Millions of people have long COVID brain fog -- and there's a shortage of answers

[BeckyDem]

May 10, 20231:25 PM ET
Heard on Fresh Air


By Dave Davies


Excerpt: Neuropsychologist James C. Jackson says people with long COVID can suffer from symptoms like exhaustion, shortness of breath and disturbed sleep. Some of the most troubling symptoms are neurological: struggling to remember things, to focus, even to perform basic daily tasks and solve problems.

These symptoms can lead to a loss of employment, income and important relationships. Jackson, who is a research professor at Vanderbilt University, says that while long COVID was initially associated with people who became critically ill with COVID-19, he's seeing an increasing number of patients for whom the initial illness was relatively mild.

"This is a little bit of a mystery," Jackson says. "Many people with mild cases are profoundly debilitated [with long COVID], and some people with quite severe cases are doing fairly well."

Jackson's new book, Clearing the Fog, is a practical guide for long COVID patients and their families, giving advice on how to find help, and information on treatments and strategies for dealing with symptoms.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/05/10/1175018383/long-covid-clearing-the-fog-james-jackson



( Be careful out there. )

[MontanaMama]

1. I listened to this today on NPR.

Fascinating and frightening. Imagine being diagnosed with dementia but it’s long Covid? That is happening right now. We need more research on this for sure.

[BeckyDem]

2. I completely agree.

[LT Barclay]

4. I haven't been diagnosed, but haven't been able to clear my head for over a year.

I lack motivation, organization, at times have memory issues, and I get fatigued easily. It is like the feeling of just waking up, needing that first coffee or a shower but it never goes away. It did drop once, like a curtain falling and I felt great for 50 hours and I could feel the fog creeping upwards in my body.
Host Defense Lion's Mane supplement was suggested to me, and it appears to be helping. I'm struggling at work though, I've had 4 jobs since I had COVID. I know I'm not performing at the 125% they would like, but I have been doing well enough, but like every other company, healthcare is trying to squeeze workers every day.
I pray I can transfer to a desk job of some sort soon, but not sure where to go or what to do. Although I count myself blessed as I can still function. I've heard that some folks are down for days after one day of effort.

[yardwork]

6. Is it possible you have depression?

It's worth looking into because there are effective medications for depression. A lot of us are suffering from depression as a result of this pandemic.

I hope you feel better soon.

[LT Barclay]

7. Thanks. Definitely a possibility. The rest of the story is more unbelievable.

[appalachiablue]

3. Thanks for this, so impt and scary as heck.

[BigmanPigman]

5. About a year ago I asked my neurologist

what he knew of Long Covid and ne just shook his head. It will take many years to learn more about this disease and its aftermath.

[Hekate]

8. KnR