Thread by @benking01

It took my legs a few minutes to warm up this morning, but glad to report that long morning walks remain easy, in contrast to later in the day. #Totnes is waking up beautifully ☀️

5 miles walked this morning, with no adverse effects. Then strimmed & mowed a lawn. Great to not be worried about my heart and lungs as I got a real workout from the gardening. However, I'm mindful of the warnings of some with #LongCovid that I should continue to pace myself.

Arms were tired (as usual) by mid-afternoon and my legs became heavy before that, leading to very slow walking by 2pm. But no different to days when I'm teaching. I'm not sure that exercise makes any difference, in my case.
#LongCovid

My school timetable involves 10 very varied days on a 2-week timetable. Today sat on a new office chair all morning. Despite teaching 5 sessions/lessons in the same room for >4 hours legs still felt good @ lunch time. Funk band & 1 hour in the gym since then & I still feel great!

A day later and I've had 7 hours of moving between classrooms and sitting on chairs much less suited to my height (i.e. too low-down). Looking forward to implementing the suggestions made by my #AccessToWork assessor in order to avoid the symptoms I've had this afternoon.

Same today: teaching all day, with no PPA time & moving between rooms & between floors. Legs and arms were struggling by mid-afternoon.

8 months since #COVID19-provoked #PulmonaryEmbolism and I'm still experiencing #LongCovid symptoms.

Weekend! And one week to #HalfTerm break🙂

Here we go again. And I've been so careful!

Any #COVID19 infection can cause lasting damage to our bodies; hoping reinfection won't enhance the disabling impacts of my first encounter with #SarsCoV2 back in January.

Covalent Moderna booster vaccine dose received 15 days ago 🤞

Appreciate the supportive comments & so many useful reminders. Feels less worrying second time round, especially as I had only recently stopped taking daily #Rivaroxaban anticoagulants and still had plenty left. Back on them for the time being, and I know what to look out for 🙏

Round 2; Day 2
#CovidIsNotOver

My #NHS111 experience this time around, 8 months after #COVID19-provoked #PulmonaryEmbolism:

Initial call answering is faster (around a 15 minute wait), but then it's taking many hours for follow-up by clinicians.

'Comfort callers' are doing a great holding job in the meantime.

I'm still being asked, "are you out of breath?" and I know why they're all asking. But I've not felt 'breathless' throughout this experience. At least I'm alert to the #hypoxia from my pre-existing #LongCovid this time.


#MicroClots #TeamClots #COVID19

Meanwhile, A&E waiting times aren't the 20+ hours of March and April 2022... According to the #NHSquicker App. here in SW England it's a 7.5-hour wait in the main #Exeter A&E this evening...

Will be interesting to compare my symptoms tomorrow with those I had on Day 3 of #COVID19 sickness back in January & early February. Hoping my Moderna bivalent booster vaccination 16 days ago will have an optimal effect, leading to much faster recovery 🤞

Hopeful 🤞

'Moderna’s new bivalent COVID-19 booster, which includes 25 micrograms each of messenger RNAs from the Wuhan-Hu-1 and Omicron B.1.1.529 variants of #SARSCoV2, elicited antibody responses ... superior to those elicited by the original vaccine.'

contagionlive.com/view/moderna-s…

Round 2; Day 3

Still hopeful for a faster recovery from #COVID19 this time (& no complications - blood clots or otherwise).

SpO2/SATS are looking better than yesterday. Back up above 94% and my #PulseOximeter's alarm is only sounding because I have the heartbeat of an elephant.

#NHS111 update: It's taking many many hours to get a call-back from a clinician, so I have just decided to close my case with them and try my own GP.

#NHSunderPressure @NHSMillion

Reassured following a phone call with my GP Practice

The nurse agreed that I'm being sensible...

