Scared of long covid - loss of taste with omicron

[pulisa]

Do you really need to keep this documented evidence of your health anxiety? What good does it do you? It's like the compulsive googling really- a permanent reminder of the hypervigilance.

Maybe you could have a chat with your doctor about how badly your anxiety is affecting you and would meds be an option at this stage? I have a low body weight and am very sensitive to SSRIs so I take 5mg escitalopram (not apparently a therapeutic dose but it helps me). I will happily take it for life if it means that my quality of life is better. I don't think that your quality of life is very good at all, cattia yet you fear dying so obviously want to hang on to what you have. I think you should focus on getting your quality of life improved when you speak to the doctor rather than fixate on another set of symptoms which have now replaced the long covid fears?

[Lencoboy]

So today I have a new thing to freak out about. I noticed that all my fingernails and toenails have horizontal ridges on them. I’ve googled this before so I knew it was bad, so I googled it again and it says this is a sign of serious systemic disease. My toenails are much worse than my fingers, they have multiple dents going across them whereas my fingernails mostly have just one but they all have them. I’ve decided to call my Dr again on Tuesday and ask for blood tests which I’ve been putting off for ages because I’ve been feeling run down for a while. I hardly know what to do with myself today. My husband is fed up of me and I can’t enjoy spending time with my kids. I just want to take to my bed but I know that won’t help. I’m terrified they are going to find out I have some kind of cancer. I’m just not sure how to keep putting one foot in front of the other when my anxiety is this bad.

Beware of certain Google search results as some can be rather dubious and misleading, plus some can be fake/deliberately written to scare vulnerable/gullible individuals witless, especially by certain sad cases with agendas.

Not sure if horizontal ridges on nails are a symptom of cancer (or Covid) though.

In actual fact, my fingernails have such ridges on them and have done ever since I can remember, and I'm not seriously ill nor diseased in any way.

For the record, my toenails aren't perfect either.

[cattia]

Thank you both. I can’t shake this feeling that there is something really wrong with me. Thinking back, I haven’t really felt myself for over a month even before I had coivd. Just tired and somehow struggling with my energy and motivation. It could be physical or mental. I feel that I’m at the point where I need to know if there is something physical wrong with me but I also need to address my mental health. My doctor actually recommended escitalopram last September when I was having a hard time with my anxiety. The only reason I haven’t taken them is because I’m afraid of the withdrawal effects coming off them. I was on Prozac many many years ago and I had a hard time coming off them and those are meant to be the easiest ones to come off. But when I tapered them down very, very slowly over a period of a few months I was fine. I do think meds might make a difference. They have helped me in the past, but I always find a reason not to go on them.
I’m very afraid of having bloods done but equally afraid of not having them done. I’m scared of what they might find, and scared of what they might miss if I don’t have them done.
I went to a barbecue this afternoon. It was OK, but I felt things were more of an effort than normal and now I’m home I honestly feel exhausted. I also did 25 minutes on the cross trainer brisk walking and it was OK. The heart palpitations are back this evening but have been better all day. I keep looking at my nails and having this sinking feeling of worry and stress. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever really feel normal again. But I’ve been here before and Ive always found a way through.

[cattia]

Was feeling a little better yesterday. This morning I filled out the e consult form and requested a call from my own Dr this time. I included a photo of my nail ridges which I'm sure will delight him. Asked about blood tests and also about starting medication for anxiety. If I decide to go down that route I'd need to really commit to it because I find so many reasons not to start meds.
My anxiety now is horrible at the thought of maybe having blood tests and what they'll find. My face feels flushed and I feel like I can't do anything but I'm away for a few days with my family so I need to push through. Really hate feeling like this.

