Difficult to stand "Corona sequelae" I experienced October 25, 20:10
After being infected with the new coronavirus, some people suffer from lingering symptoms called "aftereffects" or "post-infection symptoms."
As a journalist, I also knew of the existence of such people.
Still, somewhere I thought, "I'll be fine."
I had never thought about what to do when I had "aftereffects".
This is the experience of the new corona aftereffects written by such a reporter.
(Okinawa Broadcasting Station reporter Chisa Kotemori)
My colleague recovered quickly, and I'm sure I did too.
I became positive for the new corona on August 8, 2022.
It was a few days after I returned to Naha, where I live, from Yonaguni Island, Okinawa Prefecture, where I was on a business trip.
I had a fever of 37 degrees and a feeling of discomfort in my throat.
When I tried the medical antigen test kit I had bought, it was positive.
At that time, 5,000 new infections were confirmed in Okinawa every day.
The medical system was under pressure, and young people were being asked to recuperate at home instead of visiting medical institutions, so they registered as positive people using the web system.
I took antipyretic analgesics at home and recuperated.
The fact that I was infected wasn't all that surprising.
I had been vaccinated three times, and my peers who were infected had recovered well and returned to work, so I thought I would recover in a few days.
In fact, although the temperature rose to the 39 degree range, it returned to normal in about 5 days.
Around this time, however, she noticed a new change in her physical condition.
Repetition of "no abnormalities" after examination
Most of the fever and cold symptoms have been cured, and the energy to cook has returned.
And yet, just standing in the kitchen makes her heart beat and her body trembles as if she had just run as fast as she could.
I wonder if the corona recovery is slow.
I measured it with a pulse oximeter that arrived from the prefecture.
Oxygen saturation is fine.
But my heart rate was 130.
After several measurements, I found that standing alone produced an increase in heart rate similar to exercise.
When I lie down, my heart rate goes back to 80.
Days of going around the hospital after the medical treatment period
My first suspicion was the recurrence of a chronic disease.
He was diagnosed with Graves' disease three years ago and was on medication until two years ago.
Basedow's disease can also cause tachycardia.
After 10 days of recuperating from the coronavirus, she immediately went to her family's internal medicine specialist, who was familiar with Graves' disease, and underwent an examination.
No recurrence as a result.
An electrocardiogram was performed just in case, but no arrhythmia was found.
Since the examination is performed in a lying state, the heart rate is 80.
No abnormality.
I was given a β-blocker that slowed my heart rate and took it twice a day.
But even with the medicine, my heart rate would be above 115 just by standing still.
Even cooking and taking a shower was a burden.
I became worried that some other disease was hidden, so I went to a clinic specializing in cardiovascular disease for a second opinion.
I had another electrocardiogram and a blood test to check for NT-proBNP, which is used to treat heart failure, and for anemia, but all values were normal.
Is it the aftereffects of Corona?
After researching my symptoms on the Internet, I learned that tachycardia that occurs only when standing is called POTS (postural tachycardia).
Although there was little information available in Japanese, when I searched for "POTS" and "Long Covid (corona aftereffects)" in English, various news articles and videos appeared, showing people with the same symptoms after being infected with corona. found to be around the world.
Interim guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States also points out that symptoms similar to POTS may occur after being infected with the coronavirus.
Speaking of the aftereffects of the corona virus, fatigue and olfactory and taste disorders are widely known, but it was the first time I learned that there were also symptoms of tachycardia.
Doctors had not pointed it out until now, but I began to think that I might be suffering from the aftereffects of the corona virus.
But what should we do?
Where can I go to get good advice?
The life of looking at the heart rate with a smartwatch goes by day after day.
1 month after infection with no improvement
It's September.
One month after infection, the symptoms did not improve.
Taking the medicine twice a day made it difficult for me to lead a normal life, so I consulted with my family doctor and increased it to three times a day.
She had her friend's wedding coming up in October, but couldn't imagine how things would improve a month later, so she called out.
She found that sitting down wasn't a problem, so she started working from home little by little.
On weekdays she is interviewed by phone, video call and email.
On my days off, I either stay at home, or if I do go out, I do my best to wander around the supermarket.
And at a really slow speed like a turtle.
Before the infection, I was quite active.
Until just before the infection, he went on a business trip to Yonaguni Island, where Chinese military exercises were being held in the area, and worked hard every day from early in the morning to cover the news outside.
For me, who was always working out at the gym or climbing mountains on weekends, the world has changed in ways I could never have imagined.
Considering that I once looked into the sick leave system, it was a relief to be able to work from home.
Still, I couldn't get rid of my anxiety about how long this life would last.
The anguish of those who are unable to work due to symptoms like mine and whose income has been cut off is immeasurable.
i don't know what to believe
Around this time, I was introduced to a general hospital, where I underwent a 24-hour Holter electrocardiogram and an echocardiogram.
However, no cardiovascular disease was found.
The doctor said, "Don't worry."
He was diagnosed with low blood pressure due to weight loss and was advised to stop taking beta-blockers as they were ineffective.
The next day, following her doctor's advice, she stopped taking the medication, and her symptoms quickly worsened.
Eventually she resumed beta-blockers.
I went to a herbal doctor and tried various herbal medicines, but they didn't work for me.
He had repeated medical examinations and tests, and the total medical expenses were more than 30,000 yen even if insurance was applied.
With multiple doctors recommending and stopping drugs, I didn't know what to believe and became mentally exhausted.
Information gathering and trial and error
I've been gathering information on the Internet ever since I noticed something unusual about my body.
Needless to say, the Internet is full of various information such as information from government agencies, information from doctors, and testimonials.
