A Leeds yoga instructor has continues to struggle with coronavirus symptoms after testing positive over nine months ago.
Gerda Bayliss, 42, was bedridden for five months after developing severe symptoms which left her extremely fatigued and unable to walk.
Gerda still feels the impact of the virus to this day as she continues to rehabilitate herself walking further and further each day, all while teaching yoga classes virtually.
She first tested positive for coronavirus in March, after initially feeling fatigued and remained in her home in self-isolation.
After the weeks went by, unlike other's, mother-of-two Gerda's symptoms did not improve. They became more serious.
Gerda said: "At first it was just a case of being really fatigued.
"But then it became it much more serious, I started collapsing and struggled to breathe.
"I could not walk around without either passing out or really losing my breathe - it was extremely scary to experience.
"I basically could not do much at all."
Whenever Gerda tried to get up out of bed and keep herself active, she would continue to have medical episodes.
She said: "I was sitting at a table with my son and suddenly I couldn’t sit up and I ended up on the floor again. I just lost all control of my body and I started to really struggle with my breathing again".
With Gerda's symptoms of long Covid coming on towards the end of March - health officials, nor experts, were able to give her much help over phone calls, as they had not been aware of many individuals with long Covid at this time.
Gerda recalls spending countless hours on the phone with 111, who were unable to provide much aid her way as she did not suffer the usual Covid symptoms.
She would also develop severe headaches, experience her heart racing and slowing down and muscle aches throughout her body.
She said: "I didn’t have a fever, didn’t have a cough, so I guess they just sort of didn't know how to help me.
"I don't say that to bash the NHS, because they do an amazing job. It was just really difficult for me to basically be told that they didn't know how to help me except for just staying in bed and recovering."
Whilst the months went by, Gerda begun to make gradual improvements. And whilst wanting to be able to get back to instructing Yoga during her recovery, she attempted to walk to her local shop for the first time since falling ill.
She recalls: "I started to feel a bit stronger and I had been doing some yoga at home - so I went for a walk, and realised pretty quickly that I was extremely fatigued.
"Just a couple of days after that, it just had me again. I was back in bed, I could not walk at all. My husband was having to carry me to the bathroom.
"It was extreme fatigue, my breathing was really bad. It was such a setback after thinking that I had begun to make improvements. It was devastating."
Since then, Gerda says she now takes each day as it comes, making small improvements to keep herself in a positive mindset.
She said: "I have really taken it upon myself to continue to remain positive and get better every day.
"I am now able to walk around for much longer periods than I had been, and I'm so thankful that I'm able to teach yoga classes online.
"Because of the lack of support there is out thee for people with long Covid, I have used yoga and holistically improved my health over the last few months.
"Yoga has helped me breathe when I could not, it has eased my nausea, palpitations, chest pain, headaches and muscle pains and the anxiety about dealing with the health implications.
"I am certainly hopeful that I will fully recover. At this kind of rate of recovery, by March, April time - I hope to be back to normal!"
Gerda urged all those who may be dealing with long Covid to give yoga a try. You can follow her journey on her Instagram page.
