I had my first COVID-19 before immunization. The second – after three doses. Completely different symptoms [LIST]

Ms Małgorzata went through COVID-19 twice. For the first time during the wave of infections caused by the Alpha variant, when vaccination was not yet available to her. The second time in July this year, before she could register for the fourth dose. The two infections followed a different course, but the common denominator is one of the most common pocovid problems today. “It was unbearable,” she recalls.

1. During her first illness, Małgorzata suffered from high fever and severe weakness. The symptoms lasted for three weeks, the smell and taste disturbances persisted for the next two weeks
2. Now the symptoms were different. There was no fever at all, but cold sweats were so intense that the patient had to change clothes even 10 times a day.
3. Both infections developed neurological disorders. The headache felt by Mrs. Małgorzata was so strong that – as she puts it herself – it “burst her head”
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Two infections, different course

Mrs. Małgorzata is 70 years old. He is at risk of a severe course of COVID-19 – due to his age, but also associated diseases (hypertension, type 2 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis). She first became infected in January 2021. It was Alpha, the then dominant variant of the coronavirus, which caused hospitalizations more often than today. In addition, preventive vaccinations were just starting, in the first “shot” they were only available to medics and other vulnerable groups. Seniors had to wait. Mrs. Małgorzata and her husband did not manage to register, they both got infected.

– The first infection lasted over three weeks. I had a high fever, I was very weak, the disease was accompanied by diarrhea. Later, for the next two weeks, I struggled with taste and smell disorders – she reports.

Thanks to vaccinations (three doses), the next eighteen months were calmer. The protection was defeated only by Omikron, the newest snails of which (especially BA.5, responsible for two-thirds of the current infections) are extremely contagious. Ms Małgorzata fell ill almost on the day before the registration for vaccination was launched with the fourth dose for people over 60 years of age.

This time, the course of the infection was different. There was no fever, but the patient was getting cold sweats, which made everyday life very uncomfortable for her.

— I was only 36,4 degrees Celsius, and the sweats were so intense that I had to change every hour. Every day I used eight or even 10 sets of clothes, it was terrible. In addition, I was so weakened that going to the bathroom was a problem, she says, adding that fatigue was aggravated by severe abdominal pain and diarrhea, which kept returning after every meal, even the slightest.

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From headaches to memory lapses

The infection lasted longer than the “lighter” symptoms than previously indicated. After two weeks, Mrs. Małgorzata not only did not feel better, but also new ailments, such as a runny nose, became more and more troublesome. But the worst of it was something else.

– I was struggling with a terrible headache. At first, he was normal, general. Ibuprofen helped, though the pain was coming back. In the third week of COVID-19, the pain became unbearable. In one place my head was blown open, I was constantly on painkillers – he recalls.

The internist referred to a neurologist who stated that it was “typical pocovid affairs” and gave a referral for an MRI. Ms Małgorzata is still waiting for the examination, the dates are far away. He does not hide that he is afraid of the results, especially since the neurological problems go further and were present also after the first infection.

— I forget the simplest words, you can say such everyday names. I read a newspaper and can’t remember what I found out, then it pops into my head a few minutes or so later. Such persistent memory lapses also happened after the first covid, now it’s the same – he says.

Brain fog is a common problem after COVID-19

Problems with memory and concentration disorders are the most common symptoms of the so-called brain fog, which is one of the most common ailments in survivors.

— Some people compare it to the symptoms of jet lag, i.e. distraction, mental disruption, difficulty concentrating thoughts, remembering, counting, reading. Brain fog is also a disorder of the so-called verbal fluency, i.e. fluency and speed of recalling and pronouncing or writing words. A large number of patients said that their brain is like foam, that it does not absorb new information as before, explained Olga Milczarek, MD, PhD, neurologist in an interview with Medonet.

The doctor herself experienced the ailments that Małgorzata talks about.

– The infection started with very severe pain and dizziness. I have never experienced such a headache as in the course of COVID-19. The symptoms resembled symptoms in an irritation of the meninges. Long covid lasted for about eight weeks. All this time I felt very tired – she recalls.

Later, ailments related to post covid started, incl. difficulty remembering. – More than once, I had the feeling that I couldn’t find the right words, it was difficult for me to concentrate on my own statements. It lasted for quite a long time, even a year, I think – he estimates.

Asked about the reason why the coronavirus attacks the nervous system so aggressively, Dr. Milczarek explains that SARS-CoV-2 triggers an inflammatory response and is the first cause of brain pocovid fog.

– Second thing, we know that SARS-CoV-2 caused excessive coagulation – in the course of infection, patients very often experienced strokes and embolisms. So it happened that small vessels of the brain, already under the inflammatory process, were additionally “clogged”. These two mechanisms have been confirmed in research. Importantly, the damage largely affects not the structures of the brain itself, but the connections between its cells, he explains, adding that in order to be able to further investigate how SARS-CoV-2 changes the brain, samples would have to be taken from people who have COVID- 19 died. Such research would certainly yield more findings.