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Fatigue, muscle pains and cough: Norton Healthcare talks lingering symptoms after COVID-19

Dr. Navid Pour-Ghasemi said every patient’s recovery time is different.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Since launching their long-term COVID clinic about six months ago, Norton Healthcare says they have seen at least 89 patients who are struggling with lingering symptoms after testing positive for the coronavirus.

“The most common things are fatigue and brain fog, muscle pains and then cough,” said Dr. Navid Pour-Ghasemi, an infectious diseases specialist with Norton Infectious Diseases Institute.

Data from Norton Healthcare in November 2020 reveals 83% of the patients were female, and patients ranged from 19 to 81 years old. Pour-Ghasemi said every patient’s recovery time is different. 

“I think the most valuable thing I've been able to provide to patients is some kind of contextualization of the illness to say 'this is what's going on,' 'this is the experience I've seen,' 'here's what I know about it,' 'you're not alone in this,'" Pour-Ghasemi said. "I think it's been really important to share with patients the most up-to-date knowledge on what we have and how to get through it."

Robert Moss said he has had kidney failure since testing positive for COVID-19, and is now on dialysis daily. 

“My kidneys shut down, I had trouble breathing, my oxygen levels were like in the 80s," Moss said. 

The Patient Care Assistant at Clark Memorial Hospital became a patient himself last April. He was released after a month-long stay at the hospital in May, but returned a few weeks later and had to go on a ventilator at just 40 years old. 

“They had lost me, they did CPR and brought me back,” Moss said.

Moss said he also has had issues with flocculating blood pressure. 

“Usually with like a specific organ failure like that, there's something that's happened that causes it to be that way,” Pour-Ghasemi said. "COVID makes it easier for you to clot, and if you clot off the blood supply to the kidney, that will lead to kidney failure."

Robert still needs a kidney, but said he's at least feeling healthier. This week he got his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. 

“I felt bad for maybe a day, but I've been feeling good ever since,” Moss said. 

Norton Healthcare’s long-term COVID care clinic sees patients who are more than 14 days from the start of their symptoms and without fever for at least 24 hours.

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