[cattia]

Spoke to the Dr today. She went through my symptoms. Said my nails are nothing to worry about. Said feeling tired is normal after covid but I'm still worried as it's been much worse today. She said I should have bloods done in two weeks to rule out anything physical and she's giving me a questionnaire to fill in about my anxiety. She said I can start meds if I want to. Not sure whether I do or not but I do I know I don't want to carry on feeling like this. I can't explain how I feel. Kind of exhausted and agitated at the same time. Like I just want to run away from myself.

[pulisa]

That's a very familiar feeling for me but I accept it and don't ruminate on it.

[cattia]

Just thought I’d do a little update for those who have been supporting me on this thread and for my future self as sometimes I come back and read my old threads! I’ve been struggling a lot, but trying my best to push through. I’ve managed to up my exercise to 40 mins today for the first time which is my pre covid level. I’m doing it at a much lower intensity than I was so I’m not back to where I was before but it was more important to me to know that I could maintain the stamina time wise then I can build the intensity slowly.
I am struggling daily with intrusive anxious thoughts relating to different aspects of my health. Yesterday I felt a throbbing sensation in my head after doing my exercise so I obsessed about that for a good while. I’m still worried about my nails even though the Dr said it wasn’t a cause for concern. I’’m still struggling with fatigue but I can recognise that I always have extreme fatigue when my anxiety gets bad.
I’m trying to let these thoughts come and go, and not dwell too much on them, hard as that is. My motivation is low and I haven’t done anything socially since before having covid but I’m trying to at least focus on work a bit to distract myself.
I have my blood test coming up on Friday and I’m terrified of what they will show, but again I’m trying hard to rationalise it, because I know that if there is something wrong then it’s better to know and deal with it.
I have my packet of escitalopram that I was prescribed back in September but I only ever took one tablet and the side effects freaked me out. Th other day I broke a tablet into quarters and took 2.5mg. I could feel some effects an hour or two after taking it but they were much milder than when I took 10mg. This has made me think that if I decide to start these, maybe I can build up slowly. I could even stop at 5mg for a while and see if that dose has an effect. This has made me feel a little more hopeful about being able to get on meds if I decide to go down that route. I’m very anxious about being back to work on Monday, but at the same time I know that time off doesn’t always help when I’m very anxious, much as I look forward to it.

[Darksky]

Although you are anxious of going back to work I think it will do you good. It will signal some normality, some routine.

I still have some residual symptoms, phlegmy throat particularly in the morning and a bit of a sore throat, so don’t be too suprised if you find some stuff lingering about. It takes a while to completely shift it. It’s normal to want to push through and prove you’re ok…I did it but you have to temper it with the fact your body repairs while resting. You are well on the way, as am I.

The very worst thing for me was the anxiety that came with covid. Not suprising really, that anxious people get anxious when they finally succumb to the lurgy.

I hope you’re not still concerning yourself with long covid. 40 minutes of exercise would be impossible, so put that baby to bed.

When my son started sertraline he halved the dose the doctor suggested and he wasn’t too bothered by side effects. So yes, you can work up to a therapeutic dose at your own pace.
cut yourself some slack, you’ve come through covid which has spiked your HA. Things will settle again with the help of your return to the routine of work.

[pulisa]

I have taken 5mg escitalopram for a year as prescribed by my GP. With no side effects even on start up. Forget about so-called therapeutic doses. It's what you are comfortable with..especially if your weight is low as mine is.

[golddustgirl1000]

I have long covid. Lol you would know.. or at least I do- I went from being able to work out 2 hours a day and train in aerial circus without getting tired- now I’m tired and feel like glue is running through my veins, literally my forearms turn to cement after 30 mins and I need to break. I eat super well and am 32, I never drink coffee or need that to stay awake. I also get brain fog but for me it’s “vision fog” I know it’s not normal because it comes for hours and out of nowhere goes away. I think covid triggers inflammation and can screw with adrenals as this is similar to when I had adrenal fatigue… seeing a naturopath and taking a ton of different supplements/ nutrients to come back…I’m three weeks past right now and a week away from period so I think that is factoring in too-

Trust me- long covid- you would know…