Inside a long Covid clinic: ’I look normal, but my body is breaking down’ 

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i have an autoimmune disease, i have these symptoms for years and have always heard "you look fine, it is in your head." now finally people are seeing what we go through

Health is a crown that only the sick see.

This poor man who lost his wife and couldn't spend the last months of his wife's life with her but only the last moments, broke my heart. I know how it feels like losing someone to cancer, truly is horrible.

I only wished that there were more doctors that recognized this as a real illness. I am worried it will fall into the trap that lyme disease and CFS patients are familiar with.

After 20 years of chronic fatigue syndrome I really understand. No one would believe me back in 1985 when I started with similar symptoms. Fatigue was crushing and still. Pain awful. You never get used to the symptoms. Symptoms which switch and change but never really leave. I always hated not being able to stay as active as I was before. I hope all of these people have better outcome than the millions of us who were/are mainly forgotten. Just to have someone believe you is a start.

I used to walk five miles a day and now just walking upstairs causes me so much discomfort. My symptoms started in October 2020 and its been so horrible.

My Mother has long covid, she completely lost hearing in one ear and partially in another, has chronic fatigue and musculoskeletal pain. Really needs to be addressed!!!

Hopefully this might give highlight the hundreds of thousands of people living around the world with ME/CFS. Invisible chronic illness/ disability with similar symptoms to long Covid.

For those of you who are suffering with long COVID, I hope you have a complete recovery. Until you do, I pray that your symptoms will diminish and you are able to cope.

May all long Covid patients experience a recovery of their health. May all medics and support staff stay safe and healthy. May the wife who died, be blessed with eternal life🙏🏻💛

I think post viral syndromes are much more common than anyone could imagine and they cause lots of long standing illnesses after simply catching a common virus such as the flu. So I’m very glad more research is being done now.

My heart is breaking for these people. Hopefully this prompts researchers to pay more attention to diseases like fatigue syndrome, so that we can maybe reduce people's suffering.

I have fibromyalgia and covid hit me also . Draining my whole body 😩. Gentle hugs to fellow warriors x

Covid isn’t the first virus to cause this. Hopefully this syndrome gets more attention for other sufferers and research into this goes forward. Many live with chronic post-treatment disabilities from different diseases. Covid is bringing this to the fore fir everybody.

This is beyond heartbreaking. Their quality of life has been significantly hindered by this virus. I pray they can get back to a normal functional state. ♡

We're too healthy to die but too sick to live.

Reminds me of post polio syndrome, those who were mildly affected were the ones who in the process of aging got severe symptoms of the syndrome

My heart is broken listening to that poor man 😭😭

I am utterly perplexed and well as angered as to why it’s taken a pandemic for medical staff to recognise that ME/CFS is a genuine medical condition. People with ME/CFS have been silenced,ignored and dismissed. All of these things have lead to a lack of funding for the condition and thus a lack of understanding. The new research for me/CFS is promising yet beyond infuriating. The funding just hasn’t been there for medical staff to fully grasp and understand ME/CFS. Patients gave therefore been denied help and been miss understood by medical staff for years and years. I hope that the pandemic funding will have a more positive outcome for those with l ME/CFS and a greater understanding from medical staff and others. I’m hoping this pandemic will allow medical staff to have more education about ME/CFS.

"But there is no Covid..." That movie should be show to all of those vacation sceptic people

I feel so much for the women who could not do the walk down the hall without almost falling.

The key to dealing with long haulers is pacing myself, knowing there are limits to physical exertion, there are foods to be avoided, to rest when it's needed, and to stay abreast of research and solutions.

This reminds me so much of what it was like when I first had ME / CFS, just without the loss of smell. Those first few years were absolute agony on bad days, but to others I looked perfectly normal. It took more than a decade before I had any improvement.

This is really disturbing. 😟

I have been suffering from long covid for nearly 4 months now (am 18 and before was extremely fit and healthy - wasn't hospitalised fortunately but have been off work and school for a long time now). The problem is that many areas like mine in Kent - there are no long covid clinics actually up and running :( I am really glad those people get help through and can only hope it may be me one day getting support from specialists I can definately relate to the concept of looking fine but feeling awful and in so much pain! We are so lucky we have a nhs :)

I’m just wondering why I don’t hear that the United States has something similar to this? Ever since I had Covid-19, I always have this cough that comes back every time the temperature changes fro warm to chilly or cold. My doctor thinks it’s allergies but before Covid I never suffer allergies. Thank you for this video.

That woman's conditon is giving me goose bumps all over. Long Covid fast tracks to a most unhappy life.

