Patient Stories Project
A Journey of Resilience: From Childhood Sports to Long Covid Challenges
Written by: Maddy Gold
From a young child, I was always physically active, from riding a bike, synchronized and regular swimming, being part of a track and field club, etc. I wasn’t the best, but gave it my all.
My most memorable moment was in grade 7. I was running in the 4X4. Before it was time to run, a bunch of us sat in a circle and started chanting positive affirmations. Well, it must have worked because when I was handed the baton and started running, all I could hear was my breathing and footsteps. It was incredible. I handed off the baton and turned around to see my teammates cheering and clapping. I still didn’t comprehend what had happened. Unfortunately, our anchor tripped and fell, so we were disqualified. But apparently, I brought us into 1st place. They said I ran like an Olympic sprinter.
As an adult, I always had a fur baby (dog), which forced me to go for walks. Whether I realized it or not, it kept me in shape. I always said if I didn’t have a dog, I would probably gain 20 to 30 pounds. Since my beloved Roxy crossed over the rainbow bridge, the pounds have slowly crept on.
I’ve had Long Covid for over two years and am menopausal. Not a great combination!
I’ve had Long Covid for over two years and am menopausal. Not a great combination! If getting Covid wasn’t bad enough, now I have all sorts of different symptoms. Because of my Long Covid, I never know what the day will bring. I get tired easily, my asthma is unbearable, and I get breathless very easily, and have constant joint pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, vertigo and even brain fog. About one day a week I am in bed all day due to what is called a flare up.
Another medical issue that I have is that there’s an air bubble in my esophagus which has caused my organs to shift to the right.
Several years back an organization was running a pilot project where they gave out a free bike share pass for the year. I started riding the bike everywhere. It felt great and challenging and I lost 20 pounds. In fact, I was out of shape and my biggest challenge was tackling a huge bridge. On the first attempt, I only made it to the first streetlight but every day I improved and finally I made it to the top. I felt like Rocky at the top of the stairs.
Unfortunately, now it’s very difficult to ride a bike unless it’s electric and it has pedal assist. If it’s a manual bike I struggle just to go a couple of blocks and I have to use my inhaler. Unfortunately, bike share doesn’t always have the e-bikes available. It’s really hard when you have breathing issues.
There’s no cure for Long Covid. I’ve seen numerous clinical trials, and I’ve joined some Long Covid Facebook groups to see what other people are experiencing and any treatment options. One supplement seems to be popular, but I go down a rabbit hole to search for the purest source and don’t end up with anything. Someone recently told me hyperbaric chambers seem to work. Who knows!
It would be wonderful to be able to go up my stairs and not be out of breath