“I used to swim every day”; "Psychologically it is very hard, afterIt's been 4 weeks and I still have it.“symptoms”; "U.S“I'm wasting my doctor's time”; “It's been 8 weeks and I can't get my old life back and even worse, I don't knowé when will that moment come… “; “My family and friends think I’m the only one going through a long recovery and they think it’s a problem with my attitude…”
These are the experiences of COVID patients, some of whom have suffered from the disease. Many of them also speak of a false recovery as the symptoms come and go in a cyclical manner.
These testimonies were collected in a study that a group of healthcare professionals from Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation began in April 2020.
COVID-19 Hotline
Within the framework of this work, an open telephone line was made available for consultations, intended for patients who had suffered the COVID-19 in a moderate or severe form, and those who required some type of help or advice in respiratory rehabilitation. After receiving around 3000 calls, the surprise was that half of the patients had contracted the virus at home, that is, in a mild form, and despite this, they demanded help for their recovery.
Based on the data collected, researchers observed the following questions from patients:
- La relationship with the health system. Patients verbalized that they had felt invisible, forgotten or abandoned by their doctors. When they called their doctor, he told them that there was nothing they could do for them since their saturations were above 93%. In addition, patients were told that they should not have called or that they did not need to speak to their doctor. Some users expressed that they did not He didn't know if what was happening to him was because of the virus because they never had a positive test and he was confused about his symptoms.
- Another large part of the negative comments were related to the great simulator so much on a physical level as well as a psychological level, feeling like this inability to live a normal life in relation to their work, their social life…
- Finally, the patients presented a long list of symptoms during the disease process and also after it. The most common post-COVID-19 symptoms after 2500 responses evaluated were:
- Respiratory problems, such as shortness of breath, in 2102 patients
- Extreme fatigue or tiredness in 1686 of them
- Muscle weakness or joint stiffness in 602 patients
- Many of these users said that, after not receiving a response from the health system, or that the information they received was comparable to that obtained on other digital platforms, they ended up seeking help from other types of media: Facebook groups on COVID-19, patient forums or articles on the Internet...
Global care
The study concludes that it is necessary to have trained professionals in units that provide services that are individualized to the patient but that are also comprehensive. The common idea is that the different specialties work together and in good communication for the good of the patient.
RE-COVID19
Along the same lines, from the Lovexair Foundation, we make our ecosystem available to affected people and their families. HappyAirThanks to this and the support of our respiratory coaches, respiratory physiotherapists specialized in pulmonary rehabilitation, they will be able to create a personalized care plan adapted to their needs to improve the management of their disease and, therefore, their quality of life. Registration is free
If you want to know more about this study, stay tuned for our next post. We will tell you what these users think about the impact of the COVID-19 on a physical and psychological level and how their adaptation went.
We encourage you to be part of our community RE-COVID19 (Experiences of patients with COVID-19)
SOURCE
Last updated on 7 March, 2026
