A woman from Bristol has said symptoms of long Covid made her not want to wake up in the morning and robbed her of her capacity to think.
Mary Page, 51, from Stokes Bishop, told Bristol Live she thinks she may have had the virus as early as January this year, and continued to suffer for months.
After returning from a trip to France early this year Mary said she felt breathless and weak, symptoms which continued to get worse and worse.
“I was feeling these waves, where the ground felt unstable,” Mary said.
“It felt like my body was collapsing on itself, and I kept getting my words all mixed up."
Mary said it started with a sore infection in the back of her throat and nose. These symptoms continued until August.
Mary didn’t get tested for COVID during this period, but after falling ill again in October, Mary got tested and received a positive result.
After a couple of days I woke up with sick in my mouth and couldn't stop coughing at night so I went for a test." she said.
But because Mary did not need to be hospitalised there was no treatment available, despite her ongoing illness.
“Unless you get hospitalised no one really suggests treatment for any of the symptoms.
“I don’t think people realise how much of an issue it is with long COVID sufferers not being listened to or believed.”
Weeks after Mary received her first positive result she got tested for the second time after falling ill again, and the results came back positive.
According to her GP, Mary had COVID twice within a span of six weeks.
Mary says she feels as if COVID triggers illnesses that you’ve already had.
“Your immune system is so busy fighting COVID, it’s not got the energy to fight other problems.”
Mary says her immune system could be weaker after undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer in 2000.
“I’ve been more sick this year than when I had chemotherapy 20 years ago,” she said.
But, according to Mary, it’s the mental health effects that are the most debilitating.
“I’m 51 and I’ve never felt suicidal in my life, but one day I was sobbing on the sofa thinking I didn’t want to wake up in the morning as that would solve the problem.”
Mary explained she would often lose her memory, stumble on words and not be able to think straight.
But Mary says she '"is starting to feel a little better" and urges people suffering long COVID not to lose hope.
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Help is available if you are feeling anxious, depressed or suicidal, see the panel below to find help now. You can read more about help specifically for people with long covid beneath the panel.
Is there help available for those suffering from long Covid?
Long COVID has not been recognised as a condition in the UK for long, but help is being made available.
The NHS is set to launch more than 40 long COVID specialist clinics over the next few weeks to help patients suffering the debilitating effects of the virus.
The clinics will bring together doctors, nurses, therapists and other NHS staff to physical and psychological assessments of those experiencing enduring symptoms.
