Hannah
Hannah developed Covid symptoms in July 2021 but thought they might have been related to her underlying endometriosis. Having Long Covid hasn’t helped Hannah’s anxiety and feeling nauseous so often has been difficult for her. Hannah was interviewed in June 2022.
Hannah is a 20-year-old student living with her mum and dad. Ethnicity: White British.
More about me...
Hannah first developed Covid symptoms in July 2021 when she came back from a nightclub. At first, Hannah thought the symptoms were from her endometriosis, but when she had a high temperature for eight days, she realised it was Covid. After self-isolating, Hannah went to the gym but found that she could only lift 60kg, instead of the 95kg she was able to before she isolated. Hannah was experiencing fatigue and became breathless moving from her room to the kitchen, despite having a high level of fitness from swimming before she had Covid.
Even before having Covid, Hannah had anxiety, but she felt that it worsened since she developed Covid symptoms. Hannah’s anxiety is mainly focused around health but not exclusively Covid, as she found the thought of throwing up makes her very anxious. One of Hannah’s Long Covid symptoms is feeling nauseous “all the time,” and she takes medication for this. However, Hannah might go onto antidepressants if she doesn’t feel less nauseous by December – when she has a job opportunity abroad. Hannah is nervous about starting a 9 to 5 job, as she can’t rest during the day and catch-up later like she could when she was at university.
Hannah doesn’t remember the first time someone said she may have Long Covid, but she thinks it might have been her mum – who is a psychotherapist. Despite having Long Covid, Hannah didn’t want to apply for the support her university offered, including more time on exams, because she wanted “to be treated fairly and no different to anyone else.” She feels the same about telling other people about having Long Covid, and she doesn’t want to be seen as a “drama queen.”
Through a Long Covid clinic, Hannah had been referred to four Long Covid workshops but found them unhelpful, as they assumed that she didn’t have any medical knowledge about her body – despite her degree in neuroscience. Hannah also felt that the workshops were targeted at older patients and found it hard to relate. She felt that the workshops were more like a lecture than a conversation, which made her angry.
Despite her anger at the Long Covid workshops, Hannah felt that her GP was “amazing… lovely” because she “listened to the fact [she was] knowledgeable.” Hannah feels that more knowledge is needed to distinguish Long Covid from other conditions with similar symptoms. Hannah has received doses of a Covid vaccine since having Long Covid and doesn’t feel that she’s experienced relapses or had a strong adverse reaction.
Hannah’s mum has become “super anxious” about her Long Covid symptoms.
Hannah’s mum has become “super anxious” about her Long Covid symptoms.
It made my mum super anxious, and they kind of like coddle me and baby me a bit, which I'm not complaining about, it’s quite nice, but I would say it hasn't made things in my family that difficult, like I'm quite lucky to have quite an understanding family and they're really willing to help me and stuff, and we all help each other, the only thing I think it’s changed is just anxiety levels, like my mum just gets worried about me doing certain things, but that’s all really.
Hannah said her university were supportive of her studying from home. She was encouraged to apply for extenuating circumstances because of her Long Covid, but she chose “to get on with it and have the same circumstances as everyone else.”
Hannah said her university were supportive of her studying from home. She was encouraged to apply for extenuating circumstances because of her Long Covid, but she chose “to get on with it and have the same circumstances as everyone else.”
So, how’ve you found it moving back home from uni?
I actually always hated living at uni [chuckles]. I even hated in the first year when there wasn't Covid, so I actually was glad that I got to be at home, even in the second year I was basically home the whole time, so that hasn't really been a problem. I did get... because obviously uni all went back in-person in January, I think, but I had a meeting with my head of neuroscience and I basically told him what was going on and he was like, “It’s fine for you to do it from home,” so I've been glad that I've been able to stay home [chuckles].
So, would you say that your uni’s been supportive with that—?
Yeah, really supportive, yeah.
So, are they then allowing you to stay at home; have they done anything else in regards to allowing you to manage your Long Covid symptoms?
They've encouraged me to apply for extenuating circumstances and like a support plan, but I didn't want to. I... maybe it would have been smart to, because I definitely... oh, one of the things I miss, my... I do have brain fog and forget a lot of things, and obviously that has changed the way that like my performance in my exams and stuff, but I just... I just wanted to get on with it and have the same circumstances as everyone else. But they... they wouldn't... they wanted me to have one and they would have like... that would have given me extra time maybe and like whatnot but that’s not something I... the only thing that would have benefited me is to not have as much work, and that’s not something they can offer me: like I don't need extra time, I work quick, like I've got good organisational skills so I just didn't think to, so those are the only things they really offered. They... so they... she also did stress I'd stop uni and take a year out, but I would... was... I would never have done that, so... yeah.
