Symptoms

[George K]

@LuFins-Dad breathing sucks. Carrying groceries upstairs is an effort.

Overall energy is OK.

[brenda]

Has she considered contacting Mayo for a consultation? Maybe they have worked with some of these cases and could offer help.

[jodi]

Steve is also having terrible trouble with smells. It started last fall after we think we caught both Covid a second time. He lost smell and taste, now his taste is at back to about 50% and things smell really weird. Like he can’t cope with coffee anymore, it smells terrible, not at all like coffee. And all of the sudden he’ll get a really strong smell that he’s never smelled before, they sometimes makes his eyes water, sharp, irritating, burning metallic smells. He says they are hard to describe but it pretty depressing.

[jon-nyc]

Jesus.

[Rich]

That’s disappointing, especially with the breathing troubles still. The things we take for granted…

[taiwan_girl]

wow! Sorry to hear that it continues!!

Sending more positive thoughts!!

[George K]

"It's the flu..."

[taiwan_girl]

Just wondering how your daughter is doing in her battle with long COVID? Any progress?

[George K]

Thanks for asking, @taiwan_girl !

Overall, she's better, but far from good.

Shortness of breath continues to be an issue, but she's doing exercises to build up stamina. Last year a flight of stairs was daunting, but, with exercise and training (going on hikes) she's doing better.

Last weekend she went to Holy Hill in SE Wisconsin, where she climbed up to the scenic tower.

Smells continue to be an issue as well, but slowly, slowly getting better. Parosmia is a pain in the arse.

Foods have to be spicy for them to taste like anything other than cardboard.

So, overall, better. But, still not good.

[Jolly]

That's a very good improvement in her breathing.

As for food...You might have to let her add just a touch of spice at the table, but Cajun food has a bunch of taste. Gumbo, etoufee, sauce piquante, fricassee, courtbullion, etc.

[Aqua Letifer]

Indian food can be good, too. They usually call for a LOT of spices, though the taste doesn't necessarily blow your head off. Also, a lot of it is "set it and forget it": meat & spices in a slow cooker or pot on low for awhile, rice in a pot or rice cooker, very easy. Also, keeps very well in the fridge if you're making a batch.

[LuFins Dad]

Let me recommend Nepalese... The best of Indian and Chinese rolled into one incredible cuisine designed to provide the necessary calories to provide both the energy and the fat content necessary to survive living in the Himalayas?

[Aqua Letifer]

@LuFins-Dad said in Symptoms:

Let me recommend Nepalese... The best of Indian and Chinese rolled into one incredible cuisine designed to provide the necessary calories to provide both the energy and the fat content necessary to survive living in the Himalayas?

Just no. Two words: butter tea.

Now, I like butter tea, but I also acknowledge that I'm so weird I probably qualify as my own neurodivergent category and wouldn't recommend butter tea to anyone sane.

[George K]

[Jolly]

Consumer Reports did a piece on Long COVID in the October issue.

They think a Mediterranean Diet may reduce inflammation and be beneficial. They also advise moderate exercise, but never exercise to exhaustion.

But they had a lot more questions than answers.

[Aqua Letifer]

Saw this article recently:

https://www.eatingwell.com/longform/8002957/gastronomer-discovered-how-to-get-smell-loss-from-covid-back/

[George K]

@Aqua-Letifer thanks - forwarded to D2.

She made dinner the other night....

Texas chili. Made this one hot. Fritos do make a difference.

[taiwan_girl]

@George-K Seeing your other forum thread on imvermectin and long COVID....

How is your daughter doing?

[George K]

@taiwan_girl said in Symptoms:

How is your daughter doing?

Thanks for asking.

Appetite is better, as long as the food's spicy. She doesn't look as worn as before. Stairs and carrying packages remain a struggle with shortness of breath.

She saw a pulmonologist (not a very good one, imo) who did a chest x-ray which was normal (as I would have expected). Her pulmonary function tests were almost normal. Her lung volumes were all normal and her ability to move air in and out was also normal.

However her "diffusing capacity" is reduced. This measures the ability of the lung to move gas into the blood. This is consistent with a microvascular involvement and thickening of the alveolar/capillary membrane (a 1 cell thick layer between the blood vessels and the air sacs. I have no idea if this is a permanent thing, and, frankly at this late stage, I fear it might be.

Work has not been affected, thank goodness.

Thanks for asking.

[Jolly]

Complications of a vascular disease...