Covid recovery

[skimomma]

I know we have big threads about this but I am hoping to rope in people who might have recent experience but are no longer following those threads.

What are we seeing with recovery paths/times with the current variants of Covid?  I know this will vary widely but I am trying to determine if I should see a doctor and how best to proceed with life.

I tested positive 14 days ago.  Symptoms started 17 days ago.  I'm boosted (back in November) and this is my first time being positive (that I know of anyway).  At first I thought I got off easy.  It started with the classic sore throat.  The day I finally tested, I had a slight fever which only lasted 18 hours.  When the fever went away, I felt mostly fine.  For two days, anyway.  Then I woke up to my head being all stuffed up.  Not a runny nose, just stuffed.  Even my ears felt stuffed.  I am not prone to sinus infections but that is what I imagine one might feel like?  Add in the occasional non-productive coughing fit.....so not coughing all the time but when I do, it is hard to stop.  And the dreaded impaired taste.  This has been the status quo for ELEVEN days now.  It is not getting better or worse.  Just the same.  

I am not tired, I'm sleeping OK, but this cough and stuffiness is driving me bananas.  I'm worried I'm going to crack a rib.  I am a runner and I have a half marathon coming up in five weeks.  I was on vacation for two weeks prior to illness so I have not been training for 4+ weeks now.  I tried to go on a short run today for the first time and found my heart rate much higher than normal and was coughing a lot.  And I was running at a significantly slower pace than normal on a flat trail in cool temps.  Running (actually any cardio) is also my main and most effective tool to cope with anxiety so not working out is causing other problems for me.  I did some light gardening yesterday and also noticed that my heart rate was higher than I would expect.

Any BTDT stories?  How long can I expect this stuffiness and cough to last?  Any hacks to move it along or at least get some relief?  I have tried Sudafed overnight which might have decreased the stuffiness a little but kept me up all night.....I have never taken it before and it was a weird trip that I do not want to repeat.  I have been using a neti pot several times a day.  I have also been sipping hot tea pretty much constantly because that keeps the coughing down a little.  Cold or even room temp water makes the coughing worse.

I am getting very frustrated and don't know if I should seek a doctor appointment or if this is just "normal."  Thank goodness I work from home!

[Elona]

I had it starting on May 5th. While my husband and daughter got over their infections in just one week, my symptoms lingered well after I tested negative. I had a similar experience to you with the cough that's hard to stop that went on for a good while. (Oddly, I found that chewing a very strong mint gum - Mentos brand in this case - could get it to stop.)

I also had the higher heart rate upon activity afterward. I myself was exhausted, so it's lucky you don't have that too.

I just started to feel more normal this week, my 4th (!) week. I took 500 mg of vitamin C 2 or 3 times each day, and started regular Vitamin D. The C really helped a lot.

It is possible that you have developed a secondary sinus infection, so you may want to go to the Dr, if you think that would help. I only had the stuffy head thing through the 2nd week, at most.

I am still coughing some, but not much really, and my heart rate has largely normalized after about 7 days of getting some solid activity each day.

Hope you get better soon! 

[TravelingChris]

You should get some full strength Sudafed, the kind behind the counter, if you can take those.  That should help your stuffiness.

[mommyto4]

My husband tested positive about 6 weeks ago and is still dealing with some symptoms -- cough, runny nose, tiredness especially the day after he does light physical work.  He did develop a secondary infection at the 14-day mark and the antibiotics helped get rid of the sinus issues.  He has checked in with his doctor via phone and the doctor says that his symptoms are normal.  The doctor recommended vitamin C and lots and lots of fluids.  

I am sorry you are dealing with this.

[skimomma]

17 minutes ago, Elona said:

I had it starting on May 5th. While my husband and daughter got over their infections in just one week, my symptoms lingered well after I tested negative. I had a similar experience to you with the cough that's hard to stop that went on for a good while. (Oddly, I found that chewing a very strong mint gum - Mentos brand in this case - could get it to stop.)

I also had the higher heart rate upon activity afterward. I myself was exhausted, so it's lucky you don't have that too.

I just started to feel more normal this week, my 4th (!) week. I took 500 mg of vitamin C 2 or 3 times each day, and started regular Vitamin D. The C really helped a lot.

It is possible that you have developed a secondary sinus infection, so you may want to go to the Dr, if you think that would help. I only had the stuffy head thing through the 2nd week, at most.

I am still coughing some, but not much really, and my heart rate has largely normalized after about 7 days of getting some solid activity each day.

