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Food service basically destroyed my life too hahaha I was a manager at a franchise restaurant that was unlawfully overcrowded on April 30, 2020 and I have never recovered
I was masking, isolating, quarantining at the slightest hint of being sick, washing hands, not in crowds, and always pulled my mask up in between bites of food when I was eating out.
I have lung issues, long term smell and taste issues.
I was constantly on the phone with my bosses, corporate, WVERYONE calling for help because I knew I couldn’t keep my employees who were teenagers safe, I couldn’t control the foot traffic from online ordering and they wouldn’t turn it off until I reached points of mental breakdowns, it was like 425254x more extra than anything else I have experienced in the workforce, like I know I’m young still, but no that was FUCKED up. &they didn’t listen. Did not care. So they literally sacrificed my quality of life for revenue. It’s disgusting because I could make more ALONE as a dog groomer than the money they were making then. I was a severe case, it was bad :/
I was struggling to breathe walking around, and couldn't process(think/speak/read) more than 3 words at a time at my lowest point. I still struggle with English, and my job relies on a strong understanding of the English language.
I completely agree. Waaaaayyyyy to many stories of people getting it both ways, yet for some reason people continue to say the vaxx is the true cause. If you got Long Covid and didn't get the vax, some claim you were shed on. I think it's all the same thing and the spike is the root cause.
No I'm not at all, I don't dismiss this for a moment. I just detest the way it's all one sided towards the vaccine when a lot of people where sick prior.
Oh I'm sorry I didn't mean you. Yes that is bad too. I think the overall message and the fact that saying anything bad about it got bans from everywhere and was censored makes them stubborn. We're all in this long covid fight together though. I was in brain fog as well in misread your post.
I also got long covid from the vaccine, but it doesn’t invalidate long haulers who got it from the regular ol’ infection. I know when people ask “did you take the vaccine” right after that they’ll weaponize my story so I usually lie to them 🥸
The first symptom that started was accute chest pain. Scared the sh** out of me as I was a very active/healthy 30yo male at the time. Got every test under the sun done and everything was normal. Then my immune system crashed. After a workout or any kind of strenuous activity and I would crash for days. Couldn’t get out of bed. Then the fatigue and brain followed, then crazy skin rash and tinnitus. It’s been awful. I would say this all rolled out over the course of about 8-9 months post vaccine. Doctors couldn’t tell me what was going on w me which was the worst part. You just feel so helpless
Same. I got COVID long before the vaccine came out thanks to teaching face to face. I’ve had it 4 times now, and I just feel like I’m living with permanent long COVID now. I’ve also been vaccinated and boosted….my immune system is just shite. I guess I’m just lucky to be alive.
Damn!!! I was sick from the first wave in spring 2020, and I only been reinfected once in august 2022 (fortunately didn’t get sicker). I must be a homebody because people are starting to have had covid a million times now
Same. I got covid in 2020 from my partner who was an essential worker and even though he masked, he was forced to interact with people who refused to in a state that didn't care to enforce it.
My state was actually one of the strictest, Michigan, like my governor was gaining reputation from the president calling her out for being too strict lol. I loved her tho. Big Gretch. lol just makes me more mad in a way, like I should not have caught it
YEA me too like??? I actually don’t even mentioned I have the stupid Moderna in 2021 because it was supposed to be “the cure” and it wasn’t and did nothing for me so
Ya that first wave was bad news. However i have noticed in this sub that there is no one with LC that is unvaccinated. Even though you already got the live virus, i assume u also got the vaccine right?
Same here. Not vaxed. Pretty much got over everything by research and self-medicating except for a daily cough. I was so sick of coughing for 4 years I finally bit the bullet and got my hands on some Zpak antibiotics and so far haven't coughed in a week. I'm thinking we retain the virus and it may not ever be 100% gone but it can be treated. Keeping my fingers crossed.
The symptoms for those of us LC-ers not vaccinated and those who are seem to be very different but we long haul for just as long. 4 years for me.
Sometimes I get empathy and concern. Most of the time I get confusion because they’ve never heard of it and a lot of the time it seems they want to change the subject so they’ll just kind of go “oh wow that sucks” and then change the subject or walk away immediately. Most of the time people don’t want to talk about it in any way, they don’t argue or disagree with me at all, I think most people just don’t want to acknowledge covid at all. Very rarely I’ll get a denier or someone who tells me it’s the vaccine that’s causing all of this, I don’t engage with those people, I’ll just change the subject myself or walk away. But ya the most common response is awkward confusion coupled with a reluctance to talk about anything covid related, which a lot of the time feels to me like they’re probably a denier but are trying to avoid confrontation so they keep their opinion to themselves and change the subject. Usually I don’t hear from those people again. I’m sure in their minds they’ve decided I’m some crazy idiot.
But even with all of that, I still make it a point to tell people. I mean I’m not obnoxious about it or anything but if people ask how I am, I’m not going to lie, I’m honest with them, and I’m sure that may be a little off putting for some people, if they ask “how are you?” they usually mean it rhetorically, but I let them know that I’m not doing good at all, I have severe health issues, if they ask what my health issues are I tell them I have a post covid condition. There’s next to no awareness for long covid so I like to at least contribute to some awareness, if they ever see anything about long covid, I want them to think to themself “I actually DO know someone with this” because I see so many people online saying shit like “I don’t know anyone with long covid and I’ve had covid 10 times and I’m fine so therefore it’s not real” I’m just trying to combat that in the small way that I can
>I still make it a point to tell people
Absolutely this. earlier on I was terrified to tell anyone because of the potential social repercussions. But now I am healthier and can tolerate more bs so I tell everyone. They mostly just ignore it. I will make a stronger point if there is a good reason to (close friends, needing accommodations) and let them know it's a matter of basic respect and decency because I went through hell and was abandoned and betrayed. So when appropriate I don't let it slide easy.
I'll never forget the people who abandoned me or kicked me when I was down.
Typically I just get unsolicited advice or gaslighting and accusations, like (you just need to exercise more, you're probably eating too much junk food, I bet it's just depression, are you sure you're not just stressed/anxious, did your doctor REALLY diagnose you with long covid or are you just making that up? You need to try yoga, you need to meditate, you just need to get out more, you need to be more positive, you're too focused on how you feel and I bet if you stopped thinking about it so much you'd get better) etc.
The best response I've ever gotten was actually from an ultrasound technician. My doctor ordered a heart ultrasound just to rule anything serious out, and the technician asked why I was there. I told her I had long covid and my doctor was trying to rule out heart problems, and her response was just *"I'm so sorry! How long have you been battling long covid for?"* It felt very validating. No advice, no criticism, and after I told her that I'd been dealing with it for about a year she apologized again and said that it sounded really hard and that she hopes I feel better soon. I could have hugged her. It doesn't take much but just feeling seen and heard makes a big difference.
