GLMS EVENTS
SENIOR PHYSICIANS COMMITTEE AUTHOR Kathryn Vance
On Tuesday , Nov . 10 , the GLMS Senior Physicians Committee met via Zoom for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak . Dr . Monalisa Tailor , an internist with Norton Healthcare and current GLMS President , presented a medical update on the coronavirus . The meeting was very well attended , and the longtime members were happily able to chat virtually with each other and Dr . Tailor .
Dr . Tailor began with a series of clinical cases she has seen this year as well as a brief history of the disease and testing options . She explained that testing has been crucial to being able to diagnose patients because many symptoms are so similar to seasonal allergies and the flu . However , the one symptom that is a most telltale sign of coronavirus is the lack of taste and smell . In her experience , some patients were able to return home and recover there , while others faced a much more severe case and had to be hospitalized and go to rehab for several months . With the patients she sees in the clinic setting , her treatment options are few , for the “ walking around sick .”
“ The part that ’ s really difficult for me , as an internist , and someone who wants to solve these problems , is that I don ’ t really have a lot of treatments to offer my patients that I ’ m concerned have COVID-19 ,” she said . “ I ’ m basically treating their symptoms in terms of cough and shortness of breath by giving them an albuterol inhaler or giving them Zofran or a nausea medicine to help with the nausea . But there ’ s not much else I can do except give them warning signs to watch for and teach them how to try to prevent this infection from being spread to their family members and friends .”
Once patients no longer have the COVID-19 infection , one might hope that they would feel better . However , Dr . Tailor warns that this disease hangs on much longer , in what is being called Post COVID-19 Syndrome , the “ long-haulers .” This can consist of fatigue , shortness of breath , muscle aches , dysautonomia and “ brain fog .” It can often be a daily and nightly misery for several months after the initial symptoms are gone . It is unclear at this time how long these symptoms may last , or what might help . “ Long-hauler ” survivor groups are being studied at various academic research centers , and they help support each other through online chat and forums .
Once patients are in recovery , many reports say that the individual would have COVID-19 antibodies present in their system . However , Dr . Tailor says it ’ s possible that the severity of the infection
18 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE