Overcoming Long-Covid through hyperbaric oxygen therapy
Research into Long-Covid is ongoing and much is still unknown as the symptoms are many and varied. People who have experienced it often say the ongoing symptoms are a constant struggle and, in many cases, life-changing. Here, Rosy explains the impact Long-Covid has had on her and the difference Oakwood Wellbeing’s hyperbaric oxygen therapy has made.
Rosy contracted Covid in January 2023 and, up until that point, she had had a happy, healthy and very active lifestyle. A keen walker with a busy social life, she ran her own business as a garden designer and advisor.
When she was still experiencing debilitating symptoms in the early spring, she found herself unable to work and, by July 2023, she was forced to close her business completely, bringing forward her retirement by over a year.
“My main symptom was extreme fatigue. Despite at least nine hours of sleep every night I still woke up exhausted, needed frequent sit-downs during the day and an hour’s siesta every afternoon. Whenever I overdid it, I also experienced brain fog (slow comprehension and speech, short attention span, difficulty making decisions and planning), dizziness and visual migraines. I discovered (through the information provided by the Long-Covid Clinic) that I had to ration not only physical energy but mental, social and emotional energies too.”
As well as having to give up a job she loved and close down a successful business, Long-Covid impacted every area of Rosy’s life. Her social life was seriously affected as she lacked the energy to drive very far or travel much at all, leaving her unable to visit friends and family at home or abroad. Making plans to see friends became more and more difficult as she found herself needing to sleep during the day.
Attempting to live any sort of normal life wasn’t possible, as overdoing it caused her to feel even worse. One of the most significant blows was that she was robbed of her love of gardening, struggling to look after her garden and being forced to rest between very short sessions. In addition, Rosy worried about not knowing how long her Long-Covid would last.
“While I learned to manage my Long-Covid symptoms by scaling back my activities, any improvements seemed to be glacially slow and I suffered massive slumps in energy, for instance, after a simple cold.”
Desperate to get her life back, Rosy was willing to try a series of treatments in one of the Chilterns Neuro Centre’s hyperbaric oxygen chambers. At her initial meeting, she was advised that she would be in the oxygen chamber for 1.5 hours, wearing a tight-fitting mask and unable to converse with other occupants.
Rosy took advantage of the excellent WiFi connection inside the chamber, and made sure she had her smartphone, puzzles, or a good book to distract her.
Rosy admits that she did find the three-week induction tough, and in one of her sessions she experienced a slight earache due to the pressure, but this was easily fixed by using flight earplugs in subsequent sessions.
Rosy’s perseverance has totally paid off as oxygen therapy has proved to be transformative for her. She is insistent it was worth enduring the initial discomforts for the amazing health improvements she has achieved.
“I imagine it could have taken many more months before I felt this free of symptoms – I feel like I have my old life back! I can walk over three miles with my Nordic walking friends at a brisk pace. As well as enjoying several walks every week, I can do several hours gardening in my own garden!”
Rosy is even planning to travel a little further afield and is really looking forward to visiting her friends in Northumberland.
“At last, I can plan to visit friends and family and enjoy their visits without exhausting myself.
“I can be more socially active and finally live the sort of retirement I had envisaged.”
If you have Long-Covid, or a musculoskeletal/sports injury, interstitial cystitis or fibromyalgia, then get in touch with us at Oakwood Wellbeing to find out how we can support you. Email JoKendall@chilternsneurocentre.org to find out more.