Anxiety 17 days after onset of COVID symptoms

[Drisque]

Hello, 17 days ago I tested positive for COVID. My first 2 days were very flu like, but I slowly recovered after that. I was able to keep my anxiety under control while I will feeling sick, but 17 days after I’m finding myself worried about the lingering symptoms.

I’m back to work now, but I only have about 4 or 5 good hours in me before I start getting tired. It’s around the same time that I start coughing and feeling mucus at the back of my throat a little more. It’s been like this since last Friday and I’m a little nervous this might be the beginning stages of pneumonia.

There are times when I feel short of breath, but I think it’s the anxiety, because if I try to relax and take a long deep breath, I can. Idk, just freaking out a little and hoping to chat with some people who maybe had some lingering symptoms and got out alright lol. Also, I’m unvaxxed due to fear and HA (ironic, I know lol)

[Catkins]

I think the fatigue is the toughest symptom to get shot of. Probably as you get more weary your symptoms will increase.

Have plenty of rest, take something to boost you immune system (zinc) and try and eat as much healthy stuff as you can.

[theanxiousone]

I'm about 20 days since I started with Covid (also unvaxxed due to a genetic clotting disorder) and I completely understand the anxiety and where you are coming from. I too have the random spells of fatigue. I'll be up and moving one minute and the next I feel like I want to go to bed. Iv'e been more anxious now than ever and I think a lot of the issues I am honestly creating in my head because of the expectation of what "covid" is. Maybe some of my experience can help you feel a little bit more at ease, because a lot of what you are describing i'm dealing with as well. Now i'm dealing with the strangest muscle spasms and episodes of vertigo. I feel like random things come and go and I don't even know what is a covid recovery symptom or an anxiety symptom anymore. The anxiety by far has been the WORSE part of covid for me.

Both my Dad and brother have asthma and they had covid a lot worse than I did (mine was more sinus infection based)- they had the crackling in the chest, hard time breathing, really bad cough, wheezing and fever- and they never actually got pneumonia and ended up being fine. They were also told by their doctor the cough can linger on for weeks, sometimes months, and it doesn't mean pneumonia. I have never had pneumonia- but from what they say, it is VERY painful and you would know if you had it. My brother's doctor actually ordered him an at home nebulizer because he was having such a hard time breathing at one point, but he recovered fine at home (he also vapes and smokes too which made it A LOT worse). They both still have the cough, but it's been easing up. It can just be a long road to recovery and everyone recovers at a different rate.

I know it is super hard, but try to give yourself a breather. Iv'e been taking vitamins, drinking lots of fluids, taking my allergy meds, and honestly, doing yoga and breathing exercises for 10-30 minutes a day has really helped me. I still have a scratchy throat and random cough spells with mucus too, especially when moving a lot and sometimes at night when I go to lay down. Not sure if you are into yoga or have tried it, but poses like child's pose and taking deep breaths while holding that pose really helps me when I have the attacks happen with the shortness of breath and it also helps relieve tightness in the back/ shoulders.

Wishing you the best in feeling better!

[elizabethalice]

Hello, if you were going to get seriously ill, you would have done by now.

It's different for everyone, but to give a rough timeframe, I was exposed to covid end of 2020. I was too ill to leave the house for 3 weeks. Then I could do short walks for a few weeks. I remember doing a 20 minute walk and it wiping me out for the day!

Start of feb, I still had chest pains and a high heartbeat so I spoke to dr who asked me to go for an ECG. That came back clear and he said it was inflammation of chest muscles and heart was just working harder than normal.

I finally managed to run a few kms mid March.

Then, from mid May I started a hiking trip and did some very tough trails :)

It takes a while, but you'll get there!