Long Covid: 'I don't feel 23 anymore, I feel so much older'

Six months after graduating Heather Campbell was in her dream job working as a nurse.

Based in the orthopaedic ward at University Hospital Wishaw, her role involved washing and caring for patients.

It was hard work and the PPE was a constant reminder that her career had started during a global pandemic.

Lanarkshire was one of the first parts of Scotland to feel the impact of the second wave of coronavirus.

And soon the high prevalence of cases in the community began to translate into hospital admissions.

The majority of patients on Heather's ward were non-Covid but from time to time she cared for people with the virus.

That was until one Friday last November when she started to feel under the weather.

"I just started feeling generally unwell, I had a temperature and a headache, I didn't think much of it," Heather recalled.

"I had a PCR test on the Saturday because I was due back in work on the Monday but it was negative.

"I had another PCR test on the Monday and it was negative but, after liaising with work because I had symptoms, I had to isolate and it was the Tuesday or Wednesday that my test came back positive. I was really unwell for three weeks after that and I've never really recovered"

Eight months on and Heather is still struggling with everyday tasks like getting out of bed, having a shower or even climbing the stairs.

She said: "I'm so breathless, sometimes I have to stop four or five stairs from the top.

"I've got inhalers now for breathlessness which I've never had, I don't have asthma, I don't have any health conditions.

"I get heart palpitations if I do too much, if I push myself and have a shower and dry my hair. I get fevers every day."

Heather says she is a completely different person from who she was eight months ago.

"I never would have expected at 23 to be so unable to do things that before were so easy," she explained.

"I don't feel 23 anymore, I feel so much older.

"I'm missing out on so much, especially with my friends and stuff. With restrictions easing they are starting to go back out and I can't go."

Heather was due to get her vaccine in the last week of June but days before she again tested positive for Covid.

It has made her anxious about going out and she wants other young people to realise that the virus can become debilitating at any age, with vaccination an important protection.

Latest figures show 1,522 first doses were given on Monday, bringing the total in Scotland to almost 4m.

Despite this 28% of 18-29 year olds still are to be vaccinated.

Heather said: "I think younger people can be quite naïve and think it's just the cold and it's not. I would really encourage it, anything you can do to prevent yourself getting unwell."

She said she is taking every day as it comes, concentrating on her recovery, and her most important goal is to get back to work.

Heather added: "I'd only qualified last year, six months into the job and being off for eight months, just to get back to doing what I love to do."

The charity Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland (CHSS) has a long Covid support service - funded by the Scottish government - which offers advice on managing fatigue and breathlessness and support with wellbeing.

Lawrence Cowan, campaigns director at the charity, said: "We are worried that so many people living with long Covid are still suffering in silence and feel like they have nowhere to turn.

"The important thing to stress is that there is help out there. No one needs to fight this alone."

He added: "There is still so much more to do to make sure services all link in together, but if you are struggling with long Covid and need some help and advice then please get in touch."