Any buddy not jabbed had long covid can't find no one

Thank you for sharing this. I think this is going to help many people. I learned a lot from this.

What long COVID clinics? I'm a 11 months post ICU COVID19 patient who is still having multiple issues after my stay in ICU, and I haven't received any real follow up since leaving the ICU. My GP surgery and hospital has no interest in my situation at all.

I know exactly how this woman feels. I had Covid-19 alpha in February 2020. Sick for three weeks. Have never recovered my pre illness strength. I experience shortness of breath with minimal exertion. I am not the same person. My previous back pain has magnified as well as left chest discomfort at times.

Could it be the shots doing this?

I had my 1 year covid anniversary last week. Still ongoing tests, feel short of breath with minimal exertion but my chest rays and CTPA was clear. I've had a holter monitor to monitor my fast heart rate, waiting more pulmonary tests. I was overweight but no health issues before covid. I struggle with working now, and worst thing is that my anxiety is so bad now because I have so many unanswered questions. I fully think that rushing back to work before I was ready has made these issues happen. Rest up if you can ❤💙💜

I had covid in 2021 and it changed my life. It was in June. Here we are in 2022 and I still can't taste 98% of what I eat and drink and can only smell about 5 or 6 things. I have serious depression and am sick with a variety of things every day.. the list is long. Bless these people 🙏

It is great that the UK is handling this much better than the US is at this stage. I had covid pretty badly in April, 2020, before much was known. I should have gone to the hospital, but stubbornly, I didn't. We didn't know then how fast you could go downhill and die. My kids were worried though, and asked everyday if they could take me. I was sick nearly a month. But I was diagnosed with long covid a few months later. It eventually caused me to retire very early. There is no disability for this in the US. They are still denying that it is anything at all. So I have spent the better part of this year with specialists. I have heart, lung, liver, digestive damage, and my brain doesn't work right anymore. And the exhaustion? so debilitating. Then I passed out and injured my spine when I hit furniture on the way down. Surgery, they say, or end up like Christopher Reeve (superman). But our healthcare system is so bad, insurance is so far refusing the procedure. Great, right? In the meantime, I note I am losing feeling in my legs, arms, hands, feet, and back. It is a full time job fighting for insurance. This will bankrupt me, and my savings are dwindling quickly. I have worked since I was 5, so no, this is not a lazy person. The US needs to change. The frustrating part about long covid is that it affects people in so many different ways. And it is destroying so many lives, there is no doubt it will contribute to a downturn in all countries' economies. This is devastation.

Please help me. I need this clinic everyone here doesn't believe in nervous system issues from Covid. I'm Miserable

Is it long COVID or are they vaccine injured?

This made me cry in recognition of my own issues.

I feel bad for these people but also please think of those of us with rare multiple conditions who have had these symptoms from other conditions our whole lives. Covid has brought awareness to these conditions that some of us have lived with for years, and no one cared about it till now. POTS, ME/CFS. Covid needs to be taken seriously but please please please do not take your health for granted, some of us never get the chance to be healthy, even when we have not had covid. I have been in my house for over a year as I am very high risk. I also can't get vaccinated due to a very rare condition called USAID/TRAPS. Stay safe.

My heart goes out to that woman. I have crps and i look normal but have terrible pain. It comes with fatigue and all doctors dont know really what to do with it. So when you meet people in bad form sometimes there dealing with pain that cant be seen both in the body and soul.

I've suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome for years and there was never any help or support now maybe because of COVID Drs will start seriously. As far as I can see CFS and long COVID are exactly the same. It made me cry when I saw the lady say how she looked fine on the outside but inside she felt like she was falling apart. I remember one Dr telling me that I was "just a lonely young woman wanting some attention".

CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) surfers have most of these systems 24 days a day 7 days week and in some cases most of their lives.

thank you for this thoughtful film

I would be interested in knowing how many of you folks had the "vaccine".

Love how the doctors are always so lovely on camera but in real life they barely treat you with any humanity or compassion..if you get an appointment and speak to an actual human that is.

As a physical therapist it's cool to see they're doing the same tests we are in the US!

long covid or reaction to the vaccine hmmmmmm????

That’s no flu 💔

I hope for a breakthrough soon and for other sufferers of unseen diseases. I was fit and full of life before this. It has left me alone and in an awful position. It feels like just existing.

At least the GPs realise post viral syndromes exist. Normally post glandular fever I am treated as a neurotic layabout.

