Spotting fatigue early can be key to recovery from long COVID

By: Gene Myers
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... From exhaustion and persistent pain to brain fog, long COVID presents as a variety of symptoms that can linger for weeks, months and even years, according to the Mayo clinic. But one symptom stands out as a warning sign above the others: fatigue. It's a fatigue so severe that it interferes with daily life and gets worse after physical or mental effort.
..... Also known as post-assertional malaise, it is seen by researchers and doctors as a link between COVID and other conditions that come on after viral infection, such as Epstein-Barr and chronic fatigue syndrome.
..... Spotting the malaise early and handling it correctly is key, doctors say.

What a crash feels like

..... Manalapan [NJ] resident Trisha Stefel Fisher's case of chronic fatigue syndrome came after a bout of Epstein-Barr syndrome at the age of 12. She describes her crashes as felling like she's been hit by a truck. When it happens, her arms are too heavy to lift.
..... "My brain scrambles to find the right words - and not difficult words," she said. Words like "ketchup" are lost to Fisher.
..... There is a delay between the trigger and the onset of the crash, said Brayden Yellman of the Salt Lake City-based Baterman Horne Center, a forerunner in chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis.
..... It's not that you do too much in nay one moment and then immediately feel the impact. A crash happens 12 to 72 hours later and comes with a distinct change in overall functionality.
..... "Post-exertional malaise is when they wake up the next day and they have a sore throat and a headache,, flu-like symptoms their cognition isn't the same," Yellman said. "They can't listen to music, watch TV or read anything without losing concentration. It's difficult to stand up without getting dizzy, short of breath or lightheaded."

How to avoid the crash

..... Long COVID suffered who push themselves will be rewarded with diminishing results, he said.
..... Experts in the world of chronic fatigue syndrome have known for years "that if you continue to push, or after you are feeling better you get right back into it, people who have done that time after time continue to lose function," Yellman said. "Their prognosis is worse."
..... Liken it to an injury on your body, Yellman said: "If you stub your toe every day, that toenail is not going to grow back the same. There comes a permanent change in the physiology."
..... Anyone who has been infected with COVID-19 "can experience post-COVID conditions," but people who are not vaccinated "may have a higher risk of developing post-COVED," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

Long COVID symptoms

* Fever.
* Difficulty breathing.
* Cough.
* Heart palpitations.
* Brain fog.
* Headaches.
* Problems sleeping.
* Lighheadedness.
* Pins-and-needles feelings.
* Change in smell or taste.
* Depression or anxiety.
* Digestive problems.
* Joint or muscle pain.
* Rashes
* Change in menstrual cycles.

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