Thread by @spoonfulofhan

Hi, I’m Hannah. This is my story about COVID changing my life. This will be a thread, so here we go:

I got COVID in 2020 (during the first wave, months and months before the vaccine was released) at the age of 23. I am now 28 years old, and I spend every day in a bed.

When I first got sick, I just thought it was taking my body a bit longer to recover. I was exhausted, couldn’t walk, couldn’t breathe well, etc. I thought “Hey. I’m 23. I was an athlete all my life. I have no pre-existing conditions to worry about. I’m fine.”

I figured I’d get over it, but that never happened.

I have since been diagnosed with epilepsy. I have focals and tonic clonics (grand mal). During these, my breathing has stopped in front of paramedics, my heart rate hits 200+, I’ve choked on vomit, injured myself, etc.

I have severe POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) which causes me to faint daily. I recently was just hospitalized from a faint where I broke my nose, ripped my lip in half, needed stitches for my lip and nose, sprained my neck, had a concussion, etc.

Due to how dangerous my POTS and epilepsy are, I can no longer be home alone. I’ve had concussion after concussion, massive bruises, scars all over my body, broken bones, and more. I also am not legally allowed to drive anymore.

I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease which is one of the most common post-COVID autoimmune diseases. Due to how much my body had attacked my thyroid, I had to have surgery to have it completely removed.

I have debilitating ME/CFS which is not just fatigue.

It affects the entire body. Flu like symptoms, feeling like I’ve been poisoned, muscle aches, joint pain, etc. I have days that I don’t eat because I’m too fatigued. I can barely lift my head on most days. I’ve gotten UTIs from holding my urine. I’ve crawled to other rooms.

There are days where all I can do is lie in the dark with my TV brightness turned all the way down and just quietly listen to the television.

I had cognitive testing a year ago. My score was 24, one point away from a dementia level. I soon will be tested for an updated score.

I can’t remember anything, I have speech problems, I say the wrong words for things, I’ve started to have grammar issues, I can’t pick up new information, I can’t watch new TV shows unless I watch them over and over again, and more.

I was diagnosed with diabetes. While I had COVID, my sugar sat in the 300s the entire time. It just never fixed itself.

My hair fell out in clumps. I had a massive head of hair. I have to use a wheelchair. My eyesight declined, so I now have to wear glasses.

I can no longer do the things I loved to do. I had to withdraw from college after being six years into my PsyD (Doctor of Psychology). I only leave my home for doctor’s appointments and emergencies. I can’t work, and as someone that has worked since 16, I miss it so much.

I live my entire life from my bed while I watch others reach their dreams. I’m sad. I’m miserable.

This is my reality. COVID is still here. Like I always say, you are not invincible. Neither was I.