Advice for Long COVID / post-COVID
Do you have a lot of complaints in the first months after your corona infection? Then it is wise to keep in touch with your GP. He or she can determine together with you whether additional research or care is necessary. Your GP can refer you to, for example, a physiotherapist or an occupational therapist for recovery care. Your GP can also help you with mental complaints by calling in a psychologist or practice assistant GGZ.
Is your condition worse and do you have less muscle strength? The physiotherapist can help you build this up again in the right way. The physiotherapist will first measure your condition and muscle strength and then create a training schedule. You will also receive advice and exercises so that you can get started at home. Do your complaints worsen due to physical, emotional or cognitive exertion? If you suffer from this, please report this to your physiotherapist and possibly bring our fact sheet on PEM with you. View our page about PEM with more explanation, our fact sheet and a video about PEM.
More information and tips can be found on the PostCovid NL and on recoverycovid.
It seems that symptoms of long COVID can be caused by a disturbed autonomic nervous system that affects your energy and balance. Read more about it in our flyer 'What's going on with the body'
Are your daily activities very difficult for you? For example, you are very tired. And you find it difficult to balance your energy. The occupational therapist can help you find the right balance again. The occupational therapist can also help you with concentration problems. And give you advice when you start working again. Do your complaints get worse due to physical, emotional or cognitive exertion? If you suffer from this, please report this to your occupational therapist and possibly bring our fact sheet on PEM with you. View our page about PEM with more explanation, our fact sheet and a video about PEM.
Are you on the waiting list for the Occupational Therapist? Start with this self help tips from Ergotherapie Nederland to work with the document 'Daily life in balance, occupational therapy after corona'.
More information and advice can be found at PostCovid NL.
Do you have voice problems such as a hoarse voice? Or do you have high breathing or problems swallowing? A speech therapist can help you with that. View the video about voice complaints with corona. And what you can do to improve your voice.
A healthy, balanced diet can contribute to a faster recovery. What constitutes good nutrition varies from person to person. Some people have been very ill due to corona and have lost a lot of weight. Their muscles have weakened. Extra proteins in the diet are needed to regain strength. In addition, it is important that there is sufficient energy and vitamins in the diet.
There are also people who have gained a lot of weight after their corona infection. This is usually due to a less active lifestyle due to a lack of energy. The lockdown may also have played a role. In addition, eating habits may have changed. A healthy weight contributes to recovery and health. Losing weight too quickly is unwise. This can lead to muscle breakdown and nutritional deficiencies. A dietician can help to find a healthy balance again. For a dietician in your area, look at: nvdietist.nl
For tips on a healthy, balanced diet, visit the website of the Nutrition center and on PostCovid NL.
If you eat a healthy and varied diet, you will normally get enough vitamins and minerals. There is no evidence that extra vitamins or nutritional supplements help you recover from corona. Taking too many vitamins (for example vitamin A and B6) can even be harmful. Do you have any doubts or questions about the use of vitamins or minerals? Discuss this with your (family) doctor or dietician.
For tips on a healthy, balanced diet, visit the website of the Nutrition center and on PostCovid NL.
In addition to physical complaints, you can also have mental complaints. Think of sadness, anxiety, stress and gloom. Look at our page social and psychological problems For more information
About two-thirds of patients with corona suffer from smell or taste disorders to a greater or lesser extent (short or long-term). Scientists and doctors are still investigating what exactly is going wrong, but the coronavirus is not the first virus to cause damage to the olfactory organ. We also see loss of smell and taste as a result of a flu or cold virus.
Most people recover completely within a few days, weeks or months. There is a small group that suffers from the smell disorder for a longer period of time. It is not certain whether this group will recover completely or partially, because we have not been dealing with the coronavirus long enough to be certain about this. More research is needed to map out the long-term effects. There is no specific treatment. Some people find it pleasant to be with scent training to start. This can be done from home with a scent set and an app.
Want to know more about smell or taste problems after corona? Then look at the website of the patient association for people with a smell and/or taste disorder of op thuisarts.nl.
Complaints such as forgetfulness, irritability and concentration problems are common after corona. We call these cognitive complaints. It is not yet clear why these complaints arise.
An occupational therapist can help you map out these complaints together with you. And ensure that you can deal with them better. An environment with few stimuli can help, for example. It is also important that the energy balance is as good as possible. By distributing activities well over the day, fatigue is reduced and concentration often improves.
Want to learn more about cognitive issues like memory loss, concentration problems and overstimulation? Check out this webinar Cognitive complaints after corona.
Naltrexone is known as an aid in treating alcohol and opioid addiction (morphine-like substances). In low doses, it may stimulate the body's own endorphins (happiness hormones). This could potentially help with chronic pain. LDN may also have effects on the central nervous system. Therefore, LDN could potentially alleviate symptoms such as cognitive impairment and fatigue, complaints that are common in post-COVID-19 patients. Read more here more information about its use.
PEM, POTS, Dysautonomia or MCAS
In addition to 200 frequently mentioned individual symptoms that can occur in post-COVID patients, specific symptom clusters are also common, such as post-exertional malaise (PEM) and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a manifestation of dysautonomia. In addition, patients can also suffer from idiopathic mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS). Go to the page with more information about this via the button below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Doing activities in measured doses can be helpful, an occupational therapist can advise you on this. View this videos about energy and recovery
No, there is (as yet) no test to demonstrate post-COVID. That is why it is important to rule out another medical cause or explanation for your symptoms before talking about post-COVID. That is why you should always visit your GP first.
No, C-support cannot refer you. We only provide advice, for medical referrals you should contact your GP or specialist. Referrals to clinics for hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the treatment of post-COVID are possible, however the effectiveness of this treatment has not yet been proven and is not reimbursed by health insurance. Research is currently being conducted.
Antidepressants are medications developed to treat depressive symptoms. There are no scientific research results showing that the use of an antidepressant such as an SSRI reduces post-COVID symptoms. There are, however, isolated cases where it seems to help. C-support welcomes further scientific research.
PEM stands for Post Exertional Malaise, which refers to an aggravation of complaints after (over)exertion. Complaints can arise acutely or develop 12-48 hours after physical, cognitive and/or emotional exertion. These complaints can last for days or in some cases weeks. In particular, exhaustion for a considerable time after the exertion is typical. View our page about PEM for more information.
'POTS' stands for postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. This is more common in post-COVID patients. This means that when changing position (for example from lying to standing) the heart rate suddenly increases significantly. This often causes various other complaints (including palpitations, fainting, headache, fatigue). This indicates a autonomic nervous system dysfunction. View our here page about POTS for more information.
Dysautonomia is an umbrella term used to describe several conditions that cause a disruption of the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system then does not function properly. There are several causes of dysautonomia, including post-infectious syndromes (such as post-COVID and QVS), ME/CFS, but also Parkinson's disease, for example. Dysautonomia mainly occurs in women. View our page about the different forms of dysautonomia for more information.