Almost all the time I was touching my smartphone was spent investigating the aftereffects of the corona virus.
When I was researching it at night, I often couldn't sleep because of anxiety and headaches.
When collecting information on Twitter, I paid attention to what kind of person the sender was.
As much as possible, I referred to the transmissions of medical professionals who have been interviewed by multiple reliable media.
I tried to calmly look at the messages of people who experienced the same symptoms as a reference.
Since the information available in Japanese is limited, I also researched Western literature in English.
I mainly looked at well-known news media and websites of public institutions whose addresses end in ".gov".
Under such circumstances, I came across the site "longcovid.jp" operated by Dr. Koichi Hirahata, who has been interviewed by NHK and others for treating the aftereffects of the corona.
Dr. Hirahata wrote his case and treatment based on his experience in his own practice.
Workaround tried
This is the case so far, but I would like to emphasize that from now on in particular, I am writing about my own personal experience.
It's just a story of trying something like this, and I don't know if it works.
Here's what I've tried and tried:
▽Drink 2 liters of water a day
▽Wear compression socks
▽Respiratory rehabilitation
▽Light exercise such as yoga
▽B-spot therapy
▽Acupuncture
"B-spot therapy (also known as EAT, nasopharyngeal scraping therapy)" is a treatment method that has been used in otorhinolaryngology for more than half a century to treat chronic pharyngitis. Zinc chloride is applied between the nose and throat = the upper pharynx.
It is said that it is standard to receive about 20 times.
It sounds painful just to hear it, but confirm that a paper pointing out its potential as a treatment (Epipharyngeal Abrasive Therapy (EAT) Has Potential as a Novel Method for Long COVID Treatment) has been published, and try it. made it
I searched on the internet and went to an otolaryngologist who is carrying out this treatment in the prefecture.
During the examination, a swelling of the nasopharynx was confirmed under a microscope.
It was judged that it was expected to be effective as a treatment for nasopharyngitis, and the treatment was covered by insurance.
Treatment is once a week.
The first three times, I writhed in pain to the point that I regretted the treatment and had bloody phlegm for about an hour.
However, as the treatment was repeated, the pain and bleeding decreased, and by the ninth treatment, there was no bleeding.
70 days after infection, recovery progressed
I don't know if one of the remedies worked or if it just improved over time.
As I continued with water management, light exercise, and B-spot treatment, my fatigue caused by tachycardia gradually improved.
The pulse itself also went down little by little, although not dramatically, and the heart rate stabilized in the 90s.
I was able to take the medicine once a day instead of three times a day.
After I started taking proactive coping methods, I was able to feel more positive than when I couldn't do anything and felt uneasy.
Two months have passed since the end of the treatment period.
I still take one tablet in the morning.
I can't say that I'm completely cured yet, but I'm recovering to the extent that I can do interviews outside.
Observed Issues in Treatment of Aftereffects
What I realized after experiencing the so-called "aftereffects" of the new coronavirus was that the mental burden was greater than the symptoms.
If we don't know the cause, if we don't know how to deal with it, and if we don't know when it will improve, we all feel hopeless.
However, I believe that this sense of hopelessness can be alleviated somewhat by "information."
It took 79 days, on average, for their resting heart rates to return to normal, compared with just four days for those in the non -
Covid group.
In my case, the New York Times article (Fitbits Detect Lasting Changes After Covid-19 ) and the above-mentioned coping methods, I felt relatively light-hearted.
But I also think I've been blessed.
If you have a job that can't be remote work.
If your income has been cut off.
If I was raising a child alone...
I don't think I could have lived with the same feeling.
There must be more than a few people who need direct support, not just information.
Through coverage in Okinawa
Having become a party to the "corona aftereffects", I began reporting on the current situation in Okinawa.
In Okinawa, as of October, more than 500,000 people have been infected with the novel coronavirus.
A prefectural official said, "It is said that 10 to 20 percent of people suffer from long-term symptoms. It wouldn't be strange for 50,000 to 100,000 people to have so-called 'aftereffects.'"
However, there is no outpatient clinic specializing in aftereffects in Okinawa.
With so many patients, a prefectural official explained, "It's impossible for a single outpatient clinic specializing in aftereffects to see all of them."
The prefectural government is working to create a system for examining patients with aftereffects, centered on local clinics such as family doctors, and in cooperation with general hospitals as needed.
On the other hand, otolaryngologists who see patients with aftereffects point out that it is difficult for people suffering from aftereffects to learn about treatment methods, and that there are few medical institutions where they can try them out.
We asked Kota Arakaki, director of an otolaryngology clinic in Itoman City.
Director Aragaki
"There is no established treatment method yet, and it cannot be said that B-spot treatment will work for everyone. However, there are treatments for which evidence is emerging little by little. At least access to these options should be ensured. I want you to"
my reflection
Originally, even if you are not the person concerned, the way a reporter should be is to report with an awareness of the issues to solve social issues.
That should have been the case, but the coverage of the aftereffects started when I actually became a party.
This time, I was reluctant to make a statement as one of the parties.
However, I thought that I could not just keep the issues that I was able to notice because I became a person concerned.
I wrote this article with self-admonition that there may be problems that I have overlooked until now because I was fine.
There are many things that the media should report, such as issues with the medical care system and the latest treatment methods.
I would like to make use of the reflections and learnings that I have been able to notice over the past two months in my future coverage.
Okinawa Broadcasting Station Reporter
Chisa Kotemori Joined the station in
2017 After working at the Gifu Bureau, she is currently
in charge of reporting on the U.S. military and tourism in Okinawa
since 2020 .