Long Covid in College
By: Shayla Kaim
Hi, my name is Shayla Kaim. I am 23 years old.
In December 2021, I was diagnosed with COVID. In early January 2022, I felt my heart racing. My chest felt heavy, and I couldn’t stop coughing. I assumed it was my asthma acting up. I went to an urgent care center, which felt like it was my heart. The next day, I saw my pulmonologist for confirmation. He also agreed it was not my lungs. I went to a cardiologist the following day. After blood work, an EKG and an echocardiogram, I was diagnosed with pericarditis.
For months, my heart rate kept climbing. I’d grow pale, and my blood pressure would be very high. I felt as if I couldn’t breathe. I was told it was anxiety, though I didn’t feel anxious.
I chose to go to another cardiologist, who prescribed me medication to manage both my heart rate and blood pressure. He decided it would also be best to go to a Long Covid clinic in my state. I made an appointment with them. In February of 2023, I was diagnosed with Long Covid. Getting that diagnosis, I felt like there was a reason for my symptoms.
For the year that COVID originally affected me, I attended school on Zoom. I had to stop bowling for college for a bit. Though I was diagnosed with Long Covid, not many treatment options were available. They suggested I stay with my cardiologist.
To this day, I am still affected by Long Covid. Without the heart and blood pressure medication, they’d both be high. I am unfortunately more prone to pericarditis. Since my original diagnosis, I’ve had two more points in my life where I have had pericarditis. Before COVID, I never had blood pressure or heart rate issues. But now that’s my life. I learned to manage my symptoms, but they cannot be ignored.
My hope is for a cure to be found for Long Covid. I would like to get off my heart medication completely. I would like for other individuals to live like they used to.
Long Covid exists, and our voices matter.
