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Darren Parkinson 🌍💚💙 Profile picture
Darren Parkinson 🌍💚💙
@DarrenBar88
Green Party Campaigner | Living with Long Covid | Bradford | Shipley Town Councillor 2020-24 | Views own.
Apr 21, 2025 • 12 tweets • 4 min read
I want to talk about how #LongCovid affects my ability to socialise.

Not being able to see my family and friends like I used to has a huge impact on me.

🧵 Thread 👇 Photo of Darren with group of friends in a pub. His friends have been crossed out with a big red cross to indicate that he can't see them like he used to due to long covid. I'm really lucky to have an amazing family and wonderful group of friends.

They've stuck by me since I became ill and they help me loads ❤❤❤

But I can't see them very often because I'm housebound.

And because socialising is so ridiculously fatiguing.
Mar 6, 2025 • 17 tweets • 5 min read
#LongCovid and heavy metal.

How this disease has changed my relationship with the music that I love.

This may seem niche 😁🤘 But stay with me. This is a story about passion, loss and the huge impact that long covid has on our lives

🧵 Black and white photo collage. On left Darren playing guitar on stage wearing cut off denim jacket with patches on. On right Darren lying on bed with eyes closed. I fell in love with metal when I was about 15.

Before that I liked pop such as Erasure and er, Jive Bunny 😳

Queen were my gateway into rock, but it didn't take long before I was listening to really heavy stuff as I headed into the murky world of Thrash, Doom & Death Metal.
Feb 23, 2025 • 13 tweets • 5 min read
How I'm trying to adapt to my new, smaller life with #LongCovid.

I lost my job. I lost my role as a local councillor. I'm housebound. I can't do much with my kids & partner. And I can't do many of the things I love due to the constant fatigue.

But I have to try and carry on🧵 Photo of Darren in kitchen resting his head on his hand looking exhausted. Cups in foreground. It's tough. Really tough. There's no getting round it. I don't want my life to be like this.

I'm a 'doing' person. Being unable to 'do' is infuriating, and coping with this loss is hard.

But this is how it is right now, and I'm trying to make the best of a shitty situation. Photo of Darren sat on his patio looking down his garden. Photo taken from behind him. On photo are written words: Long covid leads to so much loss. And below: I warned to share some of the things I have lost since I became ill.
Feb 5, 2025 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
Since I've been ill with #LongCovid I've had so many people wanting to give me advice on what I can do to get better.

Most of the time this is coming from a good place. People want to help me and I understand that.

But I can find this difficult at times.

Short thread on why. Photo of Darren laying down on his sofa resting. It's a natural instinct to want to help.

To want to help people find ways to get better.

Especially when help is lacking in the form of medical treatments.

I'm sure I've done it myself in the past.
Feb 3, 2025 • 10 tweets • 4 min read
Having #LongCovid or another chronic illness leads to so much loss.

I've lost so many things in my life due to this debilitating disease.

I wanted to share a few.🧵 Photo of Darren from behind. He is sat on on his patio looking down his garden. Not being able to do things with the kids is a biggy.

I miss this so much.

From family bike rides, to walks, to seeing them perform their music.

I feel like I'm not being the parent I should be. It's so difficult.
Dec 19, 2024 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
Yesterday #LongCovid cost me my job.

20 years working as a Learning Disability Nurse for the #NHS.

My livelihood gone, my role in life gone, my ability to help others gone.

Long Covid ruins lives. Photo of my work ID badge with my name and photo. "Darren Parkinson, community nurse, CAMHS, Calderdale." Blue NHS lanyard is attached. This disease leaves me wracked with fatigue.

I need to lie on my bed for most of the day to save enough energy for the few things I can do.

I don't have the energy to leave the house or concentrate for long, so I had to accept that work is just not an option for me right now.