YORK, Pa. — Long-COVID has plagued millions of people across the world since the pandemic began, but the actual cause of it is still being researched.
It's classified as symptoms that show up to four or more weeks after an initial case of COVID-19. New research suggests why it may be happening and what treatment options are out there for those still suffering. FOX43 also talked with one woman who has been suffering for more than 10 months.
"It was really rough on my kids, they thought I was going to die, I thought I was going to die," Jamie Harner said about when she got sick with COVID-19 last April. "For the first few months actually, I couldn't work at all."
Now, almost a year later, the single mother of 5-year-old twin boys, is still not well.
"On a daily basis, it's chest pain, really bad fatigue," and weakness in my legs," she said. "A couple months ago, I could feel every bone in my body and it hurt. I get a little bit better and then I get a relapse and the relapses are the most intense, crazy thing I've ever been through. I get shooting pain all over my body."
Pain, fatigue, insomnia. These are just three of the symptoms long-COVID patients are experiencing. But why? Researchers at National Jewish Health determined that in certain people, the virus actually hinders cells from generating energy. And even though it was found in muscle tissue, experts believe the same process could be linked to neurological and pulmonary systems as well.
To do this, researchers conducted exercise testing at the National Jewish Health Center for Post-COVID Care and Recovery, monitoring hundreds of data points as patients became fatigued on an exercise bike. Patients wore a specialized mask and electrodes that monitored their breathing and heart function, and in some patients, an arterial line was also inserted to track blood oxygen levels.
They concluded that mitochondria, organelles in cells that are responsible for generating energy, did not function properly in patients with post-COVID syndrome. While the test revealed this dysfunction in muscle tissue, researchers believe this same process is related to symptoms originating in the pulmonary and neurological systems as well. Research is still being done to find out more about the link.
For now though, many health systems have created COVID-19 recovery programs to support patients, which Harner has been taking advantage of.
"Basically they hook you up with all the different specialists you need depending on your symptoms," she said. "The doctors at the clinic have been amazing but it's the same thing from everybody: it's basically, 'We don't really know, eat as healthy as you can, wait, give it time.'"
Others are opting for alternatives to modern-day medicine like massage, meditation, and even acupuncture.
"If it's brain fog and migraines, it really seems to wipe out those symptoms pretty quickly," Nick Dower said. As the acupuncture supervisor at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, Dower says he's seen a lot of long COVID patients coming in for relief. "The idea is once you put the needles in, it creates a micro tissue damage and creates this cascade of physiological events that orchestrate your own bodies healing."
Despite what it looks like, the process takes about an hour and is relatively painless. Some people find relief immediately, but he did say it can take four to six treatments before someone really starts to notice a difference.
"I never sell it as this magical thing that is going to help you; if it's done in tandem with their physicians, it seems to be a much smoother process," Dower said.
As for Harner, she said she's found the most help from online support groups filled with other long haulers just like her, to see what's worked for them. She says the best thing you can do for someone suffering from long-COVID, is to offer them grace, patience, and a little bit of extra kindness.
"It's easy to discount if you haven't been around somebody who is experiencing it, but it's the most difficult thing I've gone through for sure," she said.
There are several health systems in Pennsylvania including in York and Lancaster counties who are operating their own COVID-19 recovery clinics. Here are some of them:
LANCASTER COUNTY
Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health Post-COVID-19 Recovery and Rehabilitation Therapy
555 North Duke Street, Lancaster, Pa. 17602
YORK COUNTY
WellSpan COVID Care
2350 Freedom Way, Suite 202, York, Pa. 17402
To make an appointment: Complete the online appointment request form or call (717) 851-1543.
For more information on long-COVID, check out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention information here.
A copy of the National Jewish Health study revealing the root cause of long-COVID can be found here.