1. Back on the Rivaroxaban anticoagulants (Xarelto) for the time being, to reduce clot-likelihood.

2. Getting up out of bed to move around regularly, for similar reasons.

[1 of 3]

However, I am keeping a closer eye on my SATS whenever I start to feel lightheaded. This has happened a few times already today. Experience tells me that I can breathe myself out of these hypoxic episodes...
[2 of 3]
#COVID19 #Hypoxia

...and I do notice them happening. Here was a longer episode.

I know to call 999 if I can't raise my SpO2 blood oxygen levels within 5 minutes of noticing a drop.

I'm going to take 90% as my trigger. Official guidance varies between 88% and 92%.

#Covid19 #Hypoxia #BloodClots

This evening is all about the sneezes. It's as if my #COVID19 is doing all it can to spread to others. Not going to let it.

Round 2; Day 4

Seemingly a high viral load despite being double-AZ vaccinated (Jan & April 2021), Pfizer boosted (Nov 2021), 1st #COVID19 infection Jan-Feb 2022 and, most recently, Moderna bivalent booster dose Sept 2022.

Heavy headache today, coughs & sneezes.

V. infectuous!

Day 4, 2pm: Coughing has subsided a lot & no sneezing for a few hrs now! Heavy head is 'lifting' now that I've stopped working (setting Cover lessons) for the day.

Went for a walk around our garden & raised heartrate to boost my circulation.

SATS are much better! SpO2 98%

1/2

Hopeful there'll be no relapse this time...


Looking back to the start of this thread, I felt much better a few hours before a relapse on Day 5 last time:

Feeling hopeful, and putting my faith in the Moderna bivalent booster!

2/2

This helps to explain why I don't have a raised temperature during this period of #COVID19 illness and why I am (hopefully) getting better faster.

Thank goodness for #Immunisation and thank you #Science

#GetVaccinated #GetBoosted because #COVIDisNotOver

As we suspected... #PulmonaryEmbolism #DVT #COVID19 #BloodClots

Day 5 update, on Round 2 of my #COVID19 & #LongCovid journey:

My cough's less of a hindrance, but trying to keep on top of cover-lesson setting & follow-up, checking emails, creating to-do-lists of marking, planning and admin tasks to tackle during next week's half-term break...

...took-up most of the day. Mentally exhausted, but important not to overload my colleagues during our Ofsted Inspection! I could have just 'stopped' & devolved my responsibility, but then my half term break would completely dissolve!

Health seems on the up. Aiming for Friday 🤞

Feeling much better today, with a clearer head, less coughing and a negative LFT 👍

Will venture out of Covid isolation & plan for a busy day back in school tomorrow. As a secondary teacher, the catching-up from 4 days off work is enormous. Thank goodness it's nearly #HalfTerm.

Goodness me. Sometimes you only know what you've been missing when it comes back.

Brain function seems to be fully back and I'm looking forward to getting back to work tomorrow.

Fingers crossed my physical #LongCovid symptoms aren't any worse; I've not really tested my fitness.

I will never take it for granted that #Dartington is right on my doorstep.

I'm a little uncoordinated, somehow, but this Autumnal evening walk is really reviving.

*Sound up*

Tomorrow, for the 1st time in over 31 months, I'll be mixing indoors with well over 1000 others, certain that I will NOT catch #COVID19. I didn't have this feeling back in Feb. because I had a #PulmonaryEmbolism before I could return to work.

I will still #WearAMask, obviously.

Back to work today for some meetings & enjoyed teaching Years 8, 9, 10, 11 & 13 after a week in bed with Round 2 of Covid. Felt important to get back in to tie-up some of the week's Cover lesson content before the half-term break & to collect some exercise books for feedback 🙏

Trying some moderate walking today, to assess the potential impact of another, week-long period of #COVID19 illness.

Legs felt heavy, as if made of concrete, for the first mile. Then came a slight discomfort in my lower right leg and foot.

Stormed up #Totnes High Street and...

...now I feel great, after a proper 3-mile walk and from raising my heartrate for the first time in 10 days.

SATs are variable: SpO2 between 94% and 97%.

Hopeful that my #Moderna bivalent booster has ensured no worsening of my #LongCovid symptoms and happy to be out and about!

