{"id":266,"date":"2023-09-19T16:38:57","date_gmt":"2023-09-19T16:38:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/estelle-jarrett-portfolio\/?p=266"},"modified":"2023-11-27T00:41:04","modified_gmt":"2023-11-27T00:41:04","slug":"long-covid-from-healthcare-worker-to-remote-life-coach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/estelle-jarrett-portfolio\/2023\/09\/19\/long-covid-from-healthcare-worker-to-remote-life-coach\/","title":{"rendered":"Long COVID: from Healthcare Worker to Remote Life Coach"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Estelle Jarrett
\nUConn Journalism 
\nOct. 18, 2022<\/span><\/p>\n

In Dan\u00adbury, Con\u00adnecti\u00adcut, 54-year-old Heather DeLu\u00adca is cur\u00adrent\u00adly liv\u00ading a new life as a for\u00admer hos\u00adpi\u00adtal work\u00ader who con\u00adtract\u00aded the first strain of the COVID-19 virus in April 2020. After years of see\u00ading many Yale spe\u00adcial\u00adists, DeLu\u00adca still lives with debil\u00adi\u00adtat\u00ading symp\u00adtoms of long COVID that caused her to lose her job at Man\u00adches\u00adter Memo\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal Hospital. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The front entrance of Manchester Memorial Hospital where DeLuca worked before falling ill. \/ Photo by Estelle Jarrett<\/p>\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/estelle-jarrett-portfolio\/files\/2023\/09\/P9261981-copy-1-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-353 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/estelle-jarrett-portfolio\/files\/2023\/09\/P9261981-copy-1-300x225.jpg\" alt width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/estelle-jarrett-portfolio\/files\/2023\/09\/P9261981-copy-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/estelle-jarrett-portfolio\/files\/2023\/09\/P9261981-copy-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/estelle-jarrett-portfolio\/files\/2023\/09\/P9261981-copy-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/estelle-jarrett-portfolio\/files\/2023\/09\/P9261981-copy-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/estelle-jarrett-portfolio\/files\/2023\/09\/P9261981-copy-1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/estelle-jarrett-portfolio\/files\/2023\/09\/P9261981-copy-1-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/estelle-jarrett-portfolio\/files\/2023\/09\/P9261981-copy-1-1280x960.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">
The front entrance of Man\u00adches\u00adter Memo\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal Hos\u00adpi\u00adtal where Heather DeLu\u00adca worked before falling ill. \/ Pho\u00adto by Estelle Jarrett<\/span><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt was men\u00adtal\u00adly drain\u00ading; I def\u00adi\u00adnite\u00adly had depres\u00adsion from it that I was going to ther\u00ada\u00adpy for. It robbed me of my life in a way,\u201d said DeLuca.<\/span><\/p>\n

DeLu\u00adca start\u00aded feel\u00ading symp\u00adtoms April 7, 2020, two days before they even began wear\u00ading masks in the hos\u00adpi\u00adtal. Weeks lat\u00ader, she went out of work on disability.<\/span><\/p>\n

Long COVID, or post-COVID Syn\u00addrome, is a term for when COVID symp\u00adtoms per\u00adsist for more than three months and can\u2019t be explained by anoth\u00ader con\u00addi\u00adtion, accord\u00ading to the Nation\u00adal Library of Medicine.<\/span><\/p>\n

Accord\u00ading to the Cen\u00adters for Dis\u00adease Con\u00adtrol and Pre\u00adven\u00adtion data released on Oct. 5, 2022, 81.4% (rough\u00adly 18.5 mil\u00adlion peo\u00adple) of U.S. adults with long COVID report\u00aded hav\u00ading their abil\u00adi\u00adty lim\u00adit\u00aded by the con\u00addi\u00adtion. An analy\u00adsis in August by the Brook\u00adings Insti\u00adtu\u00adtion esti\u00admat\u00aded that 2 to 4 mil\u00adlion Amer\u00adi\u00adcans are out of work because of symp\u00adtoms of long COVID. This main\u00adly con\u00adcerned staff in inpa\u00adtient and out\u00adpa\u00adtient care as well as in hos\u00adpi\u00adtals, accord\u00ading to the Nation\u00adal Library of Medicine.<\/span><\/p>\n

