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For those worrying if they will ever get better, this is today, and what happiness looks like:
Nice pic - thanks for the inspiration. I've just done a very modest turbo spin and a short TRX resistance session, fingers crossed that it's the start of a steady upward progression.
Also, if anyone's wondering about increased HR, some of it is probably detraining leading to reduced blood plasma volume.
I went in to self isolation last Wednesday after taking advice from 111 and then being called back by a nurse. Started to feel more human yesterday and then today it’s back to the shits, debilitating coughing fits, headache and a bit of breathing difficulty. Also feel unbelievably weak, tired and generally run down.
Last Weds and Thurs (as in 15 and 16) were awful and the coughing and difficulty in breathing were really quite frightening. Just wish it would piss off now though so I can get back to exercising, playing with the kids and tidying the garden. I thought I was much better throughout this week, but it appears not.
The comment was basically it’s a disease of surfactant gas exchange. You can exchange CO2 so you don’t see the classic pneumonia shortness of breath, but may see very low O2 (<80%), yet still can “feel fine”. The doctor stated that this was the time for hospital and supplemental O2, and may patients came in later when hit by inflammation and pneumonia.
A couple of articles that go into more detail on this - digested read: having an oximeter is a really, really good idea:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/20/opinion/coronavirus-testing-pneumonia.html
https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200407/doctors-puzzle-over-covid19-lung-problems
Cheers bwd
Any recommendations on what oximeter to get?
Argos had one , recmeneded on here m Pulse oxymeter for £19.99 , but supply was limited
I got this one from eBay (has gone up slightly since I bought it);
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/392753076592
Pulse rate measurement is accurate, spO2 readings seem plausible but I've nothing to validate it against.
...the last thing the NHS needs right now is a load of worried middle class mountain bikers armed with pulse oximeters... Seriously, step away from the tech.
the last thing the NHS needs right now is a load of worried middle class mountain bikers armed with pulse oximeters… Seriously, step away from the tech.
More likely a few folk on here will get one for the reassurance that, if they do fall ill, their oxygen saturation is still in normal range. A bit like using a thermometer. Why do you think it's such a bad idea?
If I've misled anyone, I apologise.
Seriously, step away from the tech
Ordered an oximeter (and thermometer) yesterday after reading that NYT article via an online support group (underlying health issues). Dropping oxygen saturation levels appear to be an early indication that C19 is about to get serious, long before the patient realises. Using such basic self monitoring kit provides relevant information that allows those with symptoms to know if this aspect of the disease is stable or worsening. More importantly, if the call has to be made, call handlers are better informed and swift hospitalisation allows medical staff to ventilate earlier and leads to more positive outcomes. Sure, some people are hypochondriacs, some will die anyway, not all oximeters will be CE or FDA approved but in general terms, surely having one is better than nothing?
Think it might have been mentioned elsewhere, but a lot of Samsung Galaxy's (s5 through 10, some Notes??) have a pulse oximeter built in- you need to install and use Samsung Health, the measurement is performed in the "stress" section.
Most of the people I know who've tested positive for it have complained of lingering breathlessness symptoms post isolation phase during exertion (walking around house, walking dog or riding bike), one still states that they just want to cough up all the crap off their chest. Probably wouldn't want to be in BA kit feeling like that.
Re: pulse ox if combined with a set of observations it could assist 111 / GP / other remote health care professionals by providing them with a NEWS2 score and aid them in gaining a more clinical picture of how ill you are over the phone without having to put a frontline worker at risk of coming to see you. Obviously, it needs some basic insight into obs taking & common sense would need to be applied here, & I accept that common sense isn't too common sometimes....
Agreed, and when I spoke to the doctor at the Covid assessment centre on the phone, he asked me if my Fitbit could do pulse ox and seemed pleased when I told him I had one! Asked me about trends etc amongst other things.
Anyway for me I found it very useful to reassure myself in the week after my night in a&e, to help the sense of rising panic when I felt I couldn't breathe, I knew that I was OK, and that contacting NHS again unless it got to low 90s or worse was not going to be useful.
So all in all I'm very glad I had it, although I do see that some common sense is needed too. Franksinatra potentially saved a dangerous situation by knowing his sats were too low and to go back to hospital (albeit with a GP wife to read the numbers, but still)
Although I feel much better I now continue to have sporadic wheezing that comes and goes. Did 3 light rides in the week, but a one hour ride yesterday left me wheezing and with heart palpitations last night. Starting to get concerned that having the virus has caused lung damage as getting wheezy is not something I'm used too and I came down with the virus nearly 5 weeks ago.
I’m 9 weeks since I probably had it and still havin g random days of chest and lung pain and wheezing.
