Comments on: COVID-19 long-haulers: ailing and frustrated, they plead for more medical attention

Comments on: COVID-19 long-haulers: ailing and frustrated, they plead for more medical attention https://www.medicinematters.ca/covid-19-long-haulers-ailing-and-frustrated-they-plead-for-more-medical-attention/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=covid-19-long-haulers-ailing-and-frustrated-they-plead-for-more-medical-attention Breaking news and analysis about clinical medicine, research and healthcare delivery Thu, 24 Dec 2020 02:19:13 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.6.2 By: Surrey hospital tracking COVID-19 and other ICU patients after discharge for rehab needs - Medicine Matters https://www.medicinematters.ca/covid-19-long-haulers-ailing-and-frustrated-they-plead-for-more-medical-attention/#comment-273 Thu, 24 Dec 2020 02:19:13 +0000 https://www.medicinematters.ca/?p=823#comment-273 […] COVID-19 long-haulers: ailing and frustrated, they plea… 25% of COVID-19 cases in B.C. have been in healthcare w… Filipino health care workers hardest hit by the COVID-1… […] ]]> By: Theresa https://www.medicinematters.ca/covid-19-long-haulers-ailing-and-frustrated-they-plead-for-more-medical-attention/#comment-165 Sat, 19 Sep 2020 17:31:51 +0000 https://www.medicinematters.ca/?p=823#comment-165 I’m in my fifth month of being sick. I can function but have many symptoms throughout my day. Today I can move around because I am very short of breath. Some days my legs are numb with pins and needles. my brain doesn’t work properly I mispronounce words and struggle with word recall. I have chest pains and stabbing pains around my heart. My family dr has dismissed me bc he does not know what to do about my lingering symptoms. The respiratory dr was useless also. Any of the medication and supplements I take are from the experiences of others in the long haul Facebook groups. Without two of the medications I learned about from the group I would be bed bound. Long hauler need help that we’re not getting. ]]> By: Michele Pomerant https://www.medicinematters.ca/covid-19-long-haulers-ailing-and-frustrated-they-plead-for-more-medical-attention/#comment-163 Sat, 19 Sep 2020 13:50:48 +0000 https://www.medicinematters.ca/?p=823#comment-163 My first sign of covid-19 was via a pneumonia diagnosis early May. GP at the time was dismissive and without having knowledge of the possibility of long hauler symptoms, dismissed me when I didn’t recover neatly in two weeks. It’s so sad to see that we are now in September and many doctors seem to still be unaware of long hauler symptoms.

It seems medically negligent to not be discussing this more openly for two reasons – Firstly, now that we know more and there is enough evidence worldwide of the persistent symptoms, we should at the very least, expect doctors to be aware and informed; Secondly, the public is being misled and under-informed which is likely contributing to heightened restriction fatigue and relaxing of safety protocols as many healthy people still believe that they will not be very impacted by COVID-19 if they contract it.

]]> By: Scott https://www.medicinematters.ca/covid-19-long-haulers-ailing-and-frustrated-they-plead-for-more-medical-attention/#comment-162 Fri, 18 Sep 2020 23:59:53 +0000 https://www.medicinematters.ca/?p=823#comment-162 In reply to Andrea.

Hi Andrea — contact me if you’d like to share your medical ‘care’ experiences on my Medical Error Interviews podcast — thanks Scott. RemediesPodcast at gmail dot com

]]> By: Scott https://www.medicinematters.ca/covid-19-long-haulers-ailing-and-frustrated-they-plead-for-more-medical-attention/#comment-161 Fri, 18 Sep 2020 23:55:00 +0000 https://www.medicinematters.ca/?p=823#comment-161 As someone living with MEcfs (caused by a virus, like the vast majority of MEcfs patients), it was obviously predictable that many survivors of the Covid pandemic would remain chronically sick — it happens from the ‘regular’ flu and from viral pandemics — see the research of post 1918, SARS, MERS, etc patients — many were subsequently diagnosed with MEcfs.