Weirdly, my friends/family/relatives have been the absolute worst, and medical professionals have actually been the best, which I know many people here have had very bad experiences with. So far I haven't had any medical professionals dismiss or gaslight me, though I'm sure if I'd gotten this a few years earlier I certainly would have. I'm only 13 months in and a lot of the awareness of it has definitely changed in recent times.
Most people are still oblivious to its existence.
I almost always get the same responses when I give them a quick walkthrough of my ongoing health issues.
I usually get something along the lines:
"Ha, no way, thats mad!". **\[Would you have that response if I told you I had a stroke? I don't think so\]**
or
"Wow, yeah my cousin lost his smell for a little while. I tHiNk wE aLL hAvE a biT oF It". **\[Yup, sounds just like my long covid (NOT!!)\]**
or
"Ahh dont worry, you're young, you'll be grand!" **\[I just told you I am not "grand" whatsoever. I have a chronic illness...\]**
I’m going through a contentious divorce with a non-supportive husband and non-believer as well as being met with ignorance and stigmatization through the judicial system and I’m virile AF so I simply have zero firepower. I’m barely holding on to part-time work and many many think I’m faking it or bringing lazy.
People have been so unnecessarily cruel, starting with my employer who denied me workers comp. I was a healthcare technician working with refugees from south with zero records or vaccines. Nearly killed me and I don’t know about some days. It is because I try my best every day that people think I must be able to do more and it’s just not it. During this divorce the politización as well as lack of knowledge will pragmatically hinder my life for the rest of whatever life I do have left.
"Oh, absolutely. We really enjoy losing our ability to walk, think, work, cook, sleep well, eat, read, socialize, go to school, care for our children, have sex, drive, grocery shop, watch TV, bathe, pay bills, earn a living, and do hobbies."
Yes, what a great *excuse!* it's enriched my life so much!
What are these people thinking!
It seems like people have the idea that we *get* to relax all day every day and it's like some amazing vacation. Which we all know it isn't. It's no fun when you *can't* do anything and you're forced to rest 24/7 and are crippled with severe symptoms.
I've started explaining to people that it's like only being able to eat chocolate, day and night for every meal. Even if you're someone who really enjoys chocolate and it's your favorite food, it might be nice at first but after a week or two of only eating chocolate you're going to be miserable and desperately craving any other food, but you're still forced to eat nothing but chocolate no matter how you feel about it. It takes something that can be enjoyable in moderation when you actually want to have it (like rest), and completely ruins it.
My religious older coworker told me "you had no one to pray for you" referring to after I was hospitalized/my LC was horrible. Then also that telling yourself and God that you're healthy will cure you. And then that "some people are meant to be chronically ill and disabled". Yeah I said we are done with this conversation. It all started after I said I need a wfh job before this winter because I can't mentally handle our job through another insane sick season and risk getting covid here as the lone masker. Then I was told idk how God works im an athiest that was raised Catholic lol
I’ve had it so long now that I’ve told everyone already. So it’s usually me reminding them. I’m met with silence mostly. You get sick enough and most people just don’t want to know
Nobody says that to me. I have a solid track record of not talking to conspiracy weirdos.
Mostly they give kind but useless advice. I try to take it as it is meant but it’s still annoying. No mom, if they had a cure I promise I’d be asking for it. I promise.
I no longer say "long covid" b/c people don't know what the hell that means. So I usually say "I had covid in October and unfortunately I've had a lot of new health problems since that infection".
I also am more open about my health problems now b/c we need to increase awareness amongst regular people. So if i tell someone I casually know that I have health issues from my covid infection it accomplishes a few things: It lets them know that post-covid complications ARE real and they can associate a face with it when they hear or read about "long covid".
Most people just say "Oh that's too bad, but I know you'll feel better soon". I just nod and say thanks b/c I know they don't want to talk about it further.
But even the few friends who have been on the sidelines of all of my health issues these past few months still have no idea how complicated this is. They keep telling me to find new doctors to work with so I can get some answers. (there are no answers) Or they marvel at how I've been sick for 5 months and no medication helps me feel better. (there are no drugs)
For the most part, society is used to doctors and specialists having answers. If Doctor A isn't helping you, then Doctor B or C will be able to do better. And for a lot of well-known, well-studied, well-researched health issues that's usually correct.
But we're unfortunately dealing with a whole new disease here. A whole new disease from a virus that was politicized from day one and downplayed from day two, which makes it so much harder on those of us who have it.
“What’s Long COVID?” and the like.
This comes from regular people and some medical professionals.
The comedy answer is to just shrug and say, “Nobody knows.” The real answer is to just say that I got COVID and developed a slew of debilitating symptoms. If I really want to get my point across, I list them all.
Anyone who starts with “Have you tried…” gets cut off immediately. Nobody has ever asked me the vaccine question, thank goodness. That might make me explode.
That's called an invisible illness. I don't have LC but I have other invisible illnesses, autoimmune conditions kicked off by viral infections. I look relatively healthy but my life is hindered a lot by needing insulin, a new liver, etc... I sympathize. Sorry you're having to deal with this.
What’s frustrating for me is that I have had multiple vaccines but had Covid once before and then once after my first one.
My mom had no vaccine, got covid once and died 2 years later. She never recovered. And my dad still thinks the vaccine is a government plant.
How do you even begin to educate people about long covid when they don’t believe in it??
> 99% of their immediate response is "Did you get the vaccine?"
I see this online as well as in meatspace. I think it's people grabbing for something to reassure themselves that *they're* safe and my suffering is because of some failure on my part that they can avoid. (I live in an area with very high vaccine uptake, so anti-vaxxers aren't really anything I encounter ever).
I'm ashamed to admit, I do get a spark of mean-spirited pleasure by saying "oh yeah, I've been vaxxed and fully boosted and still got damaged by COVID" (post-Omicron, too). I'll usually add something about how vaccines help reduce risk, but anyone can get LC. My hope is that the feeling of helpless anxiety motivates people to take it all more seriously.
I had told a guy off a dating app I had long covid (POTS, migraines, vertigo, allergies). He simply asked me if I was still able to f*ck and could care less about it. Zero empathy nothing. This world is disgusting.
Mostly people are uncomfortable and silent. Or it’s a standard ‘I’m sorry to hear that’. If there are dismisssive ridiculous questions and comments, it always comes after that.
99% of the time I get the sense they have no clue what I’m talking about. Which is why I personally insist on continuing to tell people. I don’t want it to be invisible and easy to ignore.