I’m 9 weeks since I probably had it and still havin g random days of chest and lung pain and wheezing.
Wow. I had no idea that it lingered for so long. Are you doing any cycling?
Yeah a fair bit, do monitor my RHR and it’s been normal but randomly I have days when I am shattered and tight chest. Weird. RHR on those days is 2-3 elevated. I wasn’t tested but had been all over Europe the 2 weeks before then one day cough, massive temp that night and bed bound for 6 days, thought I had bad chest infection as was wheezing and a bit panicky. Didn’t call doc or anything as assumed it would pass 😂
I’m 9 weeks since I probably had it and still havin g random days of chest and lung pain and wheezing.
urghhhh!
Day 21 here, still frustrated at the general fatigue. A short walk still wipes me out. Felt fine all day today, then went for a 15 min stroll in the sun and could immediately 'feel' my chest and lungs. Not particularly painful, just weirdly unsettling.
Really hoping I don't have another 6 weeks to go of this - I'll be a right old lardarse after that!
Work called me this eve and have booked me sick til Wednesday, fat chance I'll be back then
Agreed, and when I spoke to the doctor at the Covid assessment centre on the phone, he asked me if my Fitbit could do pulse ox
Me too must be standard protocol. Instead I just had my watch to monitor RHR. Which was 30bpm up. Ten days of altitude sickness sums it up for me.
Over inflation of lungs is our standard mouse model of ARDS, you might be interested to hear.
Back to a general malaise here. Bit of cough, underlying headache, but mostly complete lethargy.
TBH I'm feeling the mental strain more than the physical. It was bad enough curtailing exercise when I was isolating but it's worse now I'm (mostly) better. I've been wandering around the house close to tears on occasion. Photos on my Nest Hub and on Facebook Memories are alternately inspiring and depressing.
Also had a couple of days of general tiredness and ill feeling, after a weekend of gentle riding. Raised hr too but better today.
Sorry to hear it's getting to you scotroutes. It will get better!
TBH I’m feeling the mental strain more than the physical. It was bad enough curtailing exercise when I was isolating but it’s worse now I’m (mostly) better.
I hear you. I'm well enough to be frantic to get out, but nailed enough to know that it's currently not an option. I am climbing the freakin' walls. On the plus side, I'm putting out 15 watts more at the same heart rate than I was the day before yesterday, so fingers crossed, heading cautiously in a positive direction. Might even go out for stroll in the sunshine.
On the mental wellness side, I'm using Headspace, the meditation app and finding it really good for introducing a bit of calm into things. I've engaged with mindfulness in the past, but finding the whole 'guided meditation' thing very positive and easy to follow. Might be worth a try, there's a two-week free trial so it doesn't have to cost you anything to find out.
I've got it just now (confirmed) and seem to have milder symptoms than most on here. After feeling wiped out on Sun I'm now up & about and playing with the toddler. Mostly muscle aches for me & a bit of a cough.
We're fairly sure my wife brought it home from work (hospital doc). Was tested today, but if she is positive, the sum total of her symptoms were 'I think I'm getting hayfever in my 30's' at the weekend.
Hope those of you struggling with recovery see some light soon.
I just measured my oxygen saturation with my phone and it said 86%. According to Google that is pretty low but Samsung apparently wasn't bothered and gave me a zero for stress. I've been feeling run down in a slightly odd way the last few days.
I just measured my oxygen saturation with my phone and it said 86%
If the reading were genuine then that's worryingly low and you should be calling 111 for advice, HOWEVER google suggests that smartphone apps, including the Samsung one aren't reliable:
https://www.cebm.net/covid-19/question-should-smartphone-apps-be-used-as-oximeters-answer-no/
'The Samsung app has been withdrawn, and the claim that oxygen saturation can be measured indirectly through “stress assessment” is false.'
You're better off with a stand-alone oximeter and even then you beed to be aware that cold fingers or impaired circulation can give a misleading reading. Are you suffering from shortness of breath?
I'm starting to feel slightly better 10 days in, still have a lot of back pain and just nearly threw up but getting there , head bangs randomly but definitely a bit better, walking up the stairs kills me though
Oxygen sats of 86 is very low and you would be very unwell
Almost certainly a false reading
Main thing with any consumer tech (or even stuff like home thermometers) is to baseline yourself (temp, heart rate, pulse ox etc) when you're fit and healthy so you'll get an idea of 1) how stable the readings are and 2) what they read when you are fit and healthy. That way you know whether to trust any deviations as being related to changes in your health or fitness or whether they're just poor quality tech.
Our home thermometer consistently measures me at 36.0 and the rest of my family at 36.5. I suspect it's out but as it's consistent I'll know with certainty when anyone starts cooking. I'd have doubts if I only used it when we felt ill.
