"Long Covid and help"

After getting covid in early 2021 I was not getting any better and by the end of Jan was exhausted shaky and had a constant headache. My husband caught it first and I had been trying to look after him. I got weaker and weaker and my whole body constantly ached. Within weeks my feet were so painful, I felt like i was walking on my bare bones.

After many months, Kings LCC saw me and I did some tests with them. My breathing was not great, they referred me to muscle skeletal services, who sent me for scans. I know I have arthritis in many places and have had a dexa scan which shows the start of osteoarthritis. I received no more help until late Nov when I joined Nuffield Health Barbican for a Long Covid program in 2021, followed by a Joint Pain Management course in 2022. 

From that I have been able to build myself up a bit but every time I start to feel unwell with anything I can hardly move and ache all over have to crawl around. Bromley Well after many months got me on a program at Tessa Jowell centre Dulwich FAME as fibromyalgia which helped me stay focused as so little support was available in my area.

Then eventually in October I got on the PCCAS Bromley Health covid group online. This was both helpful and interesting because every case is different but what does seem to be the general case most people do not have the energy and mobility they had prior to getting the virus badly. Many still keep catching it as their immune systems are low.

Bromley have now invited me to a Post Covid Peer Support Group which I am very grateful for and I will continue to go and contribute what I can. It has to be recognised that there are so many independent people out there whose  lives have been changed completely through no fault of their own and now cannot manage the full-on life they once had, going to work full time whilst looking after others young and old. 

Now we that more is known, networks around the country should be ramped up, especially for people who live alone. I have a friend like this who has had this since 2020 and is no better, her MH is not good.

I am grateful and pleased that after 3 years I now have a support group and I thank Debbie the co-ordinator for keeping in touch and checking in on us from time to time ( even when there was not a space for anything ).

As this is not just me I am dealing with and have used many Bromley Services for my elderly mother, who is in her 90s, is now housebound and we are the only living relatives nearby. She has been under just about every part of Bromley Services and although they all work together well as individual units on a spectrum they don't always fully get to the next department without prompting. I want to add that Acute Frailty Unit PRU run by Ruth and team is exemplary, they are so professional in their assessing and monitoring of patients, it really is a different type of care and needs to be for these extremely vulnerable older adults.

I could go on for hours but i am very tired now and must stop.

Keep up the good work Bromley you are getting there!