people were diagnosed with COVID-19 in
Utah today. Of those -it’s estimated less than 1-percent
may actually die.. but a much
bigger number.. 100 or so -
will likely end up with long
term side effects.
Hundreds of Utahns are
already suffering -- with no
end in sight.And they say
Covid is not what you think it
is.
SO I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH COVID
19 ON APRIL 16THMARCH 11JULY 29
I WAS DIAGNOSED IN JUNEMY
FEVER STRATED ON MARCH 20JULY
5I’M 4 MONTHS INTO THISI’M NOT
GOING ON WEEK 7ITS BEEN ALMOST
3 MONTHS110 DAYSI’M ON DAY
242. They call themselves
COVID "Long-Haulers".. And
every day, their numbers are
rising. IT JUST CAME ON SO FAST
ALL THE CLASSIC COVID SYMPTOMS
SORE THROATNASAL CONGESTION
REALLY HIGH FEVERREALLY BAD
COUGHI LOST MY SENSE OF TASTE
AND SMELLTheir sicknesses
started out pretty standard.
THE WHOLE THING WAS PRETTY MILD
I REALLY THOUGHT I HAD A FALSE
POSITIVEBut these COVID
survivors soon found out..
there was more to the virus
than they ever imagined.
10-14 DAYS LATER, THOUGHT WE
CAME THROUGH IT PRETTY GOOD
AND THEN ALL OF THE STRANGE
AFTER EFFECTS STARTED KICKING
IN.ABOUT 45 DAYS IN I STARTED
KEEPING A NOTEBOOK WHERE I
WROTE DOWN SYMPTOMS. SEVERE
VERTIGONIGHT SWEATS
DISORIENTATIONMY FACE BROKE
OUT IN A RASHEVERY DAY IT WAS
SOME KIND OF NEW SYMPTOMI
COULD REALLY CONCENTRATE ON
ANYTHINGI HAD TROUBLE FINDING
WORDS SOMETIMESOH, BRIAN FOG,
YEAHI CAN’T THINK OF WORDS
I’VE USED HUNDREDS OF TIMES
BEFOREI KNOW WHAT THE WORD
IS.. I UM.. THERE GOES MY BRAIN
ITS HARDER TO DO HOMEWORK AND
STUFF BECAUSE YOUR BRAIN HAS A
FOG OVER IT.THE HEADACHES. OH
THE HEADACHES ARE THE WORST
TOTAL EXHAUSTIONI’M SO TIRED
ALL THE TIMEJUST CRUSHING
FATIGUEENLARGED ORGANS THAT
THEY CAN’T ’GIVE ME A REASON
FOR WHY MY INTERNAL ORGANS ARE
ENLARGEDIN WEEK 11 I FOUND A
BLOOD CLOT IN MY ARM.I HAD
OVER 30 PULMONARY EMBOLISMS. A
PORTION OF MY LUNGS STARTED TO
DIE AWAY FROM THATMY LUNGS ARE
NOT INFLATINGSCAR TISSUE IN MY
LUNGSI STRATED LOSING EYESIGHT
TEMPORARILYPERIODIC BLINDNESS
EPISODESREALLY BLURRY VISION
LOSING FEELING IN THE TONGUE
TINGLING IN MY HANDS, FEET AND
FACELOSING CONCIOUSNESSWEEKS
10 11 12 I STARTED GETTING
TACHYCARDIA DOING ANYTHING
WOULD MAKE MY HEART RATE SPIKE
I GET OUT OF BREATH REALLY
EASILYCOULDN’T TAKE A FULL
BREATHI LOST ALL MY HAIRMY
HAIR WAS COMING OUT IN
HANDFULLSRIGORS SO WOULD JUST
SHIVER AND SHAKE UNCONTROLLABLY
IT FEELS LIKE YOUR WHOLE BODY
IS VIBRATING INSIDEI HAVE
TINITUS NOW.LITERALLY A
CONSTANT RINGING IN MY EARSMY
CHILDREN STILL SUFFER FROM
SORE THROAT EVERYDAY.I HAD NO
IDEA THAT 8 WEEKS LATER, WE’VE
BEEN DEALING WITH THIS FOR 8
WEEKS NOW. THAT THE CHILDREN
WOULD STILL BE SUFFERING FROM
THIS. They’re suffering.. But
they’re not alone. Researchers
are finding between 10 and 25
percent of COVID patients are
suffering from mysterious long-
term symptoms. And with few
medical answers.. these
survivors wonder when.. or
if.. they’ll ever be the same
again.BEFORE ALL OF THIS I WAS
VERY ACTIVE. I LIFTED WEIGHTS,
I WAS AT THE GYMI WAS
KICKBOXING, I WAS DOING YOGAI
WAS SUPER ACTIVEI USED TO RUN
PRETTY FREQUENTLYI WAS
TRAINING FOR A HALF MARATHON
60-70 MILES A WEEK5-6 MILES
EVERY DAYI CANT SWEEP MY
KITCHEN FLOORNOW PHYSICALLY
ITS HARD FOR ME TO GO AND DO
ANYTHING. I CAN’T EVEN GO FOR
A WALK AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD
WITH MY KIDS THE ONLY THING I
CAN DO NOW IS TAKE A DRIVE IN
A CARI CANT BE THE MOM THAT I
WAS I HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO BE
THE GRANDMA TO MY GRANDKIDS
THAT I’VE WANTED TO BESO
TECHNICALLY I’M IN THE
RECOVERED STATISTIC COLUMN BUT
I DON’T FEEL LIKE IVE
RECOVERED. I’M NOT WHO I WAS
BEFORE I GOT COVID. NO, I’M
NOT RECOVERED AT 7 WEEKS. I’M
DEFINITELY NOT RECOVERED AND
I’M WORRED THAT I WILL NEVER
BE RECOVERED. THAT THIS IS A
CHRONIC CONDITION THAT IS
GOING TO BE PART OF MY LIFE.
