Lynne caught Covid in March 2020, when she had an ‘annoying’ cough and a short period of fever. After about a week her symptoms got worse and she had difficulties breathing, dizziness, cognitive difficulties, and was exhausted. She and her family were all isolating at the time, and early in the pandemic no one knew about longer term symptoms of Covid.  Lynne tried to keep working as a primary school teacher, whilst isolating and home-schooling her children, but then needed a long period off work. She struggled with activities, even walking upstairs or the length of her house, and caring for her children. Lynne caught Covid again in February 2022 and felt dreadful. When she tested positive she was really worried about how it would affect her. She was scared it would set her back. She needed another week off work after her 10-day period of isolation. Her return to work has been okay so far.

Before catching Covid, she was very active in her job and caring for her boys. She found it very difficult to be unable to work for a year, having to rest so much, and to be unable to get guidance from health professionals.

She still experiences chest pain, fatigue, breathlessness, light headedness, and brain fog, and at times palpitations, so she has to manage her activities to make sure she is not too tired. She times her medication so she can manage the most exhausting parts of the day. She considered not returning to work at all because of her symptoms, but now she is back two days a week and she still loves her work.
She initially worked a pattern that allowed her to rest completely between one working day and the next, but since her interview she has started to work two consecutive days so that she can recover from the weekend on a Monday and then recover from work on Thursday and Friday. Lynne said her colleagues are generally supportive.

She has been surprised to meet people who think Covid is a conspiracy and finds that people who haven’t experienced Long Covid are less understanding.

Lynne and her family restricted what they did to manage the risk of Covid for a long time. Because she works in a risky environment for Covid, she feels that they need to try to do more things. She worries about crowds but is forcing herself to do more things she loves. Her husband still worries about being the one who could transmit Covid to her, so doesn’t do his previous activities. Previously she would not have described herself as a risk-averse person but now she and her husband try to weigh up the risks with how much they enjoy or need to do things, which is exhausting. It is hard for the children to understand why they can’t do things or have to help with chores. Lynne’s husband is supportive and, because he now works from home, takes on a lot more of the daily household tasks. Lynne doesn’t like that he worries about her and is frustrated by not being able to do things that she used to.

Lynne initially spoke with various doctors via NHS111 who advised her to stay at home. She is asthmatic and was using her inhaler up to 40 times a day. The doctor prescribed steroids and antibiotics, but they didn’t help. After months of feeling exhausted and being unable to breath, she managed to speak to an asthma nurse who got her a GP appointment and changed her medication which helped a little. She had low oxygen levels that may have explained her dizziness and cognitive difficulties, and was sent for tests that all came back normal. She was relieved when the GP told her there were other people affected in the same way.

After a year her GP agreed it was likely to be Long Covid, after ruling out other causes. She was very frustrated when a respiratory consultant she saw told her that her problems were psychological and ‘all in her head’. She found this interaction devastating, as it took away her hope, and she is not the sort of person who dwells on things or is prone to depression. However, she was able to access a 12-week Long Covid programme in June 2021. It was a huge relief to be on the programme and to be finally getting help. She found this very helpful and thinks it was a turning point in beginning to get better. She got support to help her with pacing activities, physical exercises, and mental health, and it gave her the chance to connect with others in a similar position.

She still uses the techniques that she learnt. The advice from the programme helped when she caught Covid again, and she can now see that she is getting better. At the moment, she is not being followed up by her doctors to see how she is doing and whether her medications need changing.

Lynne wants to know why only some people develop Long Covid. She would encourage others with Long Covid to rest, not push themselves, speak to others with similar experiences, and try to stay positive and pay attention to small improvements.  She would advise health professionals to listen to and believe people, and to give realistic estimates of how long recovery could take, so they don’t put pressure on themselves.