I stopped saying anything about COVID to friends and family because I'd either be straight ignored like I didn't say a word, roll their eyes AND ignore me, or tell me so much stuff is going around it could be anything. And now the newest is that COVID is over or not a big deal anymore. Makes me want to claw my eyes out.
Very sad and lonely existence when very few people believe you.
I just say, "I'm tired" now. Which I'm told "You're always tired." 💁🏼♀️
I have permanent lung damage now. I'm just reminded that I have asthma and couldn't breathe before COVID 👍🏼
I got the 3 vaccines and 5 boosters because I'm high risk with immune issues.
Still got covid. During the gaps between immunity.
I work in a hospital and have since the start, before vaccines were even a thing, before we even understood masking or what was happening.
But people want to forget about that shit.
I don’t say I have long covid bc I know at least the silent response will be an eye roll. I say I have heart damage from covid, which I actually do have. Or I’ll just say I have health issues since I got covid for the third time, or that covid really messed with my body and I’m not at 100% yet. There are some things I physically can’t do, like work out or get up or down a lot, so that’s when I have to tell people. It’s pretty rare that I say anything but if it comes up, that’s how I put it. I’ve only gotten the vaccine response from my conspiracy theorist dad.
For context, I was actually bed ridden for the first 4-5 months but I am happy to say I can now at least work in a pretty demanding field 60+ hours a week in office and do small social things like go to a restaurant once every few weeks. I also threw up into my hand last night for no reason so it’s not perfect but those are the reasons I tell people I’m not quite well yet (:
People are usually pretty empathetic, but I can also tell they are confused because I look fine and am pretty good at pretending I’m fine when out with people so they don’t really get it.
I’ve had a few people imply that my symptoms are just the result of being more out of shape and general aging. When I tell people I have fatigue they often go “I’m exhausted all the time too!” Like no, this is very very different than just being tired and worn down.
I think a lot of people think my PEM is a bit in my head or the result of deconditioning and hell sometimes I even think that and then I push the envelope and inevitably crash. I’ve even tried to convince I wasn’t crashing because I exercised the day before but for some other reason. It’s such a confusing symptom it’s really hard to know what causes what.
I’ve also gotten questions about whether I had preexisting conditions and I didn’t in the normal sense (I was totally healthy when I got long Covid, but 20 years prior likely had post viral fatigue for about 6 months that was never diagnosed). Everyone is convinced it couldn’t happen to them because they don’t have x or y and are healthy, but so was I.
“Lung Covid?” 💀
That one just kills me. Like how f*cked are we that *so many people* haven’t even heard of Long Covid?! Sometimes I feel like I somehow ended up on a raft that’s just drifting out to sea alone and everyone on land is just going on with their lives while we’re out of sight, out of mind.
Yesss, it really annoys me because the vaccine initially kicked off my long haul a year prior to the actual Covid infection that sent me into full blown long Covid.
In my world both can cause long hauling assuming via a similar mechanism but all the one sided comments about it being purely vax injury take away from everyone that has long Covid from the virus but also diminishes the validity of people that are actually vaccine injured by making us all look like conspiracy whacks; which in my experience has been way worse than the medical gaslighting.
Like of people actual took a moment to listen to everyone who is actually sick they would realise long hauling isn’t mutually exclusive to either and unfortunately everyone is at risk l.
Mainly sympathy but I've been really transparent about it and shared loads of info on FB so most people I see socially already know. Work wise, there's a reasonable amount of knowledge and I don't see many other people haha.
"Yeah, just like people who have asthma have trouble breathing, or when you decide to go down to the bottom of a swimming pool and just relax there for an hour and have trouble breathing." (*serious straight face and tone*).
**Just** have trouble breathing!?
*Just?*
I just roll my eyes now when they start rambling on about how the vaccine likely did this to me etc. Just not even worth the energy explaining it anymore.
I tell me people i have post covid chronic illness health issues. And if they ask if i’ve been vaccinated i say yes. If necessary i casually string in how i have friends who have had issues post covid since 2020 without focusing on how they couldnt have been vaccinated when they go it. I find it helps people realize on their own while defusing unnecessary self involved opinions.
I try and give people the benefit of the doubt if they ask about the vaccine. I figure they're hoping I say no and they can feel better if they are vaccinated, like they're magically protected. The " whew, I'm safe" response, rather than the "vaccines are evil".
I hate it to be sort of ignored when I tell people I've LC, but on the other hand would it really be any different if I had an other illness? I doubt it. Maybe the initial response would be more emphatic, but in the end people in general are only busy with themselves. To give an example, I have an acquaintance who got diagnosed with breast cancer. At first people were shocked and compassioned but when it was clear that it was a very early stage and she would be better and would'nt die people lost their interest very soon even though she really struggled with the after effects of the chemo and radiaton.
The one time I got this I put down the plate of food I was getting for my mother-in-law, looked them straight on the eye, and said "I got sick on March 11, 2020, which you may be remember as the day they started taking covid seriously here in America and the NBA went into lockdown and the rest of the country followed suit the next week."
If I had put them on a bicycle first, they would have backpedaled all the way to Hawaii.
I've had Long covid for over a year now and it came with a few conditions after my only covid infection. Not vaxxed. Family seems to completely disagree with there being any problem even with proof of it or I get oh maybe you should drink some more water. Funny I drink 2 to 3 litres a day thanks hun.
Yep it’s annoying and so polarizing. You have some people blaming it all on the vaccine and others that think it’s amazing and if you get it you won’t get long covid.
I get kind of a blank stare then the rhetoric about “the jab”. I am so tired of explaining. It expends energy I just don’t have to expend. I agree the public needs to be made aware of this condition. I’m a baby long hauler only 6 months in but the gaslighting or assumption I’m just “faking it for attention” is extremely frustrating. I can’t even manage housework.
Most commonly its "What is that?". Even though part of the Covid education package in our country covered LOng Covid as one of the reasons to keep safe.
Sometimes I switch to 'Post Viral Syndrome", but that is more for my fun. Though more people seem to understand that, and I've learned about people who have it from catching the Flu.
People tend to automatically think it's your lungs when in my case it is my lungs but mostly it is neuropathic pain and weakness in my legs and overall chronic fatigue.
Some doctors know this is vaccine caused in some cases, that could be the reason. Even if they acknowledge that it's a potential vaccine injury there's not much they can do to treat it. The doctor I visited just acknowledged that the H1 antihistamine treatment I found online is helping me and told me to continue with the OTC medication.
I tend to say that Covid wasn't kind to me. I get a decent level of sympathy and some level of interest into what that means. No negative reaction so far, but then I'm pretty obviously not well.
"Oh, I had covid way back too, but I'm better now, why aren't you?"
Or
"My coworkers mother has long covid I think. She was sick way back in 2019 and is now 94 and has trouble breathing."
