Nirosha is 38 years old and was born in Sri Lanka. She was adopted as a baby by a Dutch family and has two younger sisters. She works in the care of the disabled as a personal assistant and has her own company. She organizes trips for people with a hearing impairment and anyone who would like to join. Nirosha herself also has a hearing impairment.
Long-term complaints after corona
In December 2020, Nirosha had her first corona and in April 2022 for a second time. She was not very sick at the time. She did have to cough a lot and stay home longer, because it lingered a bit. "I just had surgery for CI in July (Cochlear implant) and I was still in the rehabilitation process, which was also quite demanding. Because my complaints did not disappear and because I kept track of everything that was published about Long COVID, I slowly came to realize that I myself had Long COVID. However, my physiotherapist mentioned it for the first time. My parents, especially my mother, actively searched for articles about Long COVID and shared information about it, which was very nice.”
She mainly has respiratory problems. Her asthma has worsened and she is short of breath. She also suffers from brain fog, muscle cramps, gets tired much faster than before and occasionally has problems concentrating. “I find it difficult to read books and concentrate, but also to plan and execute things. Everything has to be planned and scheduled, so that I get enough rest. Activities cost a lot of energy.”
Difficulties
Nirosha's hearing impairment causes difficulties, just in a different way than expected. She was still recovering from the surgery for the CI and that was going very well before she got corona. She could already understand something with it. After going through corona, she could no longer do anything with the CI. “My brain can barely process the input, which makes it almost impossible for me to wear the CI. That is very annoying, but not something I can change at the moment. Still, it is a shame, because now the CI is unused in the cupboard and I can no longer do anything with that ear. That is frustrating.”
Help
It was difficult to get the right help. Especially in the hospital because her asthma and its worsening were not recognized by atypical symptoms. Still, she considers herself lucky with the help she received. “C-support was actually the place where I got recognition for what I was going through. And the feedback that what my work expected of me at the time, namely to function fully, was not realistic. I had no expectations when I signed up, I just thought: 'it can't get any worse and hopefully this is the place where they can tell me a bit more'. "
She has experienced support in particular through the contact and the 'listening ear' and experienced in the beginning especially the handles and advice she could turn to as very useful. Also the recognition that her complaints were not psychological, something she almost started to believe, did her good.
Social network
She never had the idea that anyone around her did not take her seriously, although she did notice that at a certain point she should not talk about her complaints too often anymore. “People start to tune out, so these days I don't say much about it unless someone specifically asks."
Nirosha's tip: 'be kind to yourself'
Nirosha: “What you feel and experience is real; no one can determine for you whether it is or is not. It does get better, but it really takes time. And that is why it is important to be kind to yourself. Also with regard to your hearing impairment, because that does cause you to lose even more energy.”
