Long covid

Things have been very quiet here on my blog recently.

A promotion at work a couple of years ago led to me being very busy and consequently not inspired to write or paint regularly.

And then, in August 2023 I caught covid and never really recovered. The initial infection was not too bad; a mild cough, fatigue that had me in bed for a few days, nausea and digestive discomfort, headache. Then I started to slowly get better. Or so I thought. One week after my symptoms started I worked from home and felt OK, had a walk around the block in the evening, felt fine.

The following day I was back in bed. I gradually improved again but two weeks in, a day after I tested negative, I ended up in A&E. I’d gone for a really short walk around the block for 10 minutes when my heart started racing and my breathing went weird. I had chest pains and dizzyness. We called an ambulance, the paramedics checked me out, and said all my vital signs were normal, but to go to A&E for further tests. Blood tests, chest xray, ECG – all normal.

Again, I gradually improved, although I had no energy, couldn’t work and couldn’t walk further than the garden.

Then at the end of September I ended up calling an ambulance again, this time the paramedics took my blood pressure and heart rate standing as well as lying down. My blood pressure dropped on standing, and my heart raced as if I was running uphill.

After that trip to A&E the symptoms got worse and I was pretty much bedbound for 3 months.

In January I started to slowly, slowly improve.

Now I can walk around the garden, I can make myself simple meals, I can read a bit and do some art. I need frequent rests, lying down several times a day, and my evenings are spent back in bed.

I’d like to get back to writing, to blogging, to document life as it is now, and hopefully record my recovery journey. And to share my art, as at the moment I find drawing and painting less tiring than writing.

I couldn’t paint for 5 months. In March I started doodling and colouring in. I had to limit art time to 10 minutes at a time initially, as I felt so tired afterwards. But it was worth it for the joy I felt doing it.  Here is that first piece, it started off as an abstract doodle and ended up looking a bit like a starfish. Pen and Inktense pencils.