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Mysterious heart damage, not just lung troubles, befalling Covid-19 patients

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Re: Mysterious heart damage, not just lung troubles, befalling Covid-19 patients

#71

Post by LeoNatan25 »

411111111111111 wrote: post #31

let me preface this by mentioning that i havent been tested for covid-19. two weeks ago i've been having real issues breathing. it felt like my upper body was borderline paralyzed and i had to really force myself to fully breathe in. this wasn't constant but happened every day for several hours each. especially at night. i got worried that i might have the virus so i checked my temperature and oxygen blood saturation…

One thing to try to relax is to do breathing exercises. Deep breath from the nose for 4-5 seconds, hold for a few seconds and exhale over 6-8 seconds. This will lower your pulse and reflex you.

Try to refrain from constantly reading about Covid19. I find this brings stress to me and I relapse to same problems as you. Pick a time of day, as early as possible and concentrate your reading on the topic then.

Re: Mysterious heart damage, not just lung troubles, befalling Covid-19 patients

#72

Post by henearkr »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #48
411111111111111 wrote: post #31

let me preface this by mentioning that i havent been tested for covid-19. two weeks ago i've been having real issues breathing. it felt like my upper body was borderline paralyzed and i had to really force myself to fully breathe in. this wasn't constant but happened every day for several hours each. especially at night. i got worried that i might have the virus so i checked my temperature and oxygen blood saturation…

You could be having panic attacks; based on the fact you've got numbers, it sounds to me like you're actively monitoring your own blood saturation, which already implies you may be worrying too much about things like that. Don't underestimate the effects of worry and stress. If it's temporary and you don't have other symptoms then you probably don't have the virus.

I'm not a doctor, but each time I hear about a possible diagnostic about panic attacks, it feels like somebody tells a patient having a rhinovirus "your symptoms are explained by the runny-nose illness!". I.e. just stating the symptom (sympathetic/parasympathetic system going weird, heart too fast, etc) but phrasing it as if it was found to be the cause.

Re: Mysterious heart damage, not just lung troubles, befalling Covid-19 patients

#73

Post by dboreham »

SpicyLemonZest wrote: post #66
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The most likely cause of the heart damage by far is the systemic inflammation induced by pneumonia Isn’t this premature given the lack of data? We’re seeing an anomaly documented and being studied. It’s not cause for alarm. But neither does it merit such dismissal.

I don't think it's premature, no. We have a lot of data indicating that it's a respiratory disease. It should be studied, almost any coronavirus anomaly is worth studying, but we know what conclusion to expect.

Based on all the YouTube videos by doctors I've watched, heart failure is a known, expected and quite common consequence of severe respiratory disease.

Re: Mysterious heart damage, not just lung troubles, befalling Covid-19 patients

#74

Post by lbeltrame »

cowpig wrote: post #46
trentnix wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you think there's a lot of blind (and wild!) speculation happening here, you should see what's happening in hospitals by physicians and infectious disease experts! We're just seeing how the sausage is made in a medical crisis. And it is never pretty.

Sure, but those people know a bunch of things we don't, and are not speculating on an internet message board for thousands of random people to read.

> and are not speculating on an internet message board for thousands of random people to read.

I don't know about the USA, but on TV here (Italy), yes they do.

EDIT to avoid sounding too snarky: there are plenty of experts many times on TV, however the public is not aware of the unknowns and the constant challenging of ideas that usually occurs in scientific settings (and so the press).

The result is that there are often contradictory statements which confuse the general population (also the press is not helping at all), which considers "science" as "truth".

Re: Mysterious heart damage, not just lung troubles, befalling Covid-19 patients

#75

Post by anoraca »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #48
411111111111111 wrote: post #31

let me preface this by mentioning that i havent been tested for covid-19. two weeks ago i've been having real issues breathing. it felt like my upper body was borderline paralyzed and i had to really force myself to fully breathe in. this wasn't constant but happened every day for several hours each. especially at night. i got worried that i might have the virus so i checked my temperature and oxygen blood saturation…

You could be having panic attacks; based on the fact you've got numbers, it sounds to me like you're actively monitoring your own blood saturation, which already implies you may be worrying too much about things like that. Don't underestimate the effects of worry and stress. If it's temporary and you don't have other symptoms then you probably don't have the virus.

It doesn't even have to be a full on panic attack to raise your heart rate. I notice that when I am feeling anxious or read too much social media/news that my heart rate is elevated as a result.