A wonderful Autumnal 5 miles walked. On the up again 🤞
#PulmonaryEmbolism #COVID19 #LongCovid #Recovery

Yes indeed...

Another #COVID19 impact? My optician thinks so, although probably Covid just accelerated my eye-muscle decline.

Had eyes tested back in Jan. (3 weeks prior to #SARSCoV2 infection). By Feb I noticed big changes to my close-vision.

It's cost me hundreds of pounds for #varifocals!

October has been a tricky one,but half-term came at a good time and I used the opportunity to catch-up on some family time and to catch-up on some of the backlog from being off work with my second bout of #COVID19.

Had a rest-day today. Going to get some steps in tomorrow 🙂

9 months to the day since my #SARSCoV2 infection, which was then followed by a #COVID19-provoked #PulmonaryEmbolism.

Felt 'back to normal' earlier today, exploring the steep-sloped @nationaltrust gardens at Coleton Fishacre. Legs & arms are now exhausted.

This #LongCovid really is testing my resilience! Full morning of teaching 08:50 to 13:30, tying-up loose ends following my most-recent Covid absence, and then another lesson and meetings after lunch. On top of my mobility struggles, I started to lose my voice during Period 1 😆

Excellent new clip on episodic disability from #LongCovid which helps me to better understand my current situation with my leg and arm issues each afternoon and evening:

Thanks for the heads-up @1goodtern 🙏

9 months since my first #COVID19 infection and resulting #PulmonaryEmbolism. Reluctantly back on the anticoagulant medication since a second Covid infection a couple of weeks ago 😡 Still experiencing physical #LongCovid symptoms every afternoon and evening...

I feel 'normal' each morning, after a night's sleep

What I've learnt from my #AccessToWork (UK Department for Work & Pensions) assessment, based on my 'lactic acid/heavy legs' and also issues with my arms:

1. Chairs matter!
2. Elevate your knees higher than your hips!

[2 of 5]

1. Chairs matter!

I've heard this stuff many times before, but sitting too low-down on inappropriate stools and chairs in multiple classrooms & offices makes my condition much worse.

New chairs ordered, with good back support, lumbar support, adjustable height and width arms...

2. Keeping my knees elevated above my hips makes a massive difference!

My school already had a footrest, which is already helping to ease my symptoms. This also explains why driving is no longer a problem for me, as my knees are much higher than my hips when in my car.

[4 of 5]

I admit to being skeptical about #CompressionTights (designed to stop lactic acid build-up in my legs) and #AntiFatigueMats to stand on when I'm teaching, but I'm going to give them a go!

Hoping that, over time, this #disability will become less of a constraint on my life.

We're starting to piece-together the impact of #COVID19 on our bodies. Via clotting & #PulmonaryEmbolism my life has been drastically changed. I love the way @1goodtern finds creative ways to communicate the stuff that people just don't seem to understand.

Must learn from my mistakes and PACE myself!

Haven't had a proper walk for over a week and spent all day so far resting with my feet up, lying down whilst marking students' assessments.

Bounded downstairs and announced my intention to walk.

500m from home, legs go to 1st gear!

After stopping to chat with a friend (a retired anethsetist) I now seem to be in 2nd gear, so will heed my body's advice and plod onward.

My friend pressed my fingertip and noted very weak capillary flow; also noted SpO2 drop to 94% from 99% at start of walk.

#LongCovid

Walked twice as far as intended!

I may be walking ridiculously slowly (as if I've run a marathon) but good to be semi-mobile again following #COVID19 Round 2. Have made a GP appointment for later this month to assess where I'm now at & how I can move forward with this #disability.

#PulmonaryEmbolism #LongCovid

Feeling much improved now.

Monday was tough from the very start. Legs and arms were struggling. A busy day at work provided no let-up & recovery didn't come until bed-rest in the evening and a long night's sleep.

Pay-back for my weekend walks? I hope not.

