Paramedic’s struggle with Long Covid
“I feel like a rusty old banger turning its engine over,” says Alan Smith describing the first steps of his morning walk when his breath is short and his joints ache.
“I still get tired quickly which is a real concern as I am due back at work in the New Year,” says the 50-year-paramedic with the London Ambulance Service.
Alan suspected he had Covid-19 in the first weeks of the pandemic but shrugged it off as fatigue bought on by the demands of the job.
It wasn’t until he tested positive for antibodies several weeks later that he suspected he had a thankfully minor brush with the virus.
“I put it down to the demands of the job. We’re constantly on the go and minor aches and pains are an occupational hazard.”
He began to feel something wasn’t right and was subsequently diagnosed with Long Covid.
The majority of people with Covid-19 make a full recovery but for some its effects linger on with no clear medical explanation.
Alan said: “I found myself tiring easily, had constant back pain and was puffing and sighing a lot. A walk to the local shops soon felt like a marathon and I started having ‘brain fog’ where I couldn’t concentrate or remember anything.”
His condition coincided with him being taken off the road because of other underlying health conditions and so began a lengthy period of convalescence with him working from home.
“I’m a pragmatic person but the reality is that there is no definite treatment yet and a lot of the advice is conflicting.
“A lot of people assume regular exercise is a cure-all but it isn’t. If you overdo it - and it doesn’t take much - it really knocks you for six.
“It’s a frustrating condition.I’ve always been an active person but am just taking it a day at a time and hoping for the best.”