SALT LAKE CITY, Utah Utah’s COVID-19 ‘long-distance guards’ find validation in a new long-term study of COVID-19 symptoms.
The research, conducted through online surveys, studied the symptoms of nearly 4,000 patients in 56 countries.
Researchers found more than 200 common symptoms among participants in 10 of the body’s organ systems.
Jess Monsen of Utah did not participate in the study, but is hopeful that the findings will help doctors and others take her symptoms more seriously.
“I still have family members who do not ratify it, and it’s a big fight,” she said. “It hurts.”
Monsen has had positive experiences with practitioners at VA Hospital in Utah, but many other long-distance caregivers with whom KSL spoke described doctors diagnosing their symptoms as anxious as not serious.
“I have seen many other people struggle and cry because they have so many practitioners and suppliers that they do not believe,” Monsen said.
This new study followed the symptoms of participants over seven months. After six months, participants frequently experienced fatigue (77.7%), malaise (72.2%), and cognitive dysfunction (55.4%).
Other common symptoms include nausea and memory loss, headache, changes in emotion and mood, increased body temperature, palpitations, shortness of breath and diarrhea.
‘In general, these findings indicate that the disease state of COVID-19 disease is greatly underestimated. “Patients experience more than seven months of multisystem symptoms, which have a significant impact on the lives and livelihoods of patients,” said researchers.
Monsen has been suffering from COVID symptoms since July. Some days are better than others.
“It’s like a switch,” she said. “I’m going to have a really good day and then it’s going to be like a switch the next day and I can do nothing.”
The study found that almost half (45.2%) of the participants could not return to full-time work due to full-time symptoms. 22.3% could not work at all.
Monsen has a job that offers flexible hours and breaks if needed. She is grateful that she was able to return to her job and take care of her family, but she knows that she can no longer be as independent as she used to be.
She wishes others would see her situation and consider it when making decisions on a daily basis.
“When they talk about losing independence by wearing a mask, I want to say, ‘You do not know the loss of independence that some of us have experienced with these long-lasting debilitating symptoms of COVID,'” Monsen said.
A long-term support group for Utahns was established in June 2020. Since then, it has grown to more than 1,300 members.
If you suffer from COVID-19 long-term symptoms, you can find the Facebook page COVID-19 Long Distance Guards in Utah here.