“You need to think long term” COVID-19 survivor shares story of lingering side effects

Dayton, Ohio – According to medical experts, one out of every 20 people who have had COVID-19 is now experiencing long-term side effects. The side effects vary in symptoms and severity.

26-year-old Columbus native, Lindsay Hoskins, first got COVID-19 back in March. She said it was an awful week, but what’s come after is even worse.

“I think I started experiencing symptoms right away in April or May,” said Hoskins. “I had tingling sensations in my fingers and my toes and my extremities.”

By August, these bizarre symptoms took a turn for the worse.

“I started noticing other systems that had to do with my heart, weird heart palpitations and weird contractions I couldn’t explain,” Hoskins added.

Hoskins immediately went to a cardiologist, who after extensive testing, diagnosed her with PVC, premature ventricular contractions.

“For me getting COVID was one thing, dealt with it, got over it, but this lingering issue with my heart is scary because I don’t know if this is something I just monitor for a short period of time, change my diet and eating habits or if this is going to be something that I’m going to have to live with forever,” said Hoskins.

An epidemiologist at Purdue university, Dr. Ginger Cameron, said COVID-19 lingering symptoms can include, extreme fatigue, lung issues, difficulty breathing, anxiety, depression, and cardiovascular complications.

“We have seen some trends that is unexpected heart problems in young people and even strokes in young people we would typically not expect to see that in,” Cameron said.

Cameron called these lingering symptoms, syndromes and said they’re appearing in one out of 20 people who’ve had COVID-19.

“It seems there are four syndromes flailing up in different parts of the body and affecting different effects later,” added Cameron.

There’s no time limit on flare ups, they can happen a week or six months after getting the virus, or not at all.

“The situation is, we don’t really know who that is going to happen to so it’s not necessarily tied to the severity of the disease, or what your symptoms were when you were sick,” Cameron said.

Hoskins hopes everyone realizes the severity of the virus and the grim unknowns that sometimes follow.

“For young folks like us going out there and being like, if I get it I’ll be sick for a few weeks and I’ll be fine, that’s just not the case anymore,” said Hoskins. “You need to think long term. This could be a lasting complication that you have forever.”

Doctors recommend after having COVID-19 to routinely follow up with your primary care physician. If noticing signs and symptoms of fatigue, shortness of breath or heart flutters see a doctor immediately.

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