Watch the Digital Desk conversation with Dr. Xian Qiao in the video player.

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — At Sentara Heart Hospital, the Post-COVID Clinic sees patients with prolonged symptoms following COVID-19 infections — also known as long COVID.

Dr. Xian Qiao started the clinic at Sentara in 2020, and it’s a first-of-its-kind in the region.

At the Digital Desk, Qiao shared more about long COVID, the Post-COVID Clinic, patient stories and recent developments. Watch the segment in the video player on this page.

Patients at the clinic have a range in symptoms and report different impacts to their everyday lives.

“Patients say, ‘I used to be able to do so many different things, I used to have a job that I had and now I can’t do it,'” Qiao said.

It can be debilitating and depressing for the patients.

In the very first visit at the clinic, Qiao said they try to figure out what are the long COVID symptoms, and rule out other illnesses or pre-existing conditions.

“What I usually tell my patients is that long COVID is not necessarily a diagnosis in itself,” Qiao said. “It is a combination of symptoms and signs that we see in patients after they’ve had an infection with COVID-19.”

Post-COVID, also known as long COVID, is an illness broadly defined as “signs, symptoms and conditions that continue or develop after acute COVID-19 infection,” according to the CDC.

As of 2022 data, the CDC reports that about 6.9% of Americans have had long COVID.

Long COVID could mean different things for patients, and they could range from head-to-toe. Some examples include hair loss, joint pains and memory issues.

“People often equate COVID with shortness of breath, and so they think that long COVID is also just shortness of breath, but that is not the case,” Qiao said. “It is a wide variety of symptoms that follows.”

It starts with a lot of questions and some testing. Watch the clip in the video player, below.

“We ask our patients, ‘what are some of the top symptoms you want to talk about today,'” Qiao said. “We recognize that there are a large number of things that they may want to talk about, but we want to focus on the most concerning things for them.”

A lot of patients reported having fatigue, shortness of breath and feeling tired all-day long. Qiao said they found patients had new onset sleep apnea or oxygen deficits while they slept.

It’s a step-by-step process.

They might give these patients oxygen or sleep apnea machines during sleep, leading to them feeling somewhat better. From there, they focus on other symptoms they have to attack next.

A recurring complaint from most patients is the symptoms can be debilitating and life-changing in their everyday lives.

With physical exertion, the deviation from the norm in their exercise capacity can be significant.

It is not just older patients that experience long COVID. Those who are middle-age who may be used to working out a considerable amount can also experience long COVID. Watch the full clip, below.

“When they come back after COVID, they can’t do that and it’s kind of depressing for them too,” Qiao said.

For patients, there is a physical and mental fight that comes along with long COVID and the symptoms.

“Not just physically, but also mentally when patients, after COVID, can’t think correctly, do the tasks they were able to do before,” Qiao said. “Multi-tasking becomes a really big issues sometimes.”

More than three years have gone by since the clinic opened, and there is a continued need.

Currently, there is a waiting list to be admitted. Most patients are referred to the Post-COVID Clinic by their healthcare provider.

“The biggest thing is for the general public to kind of recognize that long COVID is a real process,” Qiao said, “whether it’s physicians, whether it’s employers, whether it’s employees themselves, the patients themselves.”

Long COVID was added as a recognized condition that could result in a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 2021.

But Qiao said there is a long way to go.

It may not be visible on the outside, but it is there.

“Unequivocally, all of my patients have said ‘everybody sees me and they think I’m fine on the outside, but on the inside I know I am not the same person I was before,'” Qiao said.

If you feel you have symptoms, Qiao encourages individuals to speak to a healthcare professional to decide treatment and find out what is best for you.

Here is a list of helpful resources below:

Watch the Digital Desk conversation with Dr. Xian Qiao in the video player to find out more.