Hundreds of Utahns lives.. now
altered.Their futures as
unknown as the novel
coronavirus. HONESTLY, THERE
ARE A LOT OF DAYS WHERE I FEEL
LIKE MY GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENT
FOR THAT DAY IS THAT I MANAGED
TO NOT DIE. I’ve CONTEMPLATED
SLEEPING IN MY CAR IN THE
PARKING LOT OF THE ERI HAD THE
AMBULANCE COME ON ME 6 TIMES
THEY DON’T GET IT AND THEY GET
SCARED WHEN MOM’S GONNA PASS
OUT OR MOM’S FEELING DIZZY AND
SHE CANT STAND UP AND I THINK
THERES JUST THIS FEAR OF NOT
BEING ABLE TO WAKE UP AND
THAT’S BEEN MY BIGGEST ANXIETY
IS THAT ONE OF THEM IS GOING
TO FIND ME.IN THE BEGINNING I
DIDN’T THINK IT WAS THAT BAD.
I THOUGHT THE MEDIA WAS TRYING
TO BLOW IT OUT OF PROPORTION.
IT’S NOT WHAT YOU THINK IT
IS.. YOU HEAR ALL OF THESE
PEOPLE IN THE MEDIA AND THE
EXPERTS BUT WHO YOU SHOULD
REALLY LISTEN TO ARE PEOPLE
ARE GOING THROUGH IT AND
THERE’S A LOT OF PEOPLE RIGHT
HERE IN THE STATE OF UTAH WHO
ARE GOING THROUGH ITLISTEN TO
US. BELIEVE US. IT IS HARD TO
READ THE NEWS THAT THE COUNTS
ARE ACTUALLY GOING UP. A LOT
OF PEOPLE ARE SO FOCUSED ON
THAT DEATH STATISTICYOU HEAR
PEOPLE SAYING OH IT’S JUST 1
PERCENTYEAH YOU MIGHT LIVE
THROUGH IT BUT IT DOESN’T MEAN
YOU GET TO KEEP YOUR LIFE.THE
STAKES ARE JUST TOO HIGH.
MAYBE YOU’LL BE FINE. ODDS ARE
YOU’RE BE FINE BUT IF YOU’RE
NOT, IT’LL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. I
HEAR EVERYDAY OH IT’S A HOAX,
IT’S THE FLU AND ITS NOT, THIS
IS REALI’M NOT A LIAR. THIS IS
NOT FAKE NEWS. NO ONE IS
PAYING ME TO SAY THIS. I AM
SICK AND IT SUCKSWE DIDN’T
MAKE THIS STUFF UP. I DIDN’T
MAKE UP THAT I ALMOST DIEDI
WISH PEOPLE WOULD TAKE IT MORE
SERIOUSLY BECAUSE THIS IS NOT
A FUN WAY TO LIVE. IT’S NOT.
EVERY TIME YOU KNOW MY HEART
BEATS A LITTLE BIT WEIRD OR I
RUN OUT OF BREATH OR WHATEVER
I WORRY IF THIS IS GOING TO BE
THE LAST TIME THAT I DO
SOMETHING BECAUSE I JUST DON’T
KNOWIT’S NOT A FEAR BASED
THING. ITS A KNOWLEDGE IS
POWER, YOU DON’T WANT THIS.
Tomorrow at 6:30 -- we dive
deeper into the lives of these long-haulers.Doctors weigh in on what they think is going on
-- and what can be done to
help the hundreds if not
thousands of Utahns -- who are
suffering weeks and months
after getting COVID. Join us
for that special report --