“My doctor has been very supportive, both before and after the diagnosis. For me, that was the trigger to realize something was really not right.”īetween August and October 2020, Susan was referred for heart, lung and blood tests, which led to a diagnosis of post-viral chronic fatigue – a classic sign of post COVID-19 condition, commonly known as long COVID. We had all started trying to build up exercise after the initial infection had gone and then ended up exhausted and back in bed. Susan adds, “I also found a few people who, like me, had had COVID-19 and were still suffering weeks later, but weren’t admitted to hospital. It also became a really useful source of practical advice at a time when there was very little available.” It was reassuring to find that there were many others in the same situation as me and that what I had was real. A coordinated service for addressing my symptoms didn’t become available in my area until spring 2021. “In the first half of 2020, the Facebook page seemed to be the only form of support out there. Susan began following the Long Covid Support Facebook page, which made her aware that she was not alone in how she was feeling. If I’d been mid-career, with a physically demanding job, I’m sure I would have felt much more frustrated and stressed.” This was also happening at a time of my life when I could afford to slow down a bit without having major financial or family worries. I was very aware that as we were all in lockdown, everyone’s lives were being restricted, not just mine. “Given the number of people who were dying from COVID-19 in 2020, I considered myself extremely lucky. Loss of appetite and interest in things because of fatigue worried me, but I was very hopeful that the symptoms would soon clear up.”Īs well as having this sense of optimism, Susan was also feeling that things could have been so much worse. My husband was very supportive, but at first he struggled to understand why I wasn’t getting better, particularly as he’d managed to shake off the virus so quickly. “In the first few months, I was frustrated that I couldn’t even walk to the local shops, having always been a very active and independent person. Two months after having contracted COVID-19, Susan was still coping with headaches and having problems processing information these symptoms eventually cleared up, only to be replaced by breathlessness and fatigue again. She remained ill in bed for 3 weeks, only venturing out to get her pulse and oxygen levels checked at a local drive-through test centre. Susan, however, was not so fortunate – she continued to suffer from fatigue, headaches, high temperature and muscle aches, with a nasty cough developing 2 weeks later. Both Susan and her husband caught COVID-19 at around the same time, but he was over his illness after only about a week. At that time, she was an avid hill walker and regularly practised yoga. Susan, aged 63, is a health policy consultant who considered herself fit and healthy before catching COVID-19 in April 2020. I also find my memory and ability to recall words have been compromised.” My main frustration is not being able to go for long walks, climb hills or travel long distances because of the fatigue. “As the weeks turned to months and now years, I have had days when I have wondered if I will ever be the person I was before, and it makes me a bit depressed.
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