MOST PEOPLE INFECTED WITH CORONAVIRUS recover. But approximately at 14% of the disease is hard enough, and another 6% are in critical condition. Research shows that 16 % of those who are hospitalized require intensive care , often over a long period of time.
K Fortunately, those who suffered COVID-19 is relatively easy, too much. But no matter how the disease progresses, everyone who encounters it needs to properly restore the body in order to return to normal life. We asked the doctors how to do it correctly.
What Happens After Coronavirus
In Depending on the severity of the disease (light, srednetyazholaya, severe, very severe), the recovery period can last from months to years. Most often, the nervous, endocrine, respiratory and cardiovascular systems are affected .
Loss of smell and taste can persist for up to two months or more after recovery. Some people also notice a sharp change in the usual tastes and smells, they observe the illusion of bitterness. This also includes a violation of the emotional background, decreased performance, memory impairment.
Disorders in the work of the thyroid gland and the production of hormones by the body lead to the fact that a person begins to notice anxiety, loss of interest in life, confusion. Even after recovery, coughing, sore throat and shortness of breath may persist . That is why experts recommend to continue monitoring the state of breathing within a month after the infection .
And finally, by acting on the blood coagulation system, coronavirus infection can cause the development of thrombosis in the vessels of the limbs and organs. In addition, the infectious agent often affects the walls of blood vessels and heart cells, which can lead to arrhythmias.
“After a previous illness, the patient should come to an appointment with a therapist, who, based on examination and anamnesis, will prescribe control blood tests and, if necessary, refer him to a pulmonologist, cardiologist, endocrinologist, nephrologist. As a rule, the rehabilitation route is drawn up by a therapist or a pulmonologist, ”explains Svetlana Burnatskaya, a local therapist at Medicina JSC (Academician Roitberg’s clinic).
How to breathe deeply
According to experts, breathing exercises will be useful for everyone who has survived the coronavirus. “Simple basic exercises will do. The ideal is to consult a physician to choose the most effective, in which will participate all parts and segments of the lungs, but in the home, for example, you can do the exercise with a deep cup and straw, ” – says Victor Mukhanov doctor physical therapy and sports medicine, Head of the Traumatology and Orthopedic Department of the Federal Research Center of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia.
IT IS NECESSARY TO FILL THE GLASS WITH WATER and after a deep breath, slowly exhale into it through the tube so that the breath overcomes the resistance of the water. It is worth repeating 5-10 times a day for 10-15 minutes.
IT IS ALSO USEFUL IN THE SITTING POSITION TO CLOSE THE MOUTH TIGHTLY to inhale air through one corner of the mouth and exhale through the other. The exercise is repeated 5-7 times a day. With a sharp dizziness, classes should be stopped.
“The myth of the benefits of ballooning exercise has been gaining momentum lately . But doctors do not recommend resorting to this technique, since abrupt breathing with resistance can provoke trauma to the lungs and pleura, ”explains Viktor Mukhanov.
Exercise and nutrition
In rehabilitation centers, patients after COVID-19 slowly walk on treadmills under the control of heart monitors, gradually increasing the load. The same can be done at home to allow muscles to work, which are prone to weakening and atrophy during periods of illness .
“ Physical activity, the intensity of which is determined by the patient’s condition, also has a beneficial effect in the rehabilitation process . It may be some simple exercises or, for example, walking ” , – suggests Svetlana Burnatskaya. But even if the virus was transferred in a mild form, one should not quickly return to active physical activity: neither muscle tone, nor the respiratory or cardiovascular systems are ready for this now .
“A balanced diet rich in protein and calories will also help prevent complications . It is also useful to give up caffeine and other stimulants in order to protect the cardiovascular system, ”adds Victor Mukhanov.
Special treatments
Let’s say you want not just to do breathing exercises at home and get tested , but to carry out some additional healing procedures. In this case, there are several options.
“It ‘s no secret that the virus negatively affects the respiratory system and, as a result, lowers the oxygen level in the body. Being in the fresh air, given the conditions of such a large city as Moscow, does not guarantee adequate saturation of soft tissues and lungs with oxygen, ”says Maxim Shneiderov, Candidate of Medical Sciences, traumatologist-orthopedist of the LabRehab Sports Rehabilitation Center. According to the expert, one of the most effective procedures here will be barotherapy, which promotes tissue regeneration and the growth of new blood vessels, and at the same time improves the range of motion of the joints.
“This therapy saturates the blood with antioxidants and eliminates oxygen deficiency in organs and tissues, increases metabolic processes in cells, activates detoxification, stimulates tissue recovery and healing, and enhances the effect of drugs,” Svetlana Burnatskaya agrees.
You can also try cryotherapy. “The healing effect of cryotherapy is based on the stimulation of the body’s defense systems under the influence of cold. Positive stress improves blood circulation and microcirculation, as well as the active release of hormones from the adrenal and pituitary glands. Thus, cryotherapy serves as a kind of training of the body without depleting its own resources, ”explains Maksim Shneiderov.
Psychological recovery
The pandemic has generally hurt the psychological state of many of us, but those who have contracted the coronavirus had to face a double burden. What to do to a person who is sick and experiences the whole range of emotions about it?
“It is important to let him live with what he has: cry if he cries, complain if he wants to, get angry, resent, be confused and notice his sadness, fatigue and pain. What is happening is difficult, but this difficulty is easier to experience in a relationship with someone who does not evaluate and support, stays close, does not get scared, ”says Yekaterina Artemenko, community director of the Yasno service.
The expert adds that it is important for a person after an illness to make it clear that everything that happens is normal for such a difficult illness. This is especially true for people who are accustomed to a high rhythm of work and are achievement- oriented . “You should n’t expect super-results from yourself after recovery, but you should n’t invalidate yourself and experience everything that happens as irreversibility, ” she says .
“Here, like after dealing with any crisis, there is good news. And it consists in the fact that after going through this difficult time with a specialist, in addition to a new painful experience , you can acquire another one – an experience that will make a person more stable and capable of a deeper understanding of his needs, his boundaries and his strength ”, – summarizes Ekaterina Artemenko.
And then what?
Before returning to a normal life with intense exertion and / or parties on Fridays, it is important to make sure that everything is in order with the body . Because, we repeat, even if it seems that everything is fine, in reality it may not be quite so.
Doctors say that a month after the illness, it is worth taking a general and biochemical blood test. It is also useful to undergo CT scan of the lungs, ultrasound of the heart, analyze the function of external respiration and check the level of vitamin D. And, of course, you need to monitor your condition, and if something bothers you , be sure to go to a specialist for a consultation.
Finally, it is important to understand that there is an early and late recovery period for every disease . Since coronavirus is a new disease that manifested itself less than a year ago, the medical community is not yet ready to talk about the second (it can be three years from the moment of recovery). So doctors still need to collect and analyze this information .