I am not one for accepting a label, being judged or defined by something which I feel is not 'me'. I have ALWAYS been the Energiser Bunny accomplishing more in a 'normal' day than friends thought was acceptable for an entire week, but that is no longer the case and I am not happy about it. However someone I trust has said "open up, it might help you and it might help someone else". I argued this new blog is meant to be solely about my campervan until I realised how inextricably linked the two are. So here goes:
I still have long-Covid and at times it is crippling, stops me dead in my tracks.
I have now had Covid twice - once in early 2020 just after the school half-term break when it's thought the disease came back to the UK with folk who had been skiing, and a year later after my first vaccination. Both times I was quite poorly, but thankfully not bad enough to be hospitalised. Having experienced post-viral fatigue after 'regular' influenza on a couple of occasions in the last 20 years I was not really surprised to find that I spent most of 2020 completely wiped out with exhaustion, brain fog and many other (now) well-known symptoms.
At the beginning of 2021 I seemed to have recovered so it was massively disappointing to be ill again in April of that year. This is how Madam felt in March 2015 and how I now feel most of the time:
The details do not really matter because everyone seems to have a very different response, but with meta*-analysis there are enough commonalities that have led me to finally accept that I am one of millions whose lives are not the same as before a small viral particle found the human body to be a wonderful host.
It is why I have not been away on any camping trips yet this year, why the garden is going feral and has not received a fraction of the attention it needs, why I have had the Blue Bus home for a week and still not managed to finish cleaning her and loading up the cupboards.
If you think you or a friend/loved one is also dealing with this then there is an NHS website which covers the issues quite well, but does not offer any magic cures.
So there you go - Blue Bus IS going to help me move forward. She is so much easier to drive and park than Bill ever was. Having all my "facilities" onboard all the time means that when I need to sit and rest I can - trying to catch a 15-minute nap in a car never works. And now I am "out" then I do not have to pretend to be happy and energetic, so my dear friend is probably right (as usual!) Telling you this might help me and it might help someone else.
Sue was quite right that my new Wilko boxes were destined for the boot area, but I am probably going to return to the beaten up, bashed & scuffed and very robust Sheep Lick tubs which have served so well in all the other leisure vehicles 🤪 😜 .
(* I mean that in the context of examining multiple medical studies, nothing to do with a massive social media company)
Hope you get some energy back soon so you can get packed and away on an adventure
ReplyDeleteThanks Sue. I shall be pleased to settle for little adventures but not this coming week - already got a full diary (no wonder I am tired, ha ha).
DeleteSo sorry to hear you've been left with this. I've managed to escape covid, thus far, by pure luck I think as most of our family have had it at some point. The after effects sound awful and I hope in time you're able to get your gorgeous VW out on the road.
ReplyDeleteThank you my dear, this time around the worst is the crushing fatigue and dizzyness, but it seems to be a complex thing that no-one really understands yet. The first episode included neurological effects and other stuff which was thoroughly unpleasant ☺️
DeleteMy dear sweet lady - I know that sympathy and cake are probably not what you want, so shall send positive vibes and love and wuffs 🐾🐾 from you know who - you will have probably been offered lot of advice so I won't apart from - be kind and gentle to yourself - you are you own best friend and worst critic and I wish I could just give you a hug RIGHT NOW! Here is to gentle adventures with your delightfully blue bus with added naps and glorious views (and sheep lick buckets!) xxx
ReplyDeleteThank you my precious, you (and Miss 🐾🐾) know just what to say. This time around the symptoms are not as bad or extensive as the first bout so I can see light at the end of the tunnel.
DeleteIf you do not already use them, I strongly recommend Crystalyx tubs, they are almost bomb proof 🐑 💣
Thanks for sharing your experiences with long covid. I am sorry you are going through this. The Blue Bus looks wonderful and I hope you can have your first adventure together soon.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your nice words, Marjorie. It's a pain, yes, but could be so, so much worse (thinking of Kate Garroway's husband).
DeleteI understand only too well about those feelings of fatigue and brain fog Jayne and you have my sympathy. I didn't open up on my blog about having Covid in 2020 while undergoing other hospital treatment which went ahead as planned but they had special arrangements in place for Covid patients and then unsurprisingly my husband caught it from me but was much more ill than I was. Lovely Daisy, that's me too every afternoon :) My only advice to you is do what you can when you can and when you need to rest then do that too as it's your body telling you to take it easy. Enjoy your Blue Bus and the many adventures you are about to have xx
ReplyDeleteEileen, you are a star and I know you understand. I remember you telling me about Covid whilst you were having your chemo, xx
ReplyDeleteI am doing exactly what you advise - when I get to the point in a day where my brain can no longer make any sensible decisions and I am physically wacked out, I stop.
I read this morning about a much-loved blogger who is facing a life-changing diagnosis which could put her in a wheelchair and she's not much older than me: puts everything firmly into perspective.
I'm so sorry you've been struggling, Jayne. I hope you find that having the van will give you something to focus on besides your ongoing symptoms and that you'll soon be off enjoying some wonderful adventures. Xx
ReplyDeleteBless you Jules, and yes, the van is a great thing to focus on. Example - I am just back from a morning of errands and appointments in town, and half way through I sat in the back of the van for 10 minutes and just relaxed. So much more comfortable than having a rest in the car - it was lovely.
DeleteI suspect there's a lot of things they don't really know about Covid and its long-term effects yet, and possibly some things they do know but aren't telling us. We've been lucky, none of my immediate family have had it until recently. We suspect Jasmine had it whilst they were in America visiting Jasmine's family, then Daniel got it last week and Eleanor and Jacob have got it now, though they hadn't had any contact with Daniel and Jasmine so they've got it from another source. Cases are on the increase again and we're in the height of summer, there's no knowing what the numbers will be once winter arrives.
ReplyDeleteI think you are absolutely right Jo, and that no-one can yet confidently say what the overall long-term effect of Covid will be. I do hope all the kids are better now.
DeleteI know exactly what you mean Jayne about being labelled, defined and judged by something you have rather than who you are. Here in our new home I am known as 'the lady with the bad back', and the head tilt and the 'how's your back?' is how most conversations start, not at all what I envisioned when we moved here. When I have managed to get past that with people they are usually astounded at what I used to do, they were imagining that I have hobbled around for years no doubt!
ReplyDeleteLong Covid is horrible, my son and his partner have had Covid twice and the after effects have really changed them both.
I MIGHT have guessed that the boxes were for the boot space of the new van ... but I SHOULD have guessed that they would end up getting used for sewing supplies instead.
What a shame those people do not know all the amazing things you are, and what you've achieved - their loss.
DeleteSorry to learn about your son, and yes the after effects can cause huge changes. These days I reckon I only do half of what I used to manage, and that's on a good day.
I'd love to have a camper van one day. The blue bus looks delightful. Sorry to hear about your long COVID though, I know a few people who have been affected by it in the longer term. Just take care of yourself.
ReplyDeleteLouise, welcome to SV-BA and thanks for your kind words.
DeleteI read your post yesterday after you mentioned it on mine and I was astonished. To mention or not to mention things personal or not is so often the dilemma with Bloggers. It seems less so with Facebook where people seem to through caution (and sometimes their thought processes) to the wind. I'm glad that you did spill the beans so to speak and that it helps you as much as reading it has helped me (and doubtless others too).
ReplyDeleteHi Graham, I am so sorry that you read this post from the position of experiencing just the same. Don't make my mistake - give your body plenty of time to heal and hopefully you will not have this dragging on for months & months.
DeleteSpilling the beans, so to speak, has been very helpful and liberating, even though initially I was very opposed to doing so.