Saturday, June 25, 2022

Long Covid

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—CDC.gov), long Covid or post-Covid conditions are “a wide range of new, returning, or ongoing health problems” about four weeks after a Covid 19 infection. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/long-term-effects/index.html [Accessed 06-25-2022]

The CDC has found that people with possible long Covid report the following symptoms:

Tiredness or fatigue that interferes with daily life

Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental effort (post-exertional malaise)

Fever

Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

Cough

Chest pain

Fast-beating or pounding heart (heart palpitations)

Difficulty thinking or concentrating (brain fog)

Headache

Sleep problems

Dizziness when standing up (lightheadedness)

Pins-and-needles feelings

Change in smell or taste

Depression or anxiety

Diarrhea

Stomach pain

Joint or muscle pain

Rash

Changes in menstrual cycles

“Some people, especially those who had severe COVID-19, experience multiorgan effects or autoimmune conditions with symptoms lasting weeks or months after COVID-19 illness. Multiorgan effects can involve many body systems, including the heart, lung, kidney, skin, and brain. As a result of these effects, people who have had COVID-19 may be more likely to develop new health conditions such as diabetes, heart conditions, or neurological conditions compared with people who have not had COVID-19.”

The CDC states, “for some people, post-COVID conditions may last months, and potentially years, after COVID-19 illness and may sometimes result in disability.”

According to the CDC:

“Estimates of the proportion of people who had COVID-19 that go on to experience post-COVID conditions can vary:

13.3% at one month or longer after infection

2.5% at three months or longer, based on self-reporting

More than 30% at 6 months among patients who were hospitalized”

Thursday, June 23, 2022

My new book, Money & Insurance Claims for Injuries & Illnesses: Medical RecordKeeping, is now available at Amazon.com

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Money+%26+Insurance+claims+for+injuries+%26+illnesses%3A+medical+recordkeeping&crid=N07VIEUHDHUG&sprefix=money+%26+insurance+claims+for+injuries+%26+illnesses+medical+recordkeeping%2Caps%2C61&ref=nb_sb_noss

Money & Insurance Claims for Injuries & Illnesses: Medical RecordKeeping provides a guide for creating a Medical Appointments Book, a Prescription Journal, and a Medical Status Journal. It seeks to respond to three needs of people impaired now, or who may be in the future:

One, it helps to find the words, to describe or explain their symptoms, including pain.

Two, it advocates that people must properly complete “medical” forms and retain copies of completed forms and their own records of their care and treatment.

Three, it recommends that people create medical status diaries to describe their baseline health and/or to record symptoms that may be associated with future illnesses such as Long Covid or fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome.

This book is a guide to creating a Medical Appointments Book, a Prescription Journal, and a Medical Status Journal.

In 2013, Patricia A. Petow, a now retired Massachusetts attorney, published How to Get Social Security Disability & SSI Disability at Amazon.com. https://www.amazon.com/How-Get-Social-Security-Disability/dp/1495315045