If you don’t already know this- the pandemic is not over yet. There are still people getting infected with the virus on a daily basis. Some are even ending up with Long COVID. This means they have symptoms that are lingering and possibly disrupting their daily life.
If you have any loved ones that are suffering from Long COVID, this post will give you some gift ideas for them if you are looking for ways to help.
About Long COVID
Since 2020, some people who have gotten COVID-19 have dealt with a mysterious constellation of symptoms after “recovering” from the acute phase of the infection.
These symptoms have been a continuation of the ones they had while they were fighting their infection and/or totally new ones. There are said to be 100 different Long COVID symptoms that people have reported and the following are the most common ones:
- Brain fog
- Lightheadedness/dizziness
- Rashes
- Chest pain
- Abdominal pain
- Increased Anxiety and depression
- Pins and needles feelings
- Tinnitus and/or ear aches
- Adrenaline bursts when trying to sleep
- Insomnia
- Extreme fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Increased heart rate
- Headaches and migraines
- Oddities in one’s sense of smell and taste
- Menstrual changes
- New and/or worsening allergies
- Daily low grade fevers
Experts state that to be considered as having Long COVID, one must have symptoms for at least four weeks. Sometimes they don’t even start right after recovering from COVID-19 as there are many who develop these symptoms a month afterwards.
While a lot of people recover from Long COVID in six months, some have more severe cases that go for longer than that.
Lots of articles will say that Long COVID is something that mainly affects older people or ones that have medical conditions already. The truth is that many young and healthy people are winding up with this, too.
The cause of Long COVID is not definitive but medical experts think it may be due to one of these issues:
- Viral persistence- The virus may be circulating in some of us even after recovering.
- Micro clots- The virus may have caused there to be micro clots in people’s lungs.
- Immune system on high alert- The virus may have revved up the immune system so much that it feels as if it needs to be constantly fighting. This is what would bring on uncomfortable symptoms.
- Past infection with the Epstein-Barr Virus- COVID-19 may reactivate this if a person has had it before.
Since Long COVID is still a mystery, there is no cure for it. One can talk to their medical provider for help in managing symptoms and there are also many support groups available where one can get tips on how do deal with certain things.
Gift ideas for someone with Long COVID
Whether your loved one with Long COVID has a birthday coming up or you want to get them something just because, there are some gifts that might really be of help for their symptoms. The following is a list of them:
- Ki Acupressure Mat and Pillow Set– Relaxation and restoration can do wonders for someone suffering with Long COVID. ProsourceFit offers this acupressure set for those who have emotional issues, muscle/joint aches and sleep difficulties as their symptoms.
- Arched Back Stretcher– Since many people with Long COVID deal with tension and pain in their back (and other areas), this back stretcher from ProsourceFit is a great choice as a gift.
- Massage Stick Roller– A stick roller like this one is great for someone with Long COVID who deals with a lot of tension and cramps in their legs/lower body.
- Resistant band (5-8 pounds)– A lot of people with Long COVID find it difficult to workout as hard as they may want to. If someone in your life that is suffering from the condition wants to get started working out, light resistance bands is a good place to start. Gifting them one of these may be very appreciated as they are also easy to store away.
- WellBefore N95 face masks– If someone in your life is already dealing with the after effects of COVID-19, they are probably diligent about not catching it again. Because of this, N95 masks are great gifts for them.
- Chamomile tea- If the person in your life likes to drink tea, getting them some chamomile tea is a great idea. Although chamomile hasn’t been studied enough, there are many people who find it soothing-mentally and physically.
- Heated blanket and/or weighted blanket– Blankets can be really cozy! If someone feels cold all the time after having COVID and/or they experience a lot of mental anguish- a heated and/or weighted blanket may help them.
- Heating pad-These things are great for any aches or pains one has. A person with Long COVID may deal with chest and abdominal pains so one of these pads would be a great gift idea for them.
- Compression socks– These are great for any pain and circulation issues that people with Long COVID may have. There are many colors and designs available. The one linked is just an example.
- Instacart gift card– If a person in your life has Long COVID and has trouble getting around- a gift card for Instacart is a good idea. They can have things delivered right to their door.
- Journal/planner- If that someone in your life likes to write, getting them a journal/planner may be a good choice for them. They can keep track of their Long COVID symptoms and stay organized.
My Long COVID Journey (short version)
I got COVID-19 in March 2020. I “recovered” from it in about 12 days, felt normal for one week and then became a Long Hauler (old term for Long COVID).
I had many obnoxious and worrying symptoms and they included the following:
- Random rashes and itching
- Random pink eye
- Low grade fevers
- Chest pain and tightness
- Dizziness
- Neuropathy
- Ear aches and tinnitus
- Random ear infections
- Numbness in my feet
- Phantom smells
- Abdominal pain
- Headaches
- Air hunger
- Insomnia
- Increased heart rate and palpitations
- Adrenaline rushes when falling asleep
- Increased Anxiety and panic attacks
- Seeing things out of the corners of my eyes that weren’t there
- Chills with no fever
- Random sore throats
- Excess mouth watering
As you can see, I dealt with a lot for a long time. No one understood what I was going through and thought that it was all due to anxiety. This made me feel even worse because I knew it wasn’t just all in my head.
I ended up joining support groups for other people who were dealing with the after effects of COVID. It was very helpful as I did not feel so alone anymore. I also got a lot of tips on how to deal with my symptoms.
My symptoms ended almost exactly a year after getting COVID-19. What made them go away was time. The supplements I took did nothing for my recovery and I am off most of them now. There were some things that did help me manage my symptoms though and they include the following:
- Red raspberry leaf tea- This always helped reduce abdominal pain and nausea.
- Chamomile tea- This always helped me calm down mentally and reduced the pain of the random sore throats I would get.
- Hot pack- This helped with my headaches.
- Tylenol- This helped reduce pain but I tried not to take it every day.
- Breathing exercises- I only learned about these at the tail end of my Long COVID journey but they did really help with my breathing issues.
You can read more about my Long COVID journey here.
In conclusion
If someone you know is dealing with Long COVID, the gifts on the list may be worth looking into. Remember that just acknowledging that what they are going through is real is a gift itself!
Do you know anyone dealing with the after effects of COVID-19?
Thanks for reading!
Some resources-
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/long-term-effects/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/long-term-effects/post-covid-appointment/index.html
https://www.reddit.com/r/covidlonghaulers/
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