When the virus shut down my nostrils, I presumed it was a temporary issue. But three years later my food still tastes like cardboard.
Tag: first-person stories
Many Canadians have had long COVID for almost 4 years. Researchers say there’s hope
Still COVIDing Canada Posts
Published by: CTV News / The Canadian Press
Published on:
By Nicole Ireland
Four years ago, Sonja Mally was a busy tattoo artist with a photographic memory and penchant for long hikes.
Now, the 38-year-old Toronto woman considers it a good day if she can do a small drawing, muster the energy to walk around the block or “perform very basic tasks.”
“It’s a hard thing to have to explain to people why maybe one day you might be doing fine and the next day you can’t find the words to complete a sentence,” Mally said.
Comments closedReporting on Long Covid Taught Me to Be a Better Journalist
Still COVIDing Canada Posts
Published by: The New York Times
Published on:
By Ed Yong
In the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, when many people who are now still sick were first infected, the common wisdom was that the coronavirus either sent you to an intensive care unit or, more commonly, caused mild symptoms that resolved after two weeks. But when my sister-in-law got infected in March 2020, she was still burning with fever after three weeks, then six, then more. In this newspaper and elsewhere, young and formerly healthy people shared stories about surviving but not recovering. When I interviewed scientists and clinicians about these lingering symptoms in May, most expressed surprise. “That’s unusual,” one said.
It wasn’t. By May 2020, affected patients had already formed support groups thousands strong, coined terms like long Covid and long-hauler and even conducted research on their own communities. Even that March, people with similar illnesses like myalgic encephalomyelitis (also known as chronic fatigue syndrome or M.E./C.F.S.) had warned that the new pathogen would trigger a wave of disability. They knew then what is clear now: People infected by Covid can be pummeled by months or years of debilitating symptoms, including extreme fatigue, cognitive impairment, chest pain, shortness of breath and postexertional malaise — a state in which existing symptoms worsen after even minor physical or mental exertion.
Comments closedCan You Catch Covid Outside? Yes, You Can.
Still COVIDing Canada Posts
Published by: OK Doomer
Published on:
By Jessica Wildfire
You wouldn’t attend an outdoor party where measles or smallpox was present. Covid is no different, especially now.
Comments closed‘This isn’t a life’: The crushing burden of Long Covid
Still COVIDing Canada Posts
Published by: Newsroom
Published on:
By Marc Daalder
Ashleigh was saving up to travel overseas in the near future. Now, she’s housebound at 28, sometimes even bedbound, unable to drive or walk more than a short distance. “My mum has had to take care of me a lot this year, and I feel a bit bad for her experience as well.”
Michael, 32, was a busy Crown prosecutor. Now he’s been disabled for more than 18 months, taking long stretches off work and struggling with his mental health and damaged relationships. “It’s probably the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Comments closedLong COVID patient feels ‘discarded’ by N.L. government, says it’s deflecting responsibility for condition
Still COVIDing Canada Posts
Published by: CBC News
Published on:
By Jessica Singer
Newfoundland and Labrador’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, says addressing and treating long COVID isn’t within the purview of public health.
It’s left some patients in the province feeling left behind.
“There’s so many people that are likely suffering that have no clue because there is no provincial directive,” said Stacey Alexander, a teacher from Corner Brook who has been suffering from long COVID since the beginning of 2020.
Comments closedFirst-person stories from British Columbians
CW: cancer, surgery, medical negligence, denial of care, disability grief
As part of DoNoHarm BC’s #Postcards4PublicHealth campaign, we’ve invited British Columbians to share their stories about the lack of Covid safety in BC – particularly the loss of mask protections in healthcare. Many wrote directly to policy makers. Some generously gave us permission to share their stories with the public and the press.
Comments closedClinic offers help for COVID long-haulers
Still COVIDing Canada Posts
Published by: Folio
Published on:
By Geoff McMaster
The U of A houses one of the first clinics in Alberta dedicated to helping people manage long COVID.
Comments closedLa COVID longue, un mal invisible (mais bien présent)
Still COVIDing Canada Posts
Published by: Radio-Canada
Published on:
By Mélanie Meloche-Holubowski
The majority of people experience extreme fatigue and many suffer post-stress discomfort, a kind of energy crash. Brain fog, lack of concentration and memory loss are also common symptoms.
Some people develop conditions and syndromes such as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), characterized by dizziness and palpitations when a person is in a upright position. Others develop dysautonomia, which causes palpitations, pressure rises or falls, dizziness and gastric problems.
Comments closedLong COVID Has Never Been Taken Seriously. Here’s Where It Left Us
Still COVIDing Canada Posts
Published by: The Tyee
Published on:
By Sophie Harrison
Long COVID turned my life upside down. Amidst all the loss I’ve experienced, there’s been the cognitive dissonance of watching most of the rest of the world try to return to normal, without me in it. And seemingly unaware of the reality that COVID-19 is still out there, resulting in long-term chronic illness for a significant share of people infected.
Comments closedHow long COVID ruined my life, from crushing fatigue to brain fog
Still COVIDing Canada Posts
Published by: Sky News
Published on:
By Rowland Manthorpe
Comments closedThe change struck like a bolt of lightning from a clear blue sky. I’d been under the weather for a couple of weeks – nothing major, just a persistent cough, but for some reason I couldn’t seem to shift it. I took a day off work and carried on. Until 19 March, when I woke up and everything was different.
I was tired – overwhelmingly, crushingly tired, as if I’d been up for days, when in fact I’d slept all night – and I couldn’t think straight. When I tried to text my boss to tell him I wasn’t going to be able to make it into work, it took me more than an hour to string a sentence together.
Eventually, I got out a short apologetic message. Then I went back to bed, where I stayed for three days straight. It should have been scary, but I was too tired to be scared. The need for rest overwhelmed every thought or feeling.