This is so important for all of us to know. It’s super frustrating when people don’t take the virus seriously and even try to make fun of others who do. This person laughed at me when I talked about long COVID and how serious it was. It was upsetting but also I kind of felt sorry for her not being informed… though it seemed like her choice not being serious about it. I hope everyone in this video will get better as soon as possible. Also, mad respect for the nurses and doctors🙏

I was vaccinated boosted and careful up until I was last boosted. I thought I was safe to go back to a normal life. I started seeing people again. In less then 2 months after I was boosted I contracted COVID. My family all got covid same time including 6 family members who live outside home we all felt like a cold. It wasn’t that bad actually. Husband and daughter had cough and daughter had throat & bad plugged up nose. I had major headache and light body aches with slight runny nose. Then got better & later got covid again about 4 weeks later. Got better then went Disneyland following month and believe we got Covid again. This time it’s hitting me hardest. Fast forward 4 months later my heart is skipping and acting weird. I’m fatigued, blurry eyes, and feel exhausted. I normally climb stairs at my Drs office because I don’t like elevators (crowded with germs and people) so I opt for stairs everywhere I go and niw for first time I couldn’t climb 4 flights. I had to stop on each floor winded, and like I was going to pass out. I always climbed stairs without any issues. My legs would get tired but never my lungs . I was almost hyper ventilating like I ran miles. Now something is wrong with my heart. It’s not anxiety. I have anxiety and know the difference. I also now have vertigo and just dizziness, I guess I’m a long hauler. . My husband and daughter and rest of my family who lives outside my home all Vaccinated and also had covid 2 or more times without any issues. I’m the only one I know who is suffering long haul covid. My ekg shows abnormal heart rhythm and now getting holter monitor and more test done to figure out why I’m suffering with after covid. For anyone unsure please be careful I’m hoping my story with anyone suffering same issues, you’re not alone. I’m not against vaccine but if covid affects the heart, then the vaccine might affect some people’s heart too. I don’t know if I would have got vaccinated knowing I would still be this sick. I believe studies were done and still being done, that’s why fda is not approving for under age kids. Because of concern. Just be careful and wear a mask if around large groups. I thought I was safe and stopped wearing my mask and got covid 3 times in a row. They say with new Omicron you can catch new variant every 3 weeks. Please do research not just one sided because you don’t want to believe.

My heart goes out to all of you ❤️

I got covid, it lasted a week. Worst "cold" I ever had. After two weeks I was fit enough and returned to work and i shook from exhaustion just walking from my car into the company. It took me six months to feel normal again.

My Dr's still won't listen to me nor will they see me because I'm only 31 and said I'm imagining it.

That’s how I feel. I had Covid in October, which lasted for 3 and a half weeks. Then, in the beginning of December I got Covid, again. As soon I start thinking I am feeling better, and all of sudden I feel weak and sinus comes back. Never ending Covid. When people say it’s just a cold, I beg to differ.

I'm an ex-physical training instructor in the army and ive been getting pins and needles in my hands, arms and feet. Chest pain and heart palpatations, brain fog, dizziness, headaches and overly sensitive hearing and the worst of all cronic fatigue and depression. All these symptoms started after i contracted covid about a year ago and its safe to say its pretty much ruined my life. I still dont understand why theres no real treatment for this when so many people are affected.

I would be interested to know the stats for long Covid…vax’d vs unvax’d. 🤔

I'm asking a question where all these people vaccinated and and given booster of the vaccine??? I haven't had the flu in 30 years I didn't take the vaccine I never will my immune system will stay pure and these kind of things are happening all over the world right now people like this just saying

the jibber jabbers done messed y’all up. SADS but true.

I'm 43 year old female and suffering with long Covid. It's scary!! I'm having panic attacks all the time now. Shortness of breath just walking around and dizzy spells. I'm having heart palpitations all the time. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I'm having joint pain. I had a episode where I couldn't use my hand. I wasn't in the hospital but it's been a rocky road.

It almost seems that the Long Covid is worst than death for the survivors. Just tragic, have a chronic illness that prevents you from working and even just getting through life, day by day.

I have the same symptoms and the doctors look at me like I’m crazy

All I have to say is 😳😳😳😳 I didn't take Covid seriously until now. Today I don't ever want to leave my house again...this thing is terrible 😞

This is tough i feel her pain

I started getting leg fatigue pains about 1 and a half month after recovering from Delta Covid. Every evening my legs would pain. Then it went away after few months on its on. Now, since about 2-3 weeks (2 yrs after Covid) I noticed muscle weakness. It was almost overnight. I couldn't bend in the shower to wash my hair, had to sit down. My back gets tired from bending forward while brushing me teeth. My eyelids feel heavy at night (never happened before). My legs pain by the evening. Wiping the kitchen counter is a task. Picking up my daughter feels heavier. This is definitely Covid complication. I pray for mine and everyone's recovery from this virus.

welcome to the world of fibromyalgia, some of us have been dealing with this for years with little sympathy or understanding from the medical profession.