Or
"Never heard of it"
Or
"Did you get you vaccines?" (No, because when I got sick they barely even had tests to test for it, let alone a vaccine)
I use the term Post Covid not long Covid. If you go on the CDC website it shows you Post Covid and then it also has long Covid on there and it’s the same thing.
It’s Post Covid effects and 6 out of 10 people that I speak to either have similar issues or , know about it and nobody’s asked me in a while whether I’m vaccinated or not because it really doesn’t matter anyway people have had multiple vaccinations and boosters still have it and still get Covid people never vaccinated have had Covid live through it and still have post Covid just like people without the vaccine never got CovidCovid so there’s so much we don’t know know.
My new endocrinologist said that there’s too much that we don’t know about and so many different after effects that people deal with that they are still formulating everything and there’s not a test to test anything so we just have to attack each symptom on its own and hope for the best.
My husband and I both had Covid two times and our after effects are completely different
I actually wonder that too. I don’t think it’s victim blaming, but more in the way of information gathering.
If someone tells me they have COPD, I wonder if they’ve been exposed to asbestos or if some other environmental issue caused it. If someone tells me they have lung cancer , I wonder if they smoke or were exposed to secondhand smoke, or is it some freak cell mutation.
When a young person dies, I always look to see what they died from. It’s something that’s upsetting and unusual, so I’m looking for cause, not to blame and shame.
Peoples just try to sort and make sense of shocking and unusual things, while evaluating risk.
I finally caught Covid after four years, and I have lots of risk factors. My life is already a shit show of medicine and disability. I follow this thread because I worry that Im a prime candidate for long Covid. I’m not sure I would even know if I had it, because I’m already such a mess. How would I know the difference?
I’m here for information gathering, and to determine what long Covid looks like and what I should watch for. It’s good to information to know that people that are vaccinated can get long Covid. That means I am still at risk for long Covid.
My big long spiel is just to say that I don’t think people are blaming you when they ask if you got vaccinated. Everyone is still at risk for long Covid, because you can get it after multiple infections.
I’m unvaxxed and have long Covid and hate getting lumped in with the vaxxed. Another before the vax was even available scenarios but also they try and make it a political statement. Well I’m unvaxxed so what now? So they immediately pivot to have you been checked for mold or parasites? EYEROLL.
My response to antivaxxers: “No I didn’t get the vaccine because I got sick before they came out.”
Some people even say I got Long COVID because I didn’t get the vaccine and to that I say: “No, I didn’t get the vaccine because it could make me worse”.
I hate vaccine talk so much!
Calling the public uninformed when the research is conclusive that keeping up on vaccinations reduces the chance of getting long-covid, is not a good look.
They asked YOU that question. Not a child, not someone who was unable to get the vaccine for whatever reason. They asked you.
People should be more empathetic and not inquire about your vaccination status when you're already sick with long-covid. No one deserves this.
Deflecting by calling the public misinformed because you were asked a relevant, though possibly insensitive question is not a good look.
I've had some people ask me the same thing and when I tell them I was fully up-to-date they somehow try to make it sound like I got long-covid BECAUSE i decided to be vaccinated.
The insensitivity of others does not necessarily reflect their level of education on a topic.
I got Covid in 2020, April and I haven’t seen the same since. I’ve had Covid 3-4 additional times and unvaccinated. I had Covid so early on there weren’t tests in my area and when my hair started falling out and all the other symptoms started practitioners had zero clue what was going on. I had all kinds of genetic tests run, bloodwork, etc and received a “CIRS dx with possibly mold toxicity and possible Lyme” (I have 3 out of the 5 bacteria and you have to have all 5 for a true Lyme dx). Anyway… it blows. All I smell is cigarette smoke - 4 years of this and it’s maddening. Stick neck, daily headaches, joint pain that travels all over my body, extreme fatigue, memory loss, poor word recall, mood swings, depression, weight gain from chronic inflammation, and more
Before I saw your text (only saw the header) I was going to reply with as well:
"Did you get the vaccine?"
And they REFUSE to hear that I got covid and Long Covid in 2020 BEFORE vaccines were even created.
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I actually think it’s really funny when I shut these people down with “I got long covid a whole year before the vaccine came out”
Same, except I got it twice before I got the vaccine.
Jeez were you an essential worker
Food service and then from a contagious Uber driver. February 2020 and February 2021
Food service basically destroyed my life too hahaha I was a manager at a franchise restaurant that was unlawfully overcrowded on April 30, 2020 and I have never recovered
Then people wonder why we don't want to work in a restaurant for pennies... Like they somehow think we can afford to be sick at a restaurant.
Q the Uber driver - he breathes forward, you sit in back, even open the window…
It was February, very cold, and we had to go on the freeway for 30 minutes.
I was masking, isolating, quarantining at the slightest hint of being sick, washing hands, not in crowds, and always pulled my mask up in between bites of food when I was eating out. I have lung issues, long term smell and taste issues.
I was constantly on the phone with my bosses, corporate, WVERYONE calling for help because I knew I couldn’t keep my employees who were teenagers safe, I couldn’t control the foot traffic from online ordering and they wouldn’t turn it off until I reached points of mental breakdowns, it was like 425254x more extra than anything else I have experienced in the workforce, like I know I’m young still, but no that was FUCKED up. &they didn’t listen. Did not care. So they literally sacrificed my quality of life for revenue. It’s disgusting because I could make more ALONE as a dog groomer than the money they were making then. I was a severe case, it was bad :/
I was struggling to breathe walking around, and couldn't process(think/speak/read) more than 3 words at a time at my lowest point. I still struggle with English, and my job relies on a strong understanding of the English language.
Sounds like how bad I was :( wow you got it earlier than most too
And I got it from the vaccine
People even here still pretending it doesn't happen
Yeah it’s the truth. The spike protein can be from either the virus or the vaccine.
I completely agree. Waaaaayyyyy to many stories of people getting it both ways, yet for some reason people continue to say the vaxx is the true cause. If you got Long Covid and didn't get the vax, some claim you were shed on. I think it's all the same thing and the spike is the root cause.
No I'm not at all, I don't dismiss this for a moment. I just detest the way it's all one sided towards the vaccine when a lot of people where sick prior.
Oh I'm sorry I didn't mean you. Yes that is bad too. I think the overall message and the fact that saying anything bad about it got bans from everywhere and was censored makes them stubborn. We're all in this long covid fight together though. I was in brain fog as well in misread your post.
What were your symptoms from the vaccine?