But medical education about post-viral chronic illness is mostly absent — that’s why GPs either deny Long Covid and ‘diagnose’ anxiety or some other mood disorder (aka gaslighting) — or they throw up their hands and having nothing to offer.

Most will be shocked to learn that Canada has the highest MEcfs rates in the world — and practically zero research funding for decades.

So no physician education about MEcfs + no, and now a little, research funding for MEcfs + denial of even publicly acknowledging Long Covid or MEcfs, means those patients are essentially abandoned.

I’ve survived the HIV pandemic and the unacknowledged MEcfs epidemic in Canada, and it is hard to witness the Long Covid / MEcfs patients being medically and politically marginalized.

Just as with the AIDS pandemic, Silence = Death.

]]> By: Anonymous https://www.medicinematters.ca/covid-19-long-haulers-ailing-and-frustrated-they-plead-for-more-medical-attention/#comment-160 Fri, 18 Sep 2020 22:32:26 +0000 https://www.medicinematters.ca/?p=823#comment-160 4.5 ]]> By: Julia https://www.medicinematters.ca/covid-19-long-haulers-ailing-and-frustrated-they-plead-for-more-medical-attention/#comment-159 Fri, 18 Sep 2020 21:00:39 +0000 https://www.medicinematters.ca/?p=823#comment-159 I’ve been sick for 6 months and had no help from the medical community because I didn’t have a positive test. They refused to test me at the ER because I didn’t fit into their categories but was told I could assume I had Covid.

BC is so far behind. No rehab facilities to help us. There are thousands of people that BC won’t acknowledge because they refused to test us initially. When we seek medical help we are told it’s anxiety and acid reflux. And you wonder why the drug overdose rate and suicide rate is sky high? We need help!

]]> By: Carrie https://www.medicinematters.ca/covid-19-long-haulers-ailing-and-frustrated-they-plead-for-more-medical-attention/#comment-158 Fri, 18 Sep 2020 19:55:19 +0000 https://www.medicinematters.ca/?p=823#comment-158 I’ve been sick since April. I got 2 negative tests when I finally developed respiratory symptoms in May but the ER doctor told me it’s Covid-19 based on my symptoms no matter what the tests say. I’m still sick. I can’t work. I live in BC, so I don’t have a doctor but have been on a list for one for a year now. I’m getting a lot of help from my Facebook support group https://www.facebook.com/groups/920314451799658/ We need help from the medical community and financial help because so many of us are still not fit for work as we can’t even complete regular household chores on a regular basis. I had a long list of symptoms over the last several months. These are my remaining issues:

tinnitus. sometimes deafening.
vertigo
brain fog
fatigue
joint pain
breast pain
loss of appetite
nausea
frozen shoulder – pain knuckles to chest
period late/early
intermittent chest pain

]]> By: Kelly https://www.medicinematters.ca/covid-19-long-haulers-ailing-and-frustrated-they-plead-for-more-medical-attention/#comment-157 Fri, 18 Sep 2020 06:18:07 +0000 https://www.medicinematters.ca/?p=823#comment-157 I am a long hauler, contracted covid by attending Rugby 7 tournament at BC Place March 7th.

My GP has ignored all my issues, and I went to see my dr because I was having issues breathing but was told my lungs were clear go home. 3 days later I was in COVID ward of the surrey hospital emergency room with complications from covid with a resting heart rate or 125 and not able to catch my breath

Visited my dr again to review my lab results from my hospital visit, he checked my heart and said I had a heart murmer but failed to refer me to a cardiologist.

I get more medical information from the long haul groups on social media than I get from my dr.

]]> By: Anonymous https://www.medicinematters.ca/covid-19-long-haulers-ailing-and-frustrated-they-plead-for-more-medical-attention/#comment-156 Fri, 18 Sep 2020 02:31:41 +0000 https://www.medicinematters.ca/?p=823#comment-156 5 ]]>