Thread by @shivani_chdhry

It's a year since I got Covid; I'm still not better.

I'm one of those ill with #LongCovid.
The ones who fall into the abyss between *recovered* and *dead*.
The ones who—though living—have lost their former lives.
The ones waiting for a cure.

Some reflections on the past year 🧵

💥#LongCovid is brutal. Didn't know such severe pain, fatigue, complications could exist in the human body. That too simultaneously, relentlessly, for so long.

Each day's a struggle, of recalibrating life; of facing myriad unfathomable symptoms, not knowing what may strike when.

💔 #LongCovid brings unimaginable loss - of health, work, income, identity, ability, relationships... Each loss brings grief tinged with disbelief.

⤵️ #LongCovid is draining: physically, mentally, emotionally, financially... It's pushing many into poverty and homelessness.

*️⃣ Living with a chronic illness is extremely isolating.

↔️ A wide chasm of *unrelatability* exists between the healthy and the unwell, which deepens over time.

🔗Most people don't want to deal with the *inconvenience* of your illness. Only those who truly care, stick with you.

⚕ Doctors don't always know what's wrong. But most won't admit it. *Medical gaslighting* is more common and harmful than imaginable.

❎ Dismissal of #LongCovid is condemnable.

▶️ A compassionate well-informed doctor—who keeps up with medical research—is what each one needs.

☢ The toxic capitalist work culture—that permeates most organizations—ascribes human value only to *productivity*. Thus, those with serious illness/disability are either forced to work to survive or if they can't work, lose jobs and income. Most have no access to benefits.

🔰 Governments know the horrors of #LongCovid but choose to exclude it from public health messaging. Acknowledging it would require commitments they're unwilling to make. But they'll have to take action soon, as the socio-economic costs of ignoring #LongCovid will be explosive.

⏳ What's urgently needed:
1) Intensified, coordinated, & well-funded biomedical research to develop cures for #LongCovid & #MEcfs
2) Policy to highlight, not hide, the danger of Long Covid
3) Expanded health insurance coverage
4) Disability benefits
5) Data accuracy & disclosure

⚠️ We're all tired but #CovidIsNotOver. It's lethal.

⭕ #LongCovid is Devastating. Debilitating. Unbelievably life-altering.
Affects, on average, 1 in 5 infected people. You can get it even if fully vaccinated.

😷 Don't risk it. #WearAMask. Be safe. Protect the vulnerable.

🙏 Forever grateful to those who held me over this agonizing year. Heartfelt thanks to the amazing people in the #LongCovid/ #MEcfs/ chronic illness community. Sad that millions of us are suffering (many for 2+ years). But I'm hopeful we'll see the light of recovery.💛