POST COVID APATHY?

[peteromalley]

IAM NOT SURE IF THIS COULD BE CONSIDERED A DIAGNOSABLE CONDITION.
I HAVE FOUND, POST COVID, AFTER HAVING ALL THE VACCINES, FOLLOWING THE RULES, BEING ISOLATED FOR MANY MONTHS. I NOW FEEL WASHED OUT. TIRED. WORN OUT. SLEEPY AND BORED.
I SPOKETO MY ENDO NURSE, WHO CHECKED ALL MY BLOOD TESTS. THEY WERE ALL ALRIGHT. NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT.
I SPOKE TO THE PITUITARY FOUNDATION ENDO NURSE, PAULINE. THERE WAS NO ONE THING SHE COULD IDENTIFY AS THE CAUSE.
YES, LIKE MANY PITUITARY PATIENTS, I HAVE LOTS OF OF PROBLEMS WITH MY HEALTH. I ALSO LIVE ALONE. I HAVE NO FAMILY LOCAL TO ME.
IN MANY WAYS I FEEL AS THOUGH I HAVE SLIPPED BACKWARDS, TO A TIME WHEN I WAS UNCONFIDENT, LONELY AND FEELING USELESS AND UNWANTED.
SOME OF THIS IS NOT TRUE IN A REAL SENSE, BUT ON OCCASIONS I FEEL LIKE THIS.
SO, I AFTER SPEAKING TO FRIENDS AS WELL,WHO HAVE NO MEDICAL PROBLEMS, THEY FEEL THE SAME TOO!
MAYBE, WHAT I AM SUFFERING IS A NATIONWIDE POST COVID EPIDEMIC OF "WHAT DO I DO NOW" SYNDROME!
WHAT DO YOU THINK?

[Mgh]

Hi Peter
Yes, post Covid apathy is a good way to describe how many people are feeling. This added to the prolonged dreary skies and a plethora of conditions in addition to our main illness gives us a somewhat heavier burden to carry than some luckier others. I find what drags me down most is the inordinate amount of time I spend in coordinating the various appointments, investigations and hydrocortisone awareness raising with the health professionals involved.
My way of keeping myself motivated and in good spirits, now that my eyesight has improved after cataract surgery, is to note down in my diary the night before things I want to achieve the next day. This covers everything:- a boring household chore, a garden task, email and phonecall to friend/family, medical appointment preparation plus query and follow-up, language homework, mindfulness colouring, reading, walk or some physical activity, menu and food, shopping list ……..I also have a once or twice weekly Zoom with friends.
So it goes on. I then tick off what I got done in the evening before I make my next day plan. If I haven’t managed to get it all done, I simply move that item to the next day.
Of course there are days when I pick the most uplifting and less demanding items on my list. I find it useful to have the list there because I can look at it to help me get moving on something when I cannot actually think straight about what to do!
Whether or not there is a POST COVID SYNDROME, it would be great to hear from others about how they keep themselves motivated in the prolonged distressing times.[size=200][/size]

[member_41389]

Hi
I can sympathise with this sentiment. Recently I had a pre-op assessment and the consultant anaesthetist I saw suggested that I ask for a Long Covid assessment. I'd not considered that the lingering fatigue, low mood, loss of motivation, brain fog, breathlessness and sundry aches and pains can all be components of the syndrome. I haven't tried yet but I'm seeing the practice nurse on Monday as my diabetes control hasn't really improved since discharge from hospital in November following Covid pneumonia (apparently it can also mess up your pancreas!).
Motivation is difficult often, my focus is to do something, it doesn't really matter how big or small, just keep moving. For example I find walking helps my mood so I walk to get the paper each day. Keep focused on the doing but don't try too hard - remember when you go for a walk that you have to get home again! I found the Fatigue booklet quite helpful in this area with the messages about pacing and staging.
Over the last 5 months I have seen improvements but it has been very slow, I'm almost back to where I was before covid but I have to recognise that some days it isn't possible to do more than the absolute minimum.
Keep on taking the tablets and keep moving to the extent that you can, stopping is not a good choice.
All the best
Tim

[Mgh]

Good to hear from you Tim and well done you for persevering through your recovery from Covid. I agree that we should keep moving as much as we can when we can. I am trying to build in a daily walk again and if I can’t get out, I do steps around the house. Using a watch to measure steps helps with the motivation. I like your advice about remembering that you have to get home again!
I must say that when I first heard Long Covid symptoms being described, I thought they aptly described my recurring symptoms.
I agree that pacing is all important. We need to recognise and accept when we are having a particularly off day. We must then minimise demands on ourselves but have an alternative easy way of reviving our spirits. This is where my ‘daily notes to self’ help me deal with the brain fog restriction. I can look at my notes and find something easy and appealing to perk me up! It might be doing a Mindfulness body scan or breathing or walking exercise, colouring, listening to music or podcast etc.
As you say, keep moving and keep taking the tablets.
Wishing everyone well.
M

[Pat]

this poem by Laura Ding-Edwards is helpful - I hope so
The Mountain
If the mountain seems too big today
then climb a hill instead.
If the morning brings you sadness
it's ok to stay in bed.
If the day ahead weighs heavy, and your plans feel like a curse
there's no shame in rearranging
don't make yourself feel worse.
If a shower stings like needles, and a bath feels like you'll drown,
if you haven't washed your hair for days,
don't throw away your crown.
A day is not a lifetime, a rest is not defeat,
don't think of it as a failure, just a quiet, kind retreat.
It's ok to take a moment from an anxious, fractured mind,
the world will not stop turning, while you get realigned.
The mountain will still be there when you want to try again,
you can climb it in your own time,
just love yourself till then.

Pat

[Mgh]

Thank you Pat. I like that!
I hope you are keeping well.
M

[Pat]

thank you - all well here, hope everyone is too.
clocks go forward soon and bit of sunshine at moment

take care

Pat

[member_47913]

What a lovely poem. Thank you. I will show it to my son who is a kidney transplant patient and has also been in Lockdown and slowly emerging.