Quote from a Redditor when asked about her long Covid:
"
ExcellentHorseshoe
Shortness of breath; cough; fatigue; a heart rate that skyrockets out of nowhere and settles down just as quickly, often accompanied by a feeling of absolute terror; chest pain; a body temperature that can drop four degrees in five minutes, accompanied by chills and sweating, but returns to normal within the hour; altered menses, which I will not detail because it's fucking gross; vertigo; tinnitus; intermittent hearing loss; ear pain; joint pain; a feeling of pins and needles in my hands and feet; hallucinations; an odor of stale cigarettes in my nose and mouth; altered taste, e.g. coffee can go from normal to tasting like male cat piss between cups; weird headaches; and, my personal favorite, a brain fog that feels identical to being seriously concussed.
The best part is that these symptoms aren't constant; they come and go. Every time I think one has
finally resolved for good, it pops back up. That's where it really starts to wear on you emotionally, chips away at your hope.
Prior to becoming ill at the end of February 2020,
I was completely healthy with no "underlying conditions." I'm in my early-thirties. I ran three to five miles a day, ate well, and generally took care of myself. I also had what could be called a "mild" case in that I didn't go to the hospital, although I did have some nights when I thought I might not wake up the next morning because each breath took so much conscious thought and will.
I didn't have a choice to get this thing or not; I worked a customer-facing job at a national and international tourist destination before governments realized how fast and far Alpha was traveling and how people could best protect themselves. Exposure and illness just came down to luck in my case.
If you've been healthy to this point, you don't have to rely on luck. You do have a choice. Please don't squander the opportunities to protect yourself that I never had. Get vaccinated and wear masks, y'all."
Somebody responding to this:
"
TheseStonesWillShout
I have almost all of these same symptoms nearly a year after first getting covid. I'm the same age as you, same exercise regimen/clean bill of health. I don't think I realized how depressing this year has been until I read this. I had a mild case as well, so it feels weird to even complain about it, but I am absolutely not the same person I was before I got covid.
The brain fog is so bad that I avoid social interaction altogether now. I never know if I'm going to be able to focus on a conversation long enough to actually comprehend what is being said. Sometimes, I forget what I'm saying mid sentence. I can't focus at work. I'm barely even doing my job anymore. I am so exhausted by the time I get home from work, I usually just go straight to bed.
It's frustrating to know that I'm still functional, but everything just requires more effort than before. And I have these random ailments that just come and go as they please. Oh, today is "everything tastes like shit" day? My ears are going to randomly ring for an hour today? Ok. Am I having a heart attack? No, just recurring chest pains today. It's maddening. I hope it all clears up eventually, but I don't have high hopes. I'm in a state where people are criticized for wearing masks or getting vaccinated and I just want to punch people. Don't get covid. You have no idea what it's going to do to you (the same argument for not getting the vaccine)."
