Like ‘a brain injury’: SC meteorologist details his lingering COVID symptoms
A South Carolina meteorologist considers himself “one of the lucky ones” after beating COVID-19.
But Daniel Bonds says dealing with the brain fog, headaches and other post-virus symptoms has been tough.
Bonds, a forecaster for WLTX-TV in Columbia, took to Twitter to share his experience since recovering from what he called a “mild case” of coronavirus. He noted common symptoms such as loss of taste and smell, but also described the rare cognitive effects that some doctors have begun seeing in COVID-recovered patients.
“In general, I still don’t feel like myself,” Bonds wrote in a memo posted to his Twitter page. “I have had the mood swings and the changes in personality people talk about.”
He also described “out of character” behavior that his wife likened to having a brain injury.
“I still sleep a lot more than normal and I have crazy, vivid dreams,” Bonds wrote.
A recent report from The New York Times says a handful of COVID-19 patients have developed “new onset psychosis” and other neurological symptoms after recovering from the virus. Though rare, doctors say these cases are another example of COVID-19’s potential impact on mental health and the brain.
One patient described hearing voices “and believed he was the devil,” while another began carrying a knife and squirting hand sanitizer in her food, according to the newspaper.
“Experts increasingly believe brain-related effects may be linked to the body’s immune system response to the coronavirus, and possibly to vascular problems or surges of inflammation caused by the disease process,” The New York Times reported.
Bonds, who contracted the virus in December, described “lingering issues” — including saying and doing things he normally would not.
“You don’t know how it’s going to impact you,” he wrote on Twitter. “You may be lucky, or you may not be so lucky. Through all the problems I’ve had though, I’m one of the lucky ones.”
Bonds declined to comment for this story.
This story was originally published December 30, 2020 at 12:21 PM.