Despite testing positive for COVID-19 five months ago, Alyssa Milano is still experiencing symptoms and side effects that she can't seem to shake.
During an interview on "The Dr. Oz Show," Milano described herself as a COVID "long-hauler," explaining that many of her symptoms have stuck with her through her coronavirus recovery.
"I've never been sick like that, Dr. Oz," she said. "It was a very debilitating type of illness. And it just seemed to move throughout my body and my mind." The 47-year-old went on to say that she doesn't believe others are taking the virus seriously enough.
"I thought of it as a respiratory illness before, and I think because it also goes into your vascular system, it affects every aspect of your body, not just your lungs," she said.
"I would never think that an illness or a virus would continue on. I'm now five months out, and I'm still having debilitating symptoms on some days," she continued.
Three symptoms seem to have stuck around longer than others: hair loss, brain fog, and unrelenting fatigue. "I think any time you don't see an end in sight, it's terrifying," she explains.
But when it comes to the symptoms, Milano is really worried about her career. "It's hard, especially when you're an actor and so much of your identity is wrapped up in those things like having long silky hair and clean skin," she said. "Along with that also, I have the brain fog."
"I'm a very quick-witted, quick-minded person and there will be moments where I freeze and think, 'What's the word I'm looking for right now?' which, again, as an actress, as someone who has to memorize dialogue and be able to emote, and respond, and be on my toes, it's frightening," she added.
Milano fears that she may never feel normal again. "There are some days I'm so tired that I can't even get out of bed. And I think to live a life with that kind of exhaustion does not sound great," she said.
"We don't know if people recover from this and if [those who] have long-hauler symptoms will ever feel 100%," she concluded.
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