Hope you get better soon! 

It's good to know that this is somewhat "normal."  Sigh.  It is the possible secondary infection that has me wondering about seeing a doctor.  How do they go about diagnosing that?

[skimomma]

13 minutes ago, TravelingChris said:

You should get some full strength Sudafed, the kind behind the counter, if you can take those.  That should help your stuffiness.

That's what I tried in desperation last night.  I had to go sell my soul to the devil at the pharmacy counter.....felt like a criminal.  But it kept me up all night.  I literally never fell asleep.  I felt like I have drank four cups of very sugary coffee right before bed or something.  It did kick down the stuffiness slightly.

[skimomma]

13 minutes ago, mommyto4 said:

My husband tested positive about 6 weeks ago and is still dealing with some symptoms -- cough, runny nose, tiredness especially the day after he does light physical work.  He did develop a secondary infection at the 14-day mark and the antibiotics helped get rid of the sinus issues.  He has checked in with his doctor via phone and the doctor says that his symptoms are normal.  The doctor recommended vitamin C and lots and lots of fluids.  

I am sorry you are dealing with this.

I hate the add antibiotics to the dumpster fire.  They always wreck my stomach which is unhappy enough due to everything tasting like cardboard.  Will a sinus infection go away on its own eventually? 

[Elona]

1 minute ago, skimomma said:

It's good to know that this is somewhat "normal."  Sigh.  It is the possible secondary infection that has me wondering about seeing a doctor.  How do they go about diagnosing that?

I am not totally sure - I don't really get sinus infections (my mom does, though.) One good sign, if I'm not mistaken, is mucus that isn't clear. 

[Elona]

2 minutes ago, skimomma said:

That's what I tried in desperation last night.  I had to go sell my soul to the devil at the pharmacy counter.....felt like a criminal.

Ha ha! My husband went to Walgreens last night for Sudafed, too. (My daughter just picked up a cold, only 4 weeks after Covid!) He said, "I asked the 16 year-old behind the counter if he could get me some Sudafed. The kid told me to go look in the aisle with the cold medicine. I told him 'No, I want the real stuff, you know, the stuff you make Meth out of!?'" I just about died. I am shy as can be and couldn't possibly imagine saying something like that, but dh has a gift for both shocking me and making me laugh until I cry.

[skimomma]

9 minutes ago, Elona said:

I am not totally sure - I don't really get sinus infections (my mom does, though.) One good sign, if I'm not mistaken, is mucus that isn't clear. 

Hmmmm.  What about no mucus?

[almondbutterandjelly]

Never take Sudafed at night. It is great for day.

Sounds like you need to see a doctor. They will probably give you a steroid and something for your stuffiness and cough. It might not improve without the steroid.

[ktgrok]

39 minutes ago, skimomma said:

Hmmmm.  What about no mucus?

if stuff isn't draining, try mucinex. That plus fluids might help break it up so the body can get rid of it. 

[dsmith]

My sister had the cough for weeks and weeks. Honestly, if I were you I'd give up trying to run and stick with walking. And maybe skip the half-marathon. My heart rate was also elevated, and it still is slightly elevated with exercise, but not as much as last week. I've started using my exercise bike on a lower than usual setting, and 10 minutes wears me out. This is with no more fever, not being stuffed up at all anymore and only the very occasional cough. 

[Ali in OR]

No Covid experience here, but I do take Flonase (the Costco less-expensive version) when allergies make it hard to breathe through my nose. For me I can feel it opening nasal passages within 10 minutes. Makes it so much easier to sleep! But I don't know if that works for Covid stuffiness.

[Elona]

43 minutes ago, dsmith said:

My sister had the cough for weeks and weeks. Honestly, if I were you I'd give up trying to run and stick with walking. And maybe skip the half-marathon. My heart rate was also elevated, and it still is slightly elevated with exercise, but not as much as last week. I've started using my exercise bike on a lower than usual setting, and 10 minutes wears me out. This is with no more fever, not being stuffed up at all anymore and only the very occasional cough. 

This was my experience, too. On the 4th week, exercise started getting easier, but I still didn't do anything close to my usual aerobic activities.

[Elona]

19 minutes ago, Ali in OR said:

No Covid experience here, but I do take Flonase (the Costco less-expensive version) when allergies make it hard to breathe through my nose. For me I can feel it opening nasal passages within 10 minutes. Makes it so much easier to sleep! But I don't know if that works for Covid stuffiness.

