The CDC Added 17 Long-Term Coronavirus Symptoms That May Show You’ve Had The Coronavirus

I don’t know about you, but anytime I cough or sneeze, I’m sure I’ve caught the coronavirus. I constantly find myself smelling or tasting everything around me, making sure my senses are still intact.

And, when other people cough or sneeze around me? FORGET IT. I start to get the anxieties, and try to hold my breath until I’m at least 10 feet away.

I know this is a little RIDICULOUS. I’m just hyper-phobic like that.

Well, now, the CDC has release 17 symptoms that suggest you MIGHT have — or have previously had — the coronavirus. A lot of times, these are lasting effects that keep hanging on for a long time.

CDC is actively working to learn more about the whole range of short- and long-term health effects associated with COVID-19. As the pandemic unfolds, we are learning that many organs besides the lungs are affected by COVID-19 and there are many ways the infection can affect someone’s health.

CDC

Fatigue

This describes a Wednesday for me. But, seriously, some who have had cornavirus report an almost debilitating level of fatige.

One of the most insidious long-term effects of COVID-19 is its least understood: severe fatigue. Over the past nine months, an increasing number of people have reported crippling exhaustion and malaise after having the virus

Nature

This isn’t just a tiredness. This is a fatigue that only lets an indiviual work a few minutes at a time, before they need to rest.

Shortness of Breath

Trouble breathing has been a known symptom from the very beginning of the coronavirus. But, shortness of breath is a lingering symptom, that some just can’t quite kick. This shortness of breath goes along with the fatigue.

(A medical team) analysed lung CT images of 919 patients from published studies, and found that the lower lobes of the lungs are the most frequently damaged. The scans were riddled with opaque patches that indicate inflammation, that might make it difficult to breathe during sustained exercise.

Nature

Now, after time, this damage did seem to improve, but it could take upwards of 12 weeks before there was major improvement. Y’all that’s 3 months!

Cough

This is a big one. People with coronavirus have reported that they have a cough that may last up to five months. FIVE MONTHS!!

This cough is usually accompanied by that pesky loss of smell or taste. All three of these symptoms are things that just keep hanging on — which could seem like FOREVER.

Joint Pain

Just like with the flu, a person with coronavirus may experience joint pain, or body aches.

Now, just because your joints hurt does NOT mean you have been infected with the coronavirus. Don’t panic. Just be careful, take it easy, and go to your doctor!

Chest Pain

This chest pain can be exacerbated by the constant coughing and shortness of breath, or you could have unexplained chest pain that doesn’t accompany other problems.

If in doubt, go get checked out!

Trouble Thinking Clearly (Has anyone seen Joe Vs The Volcano? This is also called “brain fog”)

Again, this can be me on a Thursday afternoon. So many different things can cause this “fog” that you constantly feel over your thoughts.

But, if you have this trouble thinking, and it doesn’t get any better, you might just have been subjected to coronavirus.

Depression

It is no surprise that depression follows along with the lasting symptoms of COVID-19. You are sick, and don’t feel well, and it seems like you are NEVER going to get any better.

Muscle Pain

Along with joint pain, there is just an overall achiness that goes along with COVID-19. It may feel like every muscle in your body is affected by the sickness.

Headache

Have you ever had the flu and you just feel awful. Your body aches, it hurts to move, and you have a killer headache that just won’t go away? It can be exactly the same way with the coronavirus.

Ask a doctor to make sure it’s okay, but usually hydrating and taking pain relievers like Advil or Tylenol will help ease this symptom.

A Fever That Comes and Goes

We have all heard that a fever is one of the symptoms that can accompany COVID-19, but that fever doesn’t have to be constant and persistant. This fever may be there one minute, gone the next, and then it can come back around to visit once again.

I mean, you’re sick. Maybe sicker than you have been ever. There is bound to be a bit of a fever. Ask your doctor the best way to combat this fever.

Heart Palpitation (Irregular heart beat, or beating really fast and then really slow)

Strange, isn’t it! How can an illness cause your heart to become irregular? I don’t know why, but it happens a lot with the coronavirus. People are reporting that these heart palpitations are lingering, just like the cough, body aches, and fever.

The Heart Muscle Becomes Inflammed

Now, you definitely need a doctor to diagnose this one. I am not sure why it happens, but along with all the other complications that come from the coronavirus, your heart can be negatively affected for the long term.

Trouble With Lung Function

This illness can actually physically screw up your lungs. As noted above, “lower lobes of the lungs are the most frequently damaged,” and the effects can be persistant.

The lungs will eventually improve, but it could take upwards of 5 months to start feeling somewhat like yourself again.

Trouble With Your Kidneys

You kidneys make urine, so you can expect some problems in this area. The problem can get so bad, that some might have to have dyalisis to remove the proteins from their urine.

The virus itself infects the cells of the kidney. Kidney cells have receptors that enable the new coronavirus to attach to them, invade, and make copies of itself, potentially damaging those tissues.

Johns Hopkins

Skin Issues or Hair Loss

Doctors believe that the physical and emotional stress that accompanies a case of COVID-19 may lead to a reversible hair loss condition called telogen effluvium.

Healthline

These skin issues and hair loss can be due to the stress of having the illness, or it can even be caused by the fever associated with having the coronavirus.

Neurological Problems — trouble tasting and smelling, trouble sleeping – or – sleeping too much, and memory issues

We’ve really already touched on these things, but the coronavirus can cause all kinds of neurological problems.

I can tell you from experience, neurological problems can suck. They are inconvenient, annoying, and can come and go with no warning.

Luckily, these problems probably won’t last forever, but they ARE symptoms that can hang around for what seems like ever.

Anxiety and Trouble With Regulating Moods

This can also be caused by the stress of being sick for so long. You are tired of your body not being well, and you may feel like the illness is going to last forever. It is no wonder anxiety and mood swings accompany the coronavirus.

Now, as you can guess, SO many different illnesses can cause these EXACT same symptoms. It is very important that you go see your doctor, and let them determine if you have COVID-19.