Published on: 1st July 2024
Two people from Bury have praised our psychological medicine post-covid service for being a lifeline in their journey through long-covid.
Ashley Sewell, an active business-owner living in Bury, was 33 when he caught covid in late 2021. At first his symptoms were mild and he believed he would recover quickly. Yet months later, he found himself breathless after walking upstairs or eating a meal, and would regularly experience brain fog, confusion and lapses of memory.
Struggling with this new reality, his mental health deteriorated as he worried about what the future would bring in both his personal and work life. He reached out for help with his physical symptoms but found very little was known about the condition.
After a series of medical appointments and assessments, Ashley was referred to the post-covid service in February 2023. Here he met with clinical psychologist Measha Nickson for weekly sessions and noticed a significant improvement to his mental health.
They talked through his emotions and learnt mindfulness techniques that helped Ashley to focus and keep positive. He explained: “Measha was a total breath of fresh air. She was so reassuring and motivated me to keep going. The service was flexible and offered online sessions, which was great for me as I still had to travel for work. I never wanted to miss them as I found them so helpful.
“The biggest hurdles you’ll face are your own doubts in your abilities. You must be willing to give it a go and stick to it. If at first you feel that it’s not changing anything, keep going and by the end you will change your mind. My mental health is now even better than it was before the pandemic. I cannot thank them enough.”
Dr Measha Nickson, clinical psychologist, explained: “Our service was created to help people adapt around their condition and reconnect with what matters to them. We focus on how to better manage any emotional difficulties they may be experiencing, and it is lovely to hear that our work is helping people to improve their quality of life whilst living with these symptoms.”
Ashley’s experience is closely echoed by Andrea Keeley, 52, who was a laboratory director in pharmaceutical research when she caught covid in March 2020. Her symptoms were severe and within days she struggled to breathe and was bedbound. Fearing the worst, she had a panic attack thinking of ways to say goodbye to her family as she left notes on where to find items and hidden birthday presents around the house.
"No one understood what I was going through."
After a few days she turned a corner, but although she felt slightly better, breathlessness and fatigue were still affecting her months later. She worked from home but was soon overwhelmed with exhaustion and used annual leave to sleep and get through the worst days.
She sought medical advice and had several tests but received no explanations or solutions. As time went, self-doubt crept in. She felt paranoid about what other people may think or believe. Andrea explained: “I felt like I was a hypochondriac and no one understood what I was going through. I couldn’t stop thinking about how others were judging me.”
Months later, she was referred to the post-covid service by her GP. It was shortly after this that she reached her lowest point after losing her job of over 24 years.
She said: “My world completely fell apart as all my fears came true. My body and mind were against me. I couldn’t see a future and felt utterly broken.”
It was in the same week that Andrea received her first call from the service. She said: “Measha called me at the best possible time. She gave me hope that I was finally going to get some help and I honestly don’t know where I would be if I didn’t get that call when I did.”
She learnt mindfulness techniques and noticed an improvement in her mental health almost immediately. She felt she was able to talk about her feelings in a safe space for the first time and had the opportunity to meet other people, which showed her that she was not alone.
“Measha was so understanding and kind. She supported me and encouraged me to be kind to myself. I was shown how to live in the present moment rather than focusing on the past.”
Andrea still suffers physically but feels she has accepted and can face her situation by using the tools and techniques she has learnt to help her live a better, more fulfilling life. She now uses her energy to do activities that make her happy and spends valuable time with friends and family.
When asked to share advice for people going through a similar experience but not yet receiving support, Andrea said: “You sometimes don’t realise how much you’re struggling or how low you might be until you speak to someone about it properly. They help you discover so much about yourself and show you ways to make your situation better. They have been my lifeline. I’ve now left the service, but the service has never left me.”