The Dr. I saw suggested this when I had Covid because she noticed pressure on my ears from sinus congestion.

[scholastica]

A lot of people I know are reporting sinus infections after Covid recently. You should probably see a doctor.

[Clemsondana]

Depending on where you are, you may also be dealing with some allergy issues.  Everybody here is dealing with something (we know it's allergy because it comes and goes depending on how much we are outside).  When we had covid in January, we all had sinus infection-like symptoms for 2-12 days - fatigue, a bit of a headache, etc.  I was the only one who had a lingering cough, but i get a lingering cough every time that I get sick.  It was just a tickle in my throat.  I kept cough drops handy and used the zarbees cough syrup and took all sorts of antihistamines and nasal sprays because I've learned that I can get some sort of evil virus-allergy combo that is really hard to get rid of.  Covid wasn't particuarlly worse than other viruses from that perspective.  I guess all of us recovered about as quickly as each of us usually do from a respiratory infection, with the addition of 2 of us having smell/taste issues for a few weeks.  

[skimomma]

Thanks all.  I'll try to hit on everything in this post.

I did try a nasal spray, Sinex, last night and this morning.  That did make a notable improvement!  Certainly not "normal" but much less annoying.

I don't normally have seasonal allergies but these last two weeks are peak for allergens so that could be a factor.

Do sinus infections clear up on their own, without antibiotics?  I am trying to weigh what is worse, the stomach problem from taking antibiotics or the possible sinus infection.

I am willing to skip the half marathon if I'm not ready.  I will try running again today but just take it even easier to see how it goes.  My worry is if this Covid thing is here to stay and we are all going to be getting it every three months, I cannot just stop exercising for 4-6 weeks every time.....if only for my sanity alone.  I was walking/hiking only up until yesterday and did not find that difficult in any way.  That felt pretty normal.

Putting Mucinex on the shopping list......

 

[Acadie]

1 hour ago, skimomma said:

Do sinus infections clear up on their own, without antibiotics?  I am trying to weigh what is worse, the stomach problem from taking antibiotics or the possible sinus infection.

Even if people take antibiotics, clearing a sinus infection often requires crazy amounts of hydration. Like you've never drunk that much before and you're sick of drinking but just keep at it. When those tiny passages are clogged with thick gunk it's physically hard to get it to move, and super hydration thins it out and helps the process.

I need to track my hydration to get enough with a sinus infection, so I make a chart where I can check off 12 drinks a day, an additional cup of water with a tsp of apple cider vinegar, vitamin C & D, and whatever else I think will help my immune system. And tons of sleep--sinus infections take a lot out of you. After a few days of hyper hydration my sinuses usually begin draining and it's gross but reassuring to know they're beginning to unclog.  

Dd19 had her first sinus infection this winter in college and had the same experience--it hung on for weeks until she really really amped up hydration and sleep. It was one of those moments with a young adult where she didn't really buy my suggestions at first, but after suffering for several weeks tried it out of desperation and now she's a convert 😂 Student health services gave her sprays but no antibiotics. She was hoping to get a script and be done and I thought it was interesting that they also emphasized hydration and sleep. 

Hope you feel better soon!

Edited June 7, 2022 by Acadie

[skimomma]

I have been insatiably thirsty the whole time so getting enough fluids has been easy.  But I have been trying to drink mostly hot tea because anything not hot makes me cough.

[scholastica]

6 hours ago, skimomma said:

Thanks all.  I'll try to hit on everything in this post.

I did try a nasal spray, Sinex, last night and this morning.  That did make a notable improvement!  Certainly not "normal" but much less annoying.

I don't normally have seasonal allergies but these last two weeks are peak for allergens so that could be a factor.

Do sinus infections clear up on their own, without antibiotics?  I am trying to weigh what is worse, the stomach problem from taking antibiotics or the possible sinus infection.

I am willing to skip the half marathon if I'm not ready.  I will try running again today but just take it even easier to see how it goes.  My worry is if this Covid thing is here to stay and we are all going to be getting it every three months, I cannot just stop exercising for 4-6 weeks every time.....if only for my sanity alone.  I was walking/hiking only up until yesterday and did not find that difficult in any way.  That felt pretty normal.

Putting Mucinex on the shopping list......

 

If it’s been hanging on this long. It’s not likely to clear on its own. Get on a good probiotic if they give you antibiotics and keep taking it for a while after you finish the antibiotics.