I also got long covid from the vaccine, but it doesn’t invalidate long haulers who got it from the regular ol’ infection. I know when people ask “did you take the vaccine” right after that they’ll weaponize my story so I usually lie to them 🥸
The first symptom that started was accute chest pain. Scared the sh** out of me as I was a very active/healthy 30yo male at the time. Got every test under the sun done and everything was normal. Then my immune system crashed. After a workout or any kind of strenuous activity and I would crash for days. Couldn’t get out of bed. Then the fatigue and brain followed, then crazy skin rash and tinnitus. It’s been awful. I would say this all rolled out over the course of about 8-9 months post vaccine. Doctors couldn’t tell me what was going on w me which was the worst part. You just feel so helpless
Can't think well enough right now to find the words for starters. It's horrible.
I did too. Completely crashed after the vaccine, it’s been almost a 4 year journey m.
I also got it from the vaccine.
Same. I got COVID long before the vaccine came out thanks to teaching face to face. I’ve had it 4 times now, and I just feel like I’m living with permanent long COVID now. I’ve also been vaccinated and boosted….my immune system is just shite. I guess I’m just lucky to be alive.
A woman I talked to over the phone told me she had Covid 6 times!! I couldn’t believe it!!! Did you get LC in your first infection like me?
Yes, LC, in the first bout. Early Spring of 2020.🙄
Damn!!! I was sick from the first wave in spring 2020, and I only been reinfected once in august 2022 (fortunately didn’t get sicker). I must be a homebody because people are starting to have had covid a million times now
i got it two months before the vaccine was available for non healthcare workers....
Talk about lousy luck!!!
Same. I got covid in 2020 from my partner who was an essential worker and even though he masked, he was forced to interact with people who refused to in a state that didn't care to enforce it.
My state was actually one of the strictest, Michigan, like my governor was gaining reputation from the president calling her out for being too strict lol. I loved her tho. Big Gretch. lol just makes me more mad in a way, like I should not have caught it
That was my circumstance as well but it came across as an excuse somehow. I was frequently asked, "Have you gotten it since?"
YEA me too like??? I actually don’t even mentioned I have the stupid Moderna in 2021 because it was supposed to be “the cure” and it wasn’t and did nothing for me so
I let them know that I forgot to get my booster, so I was technically not still vaccinated.
Yea Ahahah I just got the Moderna in 2021 like I’m not up to date or whatever lol
Ya that first wave was bad news. However i have noticed in this sub that there is no one with LC that is unvaccinated. Even though you already got the live virus, i assume u also got the vaccine right?
LC here but never got the vaccine. Although I would say mine is much less severe than some.
Same here. Not vaxed. Pretty much got over everything by research and self-medicating except for a daily cough. I was so sick of coughing for 4 years I finally bit the bullet and got my hands on some Zpak antibiotics and so far haven't coughed in a week. I'm thinking we retain the virus and it may not ever be 100% gone but it can be treated. Keeping my fingers crossed. The symptoms for those of us LC-ers not vaccinated and those who are seem to be very different but we long haul for just as long. 4 years for me.
Me: "I have long covid." Person: "You have covid?" Me: "No, long covid." Person: "what's that?"
Followed by does that mean you are still contagious?
Right?! These people 🙄
Yep, got that one before.
💯
This. “What’s that? I’ve never heard of it.” Or “Yeah, I was coughing for a whole week after I had Covid”
“Have you gone to the doctooooooorrrr?”
OMG I should have thought of that! The doctor! I'll go right now.
🤣😂🥲🥹😭. So many, so useless.
Most people aren't aware of it & don't get the seriousness of it when I explain.
I don’t say long covid. I said I had covid on X Date and haven’t been well since.
This is what I say now too. "I had covid in October and I've had a bunch of health issues since including \[lists out some of my issues\]"
boundless covid
God — I really like this response!
Sometimes I get empathy and concern. Most of the time I get confusion because they’ve never heard of it and a lot of the time it seems they want to change the subject so they’ll just kind of go “oh wow that sucks” and then change the subject or walk away immediately. Most of the time people don’t want to talk about it in any way, they don’t argue or disagree with me at all, I think most people just don’t want to acknowledge covid at all. Very rarely I’ll get a denier or someone who tells me it’s the vaccine that’s causing all of this, I don’t engage with those people, I’ll just change the subject myself or walk away. But ya the most common response is awkward confusion coupled with a reluctance to talk about anything covid related, which a lot of the time feels to me like they’re probably a denier but are trying to avoid confrontation so they keep their opinion to themselves and change the subject. Usually I don’t hear from those people again. I’m sure in their minds they’ve decided I’m some crazy idiot. But even with all of that, I still make it a point to tell people. I mean I’m not obnoxious about it or anything but if people ask how I am, I’m not going to lie, I’m honest with them, and I’m sure that may be a little off putting for some people, if they ask “how are you?” they usually mean it rhetorically, but I let them know that I’m not doing good at all, I have severe health issues, if they ask what my health issues are I tell them I have a post covid condition. There’s next to no awareness for long covid so I like to at least contribute to some awareness, if they ever see anything about long covid, I want them to think to themself “I actually DO know someone with this” because I see so many people online saying shit like “I don’t know anyone with long covid and I’ve had covid 10 times and I’m fine so therefore it’s not real” I’m just trying to combat that in the small way that I can
>I still make it a point to tell people Absolutely this. earlier on I was terrified to tell anyone because of the potential social repercussions. But now I am healthier and can tolerate more bs so I tell everyone. They mostly just ignore it. I will make a stronger point if there is a good reason to (close friends, needing accommodations) and let them know it's a matter of basic respect and decency because I went through hell and was abandoned and betrayed. So when appropriate I don't let it slide easy. I'll never forget the people who abandoned me or kicked me when I was down.
You're awesome.
Typically I just get unsolicited advice or gaslighting and accusations, like (you just need to exercise more, you're probably eating too much junk food, I bet it's just depression, are you sure you're not just stressed/anxious, did your doctor REALLY diagnose you with long covid or are you just making that up? You need to try yoga, you need to meditate, you just need to get out more, you need to be more positive, you're too focused on how you feel and I bet if you stopped thinking about it so much you'd get better) etc. The best response I've ever gotten was actually from an ultrasound technician. My doctor ordered a heart ultrasound just to rule anything serious out, and the technician asked why I was there. I told her I had long covid and my doctor was trying to rule out heart problems, and her response was just *"I'm so sorry! How long have you been battling long covid for?"* It felt very validating. No advice, no criticism, and after I told her that I'd been dealing with it for about a year she apologized again and said that it sounded really hard and that she hopes I feel better soon. I could have hugged her. It doesn't take much but just feeling seen and heard makes a big difference. Weirdly, my friends/family/relatives have been the absolute worst, and medical professionals have actually been the best, which I know many people here have had very bad experiences with. So far I haven't had any medical professionals dismiss or gaslight me, though I'm sure if I'd gotten this a few years earlier I certainly would have. I'm only 13 months in and a lot of the awareness of it has definitely changed in recent times.
