Today, about a month after I came off the #ventilator and 3 weeks after my hospital discharge, I had a telemedicine consultation with a pulmonologist.

#coronavirus #Covid_19 #COVID19

I told him about my cough, a sometimes productive cough that gets worse at night, and my shortness of breath from mild exertion.

#coronavirus #Covid_19 #COVID19

The cough is not surprising and could last 2-3 months, he said. He prescribed me a steroid inhaler that should help if it’s #asthma, which it could be. (It’s no longer the #COVID19 cough at this point.)

#coronavirus #Covid_19

The inhaler (Symbicort) will take at least a week to take effect. For chest congestion, I can take over-the-counter Mucinex.

#coronavirus #Covid_19 #COVID19

The shortness of breath could be from lung damage, deconditioning, or a combination thereof, he said.

#coronavirus #Covid_19 #COVID19

He urged me to engage in mild exercise, like walking, to reverse any deconditioning (and make whatever I have a pure pulmonary issue).

#coronavirus #COVID19 #Covid_19

He would like me to come in for exams and tests - x-ray or CT scan, 6-minute walk test, etc. - but right now they don’t have the staff or space.

#coronavirus #Covid_19 #Covid_19

The staff and space usually used for pulmonary follow-up are now devoted to #COVID19 patients, and it’s not clear when they’ll revert to their prior focus.

#coronavirus #Covid_19

He’s going to look into this; I should call him in 10 days to check in and to update him on my condition.

#coronavirus #Covid_19 #COVID19

Do I have any permanent or long-term lung damage? It’s too early to say, especially since we haven’t done the necessary tests (but even if we had the test results, it would still be too early to assess).

#coronavirus #Covid_19 #COVID19

It’s not his specialty (he’s not an infectious disease doctor), but I did ask him if I’m still contagious and if I have some immunity to #coronavirus.

#Covid_19 #COVID19

He gave the usual caveats - new disease, lots we don’t know, etc. - but he said it’s “highly unlikely” I’m still contagious (first symptoms around 3/7), and “highly likely” I have “some” level of immunity.

#coronavirus #COVID19 #Covid_19

Nothing is certain, plus I could still catch something else - e.g., regular flu - so we continue to wash hands constantly, wear masks on the rare occasions we do go out, and generally #StayAtHome .

#coronavirus #COVID19 #Covid_19