The pandemic really got the nation crippled. I'm sure you're absolutely glad it's over, but for a percentage of the population.. the nightmare of debilitating conditions continue. Over coffee and tea this morning at One World Deli in Timog Avenue, we got to talk amongst those involved with the case of people living with LONG COVID.
According to Dr. Camilo Road.Jr "Long Covid happens after the actual Covid itself. It's liberation day compared a few years ago where almost everyone was afraid of it. It's effects at the time of illness can be seen not just in the respiratory system, but also the immune system, therefore damaging other parts of the body. It caused death for a lot of people, and normalizing the body takes a lot of time after the cure. The fight may have subsided, but we do see mortality in 1%. The scare is still there, even in other illnesses that have higher mortality rate, some of which still suffer from it. Whether by scarring, virus fragments, while no longer contagious, still suffer from it. Long COVID happens 10-20 percent of those who had it, much higher in females and those who had it multiple times including the unvaccinated. Manifestation includes Fatigue, Headache, Attention Disorder, Hair Loss, Dyspnea. If you got it after being Covid, then that is Long Covid. Patients are taught to breathe more actively, avoid triggers, identify new limits and follow accordingly."
Roel Balingasay who's had Long COVID for 4 years told us "The chronic pains and silent battles just changed a bit of me being a man of action. In April, I thought I had flu, but was coughing intensely and felt I ran a marathon. I spent a total of 30 days in the hospital and couldn't eat because my throat was in pain, I also had muscle dystrophy so I couldn't walk, had widespread body pain, got so confused and had brain fog. I had palpitations, but it was a health crisis. I also had diabetes, kidney stones, 2 blockages in my heart and 2 percent calcified. I also had bronchial asthma, gerd, laryngitis, partial tearing of ligament, lung fibrosis which is a scar. I understood that's where the difficulty in breathing was coming from. It was Long Covid according to my pulmonologist, and told to check my BP, it was high when I was just sitting. Before I could work 12 hours, but now even talking was hard. I resigned from work, resorted to health supplements and machine, you may want to ask me about that. It has affected me, I couldn't sing anymore, work is strainous, I look healthy but it was that, stigma, I had to change homes. Recently I joined communities, and tell people about it. It's a public health issue, and research needs to be done for it. I hope people listen with intent, the challenges had happen to me and some of my friends would tell me there's no Covid anymore. I stopped talking to people because of it and had depression."
Author of My Long Covid Journey: The Saga Behind the Smile Ms. Becks Galvez Tan told us a bit about her life as she says "I am a diagnosed Long COVID patient, fighting for my life 4 years ago where lungs were damaged, had hair loss, difficulty swallowing, sensory overload and the symptoms came and went, like a rollercoaster. The COVID-19 damaged not the lungs, but other organs as well. I felt better when I read other patients had 147 symptoms, but now I am tied to a oxygen concentrator because of a paralysis in my right diaphragm. From being able to walk easily before, I can only do it 2 minutes now. Every 3 minutes I had to rest going up the stairs, I had to rest for 40 minutes here before I could talk. It's just hard to believe that now I couldn't lift a finger. The fatigue is real, and the pain is excruciating. Now I recover faster compared before, but it is like dying in so many ways. I don't see my old self, I am in disbelief but I have moved on and focus on what I can do. In between crashes, I wrote all of it in The Saga Behind the Smile. It is available on digital for free, you can read it, I am living testament that you can still live despite suffering in silence. I don't want to spend my life in misery, I now learned to pace myself, I rest and do something on other days. It's just hard for people to understand. It's different everyday so I can't tell if symptoms are going to happen or not."
It's an E-Book, which you can download via bit.ly/MyLongCovidJourney.
Right now they are creating support groups and want to reach other Long COVID patients to they can help in not just advocacy but find government help. Get in touch with them, it's not okay to suffer in silence, you CAN get help today. If you need more information about it, please refer to World Health Organization channels.and the Department of Health.
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