New to Long COVID? These are my favorite resources.

Below is a list of great starting materials for learning about Long COVID. Please note that I share only information that has strong backing/congruence with large universities, the World Health Organization, and/or the National Institute for Health. While I'm sure there are other helpful resources outside that, there are also a lot of rabbit holes that create confusion and harm. I do not support the spread of misinformation.

Start here:

Comprehensive Patient Guide to Long COVID Treatment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwG04FDMc2Y Link to my follow-up blog post here about it.

Long COVID Physio: https://longcovid.physio/
*This is a first stop. It has very helpful videos that are easy to digest and understand what you need to do to start managing this condition yourself.

Peoples Pharmacy Long COVID Discussion: https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/articles/show-1327-what-have-we-learned-about-long-covid
*This is a really good podcast especially for friends/family to understand the impact of Long COVID on health and quality of life.

Visible App: https://www.makevisible.com/
*This is a very helpful app, which I will write about more, that helps with symptom tracking. You can even participate in research via the app.

Excellent university and public health resources:

NIH Recover Initiative: www.recovercovid.org

Yale Medicine Long COVID Overview: https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/long-covid-post-covid-conditions-pcc

Mayo Clinic Post COVID Recovery: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-long-term-effects/art-20490351,

MN Department of Health: https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/longcovid/index.html

Thought-provoking articles:

Time Magazine: Long COVID Doesn’t Always Look Like You Think It Does: https://time.com/6835566/what-are-long-covid-symptoms/

The Atlantic Long COVID as an Invisible Disability: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2023/04/long-covid-symptoms-invisible-disability-chronic-illness/673773/

The Guardian: Long Covid can impair quality of life more than advanced cancers, study says: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jun/08/long-covid-impact-quality-of-life-cancer-study

Comments

Long COVID Changed Everything, and it's going to be okay.

Trigger warning: I talk about disability, mental health, pelvic health, and traumatic personal experience in this post. It's important for me to share in this way, to spread understanding on the diverse ways Long COVID may be experienced. However, if these subjects or levels of disclosure are triggering for you, I completely understand your decision to not read on. --------- This is my story about how Long COVID changed everything. Because I'm a medical professional, definitions are important to me. Long COVID is defined as symptoms that take place, for no other reason, within 2-4 weeks after initial COVID-19 infection and last longer than three months. The most common symptoms are fatigue, post-exertional malaise, flu-like symptoms, headache, nausea, heart palpitations, brain fog, and dysautonomia. This definition was just recently developed by the World Health Organization. The condition certainly wasn't widely recognized back in July 2022 when my husband and I c

The Confounding Impact of Post Exertional Malaise: Part Two

Note: This is a Part Two of a blog about Post Exertional Malaise (PEM). To read Part One, click here. I used to be a very active person. I love nordic skiing, hiking, climbing, and backpacking. My husband and I like to garden and go birding in the evenings. Back in Fall 2022, when I was first struggling with Long COVID symptoms, I found myself late canceling on climbing and camping trips with friends. Gardening had become exhausting and I didn't know why. So I did what any American would do - I assumed I contracted some form of laziness and looked for something new to motivate me. This is when I found the wonderful small coaching business called Catalyst Rowing . For any of you who DON'T have PEM, I highly recommend checking them out! Martha Laugen "Coach Martha", is an amazing woman who has created a safe and inclusive fitness community focused on working out with indoor rowing machines. I immediately fell in love with the sport. As a physical therapist I

Why Does Long COVID Happen in Women more than Men?

A study in 2022 made the rounds in the news when it revealed women are twice as likely than men to develop Long COVID. Research since has supported this, with additional data in 2023 suggesting that middle aged women (35-49 years old) are among the most at risk demographic. Why is this? One important factor to recognize, especially with population level research, is the role of social determinants of health . Women are more likely to struggle with lower socioeconomic status than men. They also deal with gendered responsibilities and healthcare disparities. These are all indicators for lower health outcomes. We need better socioeconomic safety nets and comprehensive healthcare for women in the light of this pandemic, and sooner rather than later. Another important factor is the prevalence of autoimmune disease in women - 4 out of 5 people with autoimmune disease are female. One of the top ten causes of death for women under age 65 is autoimmune disease. Long COVID is po

Long COVID Changes Everything, and it's going to be okay.

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