During the pandemic Sofia shielded at home because of her autoimmune condition. But in early 2021, following her first appointment back at her hospital clinic for her autoimmune condition (she was there for 6 or 7 hours), three or four days later she felt a bit poorly. She got worse, and felt breathless and tired and subsequently tested positive for Covid. She was extremely worried but felt fortunate that she’d already had two doses of the vaccine.

Although things had improved after a month, she felt something was different and her body had changed. She continued to experience breathlessness and felt extremely tired and since then has struggled to climb stairs, stand for too long, or to walk even a short distance. She is now prone to more frequent coughs and can experience heart palpitations if she overexerts herself. She now uses an oximeter to monitor her oxygen levels.

Sofia is very wary of pushing herself in case she damages her body. She is reliant on her family for help around the home, although she describes having good days when she is able to do more.

Throughout this period Sofia has relied on her specialist for advice and support. She said, ‘He’s really good, he knows my history and he’s always there when you need him’. She is waiting for more investigations for her breathlessness.

Sofia continues to take precautions to minimise exposure. She has made a number of changes to her diet to improve her health and she tries not to overexert herself.

Sofia feels more comfortable with the term ‘post-Covid’ symptoms rather than ‘Long Covid’.

Her advice for others is listen to your body and don’t risk damaging it, take each day as it comes and don’t overdo it, and make sure you stay in contact with friends, family and healthcare professionals.