#LongCovid #COVID19

Easy Wednesday, teaching all day without much rest, but legs only slowed down around 3pm. Just used the gym for an hour - exercise bike, cross-trainer, treadmill, lateral pull-down, dumbells... Took it easy & will see how body reacts. Gathering evidence for my up-coming GP appt.

Compression tights arrived. Oh my!

Immediate drop in SpO2 (blood oxygen saturation) -what's that about? Maybe the deoxygenated blood heading off around my body? Maybe the exertion of putting them on? 😀

Leg-buzzing is stronger than ever & v. distracting.

Another Saturday, another 4 miles walked. Went more to plan this week, with a rest at my daughter's house halfway through. A mostly level walk, but SpO2 dropped significantly on the uphill sections. Some faster pace on the downhills; plodded at times. Getting sick of #LongCovid.

For the record, on this continuing very long thread, playing long notes on my tuba at tonight's rehearsal led to me becoming very light-headed and my legs & arms becoming very tingly. Soon after stopping playing, I got out my #oximeter and SpO2 was at 86%. Back at 97% now.

A bit of a #Eureka! moment at orchestra this evening:

Playing the tuba in bands and orchestras can be really invigorating and this led to my feet feeling very heavy/numb and my hands & arms shaking. Took out my Pulse #oximeter and watched my Sp02 fluctuate from 67%, up to 99%...

...& then it tumbled gradually back down into the 80s, then back up to 99%...

One of the horn players, a GP, noticed and asked me if anyone had suggested #GullainBarreSyndrome...

I think she may be right! Nerve damage and poor peripheral circulation:
nhs.uk/conditions/gui…

Gullain-Barre Syndrome

'The exact cause of Guillain-Barre syndrome is unknown. But two-thirds of patients report symptoms of an infection in the six weeks preceding. These include a COVID-19, respiratory or a gastrointestinal infection or Zika virus.'
mayoclinic.org/diseases-condi…

'...your immune system - which usually attacks only invading organisms - begins attacking the nerves. In AIDP, the nerves' protective covering (myelin sheath) is damaged. The damage prevents nerves from transmitting signals to your brain, causing weakness, numbness or paralysis.

This might explain why my finger-tip SpO2 measurements vary so much and I don't experience extreme symptoms beyond my arms and legs. Maybe I've had Gullain-Barre Syndrome for the last 7 months or so?

At least 45 per 1000 infected with #COVID19, regardless of age, gender, race, and pre-existing conditions, experience serious cardiovascular consequences, including widespread #BloodCots. This may seem small, but that's millions of us!
forbes.com/sites/williamh…

Clifton, Bristol really is hilly! Needed a fair few sit-downs, legs-up.

Legs buzzing, feet kept feeling like lead-weights, minor leg-collapses, heavy arms, numb hands, SpO2 dropping into the 80s...
#COVID19 #LongCovid #PulmonaryEmbolism #GullainBarreSyndrome?

Guillain-Barre Syndrome

#LongCovid

Feet up!

Teaching complete & set-up for this evening's Sixth Form Open Evening.

My arms & lower legs weakened first. When the upper parts of my legs weakened (this afternoon) my body slowed down.

300 days since #COVID19 started my journey to #disability via #PulmonaryEmbolism.

Big parcel delivered incorrectly to our house today. Luckily it had the actual buyer's mobile number on it; I called her and she sent some family members to collect it. Before #COVID19 I'd have gladly taken it myself, but my legs are *buzzing* from simply lifting it 2 metres 😑

300 days (43 wks) since #COVID19 infection & I'm feeling frustrated by my lack of exercise. Day out in Bristol last w/e was the only day in the last 2 weeks that I've managed to exercise & it has knock-on effects, notably the shakiness of my legs following today's brief trip out.

[Continued...]

Having said that, it's normal for me to walk less in November, heading off to work around sunrise, often getting home after dark.

Resting this weekend, with my feet up. Another busy week at work coming up, but hopefully the last before my new chairs arrive 🤞 twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

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