<
https://metro.co.uk/2025/09/20/long-covid-legacy-people-dont-want-think-us-24179958/>
"
When Alex Sprackland caught Covid-19 in March 2020, he thought he’d be back
to normal in no time. Yet, five years on, the 34-year-old still grapples with
the severe, life-limiting effects of the infection.
‘I was diagnosed with long Covid seven months after my initial illness – my
life has never been the same,’ Alex, from Tunbridge Wells, tells
Metro. ‘I
had to leave my flat, I lost my relationship, and I moved back in with my
parents. I also dropped out of university when I became too sick to finish the
course.
‘I can’t even work, but there’s no support for me. No treatments. Nothing.’
After contracting the virus, Alex developed a series of symptoms that included
an irregular heartbeat, breathlessness, ongoing pain and digestive problems.
Initially he was misdiagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and prescribed
‘graded exercise’ by his GP, which only worsened his symptoms.
Alex bounced between numerous specialists, none of whom could help. ‘It was
demoralising, especially when people didn’t believe me about the symptoms,’ he
remembers.
Six months later Alex was finally referred to the NHS long Covid service, but
says, ‘no one knew what to offer me. I ended up going to a private clinic
instead and they started some experimental treatments.’
However, the decision cost him his place at the NHS clinic, as he was pursuing
‘off-label treatments’.
Although 120 specialised long Covid clinics opened in England and Wales in
2021, today there are less than 50 – and Alex is now paying for private
healthcare out of his limited savings and Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
to find answers.
He is one of approximately 2 million people in the United Kingdom with the
condition, a chronic, systemic disease that can cause a range of long-term
health issues, such as severe fatigue, difficulty breathing, chest pain and
memory problems.
‘It’s all a gamble to find trustworthy information; no one knows enough,’ says
Alex, who relies on a wheelchair. ‘I spend 99% of the time in my room and
haven’t seen most of my friends for five years. I’m watching all their lives
pass me by, which is probably the hardest thing to deal with, over the
symptoms.’"
Via Violet Blue’s
Threat Model - Covid: September 25, 2025
https://www.patreon.com/posts/covid-september-139686682
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