Are you suffering from shortness of breath?
No, I'd be on the phone straight away if I were.
Oxygen sats of 86 is very low and you would be very unwell
That's what I thought too. I don't know what's sillier - that it gave me such a dodgy reading or that it went on to tell me I was fine!
don’t know what’s sillier – that it gave me such a dodgy reading or that it went on to tell me I was fine!
Are you sure that you didn't read it upside down?
98 sounds fine.
So, a quick update. Just spoke to my GP on the phone about Covid-19, recovery, exercise and insomnia.
After talking to me, he asked me to come in and have my oxygen saturation level checked at the surgery car park testing station partly to make sure my own oximeter was accurate.
Practice nurse behind window, first check 98% so all good. Walk 20 yards round car-park and it falls to 96% - this is not good, as you'd expect.
Advice is not to do any exercise, aerobic or otherwise bar a gentle walk. Check SATS daily, if it falls below 92% = very bad. But also, if there's a drop of more than 4% after say, walking up the stairs, I need to call them.
On the exercise front, he says basically my body will let me know when it's up to doing more strenuous stuff, until then, don't.
He also said that without a test it wasn't possible to say definitively, but it was extremely likely I've had Covid-19. Also that I should by now be non infectious.
Oh, and one last thing, Covid Insomnia is apparently a thing and could last up to six weeks - bugger - they won't give you anything for it as it could depress your breathing centres. So if you can't sleep - holds up hands - unlucky. Who knew.
Hopefully that might be helpful, particularly on the SATS drop after brief exertion and the insomnia front.
Stay safe 🙂
Interesting that you were told to check SATS daily. Was there any discussion over the efficacy of the device you are using?
Also - Covid Insomnia? I bloody hope I don't get that. I only normally have 4-5 hours sleep per night as it is. 🙂
Yes, one of the reasons for testing was to make sure my readings were on a par with the practice machine. The one I have reads about 1% lower.
I am unimpressed with the insomnia thing. Normally I sleep about eight hours a night, right now it's about half that, though oddly I don't feel that sleep deprived.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52493574
Well, that’s another one for my symptoms bingo tally
I actually though it was Athletes Foot, might still be of course, also could have been a symptom of an entirely different infection.
Thought I was beginning to feel more normal, that horrid ache around the ribs seems to have gone, but despite less hours on the bike and no sustained efforts unlike last week I'm feeling far from energetic for the third day on the spin.
Kind of expected to be able to go out today and at least do at least one VO2 Max effort up a hill on the road bike after taking it comparitively very easy the last two days on my ~60min loops, but just popping to the shops earlier on the fatbike felt like an absolute slog!
I had a very tired/exhausted ride on Friday.I was only going to the next village to get to the PO but I just couldn't get my legs to spin at all.
Did nothing yesterday.
Today I went round a 36km loop and did some Strava PRs 🙂 If anything, it was my lungs struggling today, not my legs,
Managed a mile walk with the boy today to the local pond had to have a good rest once there but made it back too, not bad as I managed about 500m yesterday:)
Kind of expected to be able to go out today and at least do at least one VO2 Max effort up a hill on the road bike after taking it comparitively very easy the last two days on my ~60min loops, but just popping to the shops earlier on the fatbike felt like an absolute slog!
LOL - if you want some perspective, last week I rode for 20 minutes keeping my heart rate to 120bpm. My average power for that was... 70 watts. My ftp before all this was not far shy of 300 watts and on a recovery spin, I'd be putting out around 135 watts and my HR for that would be around 115bpm or so. If you want to swap places, just shout 😉
On the plus side, the (alleged) Covid Insomnia seems to be on the wane and today I walked uphill for a bit without obvious shortness of breath. Strava PRs however are a distant memory 🙁
All the best to everyone else still feeling a bit rubbish.
Probably easier to list what's not a symptom.
The mrs seems to have covid toes ( https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52493574), but no other symptoms.
I feel fine and havent had any symptoms at all over the last 2 months or so, same with my son.
So either she hasnt got covid toes, or me and the boy are about to come down with it in the next few days......
My wife got covid toes and I got huge swollen balls they really hurt too but went down after a few days, very unpleasant
The asymmetrical chilblain rash is what I’ve had, weird.
Buster Gonads syndrome doesn’t sound pleasant at all!
Holy sh1t - I had swollen balls as well when I (probably) had it but hadn’t heard anyone else mention it, and not exactly the question you ask !
Covid toe here. Had it about 2 weeks but only read about the possible covid link on the beeb today. Quite pleased actually, seems I might have got away with asymptomatic lurgy 🙂 Balls fine too.