So the Mrs hasn’t been well for a few days – tight chest, short of breath and headaches.

We’ve done lateral flow tests and they’ve all come back negative.

She went to the Dr today and they’ve rules out a chest infection and issues with her asthma and apparently they think it’s long COVID….

No as far as we know she hasn’t had COVID, although in early Jan ’20 before COVID was a ‘thing’ we both had really bad what we thought was flu on consecutive weeks.

Dr thinks this may have been COVID, and she is now suffering with long COVID.

Now I’m not a Dr so nothing to doubt this other than from what I have read LC usuo affects you straight after the initial infection and gives ongoing symptoms/problems for 4-12 weeks after.

So is it now that this can be like other viruses and lay dormant and just jump up and knock you about as and when it feel like it and you don’t show a positive result?

She’s had both Pfizer jabs with last one being April.

Thanks

although in early Jan ’20 before COVID was a ‘thing’ we both had really bad what we thought was flu on consecutive weeks

I’m not a doctor (and I’ve had a beer) but I’d bet money that you didn’t have covid (unless you’d been you China).

And it sounds like your doctor is being lazy

Now I’m not a Dr so nothing to doubt this other than from what I have read LC usuo affects you straight after the initial infection and gives ongoing symptoms/problems for 4-12 weeks after.

For some yes but others are suffering more than a year after with various problems.

Not a doctor, and sorry your missus is feeling poorly.

If we’re about to start a thread discussing possible long covid symptoms. For almost a year I’ve had weird joint pain. Feels like I’ve been run over/beaten up. Worse first thing, or after chilling on the sofa a while. Gets better as I start moving around but general fitness has gone through the floor. No idea if it’s long covid as I can’t ever remember having short covid. Could be cat aids or something… should go see a doctor really.

I’m not a doctor (and I’ve had a beer) but I’d bet money that you didn’t have covid (unless you’d been you China).

And it sounds like your doctor is being lazy

As for contact with potential carriers/international travellers I used to commute to Birmingham daily by train – lots of them in the station, on trains & in Birmingham.
And as for the Mrs Cannock has a large Chinese student population in the grammar school – they all shop in ASDA same as us, so not impossible.

Not a Doctor but I’m waiting for my Doctor to decide if I have long Covid or not.

1st vaccine on 20th March, tested positive on a PCR test on 22nd May. Ill for a couple of days, short fever, sore throat, slight tickly cough. 2nd vaccine on 23rd June. Felt really unwell on 15th Aug. Same as symptoms as first Covid infection. Took a LFT, negative. Week later properly sore throat. Another LFT, negative. Positive PCR test on 23rd. Sore throat lasted 24 hours.

Since my first Covid infection I’ve had underlying health issues. Fatigue, muscle and joint pain, weight loss, migraines (which I’ve not had for years), eye infections, cold sores. Generally under the weather. My bike fitness has dropped through the floor. 2 miles is a long ride.

My Doctor can’t decide if it’s long Covid or something else. I’ve had some blood tests which came back clear. I just hope that it’s something that will bugger off soon, I’m tired 🙄 of feeling like this.

A few weeks ago I was ill. Tired, cough etc. Negative lateral flow but ticked the covid boxes so got a PCR. Still negative. It is possible to get ill and not have covid.

Covid itself is a virus. Long covid sounds pretty much like post viral fatigue. So some of those effects are possible.

I have a hunch we’ll be hearing more about various post-viral fatigue problems in years to come. Which isn’t entirely a bad thing, for far too long doctors were determined to tell people it was just their own mental problems. I know at least one person who was effectively invalided off work for no apparent reason, years ago.

Long covid is possible, but ME/CFS was a thing before covid came along. I doubt it makes a huge difference either way.

there seems to be many theories regarding the virus laying dormant or still remaining in organs, not sure why it would re-emerge after so long, perhaps exposure to the virus, even if double jabbed. Long covid is bloody awful, suffered with fatigue and high blood pressure for nearly a year, not sure if body will ever return to how it was, seem to be missing half my leg power. Least doctors being helpful, I was continually told all my tests were normal, still pushing to get more tests done but not sure they can cope with the demand, kinda resigned to the fact i won’t be racing bikes anytime soon, or not to the level i did previously

At what point does normal covid become long covid?

Long covid is possible, but ME/CFS was a thing before covid came along. I doubt it makes a huge difference either way.

Does labelling it ‘Long Covid’ make any difference? LC has a huge array of symptoms and no cure so it’s not like it means you jump on a treatment pathway if you get diagnosed. You just get added to the pile of ‘complex symptoms we don’t really understand and are not really sure what to do with’.

At what point does normal covid become long covid?

