CLEVELAND — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevent reports 1 in 5 adults who’ve had COVID-19 suffer from “long COVID,” which means symptoms last three or more months after first contracting the virus. Patients can experience continued loss of smell, taste, and headaches, along with other medical conditions like heart issues. However, a new procedure and community resources are offering some patients relief.
Since the fall of 2021, Delores Gray said life has been an ongoing struggle. That’s when she was first diagnosed with COVID.
“It’s really hard thinking about going through grief, and you think about COVID,” said Gray.
Tuesday, she packed up her daughter's home, who passed away that same year. Her daughter, Brandy, died of heart failure, but Gray suspects it was COVID-related.
“I’ve had two people very close to me pass away from COVID,” Gray added.
On top of dealing with back-to-back losses, COVID continues to haunt Gray. She said she’s a COVID-19 long hauler.
“I still have headaches from time to time,” Gray said. “Right now, I am dealing with a headache and I never really have headaches like that.”
Gray isn’t alone; the CDC reports nearly 20% of people who’ve had COVID still experience symptoms. For Jennifer Henderson, her loss of smell and taste over the last two years has been debilitating.
“I developed depression, anxiety, I couldn't sleep, so the SGB has completely turned all of that around,” Henderson said.
She received a medical procedure at the Cleveland Clinic called "stellate ganglion block" that helps patients regain their senses.
"I am really excited because there is still a lot unknown," said Dr. Christina Shin an anesthesiologist at the Cleveland Clinic. "We don’t know if this is truly clinically effective. We see the results in some of our patients; we don’t see it replicated across all of our patients."
Henderson finally took a turn for the better.
“When I could smell that coffee, I was like, 'Oh my god,' because you feel like you’re in a box,” Henderson added.
Cleveland Clinic, University Hospital, and Metro Hospital each have programs to help people experiencing long COVID.
“There’s a lot of modalities that can help these people; there are support groups for individuals, therapy groups,” said Medical Director Dr. David Rosenberg at University Hospital's COVID Recovery Clinic.
Rosenberg believes the solution to help even more people comes from more research.
“It's a work in progress. We are doing it right now — applying for grants to be able to expand our services and collect data,” Rosenberg added.
Despite the adversity Henderson faced, she considers herself lucky.
“I would say I am probably about 85%; there are still a couple of things that are just a little off,” said Henderson.
While Gray’s battle with long COVID is far from over, she remains hopeful.
“It’s become part of my life now, and so I am just waiting for it to move on out of my body,” Gray said. “Hopefully with research others can get help so we can end all of that and those problems.”
A COVID Long Haul support group meets monthly at 7 p.m. at Original Harvest Missionary Baptist Church at 7109 Kinsman Rd, Cleveland, OH 44104.
Helpful links if you need care and support:
Cleveland Clinic Recover Clinic: COVID-19 Recovery
UH COVID Recovery Clinic
Metro Hospital Post COVID-Clinc
Other mental health services:
Moore Counseling and Meditation Services
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