Consultant Neurologist Dr. Hadi Manji is part of the team leading a new clinic for neurology patients with ‘Long Covid’ at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN) with funding from the National Brain Appeal. The COVID Neurology Clinic will focus on complaints such as headache, ‘brain fog’, muscle weakness and brain inflammation in patients recovering from the COVID-19 virus. He speaks to us at the The Long Covid Sessions about what he thinks is affecting the post-Covid brain in some people and causing some of the many neurological symptoms. He explains in broad terms what is going on in the body and offers some advice to help ease the symptoms.

Living with Long Covid? How was your week?

Website - https://www.tlcsessions.net/
Twitter - @SessionsTlc https://twitter.com/sessionstlc
Insta - @tlcsessions https://www.instagram.com/tlcsessions

Physiotherapist Darren Brown is  a Long Covid sufferer and founder of Long Covid Physio.  In our conversation this week he lays out the fundamentals of our rehabilitation needs and explains how pacing might be the key to getting a handle on our symptoms.  He takes his experience working in HIV and Oncology rehabilitation and demonstrates how we can apply our knowledge of treating those conditions, with their fluctuating health challenges, when facing Long Covid.  Patient advocate, peer supporter and a strong voice leading the charge in developing an understanding of the needs of Long Covid sufferers, Darren opens our eyes to the breadth of the role physio might have in our recovery.

Living with Long Covid? How was your week?

Website - https://www.tlcsessions.net/
Twitter - @SessionsTlc https://twitter.com/sessionstlc
Insta - @tlcsessions https://www.instagram.com/tlcsessions

As the start of the school year approaches, we look at the impact of Long Covid on children and their parents.  We talk to Frances Simpson, one of the founders of Long Covid Kids,  about her 18 month struggle to get medical attention for her own children whilst battling with Long Covid herself, and how she has chosen to be an advocate for children and parents in the UK and beyond.  We also speak to two teenage Long Covid sufferers, Kitty McFarland and Liliana Jackson. 

Living with Long Covid? How was your week?

Website - https://www.tlcsessions.net/
Twitter - @SessionsTlc https://twitter.com/sessionstlc
Insta - @tlcsessions https://www.instagram.com/tlcsessions

Still riding the Coronacoaster, in this week's episode Noreen and Emily manage a brief catch up with each other, talking over their personal situations and observations on some of the things that they've learned over the past weeks:  they share their opinions on drug interventions, give first-hand experience of US awareness and treatment, talk about some of the latest studies, and give their thoughts on the idea of HRT as a Long Covid treatment strategy.

Living with Long Covid? How was your week?

Website - https://www.tlcsessions.net/
Twitter - @SessionsTlc https://twitter.com/sessionstlc
Insta - @tlcsessions https://www.instagram.com/tlcsessions

UCLH Long Covid Clinic has been described as the gold standard of treatment. Clinical lead and respiratory consultant, Dr Melissa Heightman, talks us through their multi-disciplinary approach, the areas that we need to develop for effective universal treatment and the challenges facing the Long Covid clinics and NHS at large.

Living with Long Covid? How was your week?

Website - https://www.tlcsessions.net/
Twitter - @SessionsTlc https://twitter.com/sessionstlc
Insta - @tlcsessions https://www.instagram.com/tlcsessions

As we start to explore the different systems of the body affected by Long Covid, this week we speak to Consultant Cardiologist Dr Alexander Lyon.  He unpicks how Long Covid affects the heart, talks us through the symptoms that the heart causes, and gives us hope that recovery is possible in a majority of cases.

Living with Long Covid? How was your week?

Website - https://www.tlcsessions.net/
Twitter - @SessionsTlc https://twitter.com/sessionstlc
Insta - @tlcsessions https://www.instagram.com/tlcsessions

Professor of Immunology, Danny Altmann, talks us through his work looking at the way in which Covid-19 has left its mark on the immune system in cases of Long Covid.  He draws comparisons with other viruses to try and understand the long term prognosis for Long Covid sufferers, as well detailing his efforts to develop a potential blood test for diagnosis of the condition.  A brilliant mind, Professor Altmann does not shy away from political, ethical and moral debates arising from the impact of the disease.

Living with Long Covid? How was your week?

Website - https://www.tlcsessions.net/
Twitter - @SessionsTlc https://twitter.com/sessionstlc
Insta - @tlcsessions https://www.instagram.com/tlcsessions

Sonia Gallego works as a reporter for an international news channel and lived a full and active life until she contracted Covid in December 2020.  Since then she has had to dramatically change her expectations.  Suffering many of the most common Long Covid symptoms, she has also become pre-diabetic and is currently having her endocrine system investigated. 

Living with Long Covid? How was your week?

Website - https://www.tlcsessions.net/
Twitter - @SessionsTlc https://twitter.com/sessionstlc
Insta - @tlcsessions https://www.instagram.com/tlcsessions

Dr. Paul Glynne,  Consultant Physician and Medical Director at The Physicians’ Clinic and former medical director at UCLH. He is the Sherlock Holmes of diagnostic medicine and is now treating patients with Long Covid.  He shares with us the current management strategies he believes can help Covid 'Long Haulers'. Glynne advocates a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach to help patients manage their symptoms. 

Living with Long Covid? How was your week?

Website - https://www.tlcsessions.net/
Twitter - @SessionsTlc https://twitter.com/sessionstlc
Insta - @tlcsessions https://www.instagram.com/tlcsessions

Dr Elaine Maxwell, Clinical Adviser at the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) breaks down all the world’s Long Covid research for us into bite-sized pieces.  Maxwell explains who is being affected, how they are affected and what is being done to try and help. And yes - it's a real thing.

Living with Long Covid? How was your week?

Website - https://www.tlcsessions.net/
Twitter - @SessionsTlc https://twitter.com/sessionstlc
Insta - @tlcsessions https://www.instagram.com/tlcsessions