A Belfast woman has said she feels "stuck" as she continues to battle with coronavirus after being diagnosed with the condition in January 2021.
Elizabeth Smith, 36, from East Belfast, was working full-time as a management consultant and led a very active life, which included volunteering at weekends at Assisi Animal Sanctuary in Newtownards.
Last January, she began to experience vertigo and was initially treated for this, before an antigen test in June 2021 showed she previously had coronavirus and was now dealing with the symptoms of Long Covid.
The condition has turned Elizabeth's life "upside down" as she now finds herself dealing with around 20 symptoms, ranging from extreme fatigue and headaches, to vertigo, nausea, and joint pain.
She told Belfast Live : "I was very active, just like a normal 36-year-old really, no underlying health problems at all.
"At weekends, I volunteered at Assisi Animal Sanctuary in Newtownards. It's very manual work, I would have been up early on Saturdays and out in all weathers helping the animals. I was always on my feet and busy.
"I have no idea how I caught it [coronavirus], I was working from home from 2020. But when I did get it, it was when there were no vaccinations open to most age groups, so part of me thinks now if I have of had my vaccines and caught the infection, would I be in the position I'm in now?
"The acute infection I had was very mild. Like many people with Long Covid, I wasn't hospitalised; I didn't even realise I had Covid. I got sick with vertgio which was so bad it stopped me working, and for me I'd have to be dying before I wouldn't work. I rang the doctors and Covid wasn't even mentioned. I was treated for vertigo, which didn't work."
As the weeks went on, Elizabeth found herself developing nausea and extreme tiredness. She initially put it down to being burnt out and working too much, but never considered it would be coronavirus as she didn't have the classic symptoms of a cough, high temperature, or loss in smell or taste.
In April, her GP brought her in for blood tests, which came back normal. Elizabeth was then referred to a private ENT consultant as her GP couldn't figure out what the problem was.
"Around May, I started seeing stories about people not recovering from Covid," the 36-year-old added.
"I had a colleague in work whose neighbour is a big spokesperson for Long Covid. She told me about her and said she had been really sick with the exact symptoms I had.
"I went to BUPA via Kingsbridge Private Hospital for an antibody test and it came back saying I did previously have Covid, I had the antibodies - this is before my vaccinations. They worked out that when I started to get sick in January it was Covid.
"I was a bit shocked but so relieved as I now knew what had been causing all my symptoms. I just kept very close to the Long Covid community to swap stories and see what support they could give me.
"Now as time has gone on, we're a year on and I'm still no better, and my list of symptoms is just getting longer unfortunately. My life is just upside down. I can't return to work or my volunteering at all, it's so crazy."
Going from a busy, fast-paced life to not being able to do more than one or two tasks in the house has been difficult for Elizabeth.
She said: "If I do the slightest thing in the house now I usually have to sleep for three hours after. I did the washing up at about nine this morning, then I slept from 10:30 to 1:30. I have a to-do list everyday to write out every single task I have to do, because I can't do too much or I crash.
"If you do too much it'll set you way back - this pacing technique is the only way to manage your symptoms. Learning how to manage this myself, a year of researching online and talking to other people with Long Covid. It's just a battery that won't charge which is quite frustrating."
When it comes to those who continue to believe that coronavirus doesn't exist, Elizabeth added that it's a condition that can be difficult to explain if you haven't been through it.
She explained: "Unless they've went through it, they're not going to believe it. It's worldwide, it's not just a group of people in Northern Ireland making this up. Why would we choose to not work, lose our earnings, lose our lives? Why would we make this up? It's a real physical condition, and it's out there.
"I'm losing money, I'm losing my life, and I'm just existing. I shouldn't have to live like that."
Elizabeth said those suffering with Long Covid are "starting to feel quite ignored." As their time suffering with symptoms continues to drag on, many are beginning to pin their hopes on upcoming trial treatments.
"It's debatable on whether these will actually work," she continued.
"You can easily lose hope but you have to keep fighting everyday in the hopes that something will happen, that a new treatment will come out that will help. You have to stay positive.
"I'm on a waiting list for treatment in Germany, there's people from Northern Ireland already over there. It costs a lot of money but at this stage I'll try anything. But we shouldn't have to do that, we shouldn't have to go to a foreign country for treatment - we should be able to get help here.
"We're running a petition to try and get the government to take notice. We're trying to campaign as much as we can but it's so hard when you're so ill."
You can find out more about Elizabeth's petition by clicking here.
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