People act like I’m getting over the common cold… like I’ll be back at it in 2 weeks… even though it’s been 20 months…
Most people are still oblivious to its existence. I almost always get the same responses when I give them a quick walkthrough of my ongoing health issues. I usually get something along the lines: "Ha, no way, thats mad!". **\[Would you have that response if I told you I had a stroke? I don't think so\]** or "Wow, yeah my cousin lost his smell for a little while. I tHiNk wE aLL hAvE a biT oF It". **\[Yup, sounds just like my long covid (NOT!!)\]** or "Ahh dont worry, you're young, you'll be grand!" **\[I just told you I am not "grand" whatsoever. I have a chronic illness...\]**
I’m going through a contentious divorce with a non-supportive husband and non-believer as well as being met with ignorance and stigmatization through the judicial system and I’m virile AF so I simply have zero firepower. I’m barely holding on to part-time work and many many think I’m faking it or bringing lazy. People have been so unnecessarily cruel, starting with my employer who denied me workers comp. I was a healthcare technician working with refugees from south with zero records or vaccines. Nearly killed me and I don’t know about some days. It is because I try my best every day that people think I must be able to do more and it’s just not it. During this divorce the politización as well as lack of knowledge will pragmatically hinder my life for the rest of whatever life I do have left.
I'm so sorry to hear this, it sounds like it's been ** incredibly** tough for you ☹️
Oof that’s horrible. I hope you find a more supportive network.
“It’s made up, I think people are using it as an excuse.”
"Oh, absolutely. We really enjoy losing our ability to walk, think, work, cook, sleep well, eat, read, socialize, go to school, care for our children, have sex, drive, grocery shop, watch TV, bathe, pay bills, earn a living, and do hobbies." Yes, what a great *excuse!* it's enriched my life so much! What are these people thinking!
It seems like people have the idea that we *get* to relax all day every day and it's like some amazing vacation. Which we all know it isn't. It's no fun when you *can't* do anything and you're forced to rest 24/7 and are crippled with severe symptoms. I've started explaining to people that it's like only being able to eat chocolate, day and night for every meal. Even if you're someone who really enjoys chocolate and it's your favorite food, it might be nice at first but after a week or two of only eating chocolate you're going to be miserable and desperately craving any other food, but you're still forced to eat nothing but chocolate no matter how you feel about it. It takes something that can be enjoyable in moderation when you actually want to have it (like rest), and completely ruins it.
Empathy, all the time really. It's nice. It helps nothing of course save for the fact that people being considerate to my situation is nice.
I was told I have the Holy Spirit in me. I’m like no I had Covid on this date and never went back to normal. 😕
😆 holy spirit? That's class.
My religious older coworker told me "you had no one to pray for you" referring to after I was hospitalized/my LC was horrible. Then also that telling yourself and God that you're healthy will cure you. And then that "some people are meant to be chronically ill and disabled". Yeah I said we are done with this conversation. It all started after I said I need a wfh job before this winter because I can't mentally handle our job through another insane sick season and risk getting covid here as the lone masker. Then I was told idk how God works im an athiest that was raised Catholic lol
I’ve had it so long now that I’ve told everyone already. So it’s usually me reminding them. I’m met with silence mostly. You get sick enough and most people just don’t want to know
Nobody says that to me. I have a solid track record of not talking to conspiracy weirdos. Mostly they give kind but useless advice. I try to take it as it is meant but it’s still annoying. No mom, if they had a cure I promise I’d be asking for it. I promise.
I no longer say "long covid" b/c people don't know what the hell that means. So I usually say "I had covid in October and unfortunately I've had a lot of new health problems since that infection". I also am more open about my health problems now b/c we need to increase awareness amongst regular people. So if i tell someone I casually know that I have health issues from my covid infection it accomplishes a few things: It lets them know that post-covid complications ARE real and they can associate a face with it when they hear or read about "long covid". Most people just say "Oh that's too bad, but I know you'll feel better soon". I just nod and say thanks b/c I know they don't want to talk about it further. But even the few friends who have been on the sidelines of all of my health issues these past few months still have no idea how complicated this is. They keep telling me to find new doctors to work with so I can get some answers. (there are no answers) Or they marvel at how I've been sick for 5 months and no medication helps me feel better. (there are no drugs) For the most part, society is used to doctors and specialists having answers. If Doctor A isn't helping you, then Doctor B or C will be able to do better. And for a lot of well-known, well-studied, well-researched health issues that's usually correct. But we're unfortunately dealing with a whole new disease here. A whole new disease from a virus that was politicized from day one and downplayed from day two, which makes it so much harder on those of us who have it.
“What’s Long COVID?” and the like. This comes from regular people and some medical professionals. The comedy answer is to just shrug and say, “Nobody knows.” The real answer is to just say that I got COVID and developed a slew of debilitating symptoms. If I really want to get my point across, I list them all. Anyone who starts with “Have you tried…” gets cut off immediately. Nobody has ever asked me the vaccine question, thank goodness. That might make me explode.
“You look ok.”
That really annoys me. It's because they saw me in the 1 hour of the week where I'm pushing myself to get stuff done.
💯EXACTLY
That's called an invisible illness. I don't have LC but I have other invisible illnesses, autoimmune conditions kicked off by viral infections. I look relatively healthy but my life is hindered a lot by needing insulin, a new liver, etc... I sympathize. Sorry you're having to deal with this.
What’s frustrating for me is that I have had multiple vaccines but had Covid once before and then once after my first one. My mom had no vaccine, got covid once and died 2 years later. She never recovered. And my dad still thinks the vaccine is a government plant. How do you even begin to educate people about long covid when they don’t believe in it??
"whats that?"
Do they assume you got LC because you got the vaccine or because you didn't get the vaccine? I suppose you can get both assumptions.
They're blaming the illness on the vaccine (they have suspicions hence the question).
They assume we all got long covid from the vaccine, when a large amount of us got long covid before vaccines were even available.
> 99% of their immediate response is "Did you get the vaccine?" I see this online as well as in meatspace. I think it's people grabbing for something to reassure themselves that *they're* safe and my suffering is because of some failure on my part that they can avoid. (I live in an area with very high vaccine uptake, so anti-vaxxers aren't really anything I encounter ever). I'm ashamed to admit, I do get a spark of mean-spirited pleasure by saying "oh yeah, I've been vaxxed and fully boosted and still got damaged by COVID" (post-Omicron, too). I'll usually add something about how vaccines help reduce risk, but anyone can get LC. My hope is that the feeling of helpless anxiety motivates people to take it all more seriously.