Re: Mysterious heart damage, not just lung troubles, befalling Covid-19 patients

#76

Post by TheOtherHobbes »

covidchat25 wrote: post #37
411111111111111 wrote: post #31

let me preface this by mentioning that i havent been tested for covid-19. two weeks ago i've been having real issues breathing. it felt like my upper body was borderline paralyzed and i had to really force myself to fully breathe in. this wasn't constant but happened every day for several hours each. especially at night. i got worried that i might have the virus so i checked my temperature and oxygen blood saturation…

I've had the exact same symptoms as you: * Chest pain and breathing difficulties that gets worse at night. * Actually ended up on hospital twice because of it. * Pulse and blood pressure went high too.

Similar symptoms a few weeks ago. I've had an off-on mild fever since.

There's been something going around since Jan at least, although it's impossible to know if it's Covid-related or something else.

Re: Mysterious heart damage, not just lung troubles, befalling Covid-19 patients

#77

Post by itronitron »

411111111111111 wrote: post #31

let me preface this by mentioning that i havent been tested for covid-19. two weeks ago i've been having real issues breathing. it felt like my upper body was borderline paralyzed and i had to really force myself to fully breathe in. this wasn't constant but happened every day for several hours each. especially at night. i got worried that i might have the virus so i checked my temperature and oxygen blood saturation…

Possibly an allergic/asthmatic response to something in your environment. It's worth keeping tabs on whether you used any cleaners, were outside, or in a specific room of your home when the breathing issues occurred.

Re: Mysterious heart damage, not just lung troubles, befalling Covid-19 patients

#78

Post by thomashobohm »

411111111111111 wrote: post #31

let me preface this by mentioning that i havent been tested for covid-19. two weeks ago i've been having real issues breathing. it felt like my upper body was borderline paralyzed and i had to really force myself to fully breathe in. this wasn't constant but happened every day for several hours each. especially at night. i got worried that i might have the virus so i checked my temperature and oxygen blood saturation…

I deal with a panic disorder and what you're describing sounds super similar to what a garden-variety panic attack is like. Especially the part about your heart rate rising but your oxygen saturation staying pretty much the same (the difference between 94-97 and 97-100 is within the normal variation during physical activity). What's likely happening is that your brain is latching onto some small thing, like laying down on your back and putting more pressure on your diaphragm. Instead of interpreting that small thing as totally normal, your brain interprets it as a "warning sign," because of your stress/anxiety around COVID, and it goes into panic mode. At this point, it's pumping out a lot of chemicals that stimulate what's called a "fight or flight" response; it's your natural response to any perceived threat, real or otherwise. Those chemicals will cause your heart rate to increase and will often cause shortness of breath. Usually these can last 45 minutes-a few hours and will subside. Deep breathing exercises work for some people, but I find that when I focus on my breathing I end up spiraling more, so I focus on grounding exercises and progressive muscle relaxation. I'd recommend trying those out next time you have a bout of that and see if it helps :)!

Re: Mysterious heart damage, not just lung troubles, befalling Covid-19 patients

#79

Post by projektfu »

henearkr wrote: post #72
Cthulhu_ wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You could be having panic attacks; based on the fact you've got numbers, it sounds to me like you're actively monitoring your own blood saturation, which already implies you may be worrying too much about things like that. Don't underestimate the effects of worry and stress. If it's temporary and you don't have other symptoms then you probably don't have the virus.

I'm not a doctor, but each time I hear about a possible diagnostic about panic attacks, it feels like somebody tells a patient having a rhinovirus "your symptoms are explained by the runny-nose illness!". I.e. just stating the symptom (sympathetic/parasympathetic system going weird, heart too fast, etc) but phrasing it as if it was found to be the cause.

Would you prefer them to say “psychogenic”?

Re: Mysterious heart damage, not just lung troubles, befalling Covid-19 patients

#80

Post by thomashobohm »

henearkr wrote: post #72
Cthulhu_ wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You could be having panic attacks; based on the fact you've got numbers, it sounds to me like you're actively monitoring your own blood saturation, which already implies you may be worrying too much about things like that. Don't underestimate the effects of worry and stress. If it's temporary and you don't have other symptoms then you probably don't have the virus.

I'm not a doctor, but each time I hear about a possible diagnostic about panic attacks, it feels like somebody tells a patient having a rhinovirus "your symptoms are explained by the runny-nose illness!". I.e. just stating the symptom (sympathetic/parasympathetic system going weird, heart too fast, etc) but phrasing it as if it was found to be the cause.

I mean, panic attacks have no "real" cause by definition. They are your body overreacting in response to a perceived threat that isn't really there; they are a type of cognitive distortion. If a panic attack was in response to a "real" cause, it wouldn't be a panic attack, it would be a normal response to a threat.
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