A letter from two primary care doctors to our recovered COVID survivors in the state of Georgia:
Throughout the past few months, we as physicians and other healthcare professionals have seen the many ways COVID presents and subsides. Many have done well, without any evidence of shortness of breath or other worrisome symptoms, others have had a different outcome. But we ask you, are you wondering why that drink still tastes “funny” or if the variety of scents you smell has narrowed a bit? Do you wonder if the next time you get a cold or some other illness, can you just brush it off?
Some of you never went to the doctor but toughed it out at home; it might have been a tough week or two. The chills, so unrelenting, the muscle aches, and the fatigue were ever-present. You might have even experienced some shortness of breath, and just stood still -- focusing on breathing, staying in your bed, hoping that it would go away. Fortunately, you felt a little better over time. But most patients with that shared experience have stated emphatically that they don’t want to go through it again.
However for some, your lungs were affected, and you needed supplemental oxygen ordered by your doctor. You may still have an oxygen monitor at home. Some of you may walk around fine, but still have a lingering cough. You haven’t really pushed yourself physically, not too hard, because you just don’t know how you’ll do yet. In public, you work hard to repress the cough and ease bystanders' fears by calling it allergies or asthma, yet your shelves are filled with cough suppressants.
You may have been healthy before, but now you’re recovering from the lingering effects of that terrible condition. Maybe you haven’t gone back to work, and honestly, you’re wondering if you can go back. You’re not as physically fit as you once were, and maybe you are still going to physical therapy to recover. The energy just hasn’t come back, and no one can seem to give you an explanation as to why. You’re nervous because at some point you know you have to return to work. Will you be able to perform at the same level?
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Some of you never dealt with breathing issues from COVID-19, but you are now on dialysis. Now you have a new routine, one that involves routine visits to a kidney doctor and hours spent in the dialysis center. You’re relatively young, and most of the other people around you who receive dialysis are older. You never would have imagined that things would turn in that direction. You still have so many years ahead of you.
Some of you have fully recovered but are now alone; you just miss the person who once shared space with you. You live in a new reality where things will never be the same. Your sleep is not as restful, you just don’t want to do things you used to do anymore, and you feel guilty that your course was different from the one you lost.
We want you to know that your doctors have seen the breadth of conditions that have ravaged our patients in the last several months, and we are learning that there are lasting effects. COVID doesn’t just affect the lungs; it is a multi-system disease that can affect the nervous system, cause blood clots, impair the kidneys, affect the heart, and worsen your mood and confidence in ways none of us ever imagined. We know you now have a list of needs you never had to consider before.
We want to help you in your process of recovery and moving on. We also want to make sure that you are able to heal and thrive for years to come. But our profession alone cannot do this by ourselves. We ask that you — our patients — reach out to your legislators and policymakers, who can craft laws and push companies to make sure your access to testing — and healthcare — remains consistently available. The right legislative policies can ensure that you have access to quality affordable healthcare and can still see a doctor when necessary.
Because it is now known that reinfection with COVID-19 can occur, you are going to need access to future testing. You will need access to testing for not only yourself but also for your friends and family’s testing as well. We all want testing to be consistently available and easy to access along with results within a short turnaround time.
You may have not shared with anyone about what you are going through. It’s okay, but please know that we, your medical community, are available. We deal with depression, anxiety, and loss all the time. Maybe we can help. Your legislators can also make sure that you have access to counselors and doctors when needed, by ensuring that mental health and behavioral health coverage are included in health plans and robustly funded.
Your symptoms may persist past November. You’re still going to need to see your doctor, may continue to need affordable medications, and a lot of times you’re going to need a specialist too. To that end, make sure the healthcare you have is affordable and robust enough so that when you need a specialist, you can see one. Finally, you’ve been through a lot, and hopefully you’ve reached out to someone to help you with some of the feelings and emotions you’ve gone through. It’s never meant so much to you as it does now. Try to make sure that it is covered in whatever health plan or option you have .
As healthcare providers, we are available for you. We have worked hard through these last six months and we will continue to do so for COVID-19 and beyond. We care for your physical health and your emotional health. Your health is still of vital importance to you and your loved ones. Please make sure your legislators and policymakers know that by exercising your civil right by voting.
Oh, and get a flu shot.
Marshall Fleurant, M.D., is a general internist at Emory University School of Medicine, Grady Division, and assistant clinic director at the Grady Primary Care Center. Tracey L. Henry, M.D., is a general internist in the department of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine and the assistant health director at the Grady Primary Care Center. Stacie Schmidt, M.D., is a general internist at Emory University and Grady Hospital. Erica Heiman, M.D., is an assistant professor in the department of medicine at Emory University. Their views expressed here are their own.
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