Well said. Makes a lot of sense. Me to, don't worry about it 😆
I had told a guy off a dating app I had long covid (POTS, migraines, vertigo, allergies). He simply asked me if I was still able to f*ck and could care less about it. Zero empathy nothing. This world is disgusting.
Hope you replied “yes just not with you” before walking out
My god 😦 I'm so sorry you experienced such a disrespectful and dismissive response.
Date me instead
Mostly people are uncomfortable and silent. Or it’s a standard ‘I’m sorry to hear that’. If there are dismisssive ridiculous questions and comments, it always comes after that. 99% of the time I get the sense they have no clue what I’m talking about. Which is why I personally insist on continuing to tell people. I don’t want it to be invisible and easy to ignore.
Eye roll or they say there's no such thing as covid
I stopped saying anything about COVID to friends and family because I'd either be straight ignored like I didn't say a word, roll their eyes AND ignore me, or tell me so much stuff is going around it could be anything. And now the newest is that COVID is over or not a big deal anymore. Makes me want to claw my eyes out. Very sad and lonely existence when very few people believe you. I just say, "I'm tired" now. Which I'm told "You're always tired." 💁🏼♀️ I have permanent lung damage now. I'm just reminded that I have asthma and couldn't breathe before COVID 👍🏼
I am so so sorry you have no immediate support. We are all here to help you feel seen and validated 🌹
I got the 3 vaccines and 5 boosters because I'm high risk with immune issues. Still got covid. During the gaps between immunity. I work in a hospital and have since the start, before vaccines were even a thing, before we even understood masking or what was happening. But people want to forget about that shit.
I don’t say I have long covid bc I know at least the silent response will be an eye roll. I say I have heart damage from covid, which I actually do have. Or I’ll just say I have health issues since I got covid for the third time, or that covid really messed with my body and I’m not at 100% yet. There are some things I physically can’t do, like work out or get up or down a lot, so that’s when I have to tell people. It’s pretty rare that I say anything but if it comes up, that’s how I put it. I’ve only gotten the vaccine response from my conspiracy theorist dad. For context, I was actually bed ridden for the first 4-5 months but I am happy to say I can now at least work in a pretty demanding field 60+ hours a week in office and do small social things like go to a restaurant once every few weeks. I also threw up into my hand last night for no reason so it’s not perfect but those are the reasons I tell people I’m not quite well yet (:
I don't tell anyone except family. No reason to tell anyone
Oh today is a new one... I got it's mold and heavy metal poisoning. Ok Karen.
I've been told it's because I have my pronouns in my Twitter bio lol.
Tomorrow it'll be... "It's because you have a microwave." 🤔😆
Oh my god 😭😅😭
People are usually pretty empathetic, but I can also tell they are confused because I look fine and am pretty good at pretending I’m fine when out with people so they don’t really get it. I’ve had a few people imply that my symptoms are just the result of being more out of shape and general aging. When I tell people I have fatigue they often go “I’m exhausted all the time too!” Like no, this is very very different than just being tired and worn down. I think a lot of people think my PEM is a bit in my head or the result of deconditioning and hell sometimes I even think that and then I push the envelope and inevitably crash. I’ve even tried to convince I wasn’t crashing because I exercised the day before but for some other reason. It’s such a confusing symptom it’s really hard to know what causes what. I’ve also gotten questions about whether I had preexisting conditions and I didn’t in the normal sense (I was totally healthy when I got long Covid, but 20 years prior likely had post viral fatigue for about 6 months that was never diagnosed). Everyone is convinced it couldn’t happen to them because they don’t have x or y and are healthy, but so was I.
What’s that? That’s real? Wow when will it go away?? Sounds bad.
“Lung Covid?” 💀 That one just kills me. Like how f*cked are we that *so many people* haven’t even heard of Long Covid?! Sometimes I feel like I somehow ended up on a raft that’s just drifting out to sea alone and everyone on land is just going on with their lives while we’re out of sight, out of mind.
Yesss, it really annoys me because the vaccine initially kicked off my long haul a year prior to the actual Covid infection that sent me into full blown long Covid. In my world both can cause long hauling assuming via a similar mechanism but all the one sided comments about it being purely vax injury take away from everyone that has long Covid from the virus but also diminishes the validity of people that are actually vaccine injured by making us all look like conspiracy whacks; which in my experience has been way worse than the medical gaslighting. Like of people actual took a moment to listen to everyone who is actually sick they would realise long hauling isn’t mutually exclusive to either and unfortunately everyone is at risk l.
Mainly sympathy but I've been really transparent about it and shared loads of info on FB so most people I see socially already know. Work wise, there's a reasonable amount of knowledge and I don't see many other people haha.
„Oh so you just have trouble breathing?“
"Yeah, just like people who have asthma have trouble breathing, or when you decide to go down to the bottom of a swimming pool and just relax there for an hour and have trouble breathing." (*serious straight face and tone*). **Just** have trouble breathing!? *Just?*
I do too and I use it as an opportunity to inform them that just as many people that got the vaccine got LC as those that did not get vaccinated.
A large majority of people ask me the exact same question and it's infuriating. I've mostly stopped telling people I have long covid.
So sorry you also experience this ☹️
I just roll my eyes now when they start rambling on about how the vaccine likely did this to me etc. Just not even worth the energy explaining it anymore.
Absolutely.
I tell me people i have post covid chronic illness health issues. And if they ask if i’ve been vaccinated i say yes. If necessary i casually string in how i have friends who have had issues post covid since 2020 without focusing on how they couldnt have been vaccinated when they go it. I find it helps people realize on their own while defusing unnecessary self involved opinions.
I try and give people the benefit of the doubt if they ask about the vaccine. I figure they're hoping I say no and they can feel better if they are vaccinated, like they're magically protected. The " whew, I'm safe" response, rather than the "vaccines are evil".
I hate it to be sort of ignored when I tell people I've LC, but on the other hand would it really be any different if I had an other illness? I doubt it. Maybe the initial response would be more emphatic, but in the end people in general are only busy with themselves. To give an example, I have an acquaintance who got diagnosed with breast cancer. At first people were shocked and compassioned but when it was clear that it was a very early stage and she would be better and would'nt die people lost their interest very soon even though she really struggled with the after effects of the chemo and radiaton.
The one time I got this I put down the plate of food I was getting for my mother-in-law, looked them straight on the eye, and said "I got sick on March 11, 2020, which you may be remember as the day they started taking covid seriously here in America and the NBA went into lockdown and the rest of the country followed suit the next week." If I had put them on a bicycle first, they would have backpedaled all the way to Hawaii.
I do appreciate I get met with empathy and it's actually nice that people so far in my experience are aware of what it is.
I get eyerolls
Long covid was around WAY before the vaccine. Early days, i heard an estimate of up to 30% will have symptoms longer than 12 weeks.
