Smelling Smoke and Earaches

I hope that everyone who may read this had a happy new year. My wish for all of us is for hope and blessings to come to us all this year. I took a short break from talking in depth about my symptoms. But, I wanted to return to that today with kind of a wrap-up, catch-all post to talk about the million and one strange things happening to long-haulers that don’t have specific categories or any current explanation.

There’s so many strange phenomena that are happening to those who have survived covid that we don’t even know how to classify. For example, hair loss (which I have so far luckily avoided, thank God) and eye problems (which I wouldn’t honestly know if I avoided since I already had bad vision).

I also previously mentioned the phenomenon concerning the female reproductive system. Studies are showing that men are also having issues with their reproductive system post-covid as well.

It was also recently discovered that a small amount of people can end up having a covid-related psychotic break. Covid is basically just the gift that keeps on giving.

People don’t want to believe that covid does all these things. But it does. It attacks everywhere. It’s a vascular disease that crosses the blood-brain barrier and also can cause an overactive immune response. It is not just in the lungs or the respiratory system. It’s in your blood. It’s in your brain. It’s everywhere. And it doesn’t just hurt you, it makes it easier for other diseases to hurt you as well.

I’m not just saying my layman’s theory here. This is what I have come to understand from reading up on covid-related research. I recently came across the best article I have seen so far for explaining as clearly and cohesively where we stand with the science of this disease and understanding where and how it attacks. I added a link to the article to my link library.

So, science has confirmed that the disease attacks everywhere. But, we’re only still beginning to understand this disease and it’s after effects and all the various damage that it can cause.

It’s actually really hard for me to even remember and catalogue all of the various issues that I have post-covid. And, obviously, I tend to focus on the most debilitating issues. But, I want to do my best to try to mention everything.

So, the issues I have already covered that I have are: headaches; impaired thinking and cognition; impaired memory; dizziness; sleep disruptions; severe fatigue; muscle aches; joint pain; pain in my bones; stinging and burning sensations in my feet, hands, and body; blood clots; pain from blood clots; sharp chest pain; gi issues; appetite and taste issues; and menstruation issues. I think I have also previously mentioned getting constantly hot and cold, like I am having hot flashes or night sweats.

On top of those issues, I drop things a lot. It’s really weird. But, other survivors are also reporting similar issues as well as bumping into more things. I couldn’t begin to tell you what that is about.

I also sometimes smell cigarette smoke or other chemical smells when there is none. Other survivors have also reported smelling phantom smells.

I routinely get earaches. I believe that may be related to my inflamed sinuses, which were picked up on an MRI.

Sometimes, my teeth hurt. That has also been coming up more and more in the survivor forums as a strange phenomenon post-covid.

I have also had strange things happen with my blood pressure. First, it spiked.

One of the first times that I noticed that I was really hot without having a fever, I checked my blood pressure and it was abnormally high. I continued to check every hour. At it’s highest, it read as 186/160- a hypertensive crisis. It quickly lowered, though. And then, I got on blood thinners and my blood pressure stabilized but occasionally dips to a level almost abnormally low.

Many survivors now have issues with either abnormally high or abnormally low blood pressure.

I have never been able to properly describe one phenomenon. At first, I thought it was heart papiltations. But, after several clear ekgs confirming that it’s not my heart, the only thing I know to call it is “feeling out of phase.” My most recent assumption is that it is another manifestation of something going on in my brain.

I also have more vivid dreams and nightmares. I believe that I mentioned that briefly before. It is part of the reason why I have sleep disturbances. That’s also a shared trait among many survivors.

I also still occasionally have congestion, cough, sneeze, and a scratchy throat. I couldn’t tell you if that is related to covid or just allergies. But, I know that other survivors have reported similar issues. However, sometimes, survivors are experiencing these issues due to reinfection.

I go through this litany of medical issues basically to make a few points. First, so many things can go wrong with your body after you have covid. We are barely beginning to understand them all. If you can avoid having it or giving it to somebody by social distancing, wearing a mask, not going to work sick, not having large social functions, etc., then please do it.

Second, if there is a long-hauler in your life, please understand that they are going through a lot- often more than they can even begin to say.

#longcovid #longhauler #symptoms