SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has prompted more questions than science can answer. But of the many puzzles that remain, few are more perplexing — or urgent — than this one: Why do some people get sick and never get better?
This group of individuals, nicknamed the “long haulers,” are people of all ages, races and genders. Survivors of the virus who, months later, find themselves battling a constellation of debilitating side effects that disrupt their ability to function. In a study released by Indiana University School of Medicine this August, in partnership with COVID-19 nonprofit Survivor Corps, long haulers describe nearly 100 side effects, from fatigue and body aches to night sweats and neuropathy.
The study casts doubt on the idea that the COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that lasts only a few weeks, suggesting instead that it may be a vascular disease capable of wreaking havoc on the eyes, skin, heart and brain, long after the sore throat goes away. While some hospitals, such as Mount Sinai in New York, have launched recovery centers for post-COVID care, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released little data on the longterm prognosis for those who survive.
In the interim, it’s the long haulers themselves who are helping demystify their strange new world. Karyn Bishof, a firefighter paramedic in Florida, is one of them. After coming down with sore throat, nausea and fatigue in late March, she tested positive for COVID-19 and was told her case was mild. But as the weeks went on, the symptoms didn’t go away. Over four months later, the fatigue remains constant and along with it, a host of other exhausting side effects.
“I’m dealing with drastic changes in heart rate … My oxygen levels drop into the low 90, sometimes even the low eighties, I’m still dealing with headache, memory issues. I have a lot of trouble recalling things or sometimes finding my words,” Bishof tells Yahoo Life. “I’m still dealing with a runny and stuffy nose on and off. And then just a ton of other neurological issues, cardiac issues, chest pain, shortness of breath. I mean, the list goes on.”