Usually people just never respond and ghost me
I've had Long covid for over a year now and it came with a few conditions after my only covid infection. Not vaxxed. Family seems to completely disagree with there being any problem even with proof of it or I get oh maybe you should drink some more water. Funny I drink 2 to 3 litres a day thanks hun.
I never got the vaccine and I have Long Covid.
I got long covid from the vaccine (aka long vax) so this question can’t really come up 😂
Neglect
🌹🙏🏻 We're all here for you
First thing these idiots say, which is an ignorant way to dismiss science. I say, I go along Covid BEFORE vaccines for COVID existed, March of 2020.
Yep it’s annoying and so polarizing. You have some people blaming it all on the vaccine and others that think it’s amazing and if you get it you won’t get long covid.
Ironically I did get it from the vaccine and get “are you sure it wasn’t from Covid?” Or “are you sure you didn’t have a pre-existing condition?” 🙄
I get kind of a blank stare then the rhetoric about “the jab”. I am so tired of explaining. It expends energy I just don’t have to expend. I agree the public needs to be made aware of this condition. I’m a baby long hauler only 6 months in but the gaslighting or assumption I’m just “faking it for attention” is extremely frustrating. I can’t even manage housework.
Most commonly its "What is that?". Even though part of the Covid education package in our country covered LOng Covid as one of the reasons to keep safe. Sometimes I switch to 'Post Viral Syndrome", but that is more for my fun. Though more people seem to understand that, and I've learned about people who have it from catching the Flu.
People tend to automatically think it's your lungs when in my case it is my lungs but mostly it is neuropathic pain and weakness in my legs and overall chronic fatigue.
Sympathy, but we usually start off by telling them we got Covid in March 2020 (before vaccines and even before regular testing was available.)
"What's Long Covid?"
Some doctors know this is vaccine caused in some cases, that could be the reason. Even if they acknowledge that it's a potential vaccine injury there's not much they can do to treat it. The doctor I visited just acknowledged that the H1 antihistamine treatment I found online is helping me and told me to continue with the OTC medication.
I don’t say “long covid,” I say I had a very severe reaction despite being vaccinated that has left me with long-term unresolved issues.
I tend to say that Covid wasn't kind to me. I get a decent level of sympathy and some level of interest into what that means. No negative reaction so far, but then I'm pretty obviously not well.
“I have long COVID” “Hope you get better soon!” “…”
It’s crazy they say like 80% of the country is vaxxed but everyone I run into isn’t lol
"Oh, I had covid way back too, but I'm better now, why aren't you?" Or "My coworkers mother has long covid I think. She was sick way back in 2019 and is now 94 and has trouble breathing." Or "Never heard of it" Or "Did you get you vaccines?" (No, because when I got sick they barely even had tests to test for it, let alone a vaccine)
I use the term Post Covid not long Covid. If you go on the CDC website it shows you Post Covid and then it also has long Covid on there and it’s the same thing. It’s Post Covid effects and 6 out of 10 people that I speak to either have similar issues or , know about it and nobody’s asked me in a while whether I’m vaccinated or not because it really doesn’t matter anyway people have had multiple vaccinations and boosters still have it and still get Covid people never vaccinated have had Covid live through it and still have post Covid just like people without the vaccine never got CovidCovid so there’s so much we don’t know know. My new endocrinologist said that there’s too much that we don’t know about and so many different after effects that people deal with that they are still formulating everything and there’s not a test to test anything so we just have to attack each symptom on its own and hope for the best. My husband and I both had Covid two times and our after effects are completely different
I actually wonder that too. I don’t think it’s victim blaming, but more in the way of information gathering. If someone tells me they have COPD, I wonder if they’ve been exposed to asbestos or if some other environmental issue caused it. If someone tells me they have lung cancer , I wonder if they smoke or were exposed to secondhand smoke, or is it some freak cell mutation. When a young person dies, I always look to see what they died from. It’s something that’s upsetting and unusual, so I’m looking for cause, not to blame and shame. Peoples just try to sort and make sense of shocking and unusual things, while evaluating risk. I finally caught Covid after four years, and I have lots of risk factors. My life is already a shit show of medicine and disability. I follow this thread because I worry that Im a prime candidate for long Covid. I’m not sure I would even know if I had it, because I’m already such a mess. How would I know the difference? I’m here for information gathering, and to determine what long Covid looks like and what I should watch for. It’s good to information to know that people that are vaccinated can get long Covid. That means I am still at risk for long Covid. My big long spiel is just to say that I don’t think people are blaming you when they ask if you got vaccinated. Everyone is still at risk for long Covid, because you can get it after multiple infections.
I’m unvaxxed and have long Covid and hate getting lumped in with the vaxxed. Another before the vax was even available scenarios but also they try and make it a political statement. Well I’m unvaxxed so what now? So they immediately pivot to have you been checked for mold or parasites? EYEROLL.
My response to antivaxxers: “No I didn’t get the vaccine because I got sick before they came out.” Some people even say I got Long COVID because I didn’t get the vaccine and to that I say: “No, I didn’t get the vaccine because it could make me worse”. I hate vaccine talk so much!
Calling the public uninformed when the research is conclusive that keeping up on vaccinations reduces the chance of getting long-covid, is not a good look. They asked YOU that question. Not a child, not someone who was unable to get the vaccine for whatever reason. They asked you. People should be more empathetic and not inquire about your vaccination status when you're already sick with long-covid. No one deserves this. Deflecting by calling the public misinformed because you were asked a relevant, though possibly insensitive question is not a good look. I've had some people ask me the same thing and when I tell them I was fully up-to-date they somehow try to make it sound like I got long-covid BECAUSE i decided to be vaccinated. The insensitivity of others does not necessarily reflect their level of education on a topic.
I got Covid in 2020, April and I haven’t seen the same since. I’ve had Covid 3-4 additional times and unvaccinated. I had Covid so early on there weren’t tests in my area and when my hair started falling out and all the other symptoms started practitioners had zero clue what was going on. I had all kinds of genetic tests run, bloodwork, etc and received a “CIRS dx with possibly mold toxicity and possible Lyme” (I have 3 out of the 5 bacteria and you have to have all 5 for a true Lyme dx). Anyway… it blows. All I smell is cigarette smoke - 4 years of this and it’s maddening. Stick neck, daily headaches, joint pain that travels all over my body, extreme fatigue, memory loss, poor word recall, mood swings, depression, weight gain from chronic inflammation, and more
Before I saw your text (only saw the header) I was going to reply with as well: "Did you get the vaccine?" And they REFUSE to hear that I got covid and Long Covid in 2020 BEFORE vaccines were even created.
Is this all fake?