physical activity they take huge amounts of pride in doing, even when they're not feeling up to it, but we're not talking about working out through a hangover, we're talking about running with a broken foot.
I will say, if your symptoms end up being longer term, and you can manage it that going to a Dr. that specializes in COVID recovery can be really helpful. There seems to be a handful of different flavors of lingering effects from COVID, some of which have specific treatments that help, and they'll be able to walk you through them. Also, I've recommended this so much I might as well just put it in my profile, but the support group at the body politic is an amazing resource, link.
Please feel free to me-mail me (this goes for anyone reading this who has\is fearful about Long COVID BTW) , I'm not an expert on anything but my lived experience, but I've been where you are and hopefully can help.
posted by Gygesringtone at 7:03 AM on May 14, 2022
I find some solace in mentally framing it as less as recovering from feeling badly and more as letting an injury like a concussion, broken bone, or stroke heal: bits of you are broken and if you try and rush the recovery, you're gonna make the injury worst. It's just that the bits of your body that are damaged don't necessarily send out pain messages when you push them. I know for a lot of people there's some physical activity they take huge amounts of pride in doing, even when they're not feeling up to it, but we're not talking about working out through a hangover, we're talking about running with a broken foot.
I will say, if your symptoms end up being longer term, and you can manage it that going to a Dr. that specializes in COVID recovery can be really helpful. There seems to be a handful of different flavors of lingering effects from COVID, some of which have specific treatments that help, and they'll be able to walk you through them. Also, I've recommended this so much I might as well just put it in my profile, but the support group at the body politic is an amazing resource, link.
Please feel free to me-mail me (this goes for anyone reading this who has\is fearful about Long COVID BTW) , I'm not an expert on anything but my lived experience, but I've been where you are and hopefully can help.
posted by Gygesringtone at 7:03 AM on May 14, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by kingdead at 5:15 PM on April 28, 2022