May I check if anyone here who has suffered from long-COVID, in particular chronic fatigue and brain fog, has received the Pfizer vaccine? Have your long-COVID symptoms gone away/ improved after the jab? Thanks

Long covid sounds much the same as CFS. I got CFS in my twenties and took many years to recover. Even now in my sixties I can still crash but really I am blessed to have recovered from not being able to walk far, needing to sleep five hours a day and feeling as though I had the flu. Took time and rest but I did recover.

I can totally relate to this lady, I struggle to breath and the fatigue is terrible. The first time I felt these symptoms was after the second vaccine, I was bedridden for a month. Then gradually over time breathing seemed affected along with chronic fatigue longterm. I’m 54 but feel 84, wish you all a speedy recovery

I had long haul symptoms for almost 2 years after being hospitalized with Covid. I felt like I was living in someone else’s body. I still have memory and sleep quality issues but feel more like myself now than before.

I have long covid ,and it's been a year. Most of my severe symptoms have gone.when I watch this I can put myself in there shoes. It's terrifying. The mental part was overwhelming. Luckily I feel better ,but still have some fatigue on and off. Smell is not normal . I hope we all fully recover.

Thank you for the research! Thank you for listening to us! We are suffering in silence because there’s nothing to base our symptoms on. Keep on keeping on🙌🏼

Me too until now, muscle aches and jouint pains occurring every now and then. Brain fog and migraine too and areay of symptoms I haven't experienced before I got infected. I am an avid hiker and an artist but now my mobility and painting are affected much. I felt like my usual strength, vigor and enthusiasm to life just left my body. We are all in this together. Sending love, light and wish us all full recovery.🙏💙❤

Covid affects the Nerves ☝️

Question. Did you have long COVID before getting the jab? Asking for a friend

Lord have mercy!

Did you have the vaccines?

Dear Guardian - love your videos, but please get rid of the teasers at the beginning. It can get a bit confusing when they replay in the middle of the video.

Did she have the vacine

I would like to know more about their vaccination history. Vaccination before, after, not at all.

Fatigue hits me every single morning. I feel devastated,? My heart beats fast. After covid nothing is the same

The vaccinations ruined my already compromised health.

I had long covid last year, noone believed me back in march they blamed my heart palpitations and dizziness on anxiety now its all coming out now.

Should not of taking that bio shot

Been 16 months and still cant walk properly 😪 nerve damage and now have respitory problems feel like im having heartattack scary 😳 use to be fit running around looking after special needs children etc and now stuck at home feeling helpless..

I can relate. Is there any hospitals in Sacramento, CA that is doing that? It's almost been a year and I still feel horrible. I thought I was alone.

I'm wondering if the virus ever leaves one's body.

Get well soon people ❤️

I’m starting to go crazy. It comes and goes and the nights when it comes are so difficult. The doctor sends you for an X-ray then tells you there’s nothing to be done. I just want to get back to normal, there needs to be more research into ways of recovery.

Adverse reactions to the medical experiment. If you've taken the jab, it's a major factor.

My daughter never tested positive for Covid but because she had to have the vaccines for work, she had the first two injections. She had a rough couple of days after the vaccines six months ago but was able to go back to work although she was always tired after. This past week, she has been suffering from what we think is POTS. Is there any research to show if those who had vaccines are suffering from the same medical issues that those who had Covid are?

really wish there were more of these... gotten to the point I dont even see the point in calling my gp since i just get the same tests and they say they dont see anything... my first symptoms were 27 March, 2020 and still having issues.

Why is not one dr or person speaking on the carrot juice given to millions? Adverse side effects are the clue here. Truth must be spoken.

My first symptoms were March 2020 and finally think I’m getting back to normal. Back then few were wearing masks and it was ‘just the flu!’. I so wish I had known better and taken it more seriously.

I just recovered from Covid19 for almost a week now and i've been having palpitations upto 110 beats per minute and i feel short of breath from time to time, and i really need like 20-30 minutes to rest before i can proceed to what I'm doing. i hope to get better over time. I am a Nurse and from time to time i need to pause just to regain may normal breathing pattern. i Pray that everyone of us will get better soon 🙏🙏🙏

What's been done separating couples because one is sick and dying is wrong...a family member who was married for 60 yrs died alone in hospital waving thru a window at his wife to come in...dispicable

My mum have it, so many painful days, 3 years now. Still dealing with it.

I just felt that gentleman....made me 😢