![]() ![]() In the past, her inhaler would do the trick whenever she’d gasp for air, but now the shortness of breath is constant and brutal. Like the fatigue, the breathlessness struck immediately and in full force. Sass, for example, has asthma, but the breathing difficulties associated with it didn’t have a major impact on her quality of life until she got COVID. 1 This may be due to inflammation, as well as the cell and blood vessel damage SARS-CoV-2 may cause in the lungs specifically, research shows. Some studies suggest people who had COVID are twice as likely to have long-term respiratory symptoms, like a persistent cough, compared to people who never got sick with the virus. It can feel like they just can’t get enough air, for example, says Dr. In clinical testing, their oxygen levels will be healthy and their breathing will appear normal at rest, he says, but any slight activity may throw their airways into a tailspin. ![]() Barshikar says he regularly sees respiratory problems, like shortness of breath or chest discomfort, in people who have been hospitalized for COVID pneumonia, but also in those who have “mild” infections. “I feel lazy and gross sometimes,” Sass says, “but I’m drained by the time I have to exert any extra ounce of energy.” Breathing issuesĭr. Getting back up after sitting down for a bit has become a hefty to-do. Walking to the kitchen to grab a snack feels like a journey. She isn’t simply sleepy she’s deeply wiped out, all the time. Sass was first hit with fatigue when she was diagnosed with COVID, but it never went away-and it progressively got worse. This puts multiple body systems on high alert, and chronically makes them work harder to try to keep you healthy, which can make everything feel exhausting. One theory: It’s believed that the virus, SARS-CoV-2, can affect the immune system and cause long-lasting inflammation. 1Ī lot more research is needed to better understand why long COVID is associated with such intense fatigue. She’s now one of the estimated 65 million people in the world who are dealing with the often-debilitating symptoms tied to the condition. Sass was eventually diagnosed with long COVID, which is characterized by the development of “new, returning, or ongoing health problems” that people experience at least four weeks after their initial bout of COVID, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC). Her brain felt clouded in a haze, and due to all these new-found health issues, her mood tanked. She was able to ride out the infection at home and the worst of her symptoms dissipated-but then, a new set of symptoms slowly appeared.įirst, Sass was hit with overwhelming fatigue, and shortness of breath that made simple tasks like walking to her car a challenge. For a week, she hunkered down in bed, enduring what felt like a severe case of strep throat with a hacking cough. Lisa Sass, a 31-year-old woman living in Phoenix, tested positive for COVID-19 in February 2021. ![]()
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