After 12 weeks according to the NHS apparently.

https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/post-covid-syndrome-long-covid/

Does labelling it ‘Long Covid’ make any difference? LC has a huge array of symptoms and no cure so it’s not like it means you jump on a treatment pathway if you get diagnosed. You just get added to the pile of ‘complex symptoms we don’t really understand and are not really sure what to do with’.

In specific terms maybe not. In a more general context, yes, if it creates enough of a critical mass to incentivise more research into causality and treatment. Also if it helps avoid some of the more toxic aspects of the whole CFS/ME area.

As per…any wording here is the ramblings of a drunk chimp and not to be taken as medical advice…

So the Mrs hasn’t been well for a few days – tight chest, short of breath and headaches.

The reality is, this could really be ANYTHING..

Before COVID existed, this is the bread and butter of general practice.
“Probably a cold type virus” is the common response, BECAUSE it’s PROBABLY a cold type virus.
A short history of cough and feeling rough would normally simply be monitored.
I’m not too up with teh current long-covid advice, but…. it kinda IS a bit lazy to jsut say “dunno… COVID?” to anyhting nowadays..

DrP

Does labelling it ‘Long Covid’ make any difference? LC has a huge array of symptoms and no cure so it’s not like it means you jump on a treatment pathway if you get diagnosed. You just get added to the pile of ‘complex symptoms we don’t really understand and are not really sure what to do with’.

Yup, that’s the way I feel about it.
Covid has just added a few different flavours to post viral fatigue.
Because of the huge numbers in this country that have been exposed to the virus,we have to expect that more people will have/be getting a Covid version of post viral fatigue.

I’m not too up with teh current long-covid advice, but…. it kinda IS a bit lazy to jsut say “dunno… COVID?” to anyhting nowadays..

I suspect that given how massively backlogged hospitals are, that if you’re a GP and you see a cold / LC style symptoms which isn’t life threatening, you know full well there’s no available resource for the patient anyway, so fobbing them off is pretty much all you have as an option. They were even asking GPs to ration blood tests as we’d run out of vials….

Not on the same level, but I’ve had a hacking cough for the last two months and people keep asking ‘have you been to see your doctor’ and I just look at them and go ‘really? is this really worth their time in the current situation (or possibly ever)? It’s a cough, it will pass eventually.’.

it kinda IS a bit lazy to jsut say “dunno… COVID?” to anyhting nowadays..

Yes, agree totally. It makes ‘long Covid’ (whatever that actually is) seem like a bigger public health problem than it ultimately is, while also failing to address the cause of a set of symptoms that (in the OP’s case) don’t sound chronic and aren’t on a background of a proven or suspected Covid diagnosis.

I’ve had a hacking cough for the last two months and people keep asking ‘have you been to see your doctor’

Is it possible that they’re, in fact, concerned that they’re in close proximity with someone who’s hacking away and potentially contagious? Even if you don’t have Covid, infectious coughs cause worry, anxiety, time off work/school, having to go for tests.

So is it now that this can be like other viruses and lay dormant and just jump up and knock you about as and when it feel like it and you don’t show a positive result?

Unlikely. Post viral fatigue, chronic fatigue syndrome, or ME (which is what most people are referring to as Long Covid, but there many other long term problems from Covid that don’t fall under this umbrella of illness type) doesn’t need the virus to still be present in any way for the illness to present itself. The body is causing the problems itself, after triggering/damage started by the virus or fighting off the virus.

It makes ‘long Covid’ (whatever that actually is) seem like a bigger public health problem than it ultimately is

I suspect that exact opposite is probably happening. But then, that’s just a finger in the air “feeling”… it’s hard to know because over the last year we’ve not made any substantive effort to find out.

So is it now that this can be like other viruses and lay dormant and just jump up and knock you about as and when it feel like it and you don’t show a positive result?

Unlikely

Why so? I’d like to believe this, but assuming that the body completely eliminates infections (not just covid) seems too ‘tidy’ to be true to me. There are a few that we know definitely do stay dormant within the body e.g. chicken pox, epstein barr. I think I saw some evidence that the common cold can do the same (might just explain the old wives tale of “catching a cold” in bad weather….). All an uneducated hunch… but is it possible we collect all sorts of infections over our lives which our immune system generally keeps in check without us knowing, except in some cases where people may experience these chronic symptoms ?

Chronic Lyme is another good example of a bug that can outlast the initial immune response that combats and limits the initial infection. It’s a bacterium of course and not a virus but does seem able to survive long periods within its host and to produce some unusual and very uncomfortable symptoms for a considerable period of time.
Herpes Simplex is an example of a virus that can frequently mask its presence and remain dormant within humans for many years before resuming multiplying and therefore ‘disease’ behaviour.