Recently, many places in China announced that they have smoothly passed the peak of the first wave of new crown virus infection. As the saying goes, "illness comes like a mountain, illness goes like a thread", especially for the elderly who have a bad foundation themselves, after the heavy blow of the new crown infection, they may be plagued by symptoms such as weakness, fatigue, cough, and low mood for a long time.
Experts interviewed
Zhan Junkun, chief physician of the Department of Geriatric Internal Medicine, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University
Li Tongzeng, chief physician of the Department of Respiratory and Infectious Diseases, Beijing You'an Hospital
Sun Zhijia, chief physician and professor of the Department of Respiratory Medicine, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine
How long does it take for the body to get better after turning yin
If you think of infection with the new crown as a battle that occurs in the body, turning negative means that the virus in the body has been repelled, but the battlefield may still be a mess.
For immunocompetent people, the whole process from infection to complete removal of the virus takes about 2~3 weeks. To return to the pre-infection state, everyone's situation and the time required are also different:
After Yangkang, the body may have various persistent symptoms, most of which will disappear within 2~3 months.
The more severe the symptoms at the time of infection, the longer it takes to recover, and multiple studies and clinical data indicate that older people and people with chronic diseases are at higher risk of severe disease.
Older middle-aged and elderly people with underlying diseases are more difficult to recover, which may last for half a year.
Official 8 points to guide the rehabilitation of the elderly
Recently, the Beijing Municipal Health Commission organized experts to formulate the "Expert Guidelines for Health Management in the Recovery Period of Novel Coronavirus Infected Persons (First Edition)", which gave detailed guidance on the health management of the elderly during the recovery period.
1. Identify the cause of fatigue
During the recovery period of the elderly, the body has not yet recovered, persistent symptoms such as nasal congestion and cough affect sleep, and drug effects, anxiety, etc. may lead to fatigue. Try to rest as much as possible, this fatigue symptom may last for 2~3 weeks, do not worry excessively.
If symptoms such as chest tightness, shortness of breath, palpitations, dizziness, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, dyspnea, chest pain and other symptoms occur at the same time, vigilance should be exercised to rule out viral myocarditis.
2. Resume daily routine
If energy permits, you can gradually return to your routine and set a daily schedule for yourself, including sleep, meals, activities, etc. You can schedule the most "laborious" things to be done in the morning, and don't be frustrated or stubborn if you can't do it.
3. Start exercising gradually
Older people can resume exercise safely and without fatigue, and if walking is difficult, they can consider stretching in bed or chair. Then gradually increase the amount of activities such as housework, walking, tai chi and eight dan jin.
When you first start exercising, start with 5~10 minutes and increase by 1 minute every day. Exercise in the company of a family member or friend to prevent falls. If you feel dizzy, chest pain, or difficulty breathing during or after exercise, stop immediately and seek medical attention.
4. Eat healthily
The elderly infected with the new crown body consumption is larger, and the nutritional needs will also increase. Drink 1500~2000 ml of water per day (patients with heart failure should drink no more than 1500 ml of water per day, and follow the doctor's advice for specific conditions). Properly supplement high-quality protein and fresh fruits and vegetables, three meals a day are recommended to follow two principles:
Appetite
Eat small, frequent meals and try to maintain your appetite. When appetite is lost, under the guidance of a doctor or dietitian, the food can be beaten into a homogenate, and fortified foods, nutrient supplements, etc. can be selected or added in a targeted manner.
Braise more, fry less
Such as minced vegetable porridge, minced meat custard, lotus root powder, etc., when the body allows, you can choose minced meatballs, fish meat, etc.
From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, the body may have lung deficiency and spleen deficiency after high fever, you can brew some princes to participate in Maidong tea drink, middle-aged and elderly people can add a few more pieces of Panax notoginseng.
5. Stay socially connected
Talking to loved ones and trusted people as much as possible, on the phone, video call, or other means every day, can help build social support psychologically and better emerge from the shadow of illness.
