I am an artist coping with Long Covid. In this blog I will offer some stories, experiences, information, artworks and whatever else comes to my lethargic and semi-catatonic mind often using dark and pessimistic humor. Warning: I do have brain fog.
and I already had ADD/ADHD long before long COVID.
Long Covid Study Finds Abnormality in Lungs That Could Explain Breathlessness
The Guardian
See Below
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"“They suggest that the efficiency of the lung in doing what it is meant to do – exchange carbon dioxide and oxygen – may be compromised, even though the structure of the lung appears normal,” she said."
“However, we really need to await the completion of the study to know whether these early findings are robust, and if so, how much they explain, and what the ramifications are in terms of potential treatments.”
One of the biggest failures during the Covid-19 pandemic is our slow response in diagnosing and treating long Covid. As many as100 million people worldwidealready suffer fromlong Covid. That staggering number will eventually be much higher, if we take into account that diagnoses are still inadequate, and that we still do not know what the impact of Omicron and future variants will be.
Patients with long Covid complain of numerous symptoms, the main ones being recurring fatigue and brain fog, muscle weakness, being out of breath and having low oxygen levels, sleep difficulties and anxiety or depression. Some patients are so sick that they cannot work or even walk a few steps. There is possibly also an elevated risk of stroke and heart attacks. One of the biggest sources of concern is that even mild and sometimes asymptomatic initial Covid-19 infection may lead to debilitating, long-term disability.
Since early 2020, we and other researchers have pointedoutthat acute Covid-19 is not only a lung disease, but actually significantly affects the vascular (blood flow) and coagulation (blood clotting) systems.
A recent study in my lab revealed that there is significant microclot formation in the blood of both acute Covid-19 and long Covid patients. With healthy physiology, clots may form (for instance, when you cut yourself). However, the body breaks down the clots efficiently by a process called fibrinolysis.
In blood from patients with long Covid, persistent microclots are resistant to the body’s own fibrinolytic processes. We found high levels of various inflammatory molecules trapped in the persistent microclots, including clotting proteins like plasminogen, fibrinogen and Von Willebrand factor (VWF), and also Alpha-2 antiplasmin (a molecule that prevents the breakdown of microclots).
Exercising can aggravate symptoms such as fatigue and lightheadedness in long COVID patients.
A recent study found that long COVID patients carry an SARS-CoV-2 S1 protein in cells that are mobilized by exercise, which tricks the body into thinking it has worked out more than usual.
Former athletes with long COVID are learning to slow down and pace themselves to manage their condition.
Jess Scolieri, 37, is reinventing herself as she battles long COVID.
In the wake of COVID-19, the medical community has begun to acknowledge a subgroup of patients presenting with "long hauler" or persistent symptoms after an initial COVID-19 infection. The team at Mount Sinai Health System first identified this novel symptom presentation, and named it Post Acute COVID-19 Syndrome or "PACS". To address the needs of individuals experiencing PACS, the Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance, along with Mount Sinai’s Center for Post-COVID Care, has developed a novel rehabilitation program. We are one of very few Centers in the country providing these services to patients of all ages. To learn more about this program, please email us at PRcovid@mountsinai.org.
Media Articles
For more information on post-COVID conditions, refer to the personal stories of COVID-19 survivors.
