There are some things in life you just don’t want to happen. One is to outlive your children. Not that I think this is going to happen, but I do worry about my daughter who since contracting Covid in November of 2019, has suffered from a slew of weird physical happenings that have baffled doctors.
Her latest, and most debilitating, illness has no name, no diagnosis, and thus no protocol for healing and helping her. Her body seems to think she is running a marathon. Her heart races even while resting and carrying on a simple conversation can leave her gasping for breath.
She’s seen an allergist. It is not asthma; her lungs are clear, yet she pants for air. She’s been to a cardiologist and undergone all the tests. Her heart is fine, but it is mysteriously overworking. Not good. She’s been to a rheumatologist. Nothing there, either. She is waiting to get into a pulmonologist, but I doubt they find anything concrete and it could take months.
Frustrated, we reached out to the Mayo Clinic, but without more data the Mayo Clinic has denied her.
It’s good to know people
Having lived in Little Rock all my life, I have lots of friends. So, I reached out to one of my doctor friends for help. The good doctor prescribed her some beta blockers to slow her heart rate. They helped but her heavy breathing continued.
Next, I spoke to my friend Lisa Fischer, a well-connected woman with a passion for alternative medicine. After hearing my daughter’s symptoms, she immediately suggested a possible explanation: Long-Covid. She recommended trying a nicotine patch, complete with dosing amounts, and stories from others that gave us HOPE.
Nicotine has gotten a bad rap
The idea of using nicotine to treat Long Covid reportedly emerged from observations in France, where some early data suggested smokers were underrepresented among hospitalized Covid patients. Whether coincidence or clue, it prompted researchers and patients alike to explore nicotine’s interaction with the body’s receptors and inflammatory systems.
From Lisa’s supply, she gave us a 21-gm nicotine patch and told us to cut off a small 2 gm square and put it on my daughter’s arm. The next day we did as Lisa said and I swear by days end Meghan was better.
Since then, I have been reading a lot about the drug nicotine itself and the nicotinic receptors in our brains. Who knew?!
As drugs go, nicotine has relatively few side effects when used carefully. Like caffeine, it can be addictive and may increase heart rate, but advocates point to possible benefits such as mood elevation, opened airways, reduced inflammation, less mucus production, and perhaps most intriguingly, relief from brain fog.
Good or Bad
My daughter, a former smoker, is concerned about readdiction to cigarettes. It is a valid concern. But as a parent, I find myself weighing the risks differently. Which is worse, addiction, a life of poor health, or even worse: death from Long-Covid.
With no help from the medical community, I am willing for her to take the nicotine risk, but I am not sure she is.
If anyone has experience with nicotine patches or Long Covid, I would genuinely welcome hearing your story. At this point, we are open to any thoughtful advice or suggestions.
About the Author
Kerry McCoy founded FlagandBanner.com in 1975 with just $400 and a dream, building it from door-to-door flag sales into a multi-million dollar enterprise. With over five decades in the American flag and banner business, her insights into patriotic trends and flag sales patterns come from serving customers nationwide during times of celebration, crisis, and everything in between.
Kerry is also the host of “Up in Your Business with Kerry McCoy” radio show and continues expanding her business empire through Kerry McCoy Enterprises while sharing the entrepreneurial wisdom gained from decades of building the American dream.
