4. Gastrointestinal Issues
Another complication experienced from “mild” sufferers of the virus comes in the form of serious digestive problems. The Guardian illustrates the case of 26-year-old Fiona Lowenstein, who experienced a long, difficult and nonlinear recovery after being diagnosed with COVID-19. After being hospitalized for fever, cough and shortness of breath, she was sent home, and then experienced a whole new group of symptoms. “I experienced this whole slew of new symptoms: sinus pain, sore throat, really severe gastrointestinal issues,” she revealed. “I was having diarrhea every time I ate. I lost a lot of weight, which made me weak, a lot of fatigue, headaches, loss of sense of smell …” Even now, months later, she claims some of the symptoms “routinely re-emerge.”
5. Loss of Sense of Smell and Taste
One of the main coronavirus symptoms, loss of sense of smell and taste, can persist long after the virus is gone. Early data courtesy of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) found that, in COVID-19 patients who lost their sense of smell, 27% had “some improvement” within a week, while most were better within 10 days. However, there are other people who claim the symptoms linger for months. Health experts are still struggling to understand the mysterious side effect and why it impacts some, but not others.
6. Prolonged Symptoms
While most people make a relatively rapid recovery, others experience lingering “long-haul” symptoms. The same Dutch report found that 75% experienced persistent shortness of breath and 45% chest pressure.
7. Rotating Symptoms
Some people have experienced a rotation of various symptoms — for weeks or even months. Ranit Mishori, a professor of family medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine, told the Washington Post, that she has seen a handful of patients with symptoms such as fatigue, sore throat, poor appetite, and minor lung congestion, that have lingered for months. “It’s incredibly frustrating for the patients and the doctors taking care of them,” she said. Some of them have even experienced rotating symptoms — fatigue one week, headache the next, sore throat after that. While they don’t increase in severity, “It changes and lingers,” she explains.