Young people living with debilitating symptoms caused by long Covid have described feeling abandoned and having to \u201cbattle\u201d to access NHS support.<\/p>\n
Kaylee, 17, a once promising gymnast who hoped to represent her country, developed the virus on her 12th birthday and still experiences symptoms including dizziness and shortness of breath, causing her to miss school and give up on the sport she loves.<\/p>\n
Two million people in the UK have long Covid, according to the Office for National Statistics.<\/p>\n
The Welsh government said it had increased the funding available to support people experiencing the long-term health effects of the virus.<\/p>\n
Kaylee, from Cross Keys in Caerphilly county, vividly recalls being bed-ridden for three days when she was 12 after a sudden dizzy spell caused her to fall and hit her head.<\/p>\n
She said doctors initially failed to identify the cause of her illness and she was not diagnosed until she was 13.<\/p>\n
She said her symptoms included \u201cdizziness, sometimes shortness of breath, there\u2019s sluggishness, there\u2019s pain in my chest and my ribs and I get brain fog sometimes\u201d.<\/p>\n
Kaylee\u2019s mum, Sarah, said the initial mental and physical support Kaylee received from their local health board\u2019s Post-Covid Recovery service was great.<\/p>\n
But she said Kaylee had not seen a specialist NHS doctor for two years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have tried to get in touch recently and didn\u2019t get a response,\u201d Sarah said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really disappointing, I think [the clinicians] think they did everything they felt they could do – that she\u2019s already been offered everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the past five years, Kaylee\u2019s parents have been paying for her to receive specialist oxygen therapy in Bristol, which they said helped with Kaylee\u2019s breathing and energy levels. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Young people living with debilitating symptoms caused by long Covid have described feeling abandoned and having to \u201cbattle\u201d to access NHS support.<\/p>\n
Kaylee, 17, a once promising gymnast who hoped to represent her country, developed the virus on her 12th birthday and still experiences symptoms including dizziness and shortness of breath, causing her to miss school and give up on the sport she loves.<\/p>\n
Two million people in the UK have long Covid, according to the Office for National Statistics.<\/p>\n