Chronic Effects of Long COVID- Perspective from Patient and Nurse

**** October Dysautonomia Awareness Month ****

So what's changed two months into treatment?

As a nurse and patient, I'm going head to toe through my body. I'll share the progress I'm proud of, the challenges I'm still facing, and the symptoms that come back just when I think they're gone. 

You'll also hear why I stopped asking "why?" and started asking "what helps?" Plus one simple tip for anyone living with an invisible illness.

This episode describes my personal journey fighting to be taken seriously after being dismissed by healthcare providers. The persistent gaslighting takes an emotional toll on patients and the host gives personal takeaways she has learned along the way. Persistence and self advocacy is a reoccurring theme. The episode was created with the intention of finding connection with others navigating similar struggles.

Episode 1: When Nothing Added Up

A nurse of 15 years gets COVID — twice. The first time is manageable. The second time changes everything. In this debut episode, she walks through 18 months of unexplained symptoms, dismissed test results, and misdiagnoses (depression? a pituitary tumor?) — even after taking matters into her own hands with diet, exercise, and preventative health measures that should have helped but didn't. None of it added up to the diagnosis that was actually coming. It's a raw, honest look at what it's like to be the patient instead of the caregiver — and the first step in a series about grief, chronic illness, and learning to advocate for yourself when the system falls short.