LONG COVID
"Doc, I’ve got a lot of symptoms,
And I don’t know where to start!
I was sick a few months ago—
You already know that part!!
"Well, I thought I was over this,
And was all ready to mend,
But I’m just not back to normal.
These new symptoms will not end!
"Doc, you may think I am crazy,
So, I jotted them all down!
You’ve been with me these many years,
And you know I’m not a clown!
"Ready? Here come some on the list!
I simply can’t concentrate!
My smell is off, also my taste.
Can’t recall what I just ate!
"I’ve never been prone to headaches.
Get 'em now-seems every day!
I am tired, and I am dizzy;
Aches and pains won’t go away!
"My throat is sore; my eyes are red;
My vision’s off! I can’t hear!
I’m losing weight, as you can see,
Also, hair! Soon bald, I fear!
"My balance is bad! I can’t sleep!
I’m short of breath, got a cough.
Nausea, chest pains every day.
And diarrhea on and off!
"My pulse is fast most of the time,
And skipping beats are the norm.
I feel “flu like” on many days,
Cold sweats and feverish warm.
“Doc, I’m sorry to load you down;
I simply can’t see the light.
Thought when my COVID bout was past,
I was cured! I’d won the fight!”
Addendum: For thousands who suffer these same type residual symptoms, the medical profession and its scientists are struggling to reach conclusions that give us more light for reasonable therapeutic approaches. Presently, several causative factors, including the following, are under consideration: 1) residual viral infection 2) auto immunity 3) continuing inflammation 4) reactivation of dormant virus.
—John D. McEachin, MD, Meridian