Covid Inquiry: 'My life was tipped upside down', says mum who suffered long Covid

"The main thing was fatigue. It was quite crippling to the extent that even when I wanted to get out of bed, I couldn't." Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

A mother who suffered with long Covid said her life was "tipped upside down" in a "matter of weeks" after she was impacted by "crippling" symptoms.

It comes as the first day of the third module of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry begins today (Monday, 9 September).

Leaders from the Health and Safety Executive and Unison are expected to give evidence this week as the inquiry looks at the governmental and societal response to Covid-19 by assessing the impact of the pandemic on how NHS services were delivered.

Kate Lloyd, from Bridgend, tested positive for Covid-19 in 2022.

It was not the first time she had tested positive for the virus, and assumed that she would spend a few days feeling unwell, before returning to her usual fit and healthy self.

Speaking to ITV Wales, she recounted how she became unwell quickly, with symptoms persisting for weeks.

"I remember vividly trying to read them a bedtime story, and I couldn't say the words out loud." Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

She said: "I was hopeful that after a couple of weeks, the symptoms would go... but that wasn't the case. If anything, I started getting worse.

"The main thing was fatigue. It was quite crippling to the extent that even when I wanted to get out of bed, I couldn't. In the mornings, I just couldn't move my legs to lift them up and out of bed."

She continued: "I had severe brain fog, I couldn't remember words for things. Then the physical symptoms... rapid heart rate every time I stood up. The GP explained that there was a reason as to why I was feeling worse every time I stood up- it was caused by something called POTS."

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia syndrome, is a condition that causes a rapid increase in heart rate when standing up from a sitting or lying position.

She added: "For me, that meant that my resting heart rate was going up about 50 beats per minute every time I went from sitting to standing. It made me really dizzy, chest pain and quite frightened by it."

"I had to have symptoms for 12 weeks before the GP would refer me to a Long Covid Clinic. That's a really long time when you're struggling." Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

Tasks that previously proved easy to Kate, became almost impossible.

She explained: "Because of the brain fog and inability to use the words I wanted to use, I couldn't read out loud. Which is why the significance of me reading to the children is so important now. I remember vividly trying to read them a bedtime story, and I couldn't say the words out loud. I was doing my dissertation for University at the time and I had to cancel that because I could not retain any information.

"It felt like my whole life was tipped upside down within a matter of weeks."

Kate had previously heard of long covid but never imagined she would be impacted as she did not have any underlying health issues: "I'm fit and well, very active, always on the go, always doing something. So it was very hard for me to see myself with that condition."

"I had to have symptoms for 12 weeks before the GP would refer me to a Long Covid Clinic. That's a really long time when you're struggling."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To know...