Breathe Again

In New York, north of New York City, there are no post-Covid-19 care clinics or programs dedicated to the care of those of us suffering with post-Covid symptoms.  I finally got an appointment with Mt. Sinai, the earliest date, March 19, 2021.  I told them I will be cured or dead by then. 

I went to a pulmonologist this past Wednesday and he asked all of the questions - all.  He went through my medical history, my parents and family.  He said he has been seeing more people with worsening acid reflux and new breathing problems.  Yes, yes, that's me. Then, he took a closer look at my scans and saw small scarring on both lungs, which he says suggest bronchitis.  I have never had bronchitis, which means Covid mimicked bronchitis on my lungs.  I breathed a sigh of relief, not because it meant I was cured or will be cured, but because I had a possible answer, finally, after all these months. 

I have been knowingly suffering with breathing issues since I went back to work, late May/early June (had Covid in March).  It didn't bother me much before then because I was home and not wearing a mask.  Some well-meaning people in my life thought it was anxiety, or in my head, or that it was because of the kind of mask I was wearing.  I didn't fault them for thinking or suggesting so.  How would they know if the doctor's didn't and neither did the hospitals.  

There are those who are suffering with symptoms much worse than mine.  I found the ignorance and nonchalance glaring among health professionals, especially here in New York, where hospitals are no longer overrun with urgent and emergency care for Covid patients.  It blows my mind that they don't seem to be educating themselves and doing something about it, when, if not treated, we, post-Covid sufferers, are going to become a drain on the society and healthcare.  There needs to be a sense of urgency as the anticipated new wave looms.  If we are on the back burner (actually no burner) now, who will care then?

I got tired talking about it, but continued because I wanted someone to listen, I wanted someone to validate that I wasn't as crazy as some thought I was.  I wanted people to know about those of us with post-Covid conditions.  I wanted someone to do something about it.  

And yes, I wanted to breathe again, on my own, normally and not through my mouth.  What I didn't tell anyone and what I am confessing now is that I worried I would need a nasal cannula/mask/tank for oxygen the duration of my life and I thought that my life would be limited by when I could no longer breathe, even with the oxygen.

Thankfully, I saw a doctor who had seen enough to know that something strange was happening with post-Covid sufferers.  Here's hoping that the steroid inhaler prescribed will let me breathe again.

Edit:  Found out today,10/22/2020 that there is a Post Covid Care Program at Westchester Medical Center.  They are the best kept secret. I spoke at length with Kalterina who answered the phone - very pleasant, patient and provided me with valuable information.   She says the hospital is trying to get the word out.  They set you up with an internists who perform physical exams, orders tests and refers you to specialists.  They accept most insurance plans.