Sian Griffiths wears months with long-term covid.
She is desperate to get back to work, but feels “embarrassed” that the coronavirus has kept her in a “fog ” mental that prevents you from concentrating.
“I can’t drive far, I forget to lock the doors, I burn the food. And when I’m reading, my brain converts one word into another. I lose concentration”, says this woman from 43 years to BBC journalist Owain Clarke.
Sian, who lives in Wales, is one case of the around 1.3 million people in the UK living with long-term covid, representing more than 2% of the nation .
There is no internationally agreed definition of what long-term covid is, so specialists do not yet know how common it is or what symptoms are involved.
Symptoms may differ. Last more than four weeks and may include extreme tiredness, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, joint pain, or changes in taste and smell.
- “A fog in the brain and a stabbing pain in the legs”: inside a recovery clinic for patients with long-term covid
Griffiths contracted covid in May 1200 when he worked as a physiotherapist in the British public health service (NHS).
He reports that before getting sick “I was fine, I had a full-time job and I was biking in the mountains and touring 64 kilometers on the road”.
“Now I have to have my mom and dad basically trying to remind me to do things all time. It’s heartbreaking””, he highlights.
Swimming in open water
A specialist told him to swim to recover. He now takes up open water swimming three times a week in North Wales, near his home.
“It feels like the fog is gone, I can think a little more clearly”, he assures.
“It lasts about an hour and a half after I go out and I hope that the more I do it, the effect will last a little longer”.
For swimming use a wetsuit that helps her understand the blood and oxygen of the brain.
But there are times when she feels embarrassed to go out from the house to go swimming but not to go to work.
“I feel embarrassed by what people think of me because I can go to the water but I can’t go to work. That just doesn’t sit well with me, even though I’ve been told to.”
- Long-term Covid: “I have to choose between walking and talking”
Health professionals are still learning how to deal with prolonged covid.
“In Wales we are committed to ensuring that all long-term covid sufferers receive support and care tailored to their particular needs and symptoms, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, as close possible from home,” said Welsh Minister for Health Eluned Morgan.
“We are still learning about prolonged covid and this review will help us further improve services. We will continue to monitor required support and adapt accordingly as we learn more to ensure services are available to all those who need support.”
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