I've been yammering on about the long-term effects of coronavirus, both what is known so far and that there is still so much to learn. But because every medical problem I have is from a childhood illness (the treatment), I've been focused on this. I think we're in big trouble, as a society, because of what this thing can do long-term to even young, healthy people, even those who had mild or asymptomatic cases. Unlike countries with good leadership, our numbers are out of control, and a good percentage of those people are going to have lasting, perhaps permanent, damage.
I've been shaken by reports of cardiac, lung, and other organ damage, as well as neurological issues, even brain damage.
Then I read this:
"The primary trend across the Covid-19 long haulers that Greenspan is working with is a condition called dysautonomia, a condition marked by a miscommunication between the autonomic nervous system and the rest of the body.
The autonomic nervous system regulates automatic body functions such as breathing, sleep and digestion. When it's not working, symptoms can present in myriad different ways, depending on the person."
My autonomic system doesn't work (my diagnosis is autonomic insufficiency, which for me is progressive), and it's the number one reason I stopped life-extending measures and then, before coronavirus, was, with the backing of my team, hastening my death. It's miserable. It's why all day, every day, because I touch something cooler or warmer than the air, or go to a room that's a little different temperature, or feel any draft (can be my husband walking by), or eat or drink anything, my body goes "haywire" (says my PCP) and I have about two hours of either violent shivering or badly overheating (and I can't sweat). Sometimes because it's cold, my body tries to cool me down. I once got a heat rash because it was cold.
That's just temperature, and it's only a fraction of what happens. Every single thing your body does automatically can be affected. Respiration, heart rate. And when my body does go haywire, which it does almost constantly, my brain frazzles, causing what I assume feels like a panic attack. For hours. A few things are simply, like I always have something in my eye because I don't blink properly. There are so many other ways it impacts me. I'm an extreme case, but even mild ones aren't fun. You do not want this. You don't want anyone you care about to have this. Trying to be my own autonomic system is hell. Pure and simple. Please, please, take this seriously and get the word out as much as you can about possible ongoing effects. I don't want to scare those who have or had coronavirus or know someone who does. Like I said, my case is extreme, even among those with similar medical histories. But please, please spread the word about long-term effects if you can.
