Sofia
Sofia is in her mid-30’s and lives with her husband and four school-age children. She had to give up her job several years ago after being diagnosed with an autoimmune condition.
After contracting Covid in early 2021, Sofia struggled with her breathing and mobility. Her specialist has been extremely supportive. Sofia is hopeful that things will improve in the coming months. Sofia was interviewed in May 2021.
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During the pandemic Sofia shielded at home because of her autoimmune condition. But in early 2021, following her first appointment back at her hospital clinic for her autoimmune condition (she was there for 6 or 7 hours), three or four days later she felt a bit poorly. She got worse, and felt breathless and tired and subsequently tested positive for Covid. She was extremely worried but felt fortunate that she’d already had two doses of the vaccine.
Although things had improved after a month, she felt something was different and her body had changed. She continued to experience breathlessness and felt extremely tired and since then has struggled to climb stairs, stand for too long, or to walk even a short distance. She is now prone to more frequent coughs and can experience heart palpitations if she overexerts herself. She now uses an oximeter to monitor her oxygen levels.
Sofia is very wary of pushing herself in case she damages her body. She is reliant on her family for help around the home, although she describes having good days when she is able to do more.
Throughout this period Sofia has relied on her specialist for advice and support. She said, ‘He’s really good, he knows my history and he’s always there when you need him’. She is waiting for more investigations for her breathlessness.
Sofia continues to take precautions to minimise exposure. She has made a number of changes to her diet to improve her health and she tries not to overexert herself.
Sofia feels more comfortable with the term ‘post-Covid’ symptoms rather than ‘Long Covid’.
Her advice for others is listen to your body and don’t risk damaging it, take each day as it comes and don’t overdo it, and make sure you stay in contact with friends, family and healthcare professionals.
Sofia found Long Covid “a bit weird” because no-one understands whether ‘long’ means weeks, months or even longer. She though ‘post Covid symptoms’ made more sense.
Sofia found Long Covid “a bit weird” because no-one understands whether ‘long’ means weeks, months or even longer. She though ‘post Covid symptoms’ made more sense.
So, yeah, so I don’t really. And if I was healthy and no problems from before then I can say yeah. But I think they should maybe, they need to change the name or something. Long Covid I find a bit weird, isn’t it?
What do you think’s weird about it?
I don’t know, Long Covid we don’t know if it’s going to last up to six months; it could last longer; it could last less, three months. I don’t know, post Covid or something, maybe that might be something.
Post Covid.
Yeah. Something like that may be something better. Because how long is long? How long, do you know, it could be eight months, it could be a year. It’s not a fixed six months; it could be longer. Post Covid symptoms, that sounds a bit more, better.
So, for you the term post Covid symptoms resonates more with you, you think that’s better?
Yeah, it makes a bit more sense, because you don’t know it’s going to last six months. So, and people turn around and say to you, oh it lasts up to six months, you don’t know that because it could go up to eight months it could go up to a year. People I’ve seen… I know of people that have been in hospital for like eleven months and they’ve still got Covid haven’t they?
Sofia had a pre-existing autoimmune condition but felt her health had got worse since Covid. She had mentioned this to the doctors managing her condition.
Sofia had a pre-existing autoimmune condition but felt her health had got worse since Covid. She had mentioned this to the doctors managing her condition.
Yeah, I think I’m a bit more, I’m a bit more tired. Sometimes I have a bit of a cough that sort of comes and goes. I’m breathless a bit more. I was breathless before but I was a bit anaemic as well. But yeah you can tell when I walk a bit. And I’ve got one of them oximeters now that I put it on my finger and I check my oxygen levels at home, and before it never used to go down as much as it does now.
So, what I do then is, when I do feel like that, I just rest. Like half an hour, and then I just carry on, but I don’t exert myself anymore so, yeah. But I do feel the difference; I can see it. I do feel I’ve gone a bit more, worse in terms of that, yeah. But they said it can last up to six months or even longer, so you’ve just got to deal with it really.
So, you were saying that you felt better after a couple of weeks, but you said that still something’s not right, you’re still continuing…
Breathless and tired, yeah.
When did you sort of start to notice, I’m not back to myself here, something’s different?
I’d say about a month later. But then when I spoke to the doctors about that at the hospital, I had an appointment about my condition anyway, I mentioned it to them and they just said that, it can take a while for you to get back. It can even last up to six months. And I’ve had family and friends they’ve said the same thing. So, it hasn’t really been six months yet. I can still feel like if I go to the kitchen, I have to sit down again; I get really breathless. So, that’s when I know that it’s not…I’m not the way I used to be.
Because of all the breathlessness. So, I think they do want to do another scan on me as well at the hospital and just to see in my lungs if it’s affecting me more long term or if there’s any issue there.