Covid-19 was said to be a 2 week cold or flu. After several months, we now have tens if not hundreds of thousands of people who are still dealing with symptoms and issues. We are called longhaulers. We have lost significant quality of life, jobs, strained relationships with friends and family and are struggling not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well. Many of us can’t find doctors who believe us or will listen and if we do, no one knows how to treat us or what to treat us for. The leading theory via the mount Sinai post covid care clinic is dysautonomia (POTS), which personally, I was just officially diagnosed with at 5 months post covid infection. This diagnosis along with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are becoming a popular diagnosis and unfortunate new normal for people post covid. This is far more than a post viral fatigue issue. I encourage you to check out the survey below for the chronic, bizarre and debilitating symptoms we are dealing with.

People need in person care. We also need to be studied not only to help us but those who come after. There needs to be several post covid care centers available to everyone in every single state (and internationally). We need medications, guidance, therapies, monitoring and some type of hope because right now there are no answers, no ideas, no time line. Is this permanent? Will it be years or months? We must start this now. We must put politics and money aside and provide a humanitarian service in a crisis situation. Covid doesn't care about your life. It doesnt matter if you are young or old. It doesn't matter if you ran a marathon every morning before work or you were a couch potato. Covid is an opportunistic virus that will seize on the opportunity to do everything in its power. There so far is no link between what makes someone a longhauler or not. 

The CDC has now recognized us and said that 1/3 will become a longhauler. We are approaching 6 million cases in the US alone. that means there are 2 million people here experiencing months long issues. Debilitating, chronic, and at this time- incurable issues. 2 Million people who are no longer themselves. 2 million people in need of care and the same amount of medical professionals who don't have answers and need a means of learning via data collection and patient experiences. The longer we wait to implement such programs, the higher the likelihood of this becoming an permanent issue for many of us. For me, I am confident my diagnosis is a life long sentence. If this is at all preventable, we must protect others from the same sentence.

Please help us by signing this petition to voice your need for post covid care centers. Please sign to support your friend, family member, neighbor, coworker or stranger. Please sign to educate others, to raise awareness and to get the government to act!

You can join our group if you are curious to learn more about the longhauler struggle, to stay up to date with new articles and scientific studies or programs or for a place of support and understanding. The group is open to everyone who cares!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/Covid19LonghaulerAdvocacyProject/?ref=share 

What do Longhaulers experience? 1,700 respondents answered that here! 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ExwUjaNCBaXmBjaR7Ent_maeKV6YYRRO/view?usp=drivesdk

What about the unconfirmed cases and those unable to get testing? What about information regarding contact tracing and location and time surrounding exposure?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kb_0NDEr7FmWokQ4cmq0MEHD1usoMT-L/view?usp=drivesdk

So many people have been unable to get into doctors or find someone who cares, will listen, believe them or is able to help them. After teaming up with Noah Greenspan, a cardiopulmonary rehabilitation specialist and founder of the the Pulmonary Wellness Foundation, we were able to help start provide some answers and guidance for people in addition to giving them a safe place to talk and have their voice and concerns heard. Sessions are held on Wednesdays and Sundays via zoom at 7pm EDT. These sessions consist of Doctors in their respective fields talking about covid and how it is affecting their field, what they are seeing and what they are doing. Sundays have now turned to more or a support group setting with Wednesdays hosting health professionals. All prior sessions can be found at  https://pulmonarywellness.org/covid-19/
#Covid-19 #Longhauler #PostCovidCare #Covid19LonghaulerAdvocacyProject