"I am 30ft below the surface of the Blue Grotto, a crystalline diving hole in central Florida. Between the water's embrace and the restriction of my wetsuit, my blood pressure finally stabilizes. The long, deep breaths I pull from my respirator keep my heart rate nice and low. I feel lighter than I have since April 2022, when I first contracted long Covid."
"My bodily existence is unpleasant. I wake up every day so nauseated that even the smell of food can make me vomit. I have to stretch for an hour before I can fully move my body. If I don't sleep for 1012 hours, my brain and muscles will be too depleted to manage anything beyond the rote tasks of keeping me alive."
Since April 2022, long Covid has produced severe, disabling symptoms including extreme fatigue, persistent nausea, and orthostatic intolerance that can cause fainting, seizures, or transient paralysis. Daily functioning requires prolonged stretching, 1012 hours of sleep at times, and reliance on a wheelchair or walker. Social activity provokes flu-like crashes while isolation intensifies suicidal ideation. Scuba diving provides fleeting symptomatic relief through buoyancy and regulated breathing. Medical care demands monthly four-hour drives to a Chapel Hill rehabilitation clinic. Reduced federal research funding and coordination under the current administration has complicated access to care, and medical expenses forced retirement and financial depletion.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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