POST COVID SYNDROME: How to Manage Your Symptoms--Blog Update 2/6/2022

        POST COVID SYNDROME: HOW to Manage Your Symptoms 

Date: 2/6/2022

             Thank you all for reading my posts. For those who are following I want to this week share with you ways to manage these symptoms. Also, I want to provide resources to that those of you struggling with this syndrome that you can review to see if anything can provide additional information or help.  I will not be able to address all of the COVID symptoms in this blog, but I am going to hit the major symptoms that I have heard linger the longest. 

 

               Fatigue          

(FPS Public Health, 2020).

As your body fights off the infection your body will feel fatigued. This creates a harder time to concentrate or you may feel unsteady while walking.  Initially, you rest and give your body time to heal. Provide plenty of nourishment, chances of dehydration are greater when you spike a fever. During the initial part of COVID keep activity light. Focusing on things like ensuring hygiene by getting washed up or dressed every day. (Royal College of Occupational Therapists, n.d.)

            As COVID quarantine days have passed and fatigue is still lingering you may have to take off work longer. The best thing to do is slowly get back to a normal routine. Perform light activity. Slowly build a routine and try to integrate back into it. The best approach is not fully push through the fatigue.  Even activities of planning and coordinating things need to involve rest in between.  One important thing to remember is to have fun too and integrate that into this routine. Fun activities that require low levels of energy will help encourage your body to return to normal. If you are still struggling with fatigue longer than anticipated you may want to collaborate and seek council with a medical provider (Royal College of Occupational Therapists, n.d.).

            The Royal College of Occupational Therapist website have a great laid out plan for fatigue recovery and is a great resource to check out. They have documents that help create activity plans and slowly regain strength. (Royal College of Occupational Therapists, n.d.)

Link to Royal College of Occupational Therapist website: https://www.rcot.co.uk/how-manage-post-viral-fatigue-after-covid-19-0

Respiratory

(Freuman, 2019)

            Shortness of breath has been a very common and lingering symptom of the Coronavirus. Oxygen therapy and extreme cases of oxygen dependency require physician consultation and needs to be managed by a primary care provider or even a pulmonologist. Every person who has had COVID-19 and is experiencing shortness of breath should seek advice from a physician and have established a therapy regimen by certified occupational and physical therapist.  For those of you who are experiencing shortness of breath after Covid, talk to your doctor about possibly obtaining physical or occupational therapy.

 The John Hopkins website has provided some exercises that help promote increasing breathing capacities. These exercises help train the body to deeply breathe and ensure   performing exercises can help reduce the risk of future respiratory compromise as well. The website does mentation if at any point one has fever, shortness of breath while resting, increased edema, swelling in legs, or chest pains, contact the provider and do not perform exercises. Also, if dizziness, increased shortness of breath, irregular heart rhythm, or chest pains occur during exercises stop exercising immediately. Call 9-1-1 if symptoms do not stop.

According to John Hopkins, Peiting Lein, a physical therapist, has made a phase by phase plan to increase lung capacity. Each phase can be advanced once no shortness of breath is experienced after doing the exercises.

Diagrams of exercise to help promote breathing per John Hopkins Website:

 

 

Phase 1: Deep Breathing While On Your Back

(Lien, n.d.)

 

Phase 2: Deep Breathing While on Your Stomach

(Lien, n.d.)

Phase 3: Deep Breathing While Sitting

(Lien, n.d.)

Link to John Hopkins exercises: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/coronavirus-recovery-breathing-exercises

 

Lack of Taste and Smell

(The University of Queensland, 2018)

Most cases, the sense of smell will return in 4-6 weeks (Henry Ford Health System, 2022). The Covid-19 virus attacks cells in the nose. Time generally will heal. Here is an exercise to try to regain smell:

1.     Chose an Essential oils or odor to smell

2.     Smell the essential oil and take whiffs for 25 seconds

·               During this step think of what the smell is like. Recalling a memory linked to this scent.

3.     Give the brain 1 minute to process the scent. Recommended to rotate through 4 different scents.

4.     Perform this routine twice daily day and night for 3 months

(Henry Ford Health System, 2022)

Anything beyond 6 weeks with no recovery should prompt you to visit or consult with a doctor. Allergies or infection could be hindering your recovery. Vitamin A and nasal steroids may help with recovery.

 

Here is a link to henry Ford Health system website that gives step by step details on exercise to regain senses: https://www.henryford.com/blog/2022/01/regaining-sense-of-smell-and-taste-after-covid.

 

Also, check this article by UC health website, that gives details on how to regain taste and smell: https://www.uchealth.org/today/how-to-regain-sense-of-taste-and-smell-after-covid-19/

 

(Bill St. John, for UCHealth, 2021)

 

Coughing

            Coughing can linger for some time. Some tips to help with a dry cough are closing the mouth and swallowing or breathing in and out of the nose until coughing urges goes away. Drinking hot or cold beverages or sucking on lozenges. If a productive cough is present turning, coughing and deep breathing exercises can help. Exercising, hydration, antibiotics if prescribed, and inhalers are some interventions that can help clear the chest and reduce coughing related to phlegm. Persistent, productive coughs after COVID-19 infection should be followed up with a provider (Your COVID Recovery, n.d.). Below is a diagram that shows breathing techniques for a productive cough:

 

(Your COVID Recovery, n.d.).

Here is a link to more information on cough management:

https://www.yourcovidrecovery.nhs.uk/managing-the-effects/effects-on-your-body/cough/

 

References

Bill St. John, for UCHealth. (2021, October 19). How to regain your sense of taste and smell after COVID-19. UCHealth Today. Retrieved January 23, 2022, from https://www.uchealth.org/today/how-to-regain-sense-of-taste-and-smell-after-covid-19/

FPS Public Health. (2020, October 28). [Fatigue woman, low battery]. FPS Public Health. https://www.health.belgium.be/en/report-9508-chronic-fatigue-syndrome

Henry Ford Health System. (2022, January 18). What Can I Do To Regain My Sense of Smell And Taste After COVID-19? Henry Ford LiveWell. Retrieved February 6, 2022, from https://www.henryford.com/blog/2022/01/regaining-sense-of-smell-and-taste-after-covid

Freuman, T. (2019, November 10). [A lady difficulty breathing]. The Bloated Belly Whisperer. https://www.thebloatedbellywhisperer.com/qanda-index/2019/11/10/why-am-i-bloated-and-short-of-breath

Lien, P. (n.d.). Coronavirus Recovery: Breathing Exercises. Johns Hopkins Medicine. Retrieved February 6, 2022, from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/coronavirus-recovery-breathing-exercises

Royal College of Occupational Therapists. (n.d.). How to manage post-viral fatigue after COVID-19. Retrieved February 6, 2022, from https://www.rcot.co.uk/how-manage-post-viral-fatigue-after-covid-19-0

The University of Queensland. (2018, November 7). [Woman smelling pizza]. The University of Queensland. https://qbi.uq.edu.au/blog/2018/11/how-do-we-smell-things

Your COVID Recovery. (n.d.). Your Covid Recovery. Retrieved February 6, 2022, from https://www.yourcovidrecovery.nhs.uk/managing-the-effects/effects-on-your-body/cough/