Long COVID Journal: Sharing My Coping Strategies

Original graphic by Og Ramos

There's a growing body of testimonials regarding Long COVID and while the cience is still trying to catch up with the virus, it's good to know that there seems to be open acknowledgment that the phenomenon exists and not, as a year or so ago, thought to be just a figment of a fearful imagination.  One of the documentary videos I watched encapsulate a fact about getting this prolonged sickness -- you get sick for a week or two and your relatives and friends will support you.  But if your sickness extend to weeks and months, the scenario changes; being human, your circle of support gets tired and friends and relatives get on with their lives and largely leave you on your own.

People with Long COVID have to cope with it largely on their own.  Every case is different so my experience on initially getting over the symptoms and coping with the persisting effects will differ from somebody else's.  But I write it here in the hope that some of the coping mechanisms and modalities I adopted may be of help to others.

Long COVID Journal - My Recovery & Healing Are Still In Progress

When I had the Omicron variety late last year, it was tough going -- having a burning sensation in my throat that lasted for a week and kept me from eating and drinking much of anything. I suffered from chills and was too weak to even just go out to the 7-Eleven downstairs to buy supplies. It also prevented me from getting my first booster shot.  Mercifully, a round of antibiotics cleared up the symptoms in a week's time.  I thought that was it. 

With the reopening of the economy and the loosening up of protocols, I caught a more virulent kind about over 3 months ago. I actually thought I had TB as I was having chills at night but when I looked up the symptoms of Long COVID, I ticked most of the boxes (I created a checklist collated from multiple credible sources so you can answer to find out if you have long COVID) and realized I've been suffering this long-term bout with the virus.  Brain fog, deep fatigue, difficulty sleeping even if I'm really weary and dog-tired, diarrhea, rashes, stammering, and intermittent palpitations.  My lower extremities also felt warm.

Giving Myself A Pat On The Back & Learning Lessons In Minimalism

I think I ought to give myself an overdue pat on the back for soldiering on feeding and caring for my foster strays for nearly three years. I know some people who love animals but wouldn't want to get a pet for they couldn't come to grips with losing them.  Well, I think I underwent a lifetime's worth of losing my beloved strays and for that, I'm giving myself a pat on the back. That I was able to do it for as long as I did (I intend to continue when fate intervenes and give me the resources and the health to do so), I thought I'm underselling myself -- getting up when I'm a bit too sick to do anything much just to cook, prep food, greet my fosters, feed them, and spend extra time with them.

Adopting Alvin, Being Made Redundant, Getting Long COVID & Trying To Find My Way Again

I know it's been like three months since I last wrote something in this sacred space.  A lot of things have happened.  Mysterious, crazy, mystical things. They say feeding, caring, and loving strays bestow good luck on the carer.  Hmmm, I think I have to collect my long overdue rewards then.  Like after rescuing and having Alvin treated for parvo and coronavirus (spending a month's worth of my pay), I, along with my team over at work got redundant.  I also lost some of my beloved fosters, including Buddy the dog whom I was caring for for the last two and a half years (this really broke my heart). Then, I had one health episode after another (long COVID, medicine side effects, withdrawal symptoms from a drug).  As I'm writing this, I am actually wondering why I'm still around.  

Just two short weeks ago, I was battling the wearying, life-draining effects of what I suspect to be long COVID - too weak to do anything much apart from sitting or lying down, so much muscle aches and pains all over, a deep metallic taste that will not allow me to eat solids for 2-3 weeks, hot flashes, difficulty breathing, difficulty sleeping, diarrhea, chills, fever like a virtual smorgasboard of symptoms you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy.  I think I lost 15-20 pounds in just a week. Earlier, Bioflu had the weirdest side effects on me (losing spatial sense and my balance to name just two).