WEARY Brits have told of their crippling long-Covid symptoms months after getting sick with the virus.
Thousands of patients have found returning to pre-coronavirus life difficult, plagued with fatigue, pain and breathlessness.
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One of those suffering is a 28-year-old nurse, who spent ten days in hospital and is still on sick leave with “no end in sight”.
Sophie Evans told the Mirror: “Every day is a battle, I am constantly in pain. I thought I was going to die. I don’t know how I am not dead.
“It breaks my heart to know there will be more sufferers during a second peak. It’s a horrible place to be.”
The founder of the Long Covid Support Group, Claire Hastie, warned that GPs were regularly misdiagnosing ongoing problems as anxiety or ME, saying: “Many people in our group to this day are being told by their GPs that it’s caused by anxiety and it’s all in their heads.
“It can cause anxiety, but it is not caused by anxiety. The science needs to catch up with us.”
She added she used to cycle 13 miles to work but can’t walk 13 metres now.
The single mum said: “Many are left to recover at home with no medical care, though lots have had times when we thought we might die.
Researchers at North Bristol NHS Trust found that 81 out of 110 patients discharged from Southmead Hospital in Bristol were still experiencing symptoms when they were invited back to the clinic.
LONG ROAD TO RECOVERY
Symptoms included breathlessness, muscle aches and excessive fatigue.
Experts have indicated psychosis, fatigue, loss of eyesight and mobility issues are among the wide-ranging conditions that have been identified in those who have previously contracted the virus.
People who were previously fit and healthy who have recovered from the virus have in some cases been left bed ridden and unable to climb the stairs.
Nicola Mitchell, 52, said: “My whole life has completely gone. It is like I am living a different life. It has completely changed my life.
“I can’t even walk my two dogs any more. All of my muscles are in pain and I get terrible migraines.
Professor Tim Spector, who is leading the Covid Symptom Study app, said that 60,000 people have been ill for more than three months.
Mum-of-one Grace Dudley, 30, who battled Covid-19 in March, feared she would go bald and be forced to wear a wig for life after losing more than half of her hair.
The make-up artist, from Romford, Essex, spent 10 days in intensive care after contracting Covid-19.
She suffered a “fizzy feeling” under her skin and a serious fever but eventually beat the virus, and is still struggling.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that some people were still experiencing symptoms six months after contracting the virus.
Speaking on LBC radio, Mr Hancock said: “Long Covid, where people six months on are still ill, is prevalent among younger people.”
It comes as new guidance published on the Government website sets out some of the long-term effects for people who have had the virus.
It states that around 10% of mild Covid-19 cases who were not admitted to hospital have reported symptoms lasting more than 4 weeks.
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