How will my symptoms be assessed?
SIGN Patient information: managing the long term effects of COVID-19
Nobody else understands your symptoms as well as you, and you are the best person to help your healthcare professional understand how they affect you. Your symptoms can be assessed in several ways, which will include looking at your physical and mental wellbeing.
If your healthcare professional thinks you have long COVID they will do the following.
Take a medical history and ask about:
- whether you have had or think you have had COVID-19, or have had a positive or negative COVID-19 test
- your symptoms since having COVID-19
- when the symptoms started and how long you have had them
- any other health conditions you have.
They may examine you to find out more about:
- any physical symptoms you have
- if you’ve noticed or are having difficulties with your memory or thinking
- how you are managing with day-to-day activities, for example your work or education, getting about, general wellbeing, looking after yourself or feeling isolated
- changes in your behaviour, emotions and mood.
Your healthcare professional will talk to you about the wide range of symptoms and how they may come and go over time.
The symptoms were like a game of whack-a-mole. Different ones would surge at different times and in different places in my body.
You will be referred urgently to hospital if you have any signs that could be a life-threatening complication, for example:
• a low level of oxygen in your blood
• severe lung disease
• chest pain.