Long COVID has become a part of our everyday life, unfortunately. Long COVID is the term commonly used to describe the ongoing symptoms related to a COVID-19 infection. It can last for a few weeks or even several months.
These symptoms can include ongoing fatigue, fever, shortness of breath or difficulty with breathing, lingering cough, brain fog, headaches, issues with sleep, and much more. It’s also common for symptoms to get worse after physical or mental exertion. However, it is important to note that long COVID will impact everyone a little differently. Symptoms can be difficult to describe and seem to have no cause at times.
This can be really hard to diagnose because long COVID isn’t just one illness. Yes, it began with a COVID-19 infection, but the ongoing symptoms can remain for long after the virus has been cleared from the body. Other illnesses or health conditions can trigger the symptoms, too. It’s very hard to determine what’s long COVID and what’s related to another issue.
All of this points to the complications and dangers that arise when there are comorbidities. Comorbidities are diseases or illnesses that are occurring at the same time. High blood pressure and diabetes is just one example of a comorbidity that can contribute to health issues. Both of these can be problematic, but they are even more so when they happen at the same time in an individual.
This is one of the reasons why seniors were hit so hard by the pandemic. Seniors tend to have more ongoing health issues than younger folk. Time, diminished immune systems, and other complications already can make it so that seniors struggle to maintain their health. Add on a virus like COVID-19, and you have one more pretty serious comorbidity in the equation.
More care and attention can be given to treating the long term symptoms as we understand the illness better.
If you have concerns about COVID or any ongoing symptoms, please speak with a medical professional that is familiar with you and your health history. This blog is meant to be informative, but it is not exhaustive when it comes to the topic of how COVID can impact you. A doctor’s advice is always better than reading about something on the web.
If there’s anything that we learned during the pandemic, it’s that we need to do a better job of protecting our older loved ones during times of crisis like this. Having a plan for how you will care for an older loved one before that plan is needed can help.
We don’t offer medical care here at Paradise In-Home Care. But we do offer senior care and understand how that can have a positive impact on someone’s overall health–both physical and mental. Our caregivers have years of hands-on expertise in the field working with people, and are happy to help. We offer free consultations, can answer questions over the phone, or even provide ongoing assistance for your family. If you would like to know how senior care can help assist an older loved one, please get in touch with us today.
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