Claire Twomey, the founder of Long-Covid Ireland, experienced a lack of support and understanding from the medical community and employers after her Covid recovery. After struggling with debilitating fatigue, she ultimately quit her job in social care at the end of 2022. Despite difficult experiences, such as being told her symptoms were 'all in her head,' Twomey found a silver lining by training to become an ADHD coach. She acknowledges the increasing acceptance of long-Covid but highlights that earlier misunderstandings have affected many people's lives.
I was told by the hospital doctors that it was all in my head. I was offered anti-depressants by one hospital doctor - and that was a common response to people with long-Covid during the pandemic. There was a lot of gaslighting, in the medical community and in society generally.
The reality was I wasn't sick because I was depressed, I was sick because of physical symptoms - extreme fatigue being the most serious for me.
Training and becoming an ADHD coach was the gift I got out of all of this. I feel very lucky.
There was a lack of understanding what we were going through during the pandemic; there was a lot of gaslighting, in the medical community and society generally.
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