A cautionary tale - the fallout from COVID-19

COVID-19 is no fun folks.

I had it last February. Early adopter. I had all the now-classic symptoms and working from home as I already did was really a blessing! I took vitamins (B12, D3, C), immune system boosters, and my daily green smoothies (blueberries, banana, spinach, pineapple, cucumber, protein powder), and hydrated like crazy. And pain relief for the aches.

I recovered after 7-10 days. And have been regularly tested since then. All clear.

At the end of October, I developed bronchitis. I was treated for it and it cleared up. I was left with an annoying cough, which nothing seemed to shift. I had a chest x-ray - clear. Tried various treatments... no good. I became increasingly tired.

I was referred to a pulmonary expert who started tests on my respiratory system. I had a CT scan a couple of weeks ago. What emerged is scarring on my lungs, diagnosis of Interstitial Lung Disease, which is emerging that a pretty common after-effect of COVID-19.

The walls of the individual sacs of the lungs thicken, making it harder to pass oxygen into the bloodstream. It’s restrictive, not obstructive, and more tests are pending to figure out how to best manage it. Thankfully, though not curable or reversible, the scarring is only in the upper lobe of my lungs, and very light/early stage. Severe cases are a death sentence.

Basically, ‘tis but a scratch, albeit a permanent one. And in a way, I feel lucky that it’s been identified and know what we are dealing with. I’m super positive and making all of the appropriate changes to give the best outcome. I was already making changes to nutrition, fitness, meditation, etc., only now it has greater importance. The downside is I finally have to let go of my soccer career and Formula 1 aspirations and admit it’s not going to happen. I still want to run a marathon though before the end of 2022, if possible.

My point is... if you have had COVID-19, PLEASE have ongoing checks, as the resulting conditions can be unnoticed at first and much more far-reaching and potentially life-threatening than the initial viral onset.

Take care of yourself and others. This sh*t is real.