Long Covid
“Just to let you know I am continuing with the walks and I’m also playing football again (just once a week though!) I wanted to say thanks again for getting me back on my feet and understanding what was needed to get back to some sense of normality”
Before I came to Vitality360
I was lacking confidence as my breathing was very shallow. I was struggling to do simple home chores. It was difficult to hold a conversation for more than a few minutes. I had contracted Covid-19 in May 2021 and due to low oxygen sats was admitted to hospital, initially on a high dependency ward. I was discharged 15 days later with no specific follow up from the NHS.
I had commenced a graded return to work from home, doing half of my normal full time hours, but had ongoing symptoms including breathlessness on exertion, fatigue, excessive sleepiness and high heart rate.
“MCT’s employer notified his income protection provider to access a rehabilitation programme to support a sustainable return to work as a Global Packaging Development Manager. Without this specialist intervention through our programme, it is likely MCT would have tried to do too much too quickly.”
- Rehabilitation programme clinician
How has the programmes helped you to regain some vitality?
The programme helped me to comprehend more where I was and where I needed to be and to understand that there was a rehabilitation process that I needed to go through This involved learning to take things slowly and to keep activity and rest balanced, to celebrate achievements no matter how small, to understand the importance of breathing properly and to learn how to do this.
How did the clinician(s) support you in this process?
My clinician broke my activities down into small bitesize tasks that I knew I could complete. She supported me throughout this and encouraged my progress. Her expertise in this post viral fatigue field meant she could share insight with me about how others had got through this process, which helped to motivate me.
What was the most beneficial aspect of the programme overall?
The support and expert guidance I received throughout the programme was invaluable. Although it was a gradual improvement process and by the end of the programme my symptoms were no longer interfering with daily functioning. I could walk for 30 minutes and had a structured plan for increasing this intensity in order to return to football. I was able to re-engage with some social activities with my family and have plans about how to increase this. I had returned to work full time from home and the programme has given me a return to work plan for returning to the office for part of the week.
“Just to let you know I am continuing with the walks and I’m also playing football again (just once a week though!) I wanted to say thanks again for getting me back on my feet and understanding what was needed to get back to some sense of normality”
- MCT January 2022