DeLu\u00adca worked as a lac\u00adta\u00adtion con\u00adsul\u00adtant at the hos\u00adpi\u00adtal when she was first hit with a wave of COVID symp\u00adtoms that left her impaired. She said she worked with doc\u00adtors to solve her \u2018brain fog\u2019. She had no ordered think\u00ading; She could read words, but her brain would not process them any\u00admore, so she began at a kinder\u00adgarten lev\u00adel. She read sim\u00adple things like recipes and did word prob\u00adlem games. Her deci\u00adsion-mak\u00ading was so unre\u00adli\u00adable she didn\u2019t trust her\u00adself to dri\u00adve for four months after she was diagnosed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brain fog is a promi\u00adnent lin\u00adger\u00ading symp\u00adtom that has been the sub\u00adject of many stud\u00adies. A study by North\u00adwest\u00adern Uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adty showed that out of 100 patients with long COVID, 85 per\u00adcent of the patients report\u00aded four last\u00ading neu\u00adro\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal prob\u00adlems six weeks after their acute infec\u00adtions. While the patients report\u00aded that the neu\u00adro\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal symp\u00adtoms start\u00aded to improve after 15 months, the symp\u00adtoms had not gone away com\u00adplete\u00adly in their every\u00adday life, accord\u00ading to Kaitlin Sul\u00adli\u00advan in the March 2022 NBC report titled \u201c<\/span>Brain fog, oth\u00ader long Covid symp\u00adtoms can last more than a year\u201d<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

To help patients with brain fog, COVID Clin\u00adics like Hart\u00adford Healthcare\u2019s COVID Recov\u00adery Cen\u00adter hire speech-lan\u00adguage pathol\u00ado\u00adgists to treat a person\u2019s com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adtions skills (atten\u00adtion, speak\u00ading, read\u00ading, mem\u00ado\u00adry, orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion). The cen\u00adter usu\u00adal\u00adly sees high num\u00adbers of patients between the ages of 45 and 50. This includes full-time work\u00aders and many front-line health work\u00aders. Even so, accord\u00ading to the patients they get, all ages and back\u00adgrounds can have long COVID, even peo\u00adple who have nev\u00ader been hos\u00adpi\u00adtal\u00adized and had mild COVID.<\/span><\/p>\n

DeLu\u00adca ran on the tread\u00admill every day for three miles, but sud\u00adden\u00adly she couldn\u2019t even walk on it because of her rac\u00ading heart rate. To this day, her heart rate has not recov\u00adered ful\u00adly, and she still can\u00adnot run, if at all.<\/span><\/p>\n

Clin\u00adics see a range of symp\u00adtoms from the lungs and heart (short\u00adness of breath, rapid heart\u00adbeat), brain (mem\u00ado\u00adry, fatigue, dizzi\u00adness, blurred vision, seizures, depres\u00adsion), and stom\u00adach (pain, diar\u00adrhea), accord\u00ading to <\/span> <\/span>Dr. Sub\u00adra\u00admani Seethara\u00adma<\/span> of <\/span>Hart\u00adford HealthCare\u2019s Reha\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adta\u00adtion Net\u00adwork in an August 2022 podcast.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Accord\u00ading to the British Med\u00adical Asso\u00adci\u00ada\u00adtion (BMJ), long COVID can fol\u00adlow a con\u00adstant course, but oth\u00aders expe\u00adri\u00adence relaps\u00ading, and some\u00adtimes symp\u00adtoms can occur due to trig\u00adgers, like the body\u2019s trau\u00adma response. <\/span><\/p>\n