6. Think more about positive things
To maintain a good attitude during recovery, many negative emotions will lead to a decrease in immunity, which is not conducive to physical recovery, and may also lead to mental diseases such as depression.
Try to think about 3 happy things every day, try to repeat words like "relax" and "calm" while breathing deeply, and try to avoid negative or unhealthy thoughts
7. Be prepared for emergencies
With the help of family members, make a list of emergency contact numbers that may be used, such as numbers from nearby health facilities, psychosocial support helplines, family doctors, family members and friends, etc. Set your phone as a speed dial for your phone, and you can print it out and stick it in a prominent location in your home.
Prepare enough daily medicines, such as antihypertensive drugs, hypoglycemic drugs, hypolipidemic drugs, anticoagulants, etc., and you can also properly prepare some nitroglycerin, quick-acting rescue pills and other first-aid drugs.
8. Pay attention to your own pre-existing diseases
Older people with underlying medical conditions may be aggravated after contracting the new coronavirus. Even if the new crown recovers, the underlying disease that worsens is not necessarily stable:
If you have high blood pressure and diabetes, your blood pressure and blood sugar may be unstable after infection.
Cerebrovascular disease, risk of cerebral infarction or bleeding after infection.
With COPD, coughing and difficulty breathing may occur after infection.
What conditions require medical attention during the recovery phase
Family members should grasp the life and mental conditions of the elderly after Yangkang, such as eating habits, urine and urine conditions, whether there is urinary incontinence, and the amount of urine is significantly reduced. If the elderly have obvious breathing difficulties, lethargy, communication disorders, do not recognize people, and express illogically, these are all red flags.
For the elderly with underlying diseases, the new crown has recovered, and it is also necessary to closely monitor blood pressure, blood sugar, finger oxygen saturation, etc. If the condition is unstable and persists for a long time, you should consult a doctor to adjust the treatment plan for the underlying disease. In particular, the blood oxygen saturation has decreased significantly, with a decrease of more than 5% and above, and it is necessary to send it to the hospital in time.
It should be reminded that the recent increase in the number of people seeking medical treatment due to infection should be done for personal protection when seeking medical treatment. Especially the elderly with chronic diseases, do not give up regular examinations for fear of infection.
In addition, the elderly are prone to recurrent or sudden illness, even in the middle of the night, as soon as there is an unstable vital sign, it is necessary to see a doctor immediately.
4 precautions during convalescence
For the elderly who have turned yin, the body is still in a long recovery stage, avoid the following 4 things, so as not to affect the recovery process, leading to secondary diseases and secondary infections.
New Year's Eve
Experts from the clinical treatment team of the joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council said that there was a lot of personnel flow during the Spring Festival. It is recommended that those who have elderly people and special high-risk groups at home minimize the opportunity to go out and visit the door to avoid cross-infection. It is not recommended to visit elderly people who have not yet been impotent.
Don't get cold
After Yangkang, the body is weaker, and it is easier to give other diseases the opportunity to invade, such as colds causing colds, which further lengthens the recovery period. Always keep warm, especially the head, chest and abdomen, feet and other key parts.
It is best to wait for the symptoms to completely improve before bathing, pay attention to turn on the heating when bathing, the bathing time should not be too long, control within 10 minutes. After bathing, pay attention to dry the body and dress in time to replenish water.
Don't be greedy for food
During the recovery period, the elderly should not only ensure a balanced diet of three meals, but also pay attention not to blindly supplement, many organs, including the digestive tract, need a certain recovery time. Proper dietary supplementation with vitamin C and zinc can help increase antibody levels and reduce the risk of re-positive and superinfection.
Don't let go
Winter is the season of high incidence of respiratory diseases, Yangkang does not mean that it will not be re-infected, and it may also suffer from other respiratory diseases.
The elderly should not lower their personal protection standards after Yangkang, wear masks correctly, wash hands frequently, maintain social distance, and open more windows for ventilation. Vaccination is recommended after 6 months of recovery, and the fourth dose vaccination policy is closely followed.