Hannah has lost some friends since developing Long Covid, but she says it’s made other friendships stronger.
Hannah has lost some friends since developing Long Covid, but she says it’s made other friendships stronger.
I realised who my true friends are who they... who aren’t, some of them have just left and like... not left, but just haven't really been interested in like seeing me, like they would never... like it was always... if I wanted to see them it’s me that has to make plans, like they never ask like... some of them never ever ask to make plans with me anymore. Some of them are... well, a lot of them don't understand the anxiety, which even though they don't understand, some of them are still able to support me with it, but others literally just would like rather not be around it. But then on the other side of things it’s made some of my friendships a lot stronger because they've given so much support, so it’s just made us like grow closer, which has been really nice.
Hannah described her lovely GP who listened, was helpful, and never made her feel as if she wasn’t believed.
Hannah described her lovely GP who listened, was helpful, and never made her feel as if she wasn’t believed.
And then my GP, I've seen a lot of GPs, but she’s the same one that my mum told me to go to and she is absolutely amazing, she’s so lovely, and has like really listened and like just been really helpful and not made me feel like...that I'm making it up or like it’s not as bad as it is or like, ‘Oh, just...we'll refer you to like a...it’s like a counsellor or something,’ Like she’s like listened to the fact that I am knowledgeable and I have...I am going to therapy and like I have been on certain antidepr—I’ve been on sertraline before, and so she sent me information about different antidepressants, and obviously like when I...like I've learnt about antidepressants before, but it was just helpful to the fact that like I've learnt about them in a way that I've got to recite the information and do it in an exam and never learnt about them in like, ‘Oh, I'd actually be taking this and like the effects of it actually have on my body,’ so it was just really helpful like all of that, and she was like thinking about other things that would help, like I used to struggle with sleep so she merely suggest you going on the antidepressants that make you a bit drowsy, but yeah, so I think everyone I've seen has been really amazing.
Hannah, a young woman in her 20s, wanted her old life back but she worried that she could not manage her anxiety symptoms if she moved away from her parents.
Hannah, a young woman in her 20s, wanted her old life back but she worried that she could not manage her anxiety symptoms if she moved away from her parents.
Yeah, I'm...when I think about moving out and being away from my parents, I literally get so anxious because the only person that can stop me from having a panic attack is my mum, and when I have panic attacks like they are like genuinely one of the worst things I've ever experienced, and they last for like hours, so I'm nervous about that, but obviously that won't be for a few years, I need to like be work and have a job for like a few years before I move out. I am a bit nervous that when I...obviously the job I'm going into is going to be nine-to-five, I'm nervous that I'm going to...because I do get tired easily, and obviously I was doing a lot of work for my degree, but it was on my terms: like if wanted to lay in a bit later and do work later, that was OK, so I'm nervous that that schedule’s going to make me really exhausted and I'm not going to be able to cope with it and I'm not going to be able to perform as well as I want to.
I also do have a trait to just like even like just push through and be like, ‘you're doing it anyway,’ and so am I'm worried that I'm going to make myself worse, which I don't want to do at all. I'm not worried for the anxiety to go, I'm really excited if that goes, but that would be amazing if it did go. And I want normality, I want my old life back where I can like...not even...no, I'm not bothered about the alcohol, but just like be able to have fun and not sit there worrying I'm going to throw up, if I stay out then I'm going to get like a sick bug, or I'm going to get poorly, that I want that part of my life back, like I miss that part of me a lot; it was fun, yeah that.
Hannah said, ‘don’t give up’ and ‘just keep trying’ to find solutions.
Hannah said, ‘don’t give up’ and ‘just keep trying’ to find solutions.
I wouldn't want to say, ‘It’s all going to be OK,’ because I don't know, and I worry about myself. I think I'd say to a...I don't know, just like, don't give up, like just keep trying and keep like pushing until you find a solution that helps you, like don't...like I don't want to do the thing where eventually I give up and I go, ‘Ahh, I can't be bothered anymore,’ that I'll just live with it, no because I think it has changed so many people’s lives and that would be really sad if it was to change someone’s life forever. So I would also say educate yourself on it, because even though it’s annoying, that I feel like I know a lot, it’s also helped in the way that I get...at least I really understand what’s going on in my body and I think a lot of people are able to like...it’s just the doing the reading, I'd say also read about it yourself so you're not just being told it and then maybe forgetting it.