A Bolton school teacher who caught the Covid 19 virus over six months ago is encouraging as many people as possible to go and get vaccinated to avoid contracting the disease. Heather Jones from Clifton caught the disease back in November 2020 just at the start of the second national lock down when she began to feel very tired before experiencing shivering and feeling hot at the same time. She first put it down to the consequences of working in a school and picking up common bugs which pupils picked up. She then realised it was more serious when she lost her sense of smell and tested positive for Covid 19.

A month later, she did begin to feel like the virus was leaving her system but she was not returning to her normal self and it soon became clear she had developed Long Covid where the effects of the Covid 19 virus can continue for weeks or months after the virus has left the body.

“The fatigue never left me. About two months later, I started getting other symptoms and I realised my brain wasn’t really functioning as well. I’d get very confused, I wouldn’t be able to remember things, I’d get confused between what was a dream and what was a reality – which was pretty scary. I’d forget I even had siblings; I’d forget people existed.

“And that was the most terrifying thing because I didn’t know if that was ever going to come back.”

Heather struggled to walk short distances for a while, even crossing the road began to become a problem. When ever she attempted short walks to carry out simple tasks, she had to return home and go to bed to sleep and help her body recover. As well as the physical impact, Long Covid has impacted Heather’s mental health, as well as her financial security with having to take time off work.

She said: “Long Covid is so very difficult to recover from. You’re so used to an illness having a beginning and an end and you know it will end. With Long Covid you don’t know when it will end. It has absolutely been one of the most challenging things I’ve ever had to fight through.

“Long Covid really does impact every aspect of your life. It takes everything from you, everything that makes up who you are, it takes away from you. Nobody can come out of that unscathed mentally, nobody.”

Heather is now attending a Long Covid clinic provided by Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, which offers a variety of support to people still suffering the effects of Covid-19 such as physio and mental health support. Fortunately for Heather, with the tools and information she’s received through the Long Covid clinic, she has not had a relapse.

Heather said: “I have to keep reminding myself that I’m one of the lucky ones. The fact that six months in, I can sit and talk about it, put coherent thoughts together is remarkable and means I am making progress – but I don’t know if it’ll last.”

“I would never wish anyone to suffer like I have. I never imagined the impact that Covid could have on me. I’ve had both my Covid-19 vaccines. It didn’t make me worse and I continue to improve. We aren’t going to get out of this unless enough people are vaccinated. Please do not let Covid destroy your life like it destroyed mine.”

How long it takes to recover from COVID-19 is different for everybody.

Many people feel better in a few days or weeks and most will make a full recovery within 12 weeks. But for some people, symptoms can last longer.

The chances of having long-term symptoms does not seem to be linked to how ill you are when you first get COVID-19.

People who had mild symptoms at first can still have long-term problems.

Symptoms of long COVID

There are lots of symptoms you can have after a COVID-19 infection.

Common long COVID symptoms include:

extreme tiredness (fatigue)

shortness of breath

chest pain or tightness

problems with memory and concentration (“brain fog”)

difficulty sleeping (insomnia)

heart palpitations

dizziness

pins and needles

joint pain

depression and anxiety

tinnitus, earaches

feeling sick, diarrhoea, stomach aches, loss of appetite

a high temperature, cough, headaches, sore throat, changes to sense of smell or taste

rashes

To find out if you are eligible for your Covid vaccine, please go to www.salfordccg.nhs.uk/covid-vaccine.