Bella

Age at interview: 10

Brief Outline:

Bella developed achiness and leg pain in her ankles, hips and knees after having Covid in January 2022. She became unable to walk due to the pain and weakness in her legs. Tests have not shown any cause for her pain, but three months on she is still unable to walk more than a few steps unaided and she uses a wheelchair to get around. Bella is back at school but has a teaching assistant to help push her wheelchair and her classes have been moved downstairs. Before Covid, Bella was a very active and sporty and she finds it frustrating that she can’t play sports and be active with her friends. Bella was interviewed with her Mum in April 2022.

Bella is 10-years old and lives with her mum, dad, and younger sister (aged 8). Ethnic background: Mixed race- White British, Japanese, Italian, Brazilian.

More about me...

In January 2022 Bella got Covid and was achy and dizzy, but this passed after a couple of days. On returning to school Bella started suffering pain in her knees and she had trouble with the stairs at school. After a while she stopped being able to walk due to the pain and weakness in her legs (hips, knees, and ankles) which made her very achy and tired.

Bella has seen a lot of health professionals recently and had lots of tests; she really hates having blood tests. Tests have not shown any cause for her pain. Bella spent some time in hospital: “We stayed two nights and then we were waiting for some physios to come…And they said they wouldn’t help me unless I got out of bed, like move to the edge of the bed. So, I couldn't do it and they didn't help us. So, we were sent home…I wanted to, but it was also really painful and so I couldn't.” Bella’s pain has improved a bit and is mainly just in her knees now.

Three months on, Bella still uses a wheelchair to get around but recently tried using crutches; this makes her very tired and her arms and fingers ache. She has a teaching assistant at school who helps her in class with writing and pushes her wheelchair. The school moved her year’s classes downstairs to help. Before Covid, Bella was very sporty and active and she gets frustrated that she can’t play sports or be active with her friends anymore. She says, “Before I had Covid and stuff, I was very strong, and I would pick up my friends and I used to show off how strong I was. And I used to have some muscles, but they’re not really here anymore.”

Bella has started having hydrotherapy, but she finds it hard and very tiring the next day. She can walk a few steps now but finds it very painful in her knees. Her mum helps carry her around and helps with getting into bed and going to the toilet. She doesn’t do much after school “because I don’t want to do too much because then the next day, I might not be able to go to school because I’m just so tired and achy from doing too much.”

Bella was especially tired and achy after she did a lot of different activities, such as playing with friends, seeing family, and doing hydrotherapy.

This week I’ve been quite tired and achy because I did a lot at the weekend. I played catch with my friends, and I did hydrotherapy and they made me do quite a lot because I don’t know why they made me do quite a lot. And then, I saw my granny and granddad and I also saw some of my friends and they came round. And I think it was all just too much. And it doesn't, I don’t feel really achy the next day. It’s normally a day afterwards or two days afterwards. It doesn't, the achiness doesn't just come straight away, but I can get achy from doing too much.

Bella found walking to school made her knees very sore. She eventually had to stop walking because it was ‘really painful.’

And then I went to—I then I went back to school, and it was very hard to walk up the steps and to move because my knees were really sore. And then I was really tired after two days at school. So, we took the rest of the week off and relaxed. And then mum sent me back to school and again it was hard to walk, and I was very achy. So, then we had another relax. And then nothing was happening, so we went to hospital. Still nothing happened. And then I started to stop walking because it was really painful, but also my legs were really weak. And then well that’s what’s basically been like for ten weeks.