One out of ten peo\u00adple expe\u00adri\u00adence symp\u00adtoms of COVID or devel\u00adop new symp\u00adtoms months after a COVID infec\u00adtion has run its course, accord\u00ading to Hart\u00adford Healthcare\u2019s COVID Recov\u00adery Cen\u00adter. Hartford\u2019s Recov\u00adery Cen\u00adter has cared for over 2,000 patients since open\u00ading in the fall of 2020. Indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adals call these kinds of cen\u00adters when they have symp\u00adtoms of COVID so that they can get spe\u00adcial\u00adized care by being direct\u00aded to spe\u00adcial\u00adists who are trained in the unique symp\u00adtoms of the heart and lungs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hali Kor\u00adsu, a junior at the Uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adty of Con\u00adnecti\u00adcut, has shared that she\u2019s been con\u00adcerned about a 15 bpm increase in her rest\u00ading heart rate since she first got COVID in fall of 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no oth\u00ader expla\u00adna\u00adtion for it. I vivid\u00adly remem\u00adber sit\u00adting in my car in front of urgent care see\u00ading my shirt rise with the pound\u00ading of my heart while I just sat still. That heart-attack feel\u00ading hasn\u2019t gone away, even when I\u2019m calm,\u201d Kor\u00adsu says.<\/span><\/p>\n

At this cur\u00adrent time, there is a lack of defin\u00adi\u00adtive cura\u00adtive ther\u00ada\u00adpies, but clin\u00adics can help by diag\u00adnos\u00ading long COVID, man\u00adag\u00ading the spe\u00adcif\u00adic symp\u00adtoms, shar\u00ading the uncer\u00adtain\u00adties of the prog\u00adno\u00adsis, and set\u00adting real\u00adis\u00adtic goals for recov\u00adery, accord\u00ading to Trisha Green\u00adhal\u00adgh, pro\u00adfes\u00adsor of pri\u00adma\u00adry care health ser\u00advices, in a BMJ report in 2022. There is no stan\u00addard pro\u00adto\u00adcol yet for treat\u00ading long COVID, but recov\u00adery pro\u00adgrams are designed to aim for improv\u00ading the phys\u00adi\u00adcal and men\u00adtal well\u00adbe\u00ading of the patient. <\/span><\/p>\n

DeLu\u00adca can no longer phys\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly work at her old job help\u00ading moth\u00aders in the birth cen\u00adter. How\u00adev\u00ader, she has adjust\u00aded by start\u00ading an at-home busi\u00adness webi\u00adnar called Peri\u00adna\u00adtal Life Coach\u00ading. Accord\u00ading to DeLu\u00adca, she uses her edu\u00adca\u00adtion and expe\u00adri\u00adence to ful\u00adfill a role near\u00adly tak\u00aden from her by the COVID-19 disease.<\/span><\/p>\n



<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Estelle Jar\u00adrett UConn Jour\u00adnal\u00adism  Oct. 18, 2022 In Dan\u00adbury, Con\u00adnecti\u00adcut, 54-year-old Heather DeLu\u00adca is cur\u00adrent\u00adly liv\u00ading a new life as a for\u00admer hos\u00adpi\u00adtal work\u00ader who con\u00adtract\u00aded the first strain of the COVID-19 virus in April 2020. After years of see\u00ading many Yale spe\u00adcial\u00adists, DeLu\u00adca still lives with debil\u00adi\u00adtat\u00ading symp\u00adtoms of long COVID that caused her\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":926,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-266","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/estelle-jarrett-portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/estelle-jarrett-portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/estelle-jarrett-portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/estelle-jarrett-portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/926"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/estelle-jarrett-portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/estelle-jarrett-portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":393,"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/estelle-jarrett-portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266\/revisions\/393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/estelle-jarrett-portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/estelle-jarrett-portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/estelle-jarrett-